Cooks sustain force

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Gillian Stumbo is all smiles as she helps unload the Class I rations that came on a resupply convoy at Combat Outpost 799 in eastern Baghdad. Stumbo is a cook with Company F, 610th Brigade Support Battalion, a forward support company that supports the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry 'Rangers.'  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

02.24.2008

Courtesy Story

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

By Capt. Roy Miller
610th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad

BAGHDAD – Some say, the perks do not exist. Soldiers get up before the sun rises—way before the other Soldiers in your unit. They head to work to prepare the equipment to be used that day and work over an insanely hot burner all day. During and after work, these Soldiers ensure all cooking utensils, burners, pots and pans in their area are cleaned. Then, these Soldiers go home smelling like the food cooked earlier that day, only to get some sleep before starting the routine all over again the next day.

It's not glamorous but that's the life of a cook.

Being a cook is largely overlooked, but is job essential to help the good fight to continue in a combat zone.

Without the help of these support Soldiers who work hand-in-hand out in sector, providing hot quality meals to the Soldiers pounding the ground, the units would not be as successful as they have been.

The field feeding section in Company F, 610th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, part a forward support company who supports the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment 'Rangers' is only 18 Soldiers strong including the two senior non-commissioned officers, yet they perform multiple duties including cooking for the troops at combat outposts and joint security stations.

"These are the best cooks that I have ever been around," said Sgt. 1st Class Richard Smith, the company's senior food operations sergeant, from Marlette, Mich. "In my 18 years of service, I have never been around a more dedicated group of Soldiers. These are the quiet professionals who know their job and accomplishes mission every time."

Cooks operate field feeding sites at three locations in the Task Force Ranger area of operations

Each site has two cooks, which rotate back to Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah, to provide meals for anywhere from 75 to 120 Soldiers. The company, on average, creates 1,500 meals per week or more than 75,000 meals throughout the year.

This does not include 24-hour operations for coffee, juice and various snacks to include muffins, fruit and honey buns.

It has been a long deployment for these Soldiers as they have been doing both of these duties, and continue on with their job knowing that their jobs are important in keeping the forces safe and sustained.

"With a limited number of Soldiers they have maintained three [combat outposts] COPs and a [joint security station] JSS while pulling their share of force protection at the (FOB Rustamiyah entry control point)," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Clauss, distribution platoon sergeant for Co. F, from Grand Island, Neb. "Working up to 14 days in sector and then coming back here for half-a-day off and then going on force protection has to take a toll on them. But you never hear them complain."

These Soldiers also go the extra effort to create a traditional holiday meal.

"They then accomplish the extra things, like going to the JSS where there are no field feeding equipment on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, to grill some steaks and put on a large spread says something about them and the dedication that they have," added Clauss.

The job isn't ritzy or exciting but the cooks get their satisfaction from the smiles of Soldiers at the combat outposts when they receive a nice hot meal upon return from a long mission.

• Date Taken: 02.24.2008
• Date Posted: 02.24.2008 12:03
• Story ID: 16650
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ