November 15, 2012
By Sara E. Martin, Army Flier Staff Writer
FORT RUCKER, Ala. — Thanksgiving is right around the corner and events are planned throughout the holiday to help Fort Rucker Families and single Soldiers enjoy the holidays.
The three main events are the Thanksgiving meal service at the dining facility, the Black Friday sale at the post exchange and the Landing’s Thanksgiving Feast.
“Fort Rucker offers a Thanksgiving meal in the DFAC to provide a special meal to those Soldiers who are unable to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Many of the Soldiers on Fort Rucker are in a training status and this is our way of giving our Soldiers a feeling of home away from home,” said Sgt. Maj. Marvin A. Pinckney, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence G-3 sergeant major.
The Thanksgiving meal service will be held at Bldg. 5914 Thanksgiving day from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and unit level command groups are scheduled to assist in serving all the meals during their units allocated times in their blue Army Service Uniforms.
“I believe Soldiers serving Soldiers is one of the pillars of our Army culture. There is nothing more satisfying to a young Soldier than to see his leadership taking the time to give back to them,” said Pinckney.
The regular price rate for the meal is $7 and the discount rate is $5.95.
“The discount rate applies only to Family members of E-4 and below,” said Pinckney.
This particular meal is important to Soldiers, according to Pinckney, because for many of the young Soldiers it is their first time away from home.
“I believe it is important that we create a Family-type atmosphere for our young Soldiers,” he said.
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service contributes to Families and Soldiers on Fort Rucker by having a Black Friday sale at the post exchange, which will open at 4 a.m. Nov. 23.
“Military shoppers can come early and gobble up the savings,” said Don Walter Jr., the exchange’s store manager. “The day after Thanksgiving is the unofficial start to the holiday season for many exchange shoppers. The deals we will be serving up will offer plenty of incentive to get up early.”
Beginning at 4 a.m. the exchange will pass out take-a-tickets for the most popular “door buster” items, as well as bounce back coupons that can be used throughout the weekend.
Shoppers can call the Fort Rucker Post Exchange for additional information at 503-9044, Ext. 211.
The Landing offers its Thanksgiving Feast Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The feast will be buffet style, costing $16.95 for adults, $6.95 for children ages 6-12, $3.95 for children ages 3-5 and children ages 2 and younger eat for free. A military Family special will be available for two adults and two children to eat for $39.50. Reservations are recommended. For more information or to make a reservation, call 598-2426.
The commissary is ready and prepared for the holiday season as well, according to Terry Ford, store director. He said that the store has a large supply of food and that it constantly reorders supplies so as to not run out of key ingredients.
“Please pre-order food, veggie and cheese trays 24-hours beforehand,” he said. “If anyone requires any bulk or special items our staff can assist patrons, and if there is something not in the store that a patron wants we can do a special order to bring it in for the customer if is in our master ordering file.”
The commissary will be open Nov. 19 during regular hours, but will be closed Nov. 22 and 23.