A18, Nov. 24, 2016, Karen L. Gill design
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While American families celebrate Thanksgiving at home, the 5,200 sailors aboard the USS Eisenhower are spending their second Thanksgiving deployed at sea. They will be launching fighter jets to strike ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. Some pilots will fly missions over the Middle East during Thanksgiving dinner. Meanwhile, the ship's cooks are preparing a massive Thanksgiving feast of turkey, ham, beef, shrimp and sides for the sailors. One fighter pilot plans to eat midmorning before taking off on a bombing mission for the holiday.
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A18, Nov. 24, 2016, Karen L. Gill design
- 1. THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT | 11.24.16 | Thursday |PAGE 18 nationnation&&worldworld By Sam McNeil and Petr David Josek The Associated Press ABOARD THE USS EISENHOWER While millions of Americans celebrate Thanksgivingwithfamilyandhome-cooked meals, the 5,200 sailors aboard the Nor- folk-based Eisenhower are busy launching fighter jets to strike Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. The crew is spending their second Thanksgiving on duty, and will be carv- ing their roasted turkeys when their du- ties aboard the thousand-foot long Ameri- can aircraft carrier allow. Some will spend part of the day flying over the Middle East, dropping precision munitions on Islamic State militants. Its not going to stop us from having a great Thanksgiving meal, Capt. Paul C. Spedero Jr. said. Were going to watch football when we can. Itll probably be a little bit time-delayed but were going to do all the things that we can do and what we can expect to do with our families back home, he said. He estimates the carriers fighters have dropped nearly 1,100 bombs in the fight against Islamic State since June, when the Eisenhower began operating in the Persian Gulf.LastThanksgivingitwasdeployedoff the coast of Virginia. Lt. Jennifer Sandifer, 27, a fighter pilot from Austin, Texas, plans to eat her turkey midmorning before donning a flight suit la- beled with her call sign, Fur. Shell then make her way across the bus- tlingflightdeck,whereenginesroarandthe air is thick with exhaust fumes. Mechanics andagroundcrewtheremaintainjetsfor17 pilots, including her F/A-18E Super Hornet. Shelltaxitothelaunchpoint,whereacat- apult will connect to the fighter jet. A sail- or known as a shooter will signal Sandifer when the catapult is ready and then shell give a final salute before roaring off the carrier going 0 to 145 mph in 2.5 seconds. On Thanksgiving, as on any other day, shell fly six to nine hours and strike tar- gets identified by ground forces, perhaps in Mosul or the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State groups self-styled caliphate. BackontheEisenhower,PettyOfficer1st Class Antonio Brown is organizing a feast of 4,950 pounds of turkey, 1,050 pounds of ham, 1,200 pounds of beef, 648 pounds of shrimp, 7,000 portions of mashed potatoes, 400 pies and 200 cheesecakes. Brown is setting up carving stations for sailors and serving his take on standard Navy recipes, like adding marshmallows to the sweet potatoes. Brown said Thanks- givingisthemostimportantdayoftheyear for the carriers cooks and kitchen staff. Its like the Super Bowl. We care about Christmas, yes indeed, but Thanksgiving we try to show out, Brown said. When ev- erybody is able to sit down and eat a nice, healthy, nutritious meal and everything, its like it takes them back. This holiday, Navy serves up turkey alongside sorties Thousands aboard Eisenhower celebrate Thanksgiving Sandifer walks to her F/A-18E Super Hornet, on which she flies between six and nine hours most days. She plans to eat her Thanksgiving meal midmorning before launching today. Lt. Jennifer Sandifer, a 27-year-old fighter pilot from Austin, Texas, dresses up before launching from the deck of the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier. Culinary specialist Petty Officer 1st Class Antonio Brown organized the feast of 4,950 pounds of turkey, 1,050 pounds of ham, 1,200 pounds of beef, 648 pounds of shrimp, 7,000 portions of mashed potatoes, 400 pies and 200 cheesecakes Navy sailors prepare turkeys for the Thanksgiving dinner aboard the ship. The 5,200 sailors on the Norfolk-based Eisenhower are spending their second Thanksgiving on deployment. Many will spend the day launching fighter jets armed with weapons to strike Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. By Kevin Freking The Associated Press President Barack Obama got the holiday mood start- ed at the White House on Wednesday with the tradi- tional pardoning of the na- tional Thanksgiving turkey, this time with his nephews standing in for daughters Malia and Sasha. The light-hearted ceremo- ny in the Rose Garden also featured Iowa-raised tur- keys Tater and Tot, with the latter receiving the formal reprieve. Obama said he has used the past pardoning ceremo- nies to embarrass his daugh- ters with a cornucopia of bad jokes about turkeys. This year, they had a scheduling conflict. Actu- ally, they just couldnt take myjokesanymore,thepres- ident said. His nephews, Austin and Aaron Robinson, filled in ad- mirably. Obama joked they had not yet been turned cyn- ical by Washington. They still believe in bad puns. They still believe in the grandeur of this occa- sion, Obama said. They still have hope. The White House asked people on Twitter to vote for whichturkeywillreceivethe pardon, though both will get a reprieve. The White House even provided a biography for each bird to help voters with their decision. For ex- ample, Taters favorite snack is worms. Tot prefers toma- to slices. Each 18-week-old bird weighed in at about 40 pounds. While only one could be namedtheNationalThanks- giving Turkey, the White House said that both birds will be sent to their new home at Virginia Techs Gobblers Rest where they will be cared for by veteri- narians and students. The ceremony also gave Obama a chance to reflect on the spirit of Thanksgiv- ing. Obama said its a time to remember that we have a lot more in common than di- vides us. He also challenged Americans to show the world that the United States is a generous and giving coun- try, and to make sure every- one has something to eat on Thanksgiving. The National Turkey Fed- eration began bringing live turkeys to the White House when President Harry S. Truman was in office. The White House Historical As- sociation said Truman re- marked they would come in handy for Christmas din- ner. President John Kennedy spared the turkey presented to him in 1963, saying lets keep him going. And Pres- ident George H.W. Bush is credited with beginning the formal pardon tradition back in 1989, saying that years bird was granted a presi- dential pardon as of right now. Pardoned holiday turkey: Thanks, Obama President lets bird off the hook with pomp and jokes MANUEL BALCE CENETA | ASSOCIATED PRESS President Barack Obama, with his nephews Aaron, front, and Austin Robinson, pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey, Tot, on Wednesday at the White House. PETR DAVID JOSEK PHOTOS | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PublicationDate:11/24/2016 AdNumber: InsertionNumber: Size: ColorType: ClientName: Advertiser: Section/Page/Zone:Main/A018/ Description: ThisE-Sheet(R)isprovidedasconfirmationthattheadappearedinTheVirginian-Pilotonthedateandpageindicated.Youmaynotcreatederivativeworks,orinanywayexploitorrepurposeanycontent.