ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE, TOWNSVILLE, Australia -- Hard work, dedication, a thirst for knowledge and team pride are all key factors that helped Iwakuni H.G. Robinson Messhall take home the title of best in the corps. Now, several members of the winning team are proving they can contribute to the mission near and far.
A total of eight food service specialists from Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 are in Townsville to support Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 332 in Operation Southern Frontier. The Marines are not only interacting with their peers but also with Australian natives.
"This is my first time in Australia and I was very excited when I first found out I would be coming here. I heard a lot of good things about this place. I was looking forward to a change in weather, different culture and see kangaroos and other native Australian animals," said New Orleans native Cpl. Damerice Pierre, food service noncommissioned officer in charge for the deployment.
Lance Cpl. Johnvinx Dereus, food service specialist was just as excited to deploy, "I was very happy to come to Australia, I was told this place was a lot of fun and it didn't hurt to take a break from Japan. I was also looking forward to working with these great culinary professionals," added the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., native.
Marines were not the only ones looking forward to the bilateral work environment.
"I have worked with American military before so I thought it would be a very good experience for everyone," said Rebekah Rogers, Airmen's Mess executive chief. "The staff was really looking forward to mingling with the Marines and learning from the way they do things."
Away from the comforts of home, the Marine culinary crew has had to adapt to a new style of cooking and way of operations.
"We had training for the first two weeks that we were here," explained Pierre. "During this time we worked from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. everyday. After the training we have gone to a three-person watch and now our working hours are from 4:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If we would not of done that training we would be struggling to keep up."
"Having the cooks here has been a major help in knowing what kind of foods they are used to eating, instead of us always cooking Australian meals and dishes they are not used to," Rogers said. "This is a good time for us to pass some of our knowledge and our way of doing things down to the Marines. This process also works vice versa in them showing us how they operate."
With the mixture of two different styles of cooking, this deployment is a good opportunity for both sides to learn new techniques.
Since the arrival of Marines one thing that has changed is breakfast, said Rogers. They have shown us a different way of cooking the eggs, pancakes and French toast. We usually add milk to the eggs making them fluffier allowing for more eggs to be made instead of just making them straight on, added Rogers.
"While I've been here I have learned to make teriyaki chicken, sour cream potatoes and beef curry," said Lance Cpl. Luis Alfaro, food service specialist. "Also when I cook I have been able to add different spices than would normally be used. For example I have used paprika and Cajun pepper to foods that I know would taste better if added."
Along with some creative cooking we have also showed the military way of cooking food to the Australians here, added Pierre.
"With the Marines here it has kept us on our toes by adding a little more life to the job," commented Rogers. "Usually our workers come in here and just do their time and go home. However these guys like to sing and dance-bringing a good attitude with them to work."
The Marines have also tried to show why they are the Marine Corps' best.
Everyone has really been working hard, working beyond what is usually expected of their rank and experience level, Pierre said.
While in Operation Southern Frontier military and civilian cooks will feed approximately 100 Marines along with approximately 50 Australian Air Force personnel that eat in the mess each meal.