Harris Teeter, MillerCoors, Operation Homefront, Murphy Good Give DC National Guard Big Thanksgiving Thank You

400 Thanksgiving Dinners Given to Service Members and Families

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Sgt. 1st Class DeRicko Gaither hands out Thanksgiving dinner boxes to DC Guard service members at the DC Armory, continuing a four-year tradition honoring our troops between MillerCoors, Harris Teeter

WASHINGTON, DC (11/26/2013)(readMedia)-- Usually, service members are the ones asked to give. In the decade since Sept.11, 2001, over 500 members of the DC National Guard have deployed, many of them multiple times, and know all too well what it feels like to spend Thanksgiving on a flightline or commiserating with buddies in a chow hall in Iraq or Afghanistan. This year, some of those same service members will have one less thing to worry about as they savor the chance to spend Thanksgiving with friends and family. Many family members who have loved ones deployed overseas will receive that same gift: A fully cooked thanksgiving dinner. In what has become a tradition four years running, 400 soldiers and airmen of the District of Columbia National Guard received Thanksgiving dinners through a partnership with Harris Teeter, MillerCoors, Murphy Good Winery and Operation Homefront Tuesday at the National Guard Armory on East Capitol. Vivian Dietrich, President of Operation Homefront, DC Metro, expressed that their support of the DC National Guard was not limited to their time spent on deployments. The Thanksgiving dinners are part of efforts to support National Guard members and their families in their service whenever they need it. "Operation Homefront supports us 365 days a year. Harris Teeter joins with Operation Homefront once a year to give back to our troops." Sylvia Lynch, a family readiness program coordinator at the D.C. National Guard said. The servicemembers expressed gratitude for the gesture. "The DC National Guard has been helpful. It's a great, family-oriented organization." Said Private Raquel Pointdexter, who grew up in Northwest D.C. but only recently joined the D.C. National Guard. For some, the turkey giveaway has become a valued tradition. "I've taken part in all four years this has happened. I have 7 kids so this helps out big time." Said Spc. Eric Rich, an armorer with the 104th Maintenance Company.