YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, Wash. – Cold brisk winds and recent snow on the ground added to the training for soldiers of the 308th Brigade Support Battalion. For two weeks they faced the harsh conditions Mother Nature had to offer at Yakima Training Center and the only thing keeping them going was the accomplishment of their mission and meals prepared by the food service specialists.

Staff Sgt. Rachelle Corley, non-commissioned officer- in-charge of the food service operations for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, said the food they cook for the soldiers out in the field plays a vital role in keeping them strong. “We go out in the morning and evening to feed them hot chow,” she said. According to Corley this helps keep soldiers motivated and their strength up.

During the 308th BSB field exercise Corley’s five soldier team is put under a lot of stress. “We have to feed over 200 soldiers while out in the field,” she said. The food service specialists woke up at 3:30 every morning to prepare breakfast and take the meal to the soldiers in the field. Then returned to prepare the evening meal, which was served 5:00. After dinner Corley and her team of culinary specialists came back to clean the kitchen and pre-stage the meals for the next day.

According to Spc. Rene Iniguez Castro, HHC 308th BSB food service specialist, “the days are long but it’s worth it when the soldiers you are cooking for tell you how much they enjoy the food.”

To break up the monotony and to keep his meals interesting Castro adds a little something extra. “I like to make the food a little spicy,” said Castro, “there has been a few times that it has been a little too spicy.”

Adding something extra is within the guidelines according to Corley. The section has the liberty to cook and add whatever they want as long as they follow cooking guidelines. “We have recipe cards that tell us exactly how to make everything we cook,” she said.

Spc. Keith Thomas, HHC 308th BSB food service specialist, went to culinary school prior to joining the Army. “I take pride in everything I cook for my fellow soldiers,” he said. Thomas makes the extra effort to ensure the soldiers enjoy his culinary creations. With recipe cards as a base for his meals, along with his fellow culinary specialists, they all put their own spin on things by experimenting with different spices and ingredients.

At the end of the day when the soldiers are fed and bedded down, Corley and her team feel a sense of satisfaction because they have done their part in making sure their fellow soldiers are able to complete the mission.

Connected Media