Kirtland's leaders host Thanksgiving for airmen and their families

Nov. 23—Their families live across the nation and, in some cases, the globe, from Texas and Tennessee to the big island of Hawaii.

So, on Thanksgiving, hundreds of Kirtland Air Force Base airmen and their families filed into the Thunderbird Dining Room to eat with their extended family of brothers and sisters.

The cooks, servers and hosts? They were those who give them orders day-in and day-out.

Lt. Col. Amanda Patton, commander of the 377th Air Base Wing Force Support Squadron, said the leadership was not able to serve Thanksgiving the past three years due to COVID. She said this go around, they were overwhelmed with volunteers, made up of the highest-ranking airmen on the base in Albuquerque.

"They go all out, and the dedication is really impressive," Patton said.

Patton said although they can't hit every side, the kitchen tried to cover the biggest Thanksgiving staples from east to west. The buffet was heaped with turkey slices, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, stuffing, pies and more.

Col. Joshua Jackson, often referred to by his official title — deputy commander of the 58th Special Operations Wing — was known Thursday as "the prime rib guy."

It was Jackson's first time serving Thanksgiving dinner on the base, but he has shared many holidays with fellow airmen, from smoking turkeys for his whole squadron in Japan to having potluck-style feasts at the family home in Texas.

"It's a second family," he said of the Air Force, wearing a large chef's hat and wielding a large knife over a moist, ruby-tinged prime rib. "It means a lot to us. I think it means a lot to them, too — I hope it does."

Beside Jackson was Col. Jason Okumura, commander of the 377th Air Base Wing Mission Support Group, wearing a turkey onesie.

Flapping his felt wings to show they do indeed work, Okumura smiled broadly and said he learned long ago to never take yourself too seriously. His specialty on the front lines of the buffet: moderating the gravy-to-sides ratio for an "aesthetically pleasing" plate.

"We often tout ourselves as a big family; we share so many experiences together," Okumura said. "If folks can't get home for the holidays, this is where we want them to come."

More than 450 people, made up of airmen and their families, filtered in and out of the dining hall throughout the day.

Some — both young and old — sat alone, while others were joined by their significant others or at a full table with children, spouses and siblings.

Wayman Cole, now retired, said he has shared Thanksgiving dinner with his Air Force family for the past quarter century, in dining halls all over the United States and overseas.

"I'm one of those grasshoppers, I fly all over the place," the 90-year-old said.

"It's like home here," Cole said, looking at the festive dining area around him. "It's fantastic, the camaraderie you have with all the other people."

"They understand who you are, what you are and what you need," he said.

And of the spread before him, Cole said pumpkin pie was his favorite, admitting with a laugh that "sometimes it goes first."

Ryder Dabaldo also sat alone, having just started his career.

An aircraft loadmaster on MC-130 aircraft, Dabaldo arrived from training in Spokane on Tuesday. He touted earning his E3 patch, a new rank, as he took a break from slices of prime rib.

Dabaldo said at first he was "really bummed" to be missing Thanksgiving at home in Memphis, where his mom makes the best green bean casserole and the whole family plays Uno.

"I'm really thankful to be able to have this. It really means a lot to me," he said.

Dabaldo said "it's really spectacular" that the Air Force leaders took time away from their families and homes to prepare a meal for him and his fellow airmen.

A few tables down sat David Holmes and his wife, Flo. Holmes, a retired airman from the Vietnam era, said it was too much of a trip for them to go see their children this year.

"This is as close as we can get to family," he said.

Holmes got quiet when thinking about what it meant for him to be served Thanksgiving dinner by the top brass on base.

"I don't need any big elaborate ceremony, but this is one of those quiet ways that impresses me more than anything else," he said. "Makes me grateful."

As far as what Thanksgiving dish was his favorite, Holmes stretched his hands from one side of the tray to the other, "from here to there."

Flo Holmes wouldn't pick sides either. "Just all of it — plus I don't have to cook," she said.

David Holmes added, "Anything we thought about fixing, it's right here."

Col. Michael Power, who took over in June as 377th Air Base Wing and installation commander, watched from afar. Now and then, he stepped in to lend a hand. He said it was important for him to re-spark the tradition this year.

"As a leader in the military, I can't go and give my airmen pay raises — that's managed at a way higher level than I can have an effect on — but there's little things we can do like this," he said.

Growing up as an "Air Force brat," Power said he spent Thanksgivings on base, watching his father serve the holiday meal to the airmen. He said switching places with his dad is "very special."

"For me, it is, in some ways, the family business," Power said. "I'll call him later and say, 'Hey, you wouldn't believe what I was doing today,' just like he used to do."

Not long after, Power grabbed a tray himself and went to sit with his family in the dining hall.