At Fort Liberty, the Thanksgiving meal is a mission and culinary competition

Troops at Fort Liberty on Tuesday enjoyed a hearty Thanksgiving dinner a few days early.

The 82nd Airborne Division command teams hosted a Thanksgiving lunch event at the four various Warrior restaurants around the division to serve meals to paratroopers and their families.

Officers and senior non-commissioned officers in their dress blues and green service uniforms served up turkey, seafood, sides, a giant cake and much, much more as a way to thank their soldiers for all they do all year long.

Soldiers started cooking Monday then woke up before daybreak Tuesday to make the final preparations.

"We got turkeys, we got roast beef, we got turf and surf ... all the fixings, stuffing, salad bar, meat bar ... and popcorn and all the treats that you would get if you were dining at a movie theater," said 1st Sgt. Timothy Holcomb.

Each of the 82nd Airborne Divisions's four Warrior restaurants was prepared to feed about 1,500 soldiers and their families.

"Food is definitely a morale booster," said Lt. Col. Kristyn Felix, 407th Brigade Support Battalion commander.

She is part of a group whose M.O.S.  or Military Occupational Specialty is 96 Gulf – Army cooks. And Thanksgiving dinner is their biggest meal of the year.

"We really work hard to make sure that we put a lot of effort into the sustenance and just making sure that soldiers have a good, hot meal every day."

Staff Sgt. Christopher Haynes  and SFC Carlos Segura of the 407 compared their work on Thanksgiving to the Super Bowl.

Segura said, "This is a time when we compete against other dining facilities. This is where we showcase our culinary skills and show and give back to our soldiers in the brigade. "

For Maj. Ben Shean, it is more than a meal. It is a chance to introduce colleagues to family, and family to his fellow soldiers.