MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Food service specialists with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, opened the doors of the Flightline Mess Hall during a ribbon cutting ceremony April 1, 2015.
As part of the Defense Policy Review Initiative aboard station the opening of the new Mess Hall will improve proficiency of the flightline by providing service members a closer facility to enjoy chow.
According to Staff Sgt. Ryan Richardson, food service operations chief, opening the new facility provides Marines working on the flightline the opportunity to eat chow without having to travel 10-to-20 minutes to and form a facility, giving them ample time to eat without having to worry about rushing back to their work section.Getting this Mess Hall ready for the opening day has taken a lot of work and dedication,” said Richardson. “I couldn’t be more proud of my Marines, they put countless hours into this building to ensure it will be good to go.”
As part of the ceremony, Lance Cpl. Maria Earll, the food service warehouse noncommissioned officer, received the opportunity to take her place alongside Col. Robert Boucher, commanding officer of MCAS Iwakuni, and Sgt. Major Keith Massi, sergeant major of MCAS Iwakuni, as they officially opened the Mess Hall by cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
“Being able to cut the ribbon was a great honor and I’m very glad to see that my work and all the hard work the Marines put in has paid off today,” said Earll.
Richardson said that Earll’s efforts surpassed the expectations of the food service senior leaders, and as such received the opportunity to cut the ribbon as thanks for all her hard work.
“In order to open the Mess Hall on time, it took the collective effort of all the food service Marines to make it happen,” said Richardson. “However, Earll is a huge part of us being able to open the Mess Hall on time. She put countless hours in to ensuring all the equipment needed for the facility was here and operational.”
With the Flightline Mess Hall operational, food service specialists are looking forward to continuing their mission of feeding service members aboard station and having them enjoy the fruits of their labors.