Be thankful
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
It’s a big old goofy world, to quote one of our best songwriters. But there are a lot of things to be thankful for:
No matter how weird and seemingly insane some of our fellow citizens are, be thankful we have a pretty much free country in which people CAN disagree.
Be thankful that despite the best efforts of people who hate us, both internationally and domestically, that the country is still tottering along and is still the greatest country on the planet.
Be grateful for the warts and shortcomings of the country and its politicians, for they give us goals to accomplish and tasks to perform to get rid of their butts.
Be happy that we have someplace to live where one can go from one end of it to the other, no matter the direction, without anyone asking us who authorized said travel.
Whatever you choose to eat for Thanksgiving (by the way, I happen to LIKE cranberry jelly in a can!) be grateful you have the chance to get it at all. And most likely have the income to do so.
Be especially grateful for friends and family. Some have passed on and will never be forgotten (which means they still live), some you may never see again, but be happy if you have anyone who cares if you live or die.
Thank the deity of your choice that they allow you a chance to improve the world. “First, do no harm” is also a pretty good start. “Leave things a little better off than when you find them” is a hell of a second step.
Be happy that you have acquaintances, loved ones, human connections of any sort. Or no connections – whatever floats your boat.
Me, I’m grateful you have put up with my column drivel for the last year or so and my comments for what, a decade or more before that? Thank YOU.
And a shout-out to books, well-tuned cars, good tools, sharp knives, good guns wisely used, accurate handloads, bourbon, good music of any genre, and my wife.
And especially, Happy Birthday to my eldest daughter (who has blessed me with four amazing kids, chose a great son-in-law, and brightens my life.)
Category: None
Happy Thanksgiving, time to peel apples for my contribution to the feast.
Happy Thanksgiving to all here and elsewhere! As time goes on, the tradition changes. As a child, my father would visit, the insert for the table would be added (I seem to recall us renting a table one year just to have space), and we kids would have our own eating area away from the adults. Happy times, though I can’t say happier times without taking away from those who’ll celebrate today. Those days are mere memories now, but there are still memories to make.
My grandmother, the only grandparent I ever knew, is gone. My father is gone. The brother I frequently bring up was on Facebook requesting a ride to buy…something…at 0100 this morning. One sister is in jail. From 2019 to 2021, I had the “blessing” of being able to host family and friends, with upwards of 20 people showing up. Now, I’m cooking for the wife, younger three daughters, nephew, three dogs, and a cat. The hedgehog can have some if there’s anything she’ll eat. I’m thankful for what I have. No, I take that back, for what we have.
The turkey just went on the pellet grill. The ham is waiting its turn to get marinaded, covered in pecans, and placed in the smoker or oven. Got most of the usual suspects for sides lined up.
Thanks to all of you who make this site what it is.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I’m watching a beautiful sunrise this morning here at the west end of the Eastern time zone. I’ll be thankful for that, and my wonderful wife, and yes, jellied cranberry in a can.
Why are you in my brain?!
My wife took a picture of herself hoisting my 28 ounce Estwing milled-face framing hammer behind me as I operated the mini excavator we rented to dig some holes…
First feeling was “that’s the cutest/hottest thing ever!”, second feeling (the enunciated one) “why TF are you touching my hammer?!”.
I could use a little more gratitude, so to practice just that…:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y’ALL!
He did forget cigars Roh-Dog.😎
I am eternally distrustful of men who like to hold things that size in their mouth…not a fan.
So…you have issues with your Trophy Wife holding onto and posing with your 28oz Estwing, but don’t mind her grabbing the tack hammer that you nail her with? Hmmm…Ok, I can see your point…I don’t want nobody touching my Estwings either.
I had to relay the message, we had a chuckle over here.
Blessings to you and yours, Happy Thanksgiving.
Back atcha, My Brother! I shoulda leaned on you harder or sweetened the pot to get you to build your Queen’s Castle along The North Wall of Firebase Magnolia…or the perimeter of COP CRC Timber Ranch…or the west side of FOB Hawkins Hill. The latter two (2) have enough standing timber to make a real nice love nest with plenty of room for you to swing your “hammer”!
I am grateful that I got to kill a deer last Tuesday after having 6 wild turkeys meander past getting as close as 60′ of where I was sitting. Good times.
Making the hour drive today to see family. Going to get stuffed and shake up my nieces like a can of beer and give them back to my brother because that’s what uncles do.
I miss the family fights.
All in good taste of course.
Canned bog berries are evil.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends on TAH!
And I stand by my dislike of cranberry glop in a can.
Grew up on the stuff and after cacheing that can of Ocean Spray jellied glop for 9 months that’d been left by the unit we replaced in Kirkuk, it was my honor to divide it up with my Brothers when it was left out of the mermite chow Thanksgiving 2004.
It’ll always be on my plate.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Turkey is in it’s smoke filled sauna and I’m tempted to sneak an early piece of pie. Praying you all are hale and hearty on this day. A side note to fm2176, you must consume a libation made from hops and barley whilst smoking the meat, it’s the law.
But of course.
Well said David!! Have a great day!!
Hack Stone is thankful for This Ain’t Hell, a gathering place for Adorable Deplorables where everyone knows your idiosyncrasies, and will still associate with you.
And for those who have Pluto streaming, they just started their MST3K Turkey Day Marathon screening.
Had a Chessie named Pluto back in the 70s.
Miss him.
For our service members including my own son, standing the line for freedom tonight instead of being home with their families I am truly grateful.
I stood that line many years myself and know how lonely it can be. Everyone, even those who don’t love and appreciate you, owes you a debt.
It’s just the 2 of us so we are going to order a turkey dinner from Cracker Barrel for later today. There is no reason for the Mrs to make a big meal and at our age it’s not exactly easy either. We are still thankful for what we have. A warm home, plenty of food for us, money to pay the bills and some extra and especially for still being here since we are both 2 time cancer survivors.
You all be safe if traveling and do try to keep the friction / politics to a minimum. There will be plenty of time ‘tween now and November to fuss over it.
Happy Thanksgiving all.
Just in case some of you are missing ‘the good ol’ days’
Yeah, the Navy ruined a lot of holidays for me. I’m to the point that many times now it’s just another day.
Many moons ago, I was on a sub mission. We missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day. Hell, we missed Valentine’s Day! 🙂
Someone told me that we were the only fast attack sub in the world that was underway that Xmas. Probably bullshit, but who knows.
My command’s wives’s club put together presents for all of us. Just made me more depressed. Would have preferred they hadn’t done that.
Overall, though, it was worth it. We had a GREAT mission under our belts.
Found this one late:
Airborne Brother and Airborne Son we talking about some of these today.
Damn, time flies by. Twenty years ago: SPC fm2176 is patrolling Husaybah on Thanksgiving Day 2003. The Iron Rakkasans are supporting 3rd ACR because sometimes shouting “Ai-ee-yah!” from armored vehicles isn’t effective against dismounted insurgents armed with the latest RPG technology.
A week from now, 3rd ACR is going to demonstrate their thanks for us by hosting a second Thanksgiving dinner at the DFAC on Al-Asad Airbase for the Rakkasans and other units called in to assist in the fighting and clearing of the city they took heavy losses in. My squad is hungry, we walk the click or so to the DFAC, and find Brave Rifles lined up around the building. Probably all “POGs” who’d spent their tour on Al-Asad and laughed at us grunts who ventured outside the wire to do the work that Bradleys and Abrams couldn’t do. 🦃🍗
Best Iraqi pizza I ever had. We sure as hell weren’t waiting in line for dry turkey and hot A’s.
Thankful for all of the above, and then some. ‘Specially those that are maintaining that Eternal Watch in uniform worldwide. Most of us have BTDT. Also ‘specially Thankful that my turkey is not a canned loaf and my ham is not mixed with limas. BTDT too.
Would also like to give Thanks for all of my trials and tribulations. Surviving those just re-emphasizes how fortunate we are to have our many Blessings and made us all the more better.
Only thing left that would make me happy today is if I had all of my TAH Family gathered with me at REMF Port Dypanb to join in a Celebration of how good we have it. I raise a toast of Irish Coffee to you all, including the hard working, underpaid, and under appreciated Admins and Editors.
Don’t forget to click your tongs twice before placing the beast upon the coals.
1) Happy Thanksgiving! I still have immense blessings for which I am thankful. Including this forum and its inhabitants.
2) (singing) “You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant.” (Guitar playing….) “wait for it to come around again…”
3) Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
4) WKRP “…as G-d as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!”
Amen David, and a happy Turkey day to all and it’s two Hungry Man frozen TV Dinner for Sis and yours truly, and I ain’t talking turkey, know what I mean Jelly Bean.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
I remember my first Thanksgiving Dinner in the UA Army, during Basic at good ‘ol “Fort Lost-in-the-Woods”, the chow hall had run out of turkey by the time I was in line and settled for a slice of ham. The next one was in Korea while I was on my mid-tour Leave on Osan Air Base (took my two weeks in-country because we had to pay for our own airfare on leave then) and damn, did the USAF give us some chow! did other Holidays in Ass-canistan and Kuwait, but hey, I came home from those tours.
We used to ride the bus to Osan from Humphreys, pig out on USAF chow then go terrorize the local bars. An excellent thanksgiving tradition!
During my year and a week in the Land of Not Quite Right at Osan we used to head to Humphreys as they had the nearest Burger King the other I knew of was at Yongsan.
It tasted like home.
HOW ABOUT the Burger King at Good Ol’ Camp Casey which was in a Quonset Hut covered with painted-over foam insulation which made the place look like a plastic model that had been left in the attic during a hot summer?
AAH YAS, the bars around Osan AB were filled with those who were EXPERTS at separating GI’s from their money just like Koreans local to any USAFK Military Facility!
Mmmmmmmm…Juicy Girls
The Stereo club was a favorite. Good music, minimal juicy girls, lots of local girls.
Mmm good. Turkey loaf, my favorite meat dish C-rat. A little salt, pepper, and a few dashes of Tobasco or some other condiment and you have one of the tastier C-rats. Especially since the ones I ate were almost exclusively white meat. In the bush on Thanksgiving day, they flew out the turkey dinner in mermite cans to us.
Some of the early MREs were not bad, especially when one adds some seasoning from the spice shelves at the commissary.
But only the Army can turn hot dogs into the four-finger death punch.
Phil Monkress of All Points Logistics is thankful for hiring dimwitted employees who he can manipulate into going into military blogs to defend his claims of being a US Navy SEAL.