Photo By Capt. Kevin Anderson | An excited, Sgt. Zachary Sheely, print journalist with the 105th Mobile Public Affairs...... read more read more
SALINA, Kan. - “They say that in the Army, the coffee is mighty fine.” Who said that? “It looks like muddy water and tastes like turpentine,” a classic Army marching cadence states, which most members of the Kansas National Guard have probably heard at one point or another.
Without a doubt, whatever coffee the cadence was based on, their morning joe was not coming from the dining facility located at Company B, 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation Regiment, Salina, Kansas, during Vigilant Guard 2014. Vigilant Guard is a large-scale, natural disaster exercise hosted by the Kansas National Guard at Crisis City, Salina, Kansas, Aug. 4-7.
“The DFAC coffee is certainly one of the highlights during my day,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jason Garr, the tactical operations officer for the 35th Infantry Division. “Coffee is certainly necessary during these training exercises, but it is great that the DFAC also offers cold drinks because of the recent heat.”
The DFAC has been working hard to bring Soldiers and Airmen of the Vigilant Guard exercise quality meals each day.
Sgt. 1st Class Michael Brissett, 169th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Olathe, Kansas, is one of the senior noncommissioned officers leading that charge to bring quality meals to the Soldiers.
Brissett stated that his 10 Soldiers are up early at 4 a.m. to start cooking breakfast for Soldiers who amble into the DFAC around 6 a.m., before conducting their emergency management training.
After breakfast is finished, Brissett’s Soldiers are given a few hours of down time, but are back at 1 p.m. to start prepping for supper.
While Brissett is restricted to a pre-scheduled, 14-day meal rotation, he made it clear that “the Soldiers certainly enhance” the meals for flavor to provide tasty nutrition.
All of the Soldiers, including Brissett, are food service specialists, or military occupational specialty 92Gs. According to www.goarmy.com, all 92G Soldiers can bake, fry, braise, boil, simmer, steam and sauté Army recipes. Moreover, MOS qualified Soldiers can maintain all kitchen equipment and maintain all field kitchen equipment. One Soldier in particular, Spc. Amanda Hrabe, food service specialist, 995th Maintenance Company, has used her skills from the Army in her civilian career.
Hrabe is a chef at the Olive Garden in Salina, Kansas, where she regularly uses the skills that she learned during food service specialist school. She stated that before she entered the Kansas National Guard she always enjoyed cooking; becoming a food service specialist was a natural fit. Hrabe has also brought many lessons learned from working in a national restaurant chain to benefit the operations of the Kansas National Guard.
Over the course of the exercise, the DFAC in Salina has served over 5,000 A Rations, standard Army meals, and over 2,800 Meals, Ready-to-Eat. MREs have long been a contentious issue with Soldiers, mostly because of the taste and lack of variety for meal options. There has historically been a larger perception throughout the Army that MREs are unappetizing, it is a history that is being directly addressed Army wide.
According to Meal, Ready-to-Eat website (www.mreinfo.com), the menu has expanded from 12 items to 24 entrees, and 70 new items have been added. The menu options have become quite varied, ranging from classic chili and macaroni to southwest beef and black beans.
“The older MREs really didn’t have much flavor. There is much more variety now and all of the meals taste better than they used to,” shared Spc. Anna Laurin, print journalist with the 105th MPAD.
As the Vigilant Guard exercise comes to a close, all of the Soldiers who participated should think of the dedicated work food service specialists do to sustain the force, because a fed Soldier is a happy Soldier.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2014 16:41 |
| Story ID: | 138874 |
| Location: | SALINA, KS, US |
| Hometown: | CONCORDIA, KS, US |
| Hometown: | GRAND ISLAND, NE, US |
| Hometown: | LEAVENWORTH, KS, US |
| Hometown: | OLATHE, KS, US |
| Hometown: | OTTAWA, KS, US |
| Hometown: | SALINA, KS, US |
| Hometown: | SMITH CENTER, KS, US |
| Hometown: | TOPEKA, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 158 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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