Field feeding capabilities important step in growing Iraqi army

Photo By Christina Bhatti | Staff Sgt. Christopher Miller-Root, a native of Lompoc, Calif. and food service specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarter Company, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, "Mongoose," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, "Warrior," 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division –Baghdad, shows a group of Iraqi army cooks how to complete preventive maintenance checks and services for a mobile kitchen trailer during training at Camp Taji, northwest of Baghdad, Dec. 15.  

TAJI, IRAQ

12.22.2008

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti 

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

By Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The Iraqi army is continuing its quest to become an autonomous and efficient force.

The most recent installment in the IA training package is learning how to prepare fresh and nutritious meals for their soldiers at checkpoints with two mobile kitchen trailers.

Right now, food is cooked at a main cooking station then transported out to the different sites, which causes some problems. The current system is time consuming, expensive, uses too many soldiers and most importantly doesn't allow for constant temperatures and food begins to spoil before it makes it out to the soldiers, said Staff Sgt. Christopher Miller-Root, a native of Lompoc, Calif., and food service specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarter Company, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, "Mongoose," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, "Warrior," 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division –Baghdad.

The new MKT systems alleviate these problems.

"These are the same concept as the American systems," said Capt. Alberto Pantoja, a native of Miami and commander of HHC, 225th BSB. "They will be able to take the system out to a site and cook meals for soldiers, as well as safely transport food at correct temperatures."

The IA currently has two MKT systems which will service the soldiers in the Taji Qada, northwest of Baghdad.

During the class which contains IA soldiers from five battalions from two brigades, the cooks will learn how the MKT works, how to complete preventive maintenance checks and services, sanitation and how to cook using the systems inside.

But before Miller-Root and his team could teach, they had to learn the ins and out of the European system.

"These were part of the fielding when all the logistics battalions were stood up," said Pantoja.

Pantoja said he is confident there are more systems within the IA and hopes with the training his cooks give, the IA soldiers will be able to identify pass their knowledge on.

Once identified by the Military Transition Team, getting them working took some "grueling steps," Miller-Root said. The systems are European and were unfamiliar to both the U.S. Soldiers and the IA soldiers.

"We really just got into it, and experimented, read some manuals we found after they were translated and just figured it out."

Once they figured out the quirks of the system, Miller-Root and his team began to teach.
Through demonstration and questions, the cooks learned how to feed their counterparts in a field environment.

"In the end we want them to become more self sufficient," Pantoja said. "Being able to take care of their own is a big part of that process."

• Date Taken: 12.22.2008
• Date Posted: 12.22.2008 10:25
• Story ID: 28006
• Location: TAJI, IQ