‘Mission Christmas’ for Polish troops abroad

Around 500 Polish soldiers on international missions are set to spend Christmas away from home this year.

Polish army personnel stationed in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia as well as the Central African Republic eagerly await packages from their loved ones back home.

Spokesman for the Army’s international missions, Lt. Col. Piotr Walatek told the PAP news agency that all efforts are made to bring a little bit of Christmas to Polish troops serving abroad.

A special Christmas buffet is being put on for the 140-strong Polish contingent in the Bagram and Gamberi bases in Afghanistan, with 1.2 tons of Polish delicacies, including hams, kabanos sausage, pierogi and herrings being flown in especially for the occasion.

In Kosovo, around 240 Polish troops have received over 600kg of Christmas treats, including different varieties of sausage – hunters’, white and Silesian – as well as kabanos and fish.

For the 40 Polish soldiers currently in Bosnia, the local catering firm is to take care of the Christmas delicacies and no food was especially sent from Poland.

Around 50 Polish servicemen and women in the Central African Republic will feast on 400kg of Polish delicacies shipped in for Christmas, including sweets, cured meats, bigos hunters’ stew and barszcz beetroot soup.

Troops are also allowed to be sent parcels from family and friends of up to 3kg each, with packages usually containing Christmas decorations, the oplatek wafer, as well as dried fruit and nuts, chocolate and other sweets.