Military families

Deployment Diary: Military Wives Celebrate Thanksgiving in October

And birthdays and holidays and everything else.
Posted: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 9:10am By Alison Buckholtz

I remember the year we celebrated Thanksgiving on a Sunday evening in October. It was the fall of 2007, the night before my husband, Scott, left for his seven-month deployment on an aircraft carrier. Other military wives, far more seasoned than I, gave me the idea to whip up one giant festive dinner to mark all of the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and milestones that my husband would miss while his squadron was in the Persian Gulf. It was a long list: Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Ethan’s fifth birthday, Estee’s third birthday, and our wedding anniversary, to list just a few.

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Having been a Navy brat, with childhood memories of the fleet coming in with my dad, I appreciate the sacrifices made by military families. They don't get enough clear and apolitical support from ideologues of all stripes.