The Evening Star (November 28, 1946)
Americans in Reich told to count their blessings
BERLIN (AP) – Thanksgiving Day for Americans in Germany was keynoted today by an official admonition to count their blessings.
Maj. Gen. Frank A. Beating, deputy American military governor for Germany, in a proclamation to American occupation forces, said “few nations on earth have more reason to be thankful than America. Many have been our blessings in contrast to other people.”
“Here in Germany,” the proclamation said, “we see the suffering and privations of a defeated nation. It should serve as a warning and we should be thankful. Look beyond the borders of Europe and you will see more grief, despair and starvation. Our difficulties are small compared to theirs. Probably, if we summarized our review of world affairs, we could well be thankful that we are Americans.”
Official American duties were put aside everywhere for the day, which began with church services. Army messes, Red Cross and other American clubs served traditional turkey dinners.