Photo By Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith | Soldiers of Forward Operating Base Falcon, Iraq, line up to get lunch at the 'Dragon's...... read more read more
By Pfc. Nathaniel Smith
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – When most Soldiers enter the "Dragon's Lair" Dining Facility, they may not understand the importance of why they must have proper identification to get inside. They also may not understand the gravity of their job when they're tasked with guard duty at the dining hall or why the Soldiers working there take their jobs so seriously.
Sgt. Antonio Williams understands.
Williams, an assistant contracting officer technical representative at Forward Operating Base Falcon's dining facility with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 610th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, and his Soldiers are responsible for ensuring health standards are maintained in the kitchen and all necessary force protection measures are taken.
The Wisner, La., native said Soldiers may think the dining facility staff's job is easy, but they should look again.
"It's more than what the eye can see; when you come in during mealtime, you see us walking around monitoring, doing regular force protection and adjusting any issues customers may have." Williams said. "That's just on the outside. It's pretty demanding at times, but we manage."
In December 2004, the dining facility at Forward Operating Base Marez was attacked by a suicide bomber dressed as a member of the Iraqi security forces, killing more than 20 people and wounding almost 70 more. The burden of preventing a similar attack at FOB Falcon falls squarely on the shoulders of the 'Phoenix' of 610th BSB.
Pfc. Lakrisha Kendrick said her fellow Soldiers help her with the weight of this responsibility.
"My NCO keeps me motivated, and if you need help, you can talk to him about anything. And my fellow section members also," she said. "You know there's always someone around to help you, and all you have to do is ask."
With the Soldiers operating the dining facility responsible for force protection, maintaining sanitary standards, operating a 24-hour takeout area, monitoring employees coming and going and ensuring proper storage of food, the troops rely on each other a lot to complete their mission for the sake of every resident of FOB Falcon.
In Williams' eyes, the Soldiers' most important task is maintaining their focus while monitoring who enters the facility.
"Everything that you do, you have to pay attention to what you're doing. It could be that one time that you miss, the one time you're not paying attention to detail and that guy slips through and you don't check him properly, he may have something on him and something happens in the dining facility," Williams said. "Then you're going to look at it as 'that may have been the guy that I let through.' That's how you look at it as a big responsibility."
"Every little part might be so small, you may have got 50 right, but it could be that one guy on my watch that I let get through, that I did not check properly."
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2007 10:47 |
| Story ID: | 12387 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 496 |
| Downloads: | 184 |
This work, 'Phoenix' feeds the masses at FOB Falcon, maintains sanitation, security, by SSG Nathaniel Smith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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