Photo By Cpl. Joseph Karwick | Volunteer mess men serve food to Marines outside an expeditionary field kitchen for...... read more read more
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TINIAN, Northern Mariana Islands - Marines participating in exercise Forager Fury II have a new means of raising morale as the expeditionary field kitchen is set up and ready to serve Marines in the field with hot meals throughout the remainder of the exercise.
Service members face many hardships when in the field and having hot food is a good way to raise morale.
“I enjoy serving food in the field because it boosts up morale for the Marines,” said Sgt. Aurelie C. Laracuente, a food service specialist from Waterbury, CT., with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “I enjoy watching them come from a hard day’s work of whatever their military occupational specialty might be and enjoy something that we made. That’s the best part of it.”
It takes the assistance of more than food specialists Marines to provide meals for the Marines.
“All of us have to bring everything we have together,” said Lance Cpl. Clemente Jimenez, a food service specialist from Bronx, NY., with MWSS-171. “It is not just one person cooking, nor is it just the efforts of the cooks that go into providing food. Motor transportation Marines, engineers, electricians and other Marines help us keep the EFK running.”
According to Jimenez, the time needed to cook the food will vary with each meal.
“It depends on what time chow is whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner,” said Jimenez. “Breakfast takes us about 45 minutes to an hour; also the time will vary with larger portions.”
The food service Marines came prepared for FF II, bringing their new EFK, a mobile kitchen fully fitted to provide for the food needs of all service members participating in the exercise.
“The EFK is our new field kitchen,” said Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Graciano, the food service specialist staff noncommissioned officer in charge, from Philadelphia, PA., with MWSS-171. “It is easy to use and it is mobile. Using five Marines, setting up the EFK takes about two hours. We have running water and burners, as well as two tray ration heaters, two ovens and a few other industrial cookers. The Marines I have with me are a good group and I trust they can overcome any obstacle to provide solid meals for other Marines in the field.”
With approximately 200 Marines currently on Tinian, the EFK can provide for many more if needed.
“We can feed from 500-700 Marines,” said Laracuente. “Right now, we are feeding about 200 give or take. If we had to feed more than 700, we could.”
Cooking in a field environment presents a set of challenges to the food service Marines including proper cleaning and maintenance so the food is sanitary and safe for consumption.
“The most difficult part to cooking in the field, that we have faced here, is keeping everything clean,” said Jimenez. “There is a lot of dirt and it is going to be dirty all the time. So, we clean as we go and adapt to any environment. We keep everything clean and sanitary so the Marines can have a healthy meal.”
With FFII underway, and Marines working vigilantly to clear the runways of Tinian’s North Field, setting up preparations for jet aircraft landings at Tinian’s West Field, the food service specialists will not allow the Marines to go hungry.
| Date Taken: | 11.17.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.16.2013 18:55 |
| Story ID: | 116872 |
| Location: | TINIAN, MP |
| Hometown: | BRONX, NY, US |
| Hometown: | PHILADELPHIA, PA, US |
| Hometown: | WATERBURY, CT, US |
| Web Views: | 187 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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