A Thanksgiving tradition continued in Groton for the 24th year Thursday, as hundreds of students at the Groton submarine base school enjoyed a home-cooked meal prepared by Navy veterans.
Prepared with care, they enjoyed mouthwatering turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and pie!
“I think it's pretty good. Like kind of like a little family,” Connor Lawrence, a machinist mate auxiliary student said.
However, this feast feeds 1,400.
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The veterans are behind the homecooked meal.
“It’s cool because you see all the sub veterans here,” Keith Thomas, machinist mate auxiliary student, said.
Some retired Navy leaders say they have been in the shoes of the students at the sub school before, many away from their families on Thanksgiving for the first time.
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“My first thanksgiving was in Great Lakes, Illinois, 17-years-old,” Kevin Crisman, Master Chief (Ret.), said. “No family. Went to the galley had bad food, went back to my barracks room, and that was Thanksgiving. So us old Mast Chiefs understand that. And we try to put it on for these guys.”
Miles from home, the sailors now find holiday cheer in new comrades.
“Just being to sit down here with all these other people, even though I know that they’re part of my community now, that they’ve gone through it. It kind of motivates me to become what they are now, because, you know, it’s just a good warm feeling,” Hunter Kelso, machinist mate auxiliary student, said.
They spent the afternoon indulging in delectable holiday favorites.
“Hands down, it’s got to be the turkey with the gravy,” Kelso said.
The volunteers had 300 turkeys, some fried and others delivered to members of the sub base community.
“What goes on with the frying of the turkeys and the cooking of the meals, prior to everything being ready to eat, is just, it’s awesome. There’s I would stay about 50 volunteers that are working pretty hard today just to get this to come off successfully,” Steven Ricard, Submarine Veterans Base Groton Base Commander, said.
More than 600 to-go meals went out the door Thanksgiving morning for police, firefighters, retirees, and others who otherwise would not get a hot meal.
Yet the family style dinner is all about brotherhood.
“Honestly it’s really meaningful,” Keaton Krueger, Fire Control Technician, said. “It shows the closeness of the submarine force and just how tightly knit it is. It means a lot to me honestly. I’m very grateful for it.”
