If you’re struggling to find something to be thankful for this holiday season, maybe this archival footage I dug up will help.
The 173rd had been the first major U.S. Army ground combat unit sent to Vietnam. They’d arrived from Okinawa the year before, settling in at Bien Hoa to protect the airfield, the supply routes to Vũng Tàu, and the rough country north of Saigon. By the time this Thanksgiving rolled around, they’d already spent more than a year moving through War Zone D, the Iron Triangle, and every kind of terrain that gave the war its reputation.
The film catches the little things. Trucks loaded with food. A helicopter heading out with trays strapped inside. A mess line built wherever someone could clear enough space.
The history books focus on battles and strategy. They don’t spend much time on the cook who got up early so the men could taste turkey that day, or the crew chief flying meals out to positions where nobody had seen a proper table in weeks. Those details matter. Someone, somewhere, tried to offer these guys a small reminder of home.
Watching the footage now creates its own kind of pause. Most of us will be indoors this week with warm air, full plates, and family noise in the background. Those men were eating Thanksgiving from a forward spot, far from anything familiar.
That contrast speaks for itself. Gratitude isn’t a tagline. It’s recognizing the sheer luck of sitting down in peace with people you care about, without having to pretend it feels like a holiday.
If the 173rd could find room for thankfulness in a place like that, we can manage it here.
Film Source:
Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
“Thanksgiving in Vietnam,” Newsfilm Release No. 278-66, Bien Hoa Air Base, November 23, 1966.
