RED SEA (NNS) -- It's 10:45 a.m., everything is ready, tables are wiped down, dishes are washed and food re-stocked. It's quiet. Each crew member finishes one task or another, and seizes the chance to catch his or her breath before the lunch rush begins.
Fifteen minutes from now, a torrent of Sailors and Marines will invade their space for the second time today. This could be a scene from a busy restaurant in any city, but it's a daily occurrence on the mess decks of amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41).
Four times a day, the mess decks are filled to the brim with a hungry crew and a well-trained staff. Nearly incomprehensible amounts of food are eaten and restocked, eaten and restocked. Yet, without fail, within minutes after each torrent fades the staff has the place looking clean and ready to go again. Managing this hive of activity is Mess Deck Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Ramsey. His job is one part police officer, one part human resources manager, and one part health inspector.
"I directly supervise all of the food service attendants (FSAs), and I'm responsible for making sure the mess decks are clean and presentable, that they're set up to accommodate everyone for their meals, and enforcing uniform standards and grooming regulations for all personnel," said Ramsey. "Basically, everything that most people take for granted when they come to eat."
FSAs are Sailors and Marines temporarily assigned to work on the mess decks from every different division and platoon. Finding the right leadership style is essential to managing so many different personalities and backgrounds.
"You have a lot of different people from a lot of different divisions who are used to all sorts of leadership styles and expectations; it's challenging to juggle those expectations," said Ramsey. "The schedule is one of the toughest parts. Last minute changes can be really challenging -- you might have to extend lunch hours on short notice, or start breakfast an hour early to make sure that people are getting the nourishment they need to do their jobs."
For Ramsey, supervising such a diverse group of Sailors and Marines while tailoring meal times to accommodate the ship's busy schedule is no easy feat, especially when there are more than 700 mouths to feed.
"I want to make sure my people know I'm approachable," said Ramsey. "No one wants to work for someone they feel they can't talk to. They know there's a line where they respect the pay grade, but they also know I have no problem getting my hands dirty and helping them out."
It's teamwork that keeps everything running smoothly from the early hours of the morning 'til the last watchstanders have dinner. They are up to make sure breakfast is ready by 6 a.m., and stay after dinner ends at 6 p.m. to clean up and get ready to serve a meal to the night crew at 11 p.m.
"Petty Officer 1st Class Ramsey will jump right in and wash dishes or mop a floor with us if we have to run out for a minute," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Tyler Robles, who currently works as an FSA.
Unlike any restaurant, no matter how well the team prepares, they always face the confines of life at sea. There is only so much space to eat, and only so much space to store supplies.
"You want to make sure everyone has enough time to eat and get some down time and relax, but you have to balance that with space issues," said Ramsey. "Our mess decks are not all that large compared to the size of the full crew we deploy with."
While the job requires also correcting Sailors' and Marines' behavior at times, Ramsey strives to do it in a positive way.
"He always says 'hi' to everyone as they come through the line," said Robles. "Just because he has to enforce uniform and grooming regulations doesn't mean that he isn't nice. He checks in with everyone and makes sure that they're doing okay."
The job is not without its perks, however.
"You're guaranteed to see everyone and see how their day is going," said Ramsey. "It's not a glamorous job, but it's a necessary one."
For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy/, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy/.
| Date Taken: | 12.06.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2016 04:49 |
| Story ID: | 216814 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sheriff of the Mess Decks, by Nate McDonald, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
