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Huntington, W. Va. native ‘does his best’ to help support
Marines Field messhall provides home cooked meals on deployment
From a USMC
press release
CAMP SAMAESAN, Thailand — It's 2 a.m. and the mess cook begins his
day by frying bacon and scrambling eggs on top of a hot grill, while another
Marine straightens the mess deck by setting up chairs and tables in preparation
for the arrival of hungry Marines and Sailors.
Field messhall Marines who recently deployed to Exercise Cobra Gold 2002
kept the hungry Marines and Sailors charged by providing nutritious meals
twice a day.
"Here at the field mess halls we try to provide Marines and Sailors
with quality service," said Huntington, W. Va., native, Sgt. Jeffery
S. Erwin, food service specialist, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment,
3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, III Marine Expeditionary Force. "We
want to make sure the quality of our food is close to the garrison messhalls
back on Okinawa."
As the messhalls deploy with the essential equipment, the food service
specialist Marines work to function as a basic field mess.
"We are doing the best with what we have and it shows when Marines
and Sailors leave the mess hall satisfied," said Erwin. "We
have more than enough to make it happen and that's what makes the field
mess halls in this year's Cobra Gold special."
Each day the field messhall produces 2,000 portions of food for the morning
and afternoon meals.
"It's harder-to-cook meals in the field because the gear we're using
takes longer to cook food with," Erwin said. "We have to utilize
our cooking methods and time management differently to produce quality
meals."
The messhall sometimes spends up to five hours preparing each meal.
"One of the special aspects about the field messhalls are the omelets
we provide," said Sgt. Collis Corbin, food service specialist, Brigade
Service Support Group-3, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, a native of
Hampton, Va. "Every morning we cook fresh omelets for the Marines
and Sailors to enjoy."
According to Erwin, the simple services provided, such as cooking omelets
for Marines and Sailors help build morale and allow deployment to be more
enjoyable.
"During a long operation like Cobra Gold, the messhalls become a
focal point for Marines and Sailors in the field," said Chief Warrant
Officer Patrick Grosso, food services officer, Brigade Service Support
Group-3. "The messhall Marines work to make it a home away from home
and allow Marines and Sailors to have a place where they can come to rest
and relax after training in the field."
"The best part about coming back from the field is sitting down and
eating a hot meal in an air conditioned messhall," said Sgt. Carlos
Orjuela, platoon guide, Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, native
of Neptune, N.J.
The field messhall provides an air conditioned mess deck and satellite
television to make Marines and Sailors feel more comfortable during their
deployment in Thailand.
"We take pride in keeping the troops' morale up," Erwin said.
"Whenever we see a Marine leave with a smile, it makes all the hard
work well worth it. We want to continue providing an uplifting service
as long as we are out here."
