Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Tia Nagle | A food service specialist from II Marine Expeditionary Force spices up the evening...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – Food Services Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force demonstrated their expeditionary ability providing hot chow to thousands of Marines and Sailors daily during Integrated Training Exercise 1-16 aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Oct. 27, 2015.
“We do our best to enhance our products,” said Cpl. William Marshall, assistant chief cook for the dinner shift. “A lot of people, especially when they’re in the field, they just get the regular ‘joe shmoe’ type food but here we get to add garlic seasoning or chili powder, thyme or basil, to make the product taste better and look better. It really gives us free range to do what we want with the food to make sure that we’re not serving anybody something that we wouldn’t eat ourselves.”
The sheer number of personnel they have to feed is challenge in and of itself. ITX 1-16 alone encompasses approximately 3,500 personnel from II MEF. Through the long hours and hard work they keep a positive demeanor.
“We’ll see who can break down the most mods in a minute or how many palates can we carry over here,” said Marshall. “We try to make as many escapades as possible so nobody is just sitting here going through the motions. Everybody is engaged in something so it feels like time is going by faster. We work twelve hour shifts but it feels like a regular eight hour day.”
During field operations, Meals, Ready-to-Eat are the main form of sustenance for most Marines. While an MRE will fill the stomach, a hot meal can go a long way to boost morale after a strenuous day in the field. Food service specialists work long hours behind the scenes to make that happen. The chow hall puts out two meals a day, serving around 4,000 portions daily to the Marines on Camp Wilson.
“We get in at ten in the morning and we’re working until eight o’ clock at night,” said LCpl. Giovanni Sanchez, food service specialist from Marine Wing Support Squadron 271. “When you actually put your product on the line and see Marine’s reactions and they say the salad bar looks really good. It’s a good feeling when you hear that. It makes you feel good knowing that your hard work is paying off.”
| Date Taken: | 10.28.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.29.2015 12:45 |
| Story ID: | 180334 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 110 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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