Photo By Luke Graziani | Pfc. Tyus Hymes, a native of Hemet, Calif., assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters...... read more read more
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PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – On the short list of things every soldier needs, food is pretty high up there. The Army provides soldiers with everything to fight and win wars, to include the sometimes good, sometimes not-so-good Meals Ready to Eat, aka the MRE.
An MRE has all the ingredients a soldier needs to sustain him for one whole meal – an entrée, a side dish, a snack and even two pieces of minty fresh gum.
What an MRE doesn’t have, however, is the love and care that three dedicated Army cooks provide four times a day, seven days a week to over 250 satisfied customers per meal at the Combat Outpost Waza Kwa dining facility.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James Nichols, a native of St. Louis, assigned to Battery C, 1st Battalion, Task Force Blackhawk, assisted by two junior enlisted soldiers and two local nationals, takes on this challenging task to the best of his abilities.
“Balancing the workload, at the beginning, was a challenge,” said Nichols. “Eventually continuity came into play and it all worked out.”
Nichols and his crew prepare, cook and set out the meals on their own. There is no morning shift or night crew, there are no days off and free time is scarce.
“I joined the Army intentionally to become a cook,” said Pfc. Tyus Hymes, a native of Hemet, Calif., assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, TF Blackhawk. “I love it when they come in and compliment me on the food that I make. Every time I get a compliment, it puts a smile on my face and makes me want to try harder.”
It’s hard work, yet they find comfort in knowing they are providing a necessary service for those who, otherwise, would simply not get it without them.
“Providing hot meals as much as we can for as long as we can increases morale and sustains morale,” Nichols explained. “Everyone deployed deserves and likes a home cooked meal.”
A warning used to be given by some before coming to Waza Khwa to bring an MRE or two along because the dining facility only served one hot meal a day.
The tireless soldiers at the dining facility have taken it upon themselves to provide three hot meals and midnight chow every day.
“It’s not about me,” said Spc. Christopher Isaac, a native of Staten Island, N.Y., assigned to Btry. C, 1st Bn., TF Blackhawk. “It’s about the soldiers. It’s about giving the same attention that I was given and 100 percent more to them.”
Nichols and his crew may have the best dining facility in theater, according to some of its patrons. Unfortunately, the Waza Khwa dining facility will be closing its doors for good soon.
These three motivated food service specialists are slated to pack up and move to a different forward operating base, Super FOB, also in Paktika. There, they will join forces with whomever is already there and add their skills and motivation to the mix.
“We can use our skills that we built up as a team and move on to help that team over there [at Super FOB],” Isaac said, unfazed by the move. “We can take our joint skills and make things better.”
Combat Outpost Waza Khwa is one of the first to be handed over to Afghan forces. It won’t be the last.
“Our goal was to do the best we can do each and every day, day in and day out [and] leave a reputation and a mark,” Nichols reflected. “This is our passion. This is what we love to do. Our satisfaction is when we see a [customer] come in to our facility to consume a good quality meal and walk away with a smile on their face.”
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 10.13.2011 01:21 |
| Story ID: | 78410 |
| Location: | PAKTIKA PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 268 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Serving up inspiration at Waza Khwa, by Luke Graziani, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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