MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER, Calif. -- The building the cooks work in is small, cramped and hot. Additionally, its ‘conveniently’ located next to the flight line, requiring the doors and windows to be frequently closed to keep out sand and dirt blown in the air by passing aircraft.
Under these conditions about 15 cooks from 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment; Marine Wing Support Squadrons 473, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing; and Rations Company, 4th Marine Logistics Group have worked almost non-stop since June 13 to provide hot meals to the various ground, aviation and logistic Marines participating in exercise Javelin Thrust 2010.
Since that time, the cooks have served several meals a day; with anywhere from 300 to 500 Marines showing up per meal, according to Sgt. Luis Valdez, one of the head cooks at the field mess.
To keep up with the demand, the cooks begin each day early. The first cooks arrive at 3 a.m. to begin preparing breakfast and are joined by the rest of the cooks throughout the day, with shifts ending at 9 p.m. most nights.
“As soon as one meal ends, we immediately begin cooking and preparing for the next one, its non-stop,” said Pfc. Corey Anderson, a cook with 1st Bn., 25th Marines, who has often found himself, along with other cooks, working 18-hour days to keep the field mess up and running.
In addition to serving Marines in base camp, the cooks also have taken to the roads of the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center every night, traveling from landing zone to landing zone delivering hot food to infantry Marines conducting training in the mountains during the exercise.
Pfc. Jon Acosta, a rifleman with Company A, 1st Bn., 25th Marines, said that he and the grunts looked forward to the hot meals at the end of each day spent in the field.
“I really enjoyed the hot meals they have given us,” said the Manchester, N.H., native. “MRE’s (Meals, ready-to-eat) are not really desirable, and the hot chow helps with the cold. The coffee is also especially appreciated.”
Anderson said the praise and thanks they receive from the Marines, especially those in the field, makes their long days seem worth it.
“I think most Marines are satisfied with what we serve, they are always coming up to us and saying ‘thanks’ or ‘good job’,” said the Nashua, N.H., native. “You know your work is appreciated. Even though the hours out here kind of suck, I know I’ll miss it (working at the field mess) a little bit when I’m home.”
The field mess will continue to operate throughout the exercise, which is scheduled to end June 24.
Javelin Thrust is an annual exercise conducted by Marine Forces Reserve in several different locations in the Southwest. This year, more than 4,500 Marines from ground combat, logistical and aviation units are participating in the training, which resembles a Marine Air Ground Task Force operating in Afghanistan, in terms of both terrain and mission objectives.