Thanksgiving in Iraq

Once again, another Thanksgiving in Iraq. This is the 3rd one I have spent out here. Really there isn't much excitement during Thanksgiving except in the chow hall which we call the DFAC. DFAC stands for Dining Facility. This picture on the right is made out of food from the DFAC. Now, this is a great idea and sheer creativeness. The walls of the ship are made of macaroni and the deck is made from pop tarts and power bars. I am a bit torn as I think the soldiers and everyone out here deserve a nice show, but at what expense to the tax payer? Rumor has it that each meal costs close to 40 dollars per person. I am suspecting this ship was very expensive. Is this a waste or a gift? I guess it is up to each individual to decide. This was just one piece on display. There are other pieces throughout the DFAC. The turkey on the left was geniusly made out of potato chips. The meal this year was very good compared to other years. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and the works. I think the deserts were probably the best as usual. Hard to go wrong with those. On another note, heard on the news that a Walmart employee got killed on Black Friday due to customers breaking the door down and trampling the man to death. What has this world come to when a bargain constitutes breaking down a door and bum rushing through employees? My prayers go out to the family of this maintenance worker. It's too bad that people don't have any respect anymore. Credit for the above pictures go to Dwayne Machinski. He is a new photographer to be.