Photo By Staff Sgt. Tyrone Williams | Army Pfc. Misha Hailles serving Soldiers returning from the field during the District...... read more read more
By Army Spc. Malikah Anderson
WASHINGTON - Food service specialists from the District of Columbia Army National Guard’s 104th Maintenance Company, 273rd Military Police Company, 275th and 276th Military Police Guard Company, and 547th Transportation Company were given an opportunity to provide daily meals for over 500 soldiers in a field training exercise environment.
These soldiers are up before the sun and the playing of the Reveille carrying out their assigned missions during the D.C. National Guard 2015 Annual Training near Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL), formerly called Fort Dix, New Jersey.
“As cooks, our team is getting a lot of field experience here,” said Army Staff Sgt. Shevonia Dawkins, a noncommissioned officer in charge with the 273rd Military Police Company. “We usually work in the DFAC and are not exposed to this type of real-world training.”
The exercise gives soldiers the chance to work with special equipment in a field setting. “This training has sharpened our skills. It gives us the opportunity to use equipment we don’t normally use,” said Dawkins.
During this AT, new and experienced food service specialists are being trained to cook using a Mobile Kitchen Truck in a field environment. New soldiers are taught field sanitation and how to operate the MKTs.
Four MKTs were used in the field for this training exercise. The 104th Maintenance Company and 547th Transportation Company have joined their MKTs together to make it one big cooking unit. The MKTs are very efficient and the cooks are able to prepare food in a variety of ways, such as fry, bake, steam, sauté and boil.
One of the several meals prepared by Dawkins’ team included southern style fried chicken wings, peas and carrots with rice, garden salad, fruit juices and sodas and assorted desserts. During that meal, her team served more than 250 Soldiers in about 60 minutes, nearly setting a new serving record, Dawkins said.
For those Soldiers providing food services and support, the exercise provided an opportunity to gain valuable experience outside the confines of the dining facility (DFAC) at the DC Armory.
Private 1st Class Gardella Brown, a D.C. native and food service specialist who has been in the DCNG for about four months, welcomed the high tempo training. She said she believes it will make her a better Soldier.
The food service specialists participated in other field training exercises as well.
“I like that the cooks actually got to train with their individual units on the days that they were not cooking,” said Private 1st Class Misha Hailles a food service specialist from the 547th Transportation Company.
“When the whole company can participate in the training exercises and the cooks are not excluded, this builds morale for our soldiers. This is a productive Annual Training because the cooks were able to participate,” she said.
The NCOICs considered their mission to be successful.
Sgt. Johnanthony Pearson, NCOIC for 547th Transportation Company said, “This is a good learning and training experience for our soldiers, who has never been in a field environment. I would like to do more training like this.”
Sgt. Jarvis Wallace, NCOIC for the food service specialists from the 104th Maintenance Company said, “Our mission is successful because our soldiers are working together as a team.
| Date Taken: | 08.07.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.11.2015 18:11 |
| Story ID: | 172828 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DC, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 174 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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