Photo By Capt. Fernando Ochoa | Pfc. Diana Guzman, 1st Lt. Teresa M. Gonzalez, 63rd Brigade Support Battalion officer...... read more read more
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CHICAGO – First Lt. Teresa M. Gonzalez, 63rd Brigade Support Battalion officer in charge of this year’s 63rd BSB field feeding team, traveled to Chicago with three Soldiers to accept the Department of the Army Connelly Award for best U.S. Army Reserve Field Kitchen at the 47th Annual Philip A. Connelly Awards Program at the Armed Forces Foodservice Awards ceremony May 15.
Co-sponsored by the Department of the Army and the International Food Service Executives Association, units from throughout the Army were evaluated by the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence standard.
Sgt. 1st Class Silverio Aguirre, Sgt. Samuelito Quijano and Pfc. Diana Guzman also traveled to Chicago to personally accept the prestigious Connelly Cup; a big silver bowl.
Gonzalez said that she was extremely proud of all the Soldiers involved in this year’s competition, from the cooks to the field sanitation team and administrative supporters; the effort and solidarity was beyond expectation.
“As a new battalion, having only stood up in 2010, the skepticism was there, but the Soldiers took the challenge and triumphed,” said Gonzalez. “Through respectable feedback and countless hours of practice, these Soldiers were able to perfect their skills, earning them the win!”
The 63rd BSB, Sloan, Nevada, competed by cooking and serving a meal in this higher round of competition. They are evaluated on categories that range from field food safety and headcount operations to effective use of manpower and the appearance and attitude of the food service personnel.
Aguirre, Headquarters and Headquarters Company detachment, 63rd BSB, senior food operations sergeant, described the meals that promoted success for the team, which included a healthy, hearty vegetable rotini and turkey meatball entrée, a lightly oiled and steamed broccoli side and a pleasantly light double chocolate cake topped with fresh strawberries and whipped frosting.
“We are very proud of the 63rd BSB, and winning the DA Philip A. Connelly shows the true value of teamwork; by using all of the team's strengths, we were able to close the gap on any weaknesses and create a winning team,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Alan Owens, 79th Sustainment Support Command logistics specialist. “The 79th SSC supports this competition and the Soldiers involved. It gives the 79th SSC a great feeling knowing its Soldiers preformed with the best of the best and came out on top.”
The Philip A. Connelly Awards Program is the Army’s ultimate cooking competition, which began in 1968 and takes in active Army, Army Reserve and National Guard mess sections from across the globe in order find the best Army cooking operations.
To simulate a down range environment, the unit’s operation was set in the Nevada desert, where a real-life scenario could reflect a deployment to Iraq.
Part of the competition scenario is preparing a meal in a combat zone environment: Stations where security is observed, hands can be washed, Soldiers can be signed in, meals can be eaten, utensils can be washed and a fully-functional kitchen is displayed.
“Attitude plays a significant role when working as a team,” said Gonzalez. “The Soldiers attitudes were very professional, yet fun when working together, and I think that this type of attitude was what really got them through those wearisome times.”
This program was named after Phillip A. Connelly, a leader in the Food Service Management Corp and a former President of the IFSEA, who worked diligently and earnestly throughout his life to promote professionalism in food service, in both the civilian and military services.
The 63rd BSB was the second unit out of four to show case their talents and to be evaluated by the Department of the Army back in March.
The honor in receiving the Connelly Cup, recognition plaques from the NRA, 79th Sustainment Support Command, 311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, as well as all the individual Soldier awards and coins given by Brig. Gen. Ronald Kirklin, quartermaster general and the commandant of the U.S. Army Quartermaster School, Fort Lee, Virginia, was well deserving, Gonzalez expressed.
The 63rd Brigade Support Battalion is one of three U.S. Army Reserve units that are structured to support the Maneuver Enhancement Brigades with all classes of supply, field maintenance and transportation in a constantly changing environment. The battalion support can rapidly mobilize and deploy anywhere in the world and provide sustained logistical support to organic the theater of operation.
The 63rd BSB officially conducted its activation ceremony Oct. 21, 2012, at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas.
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2015 18:14 |
| Story ID: | 164384 |
| Location: | CHICAGO, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 280 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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