Holiday traditions for US troops stationed overseas this season

As families across the United States gather for the holidays, thousands of U.S. service members are spending the season overseas, marking the occasion far from home while continuing their duties.

American troops remain deployed across Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, supporting missions that range from NATO deterrence operations to maritime patrols and humanitarian assistance. While Christmas abroad rarely resembles celebrations back home, service members often find ways to recognize the holiday within the constraints of their mission and location.

Across overseas installations, troops commonly decorate workspaces, living areas and dining facilities with lights, trees or improvised decorations. Many bases organize special holiday meals, often with commanders and senior enlisted leaders serving food. 

Chaplains typically hold Christmas services when schedules and security allow, sometimes in chapels, hangars or temporary facilities. For sailors deployed at sea, Christmas is often marked between watches, with decorated mess decks and holiday meals worked around operational demands.

The holiday season also brings outreach from senior leaders. In recent days, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth placed Christmas morale calls from the Pentagon to service members stationed across the globe, including troops in South Korea, Kuwait, Norway, Greenland and aboard a Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Pacific. The calls were intended to thank service members for standing watch away from home and to recognize the range of missions continuing through the holidays.

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In Japan, where thousands of U.S. service members are stationed year-round, bases often emphasize morale and community traditions during the holidays. At Yokota Air Base, leaders delivered baked cookies to airmen living in dorms as part of the installation’s annual “Cookie Crunch,” a tradition aimed at supporting those spending the holidays away from family. 

Other installations across Japan and the Pacific typically host concerts, meals and volunteer events that sometimes include host-nation communities.

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Elsewhere in Japan, the U.S. Band of the Pacific performed holiday music for local audiences, using seasonal concerts as a way to engage surrounding communities during the holiday period.

One of the military’s most visible holiday efforts in the region is Operation Christmas Drop, the Department of War’s longest-running humanitarian airlift mission. Now in its 74th year, the operation recently concluded at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, where multinational teams prepared and delivered hundreds of aid bundles by C-130 aircraft to remote Pacific island communities. 

The mission combines humanitarian assistance with airlift training and regional cooperation.

Holiday experiences also vary based on assignment type. In places like Japan and parts of Europe, many U.S. troops serve on accompanied tours, meaning spouses and children live with them overseas. 

Bases in those regions often host larger holiday events and family-focused activities. 

In contrast, deployments to the Middle East and parts of Africa are typically unaccompanied, with service members living on base or at forward locations without family present. In those environments, holiday observances are usually smaller and shaped by operational and security constraints.

That distinction also affects leave. Troops stationed overseas on long-term assignments may be eligible to travel home during the holidays if schedules allow, while service members deployed on rotational or combat deployments generally remain in place, with units maintaining normal staffing and mission requirements throughout the season.

Across Europe, U.S. forces mark the holidays while supporting NATO missions and forward presence efforts. Senior leaders use the season to acknowledge the sacrifices of those stationed abroad. In a holiday message to troops, U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. T.J. Holland encouraged soldiers to spend time embracing local culture and connecting with family when possible. 

U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich also thanked service members and their families for their service.

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For many deployed troops, the United Service Organizations (USO) plays a key role during the holidays. Across Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, USO centers, mobile vehicles and expeditionary teams provide festive meals, seasonal decorations and spaces where service members can rest and connect. 

Mobile USO teams often reach personnel stationed at remote or demanding locations, offering brief opportunities to recharge.

For deployed units, the holidays often are marked quietly rather than ceremonially. Traditions differ by location, mission and security environment, but service members continue to find small ways to recognize the season before returning to the routines of deployment.