Bryant Jordan - Nov 30, 2011
Government officials often don’t disclose the details of special operations missions until they’re all over – if ever – and one last week was no different.
An elite team of chefs dropped into Afghanistan in time for Thanksgiving, the Army said, to prepare holiday meals for as many as 2,000 troops, including Army Special Forces soldiers and Navy SEALs. The official goal was to boost morale for the troops and give some pro tips to food service workers with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, but the chefs said they got as much out of it as anyone on the ground.
"I’ve cooked for celebrities, politicians and statesmen – a variety of important people," chef Andrew Hunter told Military.com. "But this clearly was the most rewarding experience."
Hunter’s view was echoed by Amy Sacco, known as the "Queen of New York nightlife" and founder of the city’s Bungalow 8 nightclub and restaurant.
"It was probably the single most important thing I’ve done in my life – to take a trip like that," she said. "People were thanking me, but I was thanking them for letting me do this."
The cooking mission was the brainchild of retired Army Special Forces Master Sgt. Jeffrey Hinton, who has himself become a chef since leaving the military.
"Every time I went on a mission, I always thought about what I'd do when the mission was over – get a hot shower, a beer and some great food," Hinton said, explaining why he assembled the team. "The idea came to me while I was in culinary school. I thought it would be nice if I could give the guys some great food while they are downrange on their mission."
Hinton began planning the Thanksgiving deployment several months ago, working with Army Special Forces to make it happen...
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