Thanksgiving Turkey Brigade

One of USO’s core values is gratitude and this time of year is an extra special reminder of how grateful we are for our military members and their families. A Thanksgiving tradition for many is to gather around with family and friends, watch a football game, catch up on the busy year, and then finally fill their bellies with a Thanksgiving feast. The USO knows how challenging living overseas can be, especially while being away from family. This is why USO Rota is thankful we can bring a little bit of home to the community and show our appreciation with programs like our Turkey Brigade.

The center of so many families’ Thanksgiving feasts for decades has been the turkey. The big bird that takes hours to cook to golden perfection and then gets eaten until you are ready for a nap. With the USO’s Turkey Brigade program we are able to provide free turkeys to active-duty military who are E-5 and below. This not only ensures these families have the traditional staple main course for their Thanksgiving feasts, but also helps relieve the burden of finding a Turkey while living here in Spain. This year, USO Rota was able to provide 75 turkeys to families living here in Rota and 25 to those up in Morón.

This USO program, as always, would not have been possible without our amazing and selfless volunteers at both military bases. A huge shout out to the fantastic volunteers who took the time to hand out turkeys at each location. Families were greeted by joyous volunteers at both Rota and Morón, some even dressed in festive Thanksgiving attire. This not only gave active-duty families a sense of home, but also provided a huge morale boost when they came to retrieve their turkey.

USO Rota is filled with gratitude for our active-duty service members, their families, the community, and the volunteers who made this Turkey Brigade so meaningful and special. We hope everyone continues to have a wonderful holiday season, and USO Rota will be here to support that, always.