Feeding the troops in battle

Photo By Master Sgt. Opal Vaughn | Lapuente, Calif. native, Pfc. Scott Rosales, a food service specialist with 25th...... read more read more

Photo By Master Sgt. Opal Vaughn | Lapuente, Calif. native, Pfc. Scott Rosales, a food service specialist with 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, prepares several dishes to serve to Soldiers for breakfast chow while at Contingency Out-Post Tahrir, located in Diyala, Iraq, Jan. 10.  see less | View Image Page

DIYALA PROVINCE, IRAQ

01.18.2009

Story by Spc. Opal Vaughn  

14th Public Affairs Detachment

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By Spc. Opal Vaughn
14th Public Affairs Detachment

DIYALA, Iraq - There are many career opportunities within the military no matter the branch of service. Every job and every person working in that position is just as important as the next.

Specifically, there are several military occupational specialties within the Army which are vital to everyday military operations. These job forces include, but are certainly not limited to medics, infantry, chaplain services and judge advocate general services and of course, food service specialists.

In the field environment, feeding the troops is a vital role in keeping troops mission ready. At the home of the Bulldogs, in the heart of Tahrir, a small post exists called Combat Out-Post Tahrir. With about eight large cooking pots, two stoves and an oven, four Soldiers manage to whip up three hot meals a day for Soldiers living at Tahrir.

With these battlefield conditions, it would seem a hard task to accomplish but the cooks at Tahrir seem to manage just fine. With a little bit of jazz, funk and soul blasting out of a small radio in the make shift kitchen, Cobb, Fail and Rosales, all sung a bit of the tune while preparing to serve breakfast chow.

"We serve any and everything," said Vienna, Ga. native, Sgt. Choice Cobb, a food service specialist with 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. "Like for dinner we serve steak, meatballs, fried chicken, corn on the cob and potatoes. For breakfast we have egg wraps, sausage, grits, pancakes and a variety of sorts. We do take requests though," Cobb continued, "Like for Christmas and Thanksgiving we had requests for ham and turkey."

Challenges arise but Cobb insists his staff can handle the load because of good leadership and deployment experience.

"It's challenging working on a smaller post but I had to do this before during my first deployment," Cobb stated. "My Soldiers that I have here now, haven't. My first deployment, I was attached to 5-1 Cav. as a specialist and stationed near the Syrian border. We cooked for over 800; there were only 12 of us. It was great learning experience and a lot of fun too."

"For me, waking up really early and working all day is about the hardest part of my job," Cobb added. "After breakfast, we have to prepare lunch and then we have to prepare dinner which is served until 2100. After dinner hours we clean the kitchen and dining area and then bed down for the night, just to get back up and prepare breakfast again at 0400."

Cobb continued to explain, "When I first got to Tahrir, I was briefed by the commander and the first sergeant who explained to me what they wanted and I explained to them what we all could do. We got together and set hours and standards for the food services here. We have healthy options for Soldiers as well. It's a lot harder because we don't get fresh vegetables and fruits like some of the larger posts. But I ensure there are vegetables served with every meal and on other meals I make sure to substitute ingredients for butters and oils if at all possible."

Steadily maneuvering around a hot stove and oven while keeping an eye on several pots of boiling chow, "Grab a mitt and check on those egg wraps," called out San Francisco, Calif. native, Spc. Elijah Fail, a food service specialist with 25th BSB, 1st SBCT, 25th Inf. Div.

While still rummaging around the kitchen, Fail explained, "The hours we work are just crazy hours. I mean it's not really difficult, it's just tedious. We do the same thing over and over. You might do something a little different, like for the holidays, but for the most part we try to work with what we've got," Fail stated. "A lot of the stuff we have is already pre-cooked because we do not have the time or resources to cook all day. But other than that, Christmas and Thanksgiving is about as special as it gets. Well, maybe the Fourth of July too, but I'm hoping I'll be at home for that."

With all the demands of their work load, the food service specialists at Tahrir all agree the work they do is very important.

"People gotta eat," said Lapuente, Calif. native, Pfc. Scott Rosales, a food service specialist with 25th BSB, 1st SBCT, 25th Inf. Div. "It's self explanatory. We have to cook the food," Rosales stated as he walked away to finish making some egg wraps for breakfast chow.