FORT BRAGG -- Dozens of Fort Bragg soldiers were literally cooking to feed an Army on Wednesday.

It's a thanksgiving tradition on-post where troops who can't go home for the holidays eat alongside their fellow comrades.

It takes nearly 50 soldiers and thousands of pounds of food, not to mention a month of prep work and hours over a hot stove, all to provide a Thanksgiving meal to those on Fort Bragg who won't be home for the holidays.

Outside of the kitchen, officers from the 82nd Airborne serve up food for the soldiers.

"It's a privilege to be a leader in the United States Army, and I want to be able to give back to my soldiers," said Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Wood, 82nd Airborne Division. "I stand in front of them every day, and I tell them that I work for them, and this is something we can do as leaders to show them that we're here for them, we're working for them, and we care about them."

The Thanksgiving meal fed about 1,500 soldiers and their families.