Airmen in dorms receive Thanksgiving meal

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ned T. Johnston
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The first-term, unaccompanied Airmen at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, were invited to a Thanksgiving lunch hosted by Team MacDill leadership to share in fellowship and a holiday meal Nov. 17, 2015.

Many Airmen may not have the opportunity to go home to celebrate Thanksgiving due to their work schedule, insufficient funds or any myriad of reasons. This yearly event is designed to ensure that they receive a home-cooked meal and a time during the holiday season.

"The experiences you have for Thanksgiving are completely different dependent on if you're an Airman who lives in the dorms or if you live off base with your family," said Chief Master Sgt. Greggory Jones, the superintendent of the 6th Communications Squadron. "We recognized that, and we wanted our junior enlisted Airmen to have a time where they could just relax and have a home-cooked meal for the holiday."

Airman 1st Class Katherine Brock, a general law paralegal with the 6th Air Mobility Wing Judge Advocate office, is one Airman who is feeling the difference Chief Jones was talking about this holiday season.

"Being away from home, especially during the holidays, is difficult," said Brock. "It's events like this that show that our leadership cares about us. It's still hard being away from home, but being around other Airmen in the same situation and sitting down to have a Thanksgiving meal brings us all together in a very special way."

The Chief's Group, the First Sergeant Association, and other professional organizations volunteered their time and money to make sure the event went as smoothly as possible.