MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Being a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, Dennis Kearn has always had a dedication to creating unique and captivating dishes. Amidst the many cultural cuisines offered, his favorite dish was a staple of Louisiana gastronomy; seafood gumbo. Growing up surrounded by so many savory foods ignited a passion for the culinary art that has stuck with him for life.
U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Dennis Kearn, who is now the Northside Mess Hall Manager at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, had many influences growing up, but food and family always remained some of the most important ones to him. His biggest role model was his father, who is a retired Army veteran and was a first responder during 9/11.
“I admired my father for his incredible work ethic and dedication. He was devoted to both his family and his country, and did amazing things during his time in the U.S. Army” Kearn said. “However, there was a sort of friendly rivalry going on, and I knew I wanted to strive to be better than him. He was one of the biggest focal points of me going into the Marine Corps because I believed that the Marine Corps was a better organization. I felt the discipline was much tighter and the people had a little more camaraderie within the Marines.”
In 2006, Kearn started his Marine Corps journey as a food service specialist. He chose this MOS because of his roots in New Orleans, the birthplace of many iconic soul foods from the Southern United States.
“Food was one of my passions growing up in New Orleans. I loved making and consuming Cajun food. It was a no-brainer that I wanted to get into this route for my career path.”
After enlisting, he reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Camp San Diego for basic training and from there went to his schoolhouse in Fort Lee, Virginia, where he learned how to acquire food for the dining facilities, plan dishes, create themes for the mess hall, and store food properly. After the completion of his basic training, he was stationed in Camp Pendleton, California, where he continued to develop his skills and share those flavors of New Orleans with the Marine Corps.
One of the biggest lessons Kearn learned was perseverance. When he was deployed in Afghanistan and stationed in Camp Dwyer in 2013 as a sergeant, Kearn was tasked with creating a dining facility. Using only a few tents and limited resources Kearn had to think outside of the box in order to provide food to the service members.
“It was absolute chaos at first. We had a bunch of tents and the higher-ups said ‘create some sort of dining facility’. If you've never made a dining facility before, such as me as a young sergeant, It really required me to think outside the box. I thought to myself ‘What would the basic requirements be? Obviously I'm going to need power and a water source.’ and things such as that.”
Kearn was challenged with meeting and maintaining the safety requirements necessary for the new dining facility he was making, which was difficult in the beginning. But, he was able to overcome this by referring to logistical guidelines and being persistent with his leadership, ensuring that he received materials he needed to get the job done.
This experience not only helped deepen his passion for his job, but provided a foundation for him to further develop his leadership skills, which he carried on to MCAS Iwakuni as the manager for the Northside Mess Hall.
During his time at MCAS Iwakuni, Kearn has inspired many of the Marines and Sailors under his management, such as U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Bryan Hill, a food service specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron.
“If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to go and see the USS Green Bay or participate in culinary competitions,” says Hill. “He will always try to push every Marine and Sailor in the galley to do their best. He inspires us to just be the best that we can be because everyone deserves a nice hot meal every day.”
Kearn is always eager to teach those under him more than just the basics to get the job done, as it reminds him of the hunger for growth he had at their age.
“We serve hundreds of meals a day and that can get repetitive, so if I can share with the staff the skills and knowledge that I’ve acquired while in service and see even just a little excitement in them, that's my passion.”
With about four years left until his retirement date, Kearn may dream of the day he's back home in New Orleans eating seafood gumbo, but he is still more passionate than ever. Even though Kearn has an end in sight in regards to his career in the Marine Corps, his commitment to provide an excellent dining experience on the air station and eagerness to mentor Marines and Sailors has made him more motivated than ever to continue to do what he does.
“I've been in this institution for 16 years and although I'm probably going to stop at 20 and go ahead and retire at a very early age. I still have that thought of staying a little bit longer just because I do have so much love for the Marine Corps, so we’ll see what the future holds.”