Almost all of the roughly 7,500 airmen assigned to two U.S. air bases in South Korea must leave their families at home. Space constraints on the small bases and the tough demands of defending South Korea and U.S. interests against North Korea require it. The two sides are technically still at war having never signed a treaty ending the Korean War.

"It sucks being away," said Robert Rodriguez, of Odessa, Texas, as he ate an early Thanksgiving lunch at a newly built cafeteria. "I'm married, so I have a wife and kids. It's kind of hard. But I have no choice. I'm just ready to get back home."

Reminders of the uneasy peace abound at Osan, some 50 miles south of the demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas.

Patriot anti-missile batteries line the base golf course. The latest edition of the base newspaper carries articles on what to do if the base is attacked by chemical or biological weapons.

Some 30 percent of the base's buildings are "overpressurized" or designed to block out the fumes if there is a chemical attack.

Osan and Kunsan Air Base further south are well-known for their long hours and demanding schedule. Airmen must practice putting on their protective gear at least every other month — whereas at most bases such drills might only come around once every three years.

Gen. Paul V. Hester, the Pacific Air Forces commander, said his airmen in South Korea must be ready to face combat at a moment's notice.

"We all know, and you can see when you talk to these airmen, that their motto is 'Be ready, be prepared to fight tonight,"' said Hester, who flew to South Korea from his Hawai'i headquarters to serve the airmen turkey and thank them for their service.

"In that regard, they clearly have a level of stress that those of us who live in the Mainland United States — who are privileged to live in places like Hawai'i — don't have."

Staff Sgt. Benjamin Short, 26, a single airman who fixes the electronics equipment on F-16 fighter jets, said being at Osan was better than Balad, Iraq, where he spent last Thanksgiving.

"They have a lot of random mortar attacks on that base and that's frustrating. You don't know where they're going to hit," said Short, who is from Seattle. "They're more of a nuisance but they have hurt some people pretty bad."

Many airmen said they developed a strong sense of community on base, especially at Kunsan, which is particularly remote, contributing to a feeling of isolation. The urgency to provide a deterrent to North Korea, meanwhile, helps them focus.