MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The Station's Southside Mess Hall was announced Dec. 2 as runner up in the 2003 Major General W.P.T. Hill Memorial Awards as the second best garrison mess hall in the Marine Corps.
An evaluation group that tours every garrison and field mess hall Marine Corps-wide decides the winners of this annual award.
The group is made up of an official from the International Food Service Executives Association, along with a Marine officer and a staff noncommissioned officer.
The group tours each mess hall, rating them based on food preparation, serving techniques, palatability of menu items, mess hall décor, compliance with applicable regulations, garnishing and merchandising of food and patrons' reaction to the service provided.
"Preparations for the evaluation began four weeks before the group was scheduled to tour the facility," said Staff Sgt. Lawrence Rendon, Southside Mess Hall assistant manager. "The Marines did an outstanding job, many worked 16- to 18-hour days prepping the facility for this."
Though the Marines put in many long hours, they were not alone, noted Chief Warrant Officer Stanley Weeks, Station food service officer.
"The teamwork between the Marines and our Japanese Master Labor contractors was a key ingredient in our success," he added.
In the end, the Marines hard work was rewarded, and on March 10, 2003, a representative of the mess hall will travel to Dallas to attend a banquet and receive the award from Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense.
"Getting ready for this evaluation was an awesome learning experience," said Pfc. Allen Ray Lindsley, food service specialist at the Southside Mess Hall.