(FOX 13) - A big holiday like Thanksgiving means big deployments for the military of turkey feasts and desserts.
For troops deployed to South Korea, Thanksgiving comes at a time of increased tension on the peninsula - a reminder of all the dangers facing hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops deployed in harm's way, missing loved ones back home - all part of the sacrifice this holiday season.
More than 200,000 pounds of turkey, beef, ham, and shrimp, weighing more than a B-2 Stealth Bomber, will be served to U.S. service members in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan and tens of thousands of cookies and cakes for dessert.
Aboard U.S. warships at sea, months of planning ensures each sailor enjoys a taste of a Thanksgiving feast.
In hotspots like Syria and Somalia, what's clear is the number of troops celebrating Thanksgiving is on the rise.
Following huge gains against Isis in Iraq and Syria -- the Pentagon has shifted its focus to Somalia -- launching its first airstrikes against Isis fighters there, earlier this month. The U.S. military doubling the number of strikes from a year ago, after receiving new authorities from the Trump administration.
There are now more than 500 U.S. troops on the ground in Somalia up from just two dozen in 2014. The Pentagon denies operations are increasing.
While Americans spend Thanksgiving around the table, the U.S. military is conducting airstrikes in six countries around the world: Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the number of bombs dropped there has doubled from a year ago, as 3,000 additional American soldiers have arrived - 14,000 now on the ground a level not seen since 2014.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced it killed more than 100 Al-Qaeda linked fighters in Somalia in a massive airstrike. It’s more evidence things are ramping up for the U.S. military on the African continent.