GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Thanksgiving is a time for celebrating family and togetherness which makes it so much more important to remember the people who can’t be with their family during the holiday.
All around the country people come together for their particular Thanksgiving tradition, whether watching or playing football, gathering with friends and family for dinner or planning their shopping frenzy. No matter how you celebrate everyone should take a minute to remember the thousands of men and women who serve in our nation’s armed forces.
Dating back to its origins in 1621, Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.
A year prior to the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims, a group of religious separatists, landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, after searching for a land where they could worship freely. These early colonists experienced a devastating winter that cost them the lives of nearly half their people. The following fall, the Pilgrims had a bountiful harvest thanks to Native Americans who helped them survive that first year. These thankful Americans, both native and new, gathered together for a three-day feast to celebrate, and an American tradition was born.
Service members are deployed all around the world protecting America and our freedoms. We should all give thanks for their sacrifice, just as they will be giving thanks for all of our support.
The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Men and women from the Hoosier Wing routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission.
Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.