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U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Megan Rodgers, Eleventh Air Force enlisted aide to the commander, won Joint Enlisted Aide of the Year and received silver medals in other categories competing alongside the Air Force Culinary Team during the 48th annual Joint Culinary Training Exercise at Fort Gregg-Adams, Va., March 2-7, 2024.
During the weeklong event Rodgers and the Air Force team competed against joint services and three international teams from the United Kingdom, Germany, and France in categories testing their knowledge and abilities in various culinary arts, food presentation, nutrition, written tests and more. The teams spent long days learning and participating in various individual, partner, and whole team competitions.
Rodgers won the silver medal in Enlisted Aide Cook of the Year, a silver alongside her teammate Tech. Sgt. Luis Serrano Matos , enlisted aide to the deputy commander, Air Force Global Strike Command, in the Nutrition challenge, and the Air Force’s 5-member team took silver in the Army Meal Field Feeding Kitchen Challenge. In total the Air Force team won 21 medals and placed in every category.
“Being able to come out with three silver medals and Joint Enlisted Aide of the Year would not have happened without every single person on my team who continue to believe in me and push me forward to the next competition,” said Rodgers.
Although this is the third year the Air Force has participated in JCTE, this year’s competition marks the first year the team was able to compete for the Joint Enlisted Aide of the Year. This competition tested participants in culinary arts, nutrition, uniform preparation, physical board and included a written test and on advanced culinary skills and enlisted aide regulations.
“The only way to describe it is an experience of a lifetime,” said Rodgers. “Not only are you learning things for each competition specifically, but you also have American Culinary Federation judges who are master chefs and certified executive chefs critiquing you and giving you feedback that is just so valuable.”
Before becoming an enlisted aide in 2022 Rodgers was a services Airmen, and while any service member can become an enlisted aide, Rodgers says services Airmen have an advantage to succeed as an enlisted aide due to their background in food service and hospitality.
“I would have never thought to become an enlisted aide, but I absolutely love it,” said Rodgers. “When I became an enlisted aide, my main focus was not about me, it was about giving back to the services Airmen.”
Once selected to become an enlisted aide service members receive advanced training in culinary arts, nutrition, household management, and military protocol. Rodgers has taken it upon herself to teach other Airmen what she’s learned.
“The most important thing for me is to give back to the Airmen and show them why they’re important by bringing them into a three-star general’s house and let the see how they are valued which in turn betters the Air Force,” said Rodgers. “Because we’re not just cooking food for general officers, we’re making really important conversations happen.”
While stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson as the enlisted aide to Lt. Gen. David Nahom, commander, Alaskan NORAD Region, Alaskan Command and Eleventh Air Force, Rodgers started a mentorship program to bring in services Airmen to teach them what she’s learned during major events and show them the importance behind their work.
“As an enlisted aide we help offset the general officer with duties that would take away from them executing the mission,” said Rodgers. “We manage their work orders, contracts, and maintenance for the house, we host all their dinner parties and events, we cook food, we prepare uniforms, and travel with them to make sure they’re good-to-go and can focus on managing national defense.”
Enlisted aides have a long history in the U.S. military dating back to the Revolutionary War.
“Once you actually get to a level to be able to see all of the things that general officers are doing, how much they travel, the people and national security they’re impacting, you begin to understand how valuable their time is. Sometimes their schedule is blocked from six in the morning to nine at night, and the only way for them to have important conversations is over a meal.” said Rodgers. “Giving them five minutes back a day that they’re able to invest to better execute the mission can have an impact.”
Rodgers is thankful for her family who have encouraged and supported her career as an enlisted aide, especially her husband Master Sgt. Ryan Rodgers, loading standardization crew chief, 3rd Maintenance Operations Squadron.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my family, my husband Ryan, my daughter Hailey, and my son Jayce,” said Rodgers. “The support has been tremendous. I travel a lot in this position and Ryan holds everything down.”
After being stationed in Alaska for five years and the enlisted aide to Nahom for two years, Rodgers and has been selected for a new assignment as the enlisted aide to the deputy commander of Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
“I’ll miss the Nahom’s, this has been the greatest experience of my life so I’m sad to leave them,” said Rodgers. “But my new boss and his wife seem amazing, so I’m excited to go to ACC.”
Rodgers and the Air Force team’s success at the 2024 Joint Culinary Training Exercise are an example of dedicated Airmen demonstrating the Air Force’s core values of Service Before Self and Excellence In All We Do.
| Date Taken: | 04.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.10.2024 20:37 |
| Story ID: | 468296 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 382 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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