Did you know our country’s military and Thanksgiving have a shared history?
The U.S. was fighting in the War of Independence from Britain when the first official holiday was set. Colonists had practiced some version of Thanksgiving for many years. But in 1777, the Continental Congress set an official Thanksgiving date for December, thinking it would be a good way to pay homage to the recent victory at Saratoga, New York. The battle is considered to be a turning point in the war.
But troops didn’t have much of a celebration that first Thanksgiving. Although General George Washington had wanted his troops to observe the holiday, provisions were scarce. In fact, 2,000 of his troops had died from starvation by the time winter was over.
Another official Thanksgiving designation came in 1863, following a proclamation from President Abraham Lincoln. This time the holiday was set for the last Thursday in November. But, again, the country was steeped in war—this time with itself—and resources were tight. Troops didn’t have much of a Thanksgiving then, either. Supplies were so lacking, in fact, the Thanksgiving proclamation Lincoln had signed was sold a year later to help support Union troops.
From 1939 to 1941, Thanksgiving was moved to the third week in November. This was President Franklin Roosevelt’s attempt to boost the economy. He thought making the Christmas shopping season a little longer would improve conditions during the Great Depression. The move, known as Franksgiving by some, was unpopular. By 1942, almost a year after the U.S. had become involved in World War II, Roosevelt returned Thanksgiving to the last Thursday in November.
Folks at home were asked to ration food. Thanksgiving turkeys would have been a rare find. Still, in 1944, even troops on the front lines were treated to a Thanksgiving dinner. Fresh fruit, vegetables and more than 1.6 tons of turkey had been passed out.
And things have stayed that way ever since. Last year, the U.S. sent out 51,699 pounds of turkey, 25,970 pounds of beef and 17,130 pounds of ham to our troops. The hope was to bring a little bit of home to our deployed men and women. We hope it worked.
For those of you at home wishing to send a Thanksgiving care package overseas, you’ve still got time. Click here if you need ideas about what to send, and click here if you need information on how to send it.
From the folks here at Veteran Energy, happy Thanksgiving.
