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Military Thanksgiving Day Menus - Post your own here!


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Here is a 1943 Menu for Thanksgiving. Great Cover and Meal. It reads Happy Thanksgiving Shipmates inside but doesnt identify a particular ship.

 

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The simplicity of this Thanksgiving Day menu, from the tanker O.M. BERNUTH, says much about the setting–a typed carbon copy. The BERNUTH was five days out from it’s destination of Casablanca and that there was a dinner at all seems remarkable. For many of the crew, just being alive was reason for giving thanks. In the Mediterranean, in the same month, American forces had successfully landed in North Africa and were advancing on the Germans. The O.M. BERNUTH sailed to Casablanca and Fedala to deliver tens of thousands of barrels of precious gasoline for the offensive. The men may have recognized that they were contributing greatly to the war effort, but always on their mind was the great peril of each convoy crossing. Would the next be one of no return? In 1942, more than 1600 Allied ships had been lost to the enemy.

 

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  • 2 years later...
  • 1 year later...
Salvage Sailor

Aloha Everyone,

 

A while back we collected up all of the Christmas cards in one topic.  Feel free to add onto this one and show us what the soldiers, sailors & airmen of past service feasted upon.

 

I'll start with the Navy. USS COCOPA (ATF-101) homeported in Pearl Harbor but serving in the Western Pacific and Korean waters.

Thanksgiving November twenty-seventh, nineteen hundred and fifty-two

 

USS COCOPA (ATF-101) Thanksgiving Menu 1952 001a.jpg

 

Crew Roster and Menu

 

USS COCOPA (ATF-101) Thanksgiving Menu 1952 002a.jpg

USS COCOPA (ATF-101) Thanksgiving Menu 1952 003a.jpg

 

USS COCOPA (ATF-101) Officers and Crew

 

USS COCOPA (ATF-101) Officers and Crew 1952.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

H & S Company, 3rd U.S. Engineers (Then engaged in constructing Schofield Barracks, Territory of Hawaii)

Thanksgiving 1921

 

Thanksgiving Menu 1921 001f.jpg

 

Thanksgiving 1921

 

Thanksgiving Menu 1921 005a.jpg

Thanksgiving Menu 1921 006a.jpg

 

There are several more pages of the roster and then their yardlong

 

Headquarters and Service Company 3rd Engineers Schofield Barracks 1920 B.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

Dropping back a few years to the Great War

 

Troop I 4th United States Cavalry

Schofield Barracks, T.H.

November 29th, 1917

Troop I 4th Cavalry Thanksgiving November 29 1917 001a.jpg

 

Troop I 4th Cavalry Thanksgiving November 29 1917 003a.jpg

 

Roster

Troop I 4th Cavalry Thanksgiving November 29 1917 002a.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

Let's see what the Redlegs were eating in 1935

 

Battery C & Battery D Eleventh Field Artillery, Hawaiian Division

Schofield Barracks, Territory of Hawaii

Thanksgiving November 28th, 1935

 

Thanksgiving Dinner 02.jpg

 

Menu (which is quite similar to their 1935 Christmas menu too)

 

Thanksgiving Dinner Nov 28 1935 04.jpg

 

Roster (has several pages listing the men in both Batteries)

Thanksgiving Dinner Nov 28 1935 05b.jpg

Thanksgiving Dinner Nov 28 1935 06b.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

And the Infantry

 

Company D 35th US Infantry

Schofield Barracks, T.H.

Thanksgiving 1937

 

Thanksgiving menu 1937 01.jpg

 

Thanksgiving menu 1937 02.jpg

 

Thanksgiving menu 1937 03.jpg

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Salvage Sailor

Back to November 15th, 1923 when Schofield Barracks was under construction, this is a very nice and elaborate menu

 

post-2322-0-99128000-1385705209.jpg

 

Headquarters Detachment and Combat Train

1st Battalion, 8th Field Artillery

who dined with

Headquarters Battery, 11th Field Artillery Brigade

 

Nice rear cover "Aeroplane" photograph of Schofield Barracks

 

8th Field Artillery HQ Schofield Barracks Thanksgiving 1923 02b.jpg

 

Headquarters Rosters of both the 8th F.A. & 11th F.A. Bde. November 15, 1923

 

8th Field Artillery HQ Schofield Barracks Thanksgiving 1923 03a.jpg

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Here's a card I received for Thanksgiving in 1977 when I was stationed with the 1st Division in Germany. Unfortunately no menu is listed but as I recall it was the full Thanksgiving fare, and it was very good!

Kim

 

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Salvage Sailor

Thanks for sharing that Kim, glad you kept it.

 

To finish off the components of the Hawaiian Division, here's the Air Corps.

 

This 1936 Thanksgiving Dinner menu is very elaborate in materials and construction to the others I have shown. It has a cover made from heavy cardstock and the flags, eagle and Tom Turkey are fully embossed and colored.

 

01a 75th Service Squadron Thanksgiving 1936.jpg

 

Nice feast on this menu

 

02 75th Service Squadron Thanksgiving 1936 Menu.jpg

 

But what is really nice is that this is a photographic menu for the Service Squadron made by their own 11th Photographic Section.

 

05a.jpg

 

The 75th Service Squadon, Air Corps, was organized at Schofield Barracks in 1930 and attached to the 18th Pursuit Group, the organic Air Corps component of the Hawaiian Division. In 1938 they were redesignated the Base HQ and 18th Air Base Squadron.

 

Squadron Headquarters

 

03a 75th Service Squadron Thanksgiving 1936 Squadron Headquarters.jpg

Interesting to note that all of the officers leading their sections are pilots.

 

Engineering Section

 

04a 75th Service Squadron Thanksgiving 1936 Engineering Section.jpg

 

Supply Section

 

05a 75th Service Squadron Thanksgiving 1936 Supply Section.jpg

 

Flight Section and Parachute Department

 

06a 75th Service Squadron Thanksgiving 1936 Flight Section and Parachute Department.jpg

 

Transportation Section

 

07a 75th Service Squadron Thanksgiving 1936 Transportation Section.jpg

 

Maintenance Section

 

08a 75th Service Squadron Thanksgiving 1936 Maintenance Section.jpg

 

And this is the 11th Photo Section who made the squadron album.

 

The 11th photo section was assigned to the administration at Wheeler Field during this period. In 1937 they were placed under the direct supervision of the commanding general, 18th Composite Wing. Then in the 1938 reorganization (when the 75th was changed to the 18th), the 11th Photo Section was demobilized.

 

09a 75th Service Squadron Thanksgiving 1936 11th Photo Section.jpg

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nice. here's one of mine-USS Santa Fe CL 60-Thanksgiving 1945 this came from a scrapbook a seller decimated on ebay- the scrapbook belonged to JJ Breein S1C F Div

 

 

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Salvage Sailor

Found another nicely embossed 11th Field Artillery Menu on heavy card stock

 

Thanksgiving Dinner November 25th, 1937

1937 Thanksgiving Dinner 01a.jpg

 

Very nice menu - looks like they added a few pounds this holiday season

 

1937 Thanksgiving Dinner 02a.jpg

 

This was another joint dinner

 

Roster

Battery D Eleventh Field Artillery, U.S. Army

Station Schofield Barracks, T.H.

Hawaiian Division

 

1937 Thanksgiving Dinner 03a.jpg

 

and...

 

Roster

Headquarters Headquarters Battery & Combat Train

Second Battalion, Eleventh Field Artillery

Station Schofield Barracks, T.H.

Hawaiian Division

 

1937 Thanksgiving Dinner 04a.jpg

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  • 4 months later...
  • 6 months later...

First one is from 1949 for Ft Baker CA Harbor Defense Detachment. Capt Arthur J. Lacouture, Jr. CAC Commanding. Several years ago I as able to correspond with Capt Lacouture's family and share the program with them. My grandfather, MSgt Ralph A. Lurvey is listed in the roster of troops. I donated the original program to the Park Service to be used in one of their displays in San Francisco.

 

1st of 5 scans

 

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scan 2 of 5

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scan 3 of 5

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scan 4 of 5

post-144745-0-29462200-1416598700.jpg

 

scan 5 of 5 1949 Fort Baker Harbor Defense Detachment Thanksgiving menu

post-144745-0-90986200-1416598786.jpg

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Second menu is from 1952 Lt Col George P Winston Commanding and WOJG Ralph A. Lurvey Mess Officer. 33rd Field Artillery Battalion, Dinner Menu, Thanksgiving Day 1952, Bamberg Germany.

 

A great side story is that in 1949 my grandfather served under Col Winston as a 1st LT artillery officer in the 88th Division in Italy. The Col court-martialed (I have the court martial) my grandfather for gambling with the enlisted troops and he was sent back to the states for discharge. My grandfather then reenlisted as an enlisted man, changed from artillery to Quartermaster and went to Mess Officer School and was promoted to Warrant Officer. In Germany they became good friends and corresponded until their passing. I talked with Col Winston's widow last November and she was delighted to get a copy of the menu and talked about how the two families really had a strong bond. Col Winston must have been a hell of a leader to do his job and then get on with commanding. My grandfather was a better person because of it.

 

Mason

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last page from 1952

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Last menu from 1956. Col George D. Webb Commanding Officer EARD Officers Open Mess, 8th Army Thanksgiving Menu 1956. CWO W-2 Ralph A. Lurvey was the Mess Officer. This program is unique in that members of the Mess and guests and the cooks signed it for my grandfather.

 

I was able to get hold of just about have of the officers families listed and shared the menu with them last year. Most of the officers ended up being career Army with a lot of Cols and even one Lt. General Sinclair L. Melner. One family was so tickled pink about the menu that they served the entire menu for their family gathering last November.

 

Please post your Thanksgiving day menus so that others may enjoy.

 

Mason

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page 2

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page 3

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final page Korea 1956 Thanksgiving

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I have about a dozen 9th Infantry, but here are three of my favorites. The first one is a Mexican Border from when they were staioned there from 1915-17. The second one is for Company C at Camp McCoy in 1942. Excuse me for not showing the insides, but they are delicate and do not want to break thier spines.

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This last one is for Company A at Camp Swift, Texas in 1945, at this time Company A was made up of mostly new men with very few combat veterans left in it.

post-624-0-12012500-1416628303.jpg

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Photo of the Open Mess Staff from the 33rd FA BN Bamberg Germany 1952. My grandfather, Mess Officer, is 1st row, 2nd from left, sitting on floor.

post-144745-0-77302300-1416705278.jpg

 

Ralph Lurvey on the right

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Field rations.

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33rd FA Bn Open Mess staff 1953

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last picture of Open Mess staff 1952

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Salvage Sailor

Photo of the Open Mess Staff from the 33rd FA BN Bamberg Germany 1952. My grandfather, Mess Officer, is 1st row, 2nd from left, sitting on floor.

 

Nice mix of Korean War era chevrons in this one.

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