Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Craig Norton | Lt. Col. Daniel Marks, the executive officer for 60th Troop Command, inquires about...... read more read more
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Mascots are cute, but in the scheme of things not very tasty! Fortunately, while the donkey was tied-up in downtown Charlotte, the pig trotted right on by!
North Carolina National Guard soldiers participating in Joint Task Force-Panther took a breather from their annual training to partake of a Carolina BBQ meal at the Rudisill Armory in Charlotte, N.C., to spice-up their Labor Day weekend.
“I don’t eat [Meals, Ready-to-Eat],” said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher McCord, of the 60th Troop Command. “If there is something in the kitchen to cook, I would rather cook.”
Soldiers have been served freshly cooked hot meals for breakfast and dinner during this exercise but they receive pre-packaged meals for lunch. As the brigade food service supervisor, McCord orders all the food for soldiers participating in this exercise.
“[McCord and I] talked about this as soon as we knew we had this option,” said Staff Sgt. Corwyn Stanley, the supply sergeant of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 60th Troop Command. “[All the participating units] came together to fund the meal.”
“This is my first time cooking for these guys,” said Sgt. 1st Class Christopher McCord, of the 60th Troop Command. “The food came from Tyson Brothers in Gastonia. I prepped all the food on Friday. We got pork shoulders, chicken breasts, baked beans, Cole slaw and potato salad. I was going to make some apple cobbler, but I was too tired.”
The meal was postponed from Saturday to Sunday due to some scheduling conflicts and a few food mishaps that took McCord’s attention elsewhere.
“I’m in charge of both [dining facilities], here and Camp Greene [another site used during the exercise],” McCord said. “I cooked for midnight chow [Saturday] night. There was a mix-up with the food, so I looked in the fridge and ended up making gumbo.”
“I grabbed some sausage, chicken, okra, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, rice and the rest of it, I will have to kill you if I tell you,” he added. “It usually takes me six hours to make [the gumbo] but this time I made it in two. Everyone said it was good.”
“I am a proactive reactor,” McCord continued. “If things go wrong I come in and fix it; if it works, then it works.”
Staff Sgt. Briana Caldwell, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, also helped with food preparation for the BBQ and handles prep for daily meals. There is a lot of planning that goes into the meal preparation for Guardsmen when they train. Whether it is monthly weekend drill or the two-week annual training, the cooks put in a lot of work to give the soldiers a balanced meal.
“When we plan out a meal we do a production schedule,” Caldwell said. “We [choose] the meat, vegetable, starch, and then add a salad and dessert. We prep the food the night before and stock it in the refrigerators.”
Soldiers have received thick burgers, hot dogs, beef stew, chicken-fried steak, turkey and dressing, and several other hearty meals during this training. But there is nothing like Carolina BBQ to hype-up the anticipation for chow-time.
As the smell of grilled pork layered in BBQ sauce filled the air, many soldiers came over to the grill to ask when it would be ready. The aroma also pulled Lt. Col. Daniel Marks, the Executive Officer for the 60th Troop Command, out of the joint operations center to check on the progress of the meal.
Marks asked McCord if he bought the dry rub that was put on the meat or did he mix it up himself. McCord mixed it himself, of course, but would not disclose his secret recipe. By observation of the expression on Marks face as he took a whiff of the rub, the recipe really didn’t matter to him, as long as it tasted good!
Overall, judging by the fingers being licked and the empty pans, the BBQ was a success. soldiers grabbed a plate of “Que”, ate hearty, and then returned to the duties of the day. No disrespect to any mascots out there, these guardsmen just preferred a pig whose only responsibility was to taste good!
“This is so good,” said Spc. Kymberlye Bradley, of the 130th MEB. “I’m so glad they did this because I love grilled food.”
“People have been saying that the food is excellent,” said Caldwell. “A couple of them may not want to eat what we cook but for the most part we have only received compliments.”
“The food has been pretty decent,” said Pvt. Rumeel Easley, of the 130th MEB kitchen duty staff. “And very healthy too!”
| Date Taken: | 09.02.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2012 13:04 |
| Story ID: | 94580 |
| Location: | CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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