MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- A sign hanging in the messhall here bears a famous quote by Lt. Gen. William G. Pagonis, “A meal makes morale, and morale often means the difference in battle.”
Five messhall worker from Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, deployed here for Exercise Bulldozer, have been serving fellow service members hot food since Jan. 7.
The two cooks and three messmen from Iwakuni spend long hours preparing meals for both Fuji-based personnel and MWSS-171 service members deployed here and feel their work is essential to the Marines and sailors.
“When Marines are (in Camp Fuji), they’re in the field,” said Cpl. Emanuel L. Larkin, MWSS-171 food service specialist and Philadelphia native. “They could be outside in the cold eating field chow. At least here they can get a hot meal.”
A typical day for the cooks and messmen begins at 4 a.m. where food is prepared for the hungry service members swarming the messhall at 5:30a.m.
After breakfast, everything must be cleaned as lunch preparations begin. The cooks make the meal while the messmen take care of dishes and assure everything is ready for the afternoon rush.
Since lunch is the busiest time of the day, teamwork is important, Larkin said. Things must run smoothly so service members can be fed in a timely fashion.
The same schedule of washing dishes, cleaning the facilities and preparing food is repeated after lunch. At the end of the day, everything must be cleaned once again and the next day’s breakfast made ready.
The Marines’ day is usually broken up into two watches, 4 to 8 a.m., and 8 a.m. to almost 7 p.m. Depending on the number of workers available, the service members will rotate shifts every other day, giving everyone equal work hours.
“Overall, it’s pretty much the same here as it is in Iwakuni because the watches run the same hours,” Larkin said. “They feed less people here, though. You could feed the whole base and still have a pretty steady day.”
For the cooks and messmen, this experience acclimates them to the environment they will work in during future Fuji deployments such as Exercise Eagle Warrior.
“This is like the pre-deployment for Eagle Warrior, but we’ll have (a higher volume) coming through the chow hall then,” said Lance Cpl. Darren R. Hudson, MWSS-171 logistics vehicle system operator and Huachuca City, Ariz., native. “It gives us practice and shows how other bases run their chow halls.”
MWSS-171 members appreciate the hard work the Marines behind the scene put into every meal.
“I’d say they’re doing a great job,” said Lance Cpl. Charlie F. Blakely, MWSS-171 field radio operator and Keller, Texas, native. “They have good breakfasts and a good selection. The warm meals make me perform better, because chow is a time of relief during a hectic workday. It’s a lot better than eating a cold (Meal Ready to Eat).”