FALLUJAH, Iraq, Nov 25 (AFP) - US troops in the Iraqi rebel hotspot of Fallujah on Thursday settled down to a dinner of mashed potatoes and steak in a low-key celebration of the American Thanksgiving holiday.
"Happy Thanksgiving marines," said a staff sergeant as he scooped gravy from a green plastic food cooler in an abandoned youth centre in the town that was this month the scene of fierce battles as US-led forces ousted insurgents.
Elsewhere in the building other marines stood in line waiting to say hello to family back in the United States during a live feed to major US television networks.
"It gives them an opportunity to share a little bit with back home amidst all the hardship and danger," said Lieutenant Lyle Gilbert.
One young soldier stood in front of a camera and toyed with a microphone while he waited to go live in an disused auditorium hastily converted into an impromptu stage.
It was bitterly cold in the devastated city, and occasional blasts could be heard beyond the youth centre's walls, over which loom the blasted facades of buildings shelled and burned during the fighting.
Across Iraq, US soldiers were trying to take some down-time to mark Thanksgiving, which is a feast that encourages Americans to step back for a moment and give thanks for all the blessings they have.
Army canteens across the war-torn country were offering special meals to the troops, but it was unlikely that many would be able to serve the traditional goose or turkey dinner followed by pumpkin pie.
South of Baghdad, thousands of marines were involved in the latest major anti-insurgent operation in the so-called triangle of death, codenamed Operation Plymouth Rock.
The codename comes from the place where a group of English pilgrims landed in America in 1620.
Their first year in America was tough, but a year after they arrived they were able to relax a little because of the bumper harvest of the crops they had planted, and so they initiated the Thanksgiving feast.