Pizza 9 in Alamogordo turned Thanksgiving Day into a celebration for local veterans this year, hosting more than 300 veterans and their families at a special lunch buffet. The event, which featured a unique mix of traditional Thanksgiving dishes with a pizza twist, is expected to become an annual tradition.
Thomas Romo, one of the managers of the restaurant at White Sands Mall, expressed his excitement over the strong turnout. The buffet offered turkey pizza, stuffing, and other holiday favorites with a pizza theme. “We were hoping we’d get a good response,” Romo said.
Hass Aslami, co-owner of Pizza 9 Hospitality Group, explained that the event was part of the business’s effort to honor veterans and show appreciation for the local military community. “This is a military base town, and they give us a lot of business, so we wanted to pick a date to show our thanks,” Aslami said. “This is our first year, and the turnout was great. We hope to improve the event next year.”
Aslami added that he plans to expand the event in the future to include first responders and police officers.
Chere Hardy attended the lunch with her father, Holland Hardy, a veteran. Holland reflected on his military service, noting that such community events were rare during his time in the military. “When I was in the military, we didn’t have this kind of thing,” he said. “We just had the dining hall. There has to be community. A lot of people don’t have places to go.”
The event also featured performances by Hank and Cyprina Madrid, veterans and singers from the group “Chica and Da Man.” The couple learned about the lunch from a poster and reached out to Aslami to offer entertainment. Hank also dropped off posters at Holloman Air Force Base to spread the word.
“There are always GIs who don’t have a family to go to, or someone to gather around, so this was a great place to come,” Cyprina said. “It’s wonderful to see this military community come together. There are so many veterans and active-duty members here—it’s one big happy family.”
Active-duty airmen Cedric Downey and Tyler Garcia attended the event and expressed gratitude for the appreciation shown to them. “I feel pretty good, actually,” Downey said. “It makes me happy; makes my heart whole.”
Pizza 9’s Thanksgiving lunch for veterans proved to be a meaningful event, and organizers are already planning for next year.
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