Thanksgiving Over There - Korea to Vietnam

THE COLD WAR:
KOREA TO VIETNAM

World War II brought a shifting balance of power. The military draft, allowed to lapse for a year in 1947, was revived as the "Cold War" intensified. The U.S. and the Communist bloc met in combat in Korea during the 1950s and in Vietnam during the 1960s and 1970s. North Korean Communists invaded South Korea in 1950. Ultimately, North Korea was driven back by American and United Nations forces. President Eisenhower signed a cease-fire in 1953.

Thanksgiving Proclamation 1953

An "advisory" involvement in the war between non-Communist South and Communist North Vietnam, grew into a heavy American military commitment in the 1960s. The war against North Vietnam was protracted and inconclusive, ending in 1975 with the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the fall of Saigon.

Combat rations in Korea and Vietnam were an improved version of World War II rations. Even for the front line troops, however, combat rations were not served at Thanksgiving. Troops were rotated off the front so that they could enjoy a full, hot Thanksgiving dinner behind the lines. The services made an intensified effort to serve hot food in the field whenever possible. During the Korean conflict, men in combat areas were usually given two hot meals a day. By 1967, 93% of the meals served to the troops in Vietnam were hot and primarily fresh.

A new coordinated research effort aimed at improving both nutritional content and food preservation was led by the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Command, Natick (Massachusetts) Research Development & Engineering Center ("Natick Labs"). This coordination led to the creation of the Armed Forces Recipe Service in 1968. The resulting standardized recipes did away with separate cookbooks for the various services.

Thanksgiving Proclamation 1967
Cold War Voices from the Front