Marines, sailors work together during Composite Training Unit Exercise

Photo By Sgt. Theodore Ritchie | Lance Cpl. Jose Lucena-Martinez, a cook from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, helps...... read more read more

Photo By Sgt. Theodore Ritchie | Lance Cpl. Jose Lucena-Martinez, a cook from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, helps in food preparation aboard USS Bataan Feb. 4, 2009. Elements of the 22nd MEU are embarked aboard Bataan for Composite Training Unit Exercise. COMPTUEX is part of the MEU's pre-deployment training program. The 22nd MEU is scheduled to deploy this spring. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Theodore W. Ritchie)  see less | View Image Page

ABOARD USS BATAAN, AT SEA

02.04.2009

Story by Cpl. Alicia Leaders 

22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit

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ABOARD USS BATAAN - Throughout history, it has been said that a military outfit travels on its stomach. That is just as true today. One of the most important aspects of any military training or operation is ensuring that troops are fed.

For the nearly 3,000 Marines and Sailors of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and USS Bataan, afloat off the coast of North Carolina for Composite Training Unit Exercise, Navy Chief Warrant Officer Lester S. Griffith is the man with the plan for feeding them.

When the MEU Marines first came aboard ship for an orientation exercise in late October 2008, the influx of people meant long lines during scheduled meal times.

"It literally took a good 45 minutes for someone to get some chow and that's ridiculous," said Griffith, the food service officer aboard Bataan. "It wasn't helping them, it wasn't helping me, nor was it helping the mission of the Bataan."

That was when Griffith first recognized the fact the chow plan needed to be altered.

"I had to come up with a way to curtail the line," said New York native Griffith. "I came up with a continual feeding plan. Chow is now open from 5:30am to midnight."

Griffith adds that the new schedule not only drastically cuts down the time Marines and sailors spend in line, it even cuts down on the workload for the cooks and messmen.

The Marines and sailors that cook and serve the chow and keep the mess decks clean would work before, during and after meals under the old schedule, said Cpl. Kenya L. Hubbard, a food service specialist from the MEU.

According to Griffith, the continuous chow plan cuts the cooks duties by 41 percent. Workers now only work ten-hour shifts and get a break in between shifts.

"I think it's a good idea for the mess hall hours to change," said Hubbard, a native of Augusta, Ga. "It cuts down on the lines and gives the cooks a break."

Hubbard is one of several cooks and messmen that are from the 22nd MEU and are working to support the Bataan's food service section. They are part of a group known as ship augments.

The group includes Marines that perform various duties throughout the ship, such as messmen working on the mess decks and combat cargo Marines securing cargo in the ship's well deck and safely controlling aircraft passengers on the flight deck.

"I like helping people," said Lance Cpl. Aaron K. Lovelady, a messman from the MEU. "I don't mind staying up and working because it makes the time go by faster."

A messman's main priority is to wipe down tables, sweep and mop, and ensure that napkin dispensers are filled and condiments on the table are full, said Lovelady, a native of Nashville, Tenn.

"The cooks and messmen augment the Navy cooks and messmen and help support the Marines we're taking on the ship," said Gunnery Sgt. Eddie R. Powers, the 22nd MEU headquarters commandant. "With the ship's regulations, we're required to support."

Powers, a native of Hurricane, W.V., coordinates with the MEU's Major Subordinate Elements to identify Marines to fill the requirements for ship's augments. He works as a liaison between the MEU and the ship.

Having Marines working closely with the sailors from the ship's company during the pre-deployment training gives everyone a chance to build on the Navy-Marine Corps relationship before deploying across the ocean.

"The interaction is phenomenal. They're working together, they're talking and there is no separation between them," said Griffith. "They're intermingling with each other and it's a beautiful thing."

The 22nd MEU is a scalable, multipurpose force of more than 2,200 Marines and sailors. Commanded by Col. Gareth F. Brandl, it consists of its Ground Combat Element, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced); Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 22; and its Command Element.

The 22nd MEU is currently conducting pre-deployment training and is scheduled to deploy this spring. For more information about the 22nd MEU, visit the unit's website at www.22meu.usmc.mil.