MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Food service specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, are working diligently to ensure the new Flightline Mess Hall is fully operational by its opening day, slated for April 1, 2015.
As part of the ongoing expansion of MCAS Iwakuni, the opening of the new Mess Hall is scheduled to help the proficiency of the station by providing the Marines working on or near the flightline a closer facility to enjoy a meal.
“Getting chow is something most Marines don’t stress about, it’s part of their day-to-day tasks,” said Cpl. Linnea Privette, the food service training noncommissioned officer. “However, for some it can be tedious because there may not be a Mess Hall close for them to utilize and as such, they waste more of their allotted chow time traveling to and from the Mess Hall.”
According to Privette, one of the main purposes for constructing the new Mess Hall is to prepare and accommodate for the expanding station, as well as any personnel new units may bring.
As the new building readies for its grand opening, food service plans to renovate the current northside Mess Hall in order to upgrade their current equipment and optimize the food service capabilities.
“The Marines and I have put countless hours into preparing the Flightline Mess Hall for opening day,” said Lance Cpl. Maria Earll, the food service warehouse NCO. “We have been moving in all the heavy equipment and polishing up the building so when Marines walk in they think ‘man this is what a chow hall should look like.’”
Earll said she is looking forward to seeing Marines enjoy their first meal in the new Mess Hall and knowing all the work food service put in was not in vain.