AFP/Washington
Days before he is expected to order more troops to Afghanistan, President Barack Obama paid tribute to the US military yesterday, lamenting families with an empty seat at their Thanksgiving table.
Thousands of kilometres from home, American troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan were treated to the traditional turkey, potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie dinner in a welcome respite from waging war on the battlefield.
Obama called 10 US service members - two from each of the five military branches - in Iraq and Afghanistan to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and thank them, the White House said.
“We keep in our thoughts and prayers the many families marking this Thanksgiving with an empty seat - saved for a son or daughter, or husband or wife, stationed in harm’s way,” the president said in his Thanksgiving address.
“We say a special thanks for the sacrifices those men and women in uniform are making for our safety and freedom, and for all those Americans who enrich the lives of our communities through acts of kindness, generosity and service.”
With US forces to leave Iraq by August 2010, soldiers were hopeful this would be their last Thanksgiving there, but many could soon be redeployed under reported plans to send up to 35,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
Obama will make his announcement on a new Afghan strategy, a defining moment in his young presidency, in an address to the nation on Tuesday from the prestigious West Point military academy in New York state.
While some military families got to exchange Thanksgiving wishes live on US television, for others serving out in the war zones it was a lonely prospect being so far away from their loved-ones during the holiday period.
“It’s rough to be away from home but we’re trying not to think about it; I’m just trying to get them a good meal,” specialist Nathan Deliefde said as he prepared a Thanksgiving feast for 170 soldiers at Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad.
In a canteen adorned with paper turkeys and decorations, troops sat down for this little taste from home, while some played a game of basketball and others lounged around and chatted.
Back home, Obama also acknowledged that millions of Americans faced “very difficult economic times” this Thanksgiving and vowed not to rest until he had “revived this economy and rebuilt it stronger than before”.
Despite climbing out of recession in recent months, the US economy is still fragile and the unemployment rate shot up to 10.2% in October, a 26-year high.
The economy was bound to be a topic of conversation at many dinner tables across America as turkeys are carved in a tradition dating back to the first harvest feast of English pilgrims in the new world in 1621.
But others were trying to shake off the lingering economic gloom.
In New York, crowds gathered for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, complete with floats of giant helium-filled balloons featuring the likes of Spider-Man, Kermit the Frog, Buzz Lightyear and Ronald McDonald.
Shoppers were expected to be out in force for the start of the holiday gift-giving season this weekend, perhaps clinging a bit tighter than usual to their wallets.
The National Retail Federation said it expected 134mn people to be out shopping on “Black Friday”, the day after Thanksgiving that sees bargain hunters storm the stores from the early hours.
It confirmed its forecast of a 1% decline in holiday spending to $437.6bn.
On Wednesday, Obama honoured the Thanksgiving tradition of service by handing out turkeys, pumpkin pies, vegetables, stuffing and other groceries with his family at a non-profit group for Washington’s needy and homeless.
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