Galley in the desert

AFGHANISTAN

12.07.2007

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class David Votroubek 

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

By MC1(AW) David Votroubek
CSTC-A
Public Affairs

MAIMANEH, Afghanistan – The sign above the kitchen door reads, "GALLEY." Although it's more than 500 miles from the nearest ocean, it's still the closest thing to a ship that a small group of sailors have in western Afghanistan.

When Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Wright came to Forward Operating Base Maimaneh, he was the only sailor here. He was also the only cook. So the officer in charge of the FOB, Army Lt. Col. Robert Williams, put him in charge of the dining facility.

Williams told him, "It's your place, do what you want with it." Hence its name: "Wright's Place."

There are few noncontracted military dining facilities in Afghanistan, and even fewer still being run by a sailor. For a Navy petty officer to operate an Army dining facility is positively unique, and Wright has a reputation for running a good one. He's enjoyed it so much he extended his tour in Afghanistan to almost two years.

He's made improvements to the place like adding another refrigeration trailer, but the former Special Forces facility still lacks even simple amenities like ventilation above the grill. What makes Wright's Place exceptional is Wright himself, whom the Soldiers simply call "Cookie."

Before coming to Afghanistan, Wright served for five years on the USS Nebraska (SSBN 739).
He's putting that experience serving 160-man submarine crews to good use on the FOB, and says that cooking for 30 or 40 Soldiers now is actually easier. Like being on a submarine patrol, running this facility means he does everything from order supplies to plan menus. It also means there's never a day off.

One advantage of running a galley is that he can cook however he wants. Like a gourmet chef, Wright likes fixing dishes from scratch, experimenting with new recipes and even taking special requests. Two Afghan local national cooks, Fraidon and Nasim, also assist him in the kitchen and even prepare some Afghan dishes for the troops.

Sometimes the Soldiers help out by serving themselves. It's common for some to come back to the kitchen, don a hat and gloves and fix their own eggs. There is also what the troops call, "Celebrity Chef Nite," at which they get a chance to get creative in the kitchen.

"I've found that most of the troops here have a passion for cooking as well as eating," Wright explained.

He seems perfectly content to be surrounded by Soldiers, and this third generation Sailor takes good care of them. It isn't unusual for him to take dinner out to mechanics or stay open for teams coming back late. And they appreciate it.

One afternoon as he prepared dinner, several Humvees came rolling back into the FOB after several days out in the field. A gunner's filthy, grinning face looked over the edge of his turret.

"Tell Cookie we're back!" he shouted down happily.

"People are worried that they're going to get fat going up there because the food is so good," said the commanding officer of Afghan Regional Security Integration Command-North, Army Col. Edward Daly.

Daly himself has brought pomegranates to Cookie. In fact, the first Army Commendation Medal Daly presented as ARSIC-North commanding officer was to Wright in recognition of his work in mess management, and as a mentor to Afghan National Army cooks at Camp Mike Spann.

Wright spreads Navy influence in ways that are sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle. A Navy flag hangs on the dining facilities wall, and signs around the FOB remind "Shipmates" to replace water in the refrigerators, and call smoking areas "Smoke Decks." It's starting to pay off. He's even heard Soldiers refer to the latrine as the "head."

It may be a long way from the bottom of the sea to the desert, but Wright's Place makes it more like home for Soldiers and Sailors alike.

• Date Taken: 12.07.2007
• Date Posted: 12.07.2007 12:15
• Story ID: 14513
• Location: AF