Four Okinawa Marines prepare meals for hundreds in Pakistan
SHINKIARI, Pakistan(Nov. 30, 2005) -- It’s 4:30 a.m. and while the rest of the camp is asleep, the cooks and food service specialists awaken in their pitch-dark tents, grab flashlights and step out into the piercing 40-degree weather.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/0/69E9B02264EED692852570C90007F9C4?opendocument
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MCB Camp Butler
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Computed Name: Lance Cpl. Scott M. Biscuiti
Story Identification #:
2005112920276
SHINKIARI, Pakistan(Nov. 30, 2005) -- It’s 4:30 a.m. and while the rest of the camp is asleep, the cooks and food service specialists awaken in their pitch-dark tents, grab flashlights and step out into the piercing 40-degree weather.
Moving about busily around lit grills, the Marines ensure that the sleeping service members will awake to the welcoming smells of waffles, scrambled eggs and of course, hot coffee.
This is the daily routine for four mess hall Marines with 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force currently assigned to Combined Medical Relief Team-3. They are responsible for preparing two hot meals each day for more than 200 service members currently deployed to Shinkiari, Pakistan for the humanitarian relief effort.
“If we don’t do our job correctly people will get sick and the humanitarian mission might not get accomplished,” said Sgt. Gualberto C. Chavez, battalion mess chief with Headquarters and Service Battalion, 3rd MLG. “Hot chow is motivation for the troops.”
Considering the amount of work to be done to setup the field mess hall and the priority of the hospital, it seemed like the mess hall wouldn’t be setup for at least a week, according to Lance Cpl. Erick M. Landers, a food service specialist with 3rd Materiel Readiness Battalion, 3rd MLG.
“We served hot chow on the second night of being in Shinkiari,” Chavez said. “That’s something you can take pride in.”
Chavez said this is the first time he has run a field mess hall by himself and while he is highly impressed with the speed in which the mess hall was setup, there were a few snares along the way.
“In the field, every site you look at will have some problems,” he said. “It is my job to find solutions.”
The Marines did what Marines do best and improvised to overcome the challenges, explained Chavez. They built their own decking to even out the slanted surface and moved the entrance of the field mess hall to minimize the dust entering the mess tent. In addition, they setup their own tents, maintained and fueled the generators that supplied power and got their own potable water.
“It was really a team effort,” Landers said. “Engineers supplied the decking, water purification specialists gave us access to the water and heavy equipment operators helped us move all the big stuff.”
Chavez said during long deployments the number one thing for service members to remember is to stick together.
“My Marines are taking care of me, I am taking care of them and we’re taking care of the whole camp,” Chavez said. “That’s what matters most.”