Thanksgiving on the Carl Vinson: Birds flown topside, feasted on below deck

As culinary specialists below decks put the final touches on Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 27, 2014, flight operations continue on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON IN THE PERSIAN GULF Below decks on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, culinary specialists were hard at work preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner including 112 turkeys and all the common fixings. Above decks it was business as usual for flight deck personnel on a ship focused on the mission of patrolling the skies over Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

In the Gulf to support the ongoing airstrikes, the Vinson's crew didn't let a holiday get in the way of the mission. Pilots boarded their aircraft and flew, just like any other day, and, as usual, leaders were on deck to supervise the frenzy of activity that accompanies flight operations aboard ship.

The ship is in the midst of a 10-month scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific and the Middle East. Since its arrival in the Persian Gulf in mid-October, the ships warplanes have flown more than 500 sorties in support of the ongoing airstrikes against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.

simoes.hendrick@stripes.com

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Thanksgiving on the Carl Vinson: Birds flown topside, feasted on below deck