Photo By Sgt. Ian Ives | Pfc. Willie Wyers, a food service specialist with Company F, 225th Brigade Support...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – In the Army, many military jobs are overshadowed by those better-known, such as infantry, artillery and Special Forces. One noncommissioned officer, however, strives to change that notion in the Pacific theater with his team of food service specialists.
Staff Sgt. Derrick Lewellen, a native of Lovett, Texas, and a food service manager with Company F, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, will lead his team of nine on Sept. 29 to the United States Army Pacific Command level of the Phillip A. Connelly field culinary competition.
“I was told Hawaii had not had a Phillip A. Connelly representative for about five or six years,” said Lewellen. “I caught wind of this, and my brigade food service advisor asked me if I wanted to partake, and I said yes.”
The Philip A. Connelly Awards Program was created by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps to improve the professionalism and quality of food provided by culinary specialists through competition with the incentives of reward and media recognition according to the Quartermaster Corps regulation. The competition consists of a food service field operation that is graded on site security, field sanitation, hospitality and food quality.
Lewellen has competed four times in his 14 years of service, but has never made it further than the division level. So far this year, Lewellen and his team have won the brigade, division and I Corps levels of the Connelly competition and are preparing for the USAPAC level, which is the second highest level they can compete in.
In order to train for this competition, Lewellen’s team is supporting Soldiers of the 25th ID in many of their operations, such as the Expert Infantry Badge competition. In doing this not only can the team provide a benefit to Soldiers in training, but they also receive real time training by testing new ideas to better their food service.
“My team and I have begun making signature food items,” said Lewellen. “This means that we take the items that have been given to us and make our own unique dish.”
However, his team’s creativeness is not the only thing that sets them apart.
“When introducing my team to evaluators, I like to distinguish members of my team and their individual accomplishments,” said Lewellen. “Among my team, I have last year’s winner of the Division Chef of the Year, three Chef of the Quarter winners and two members who will be advancing to the Division Chef of the Year this year. I like to do this because we are more than just a team.”
It is this kind of attitude for his job field and Soldiers that has set Lewellen aside both in competition and within his chain of command.
“His energy and focus on Soldiers and standards has always paved a good platform for the young Soldiers working under him,” said Master Sgt. Nate Conley. “Even though he has been working in a sergeant 1st class position, he has also shown a great admiration for the position. When I first met him, because of the way that he operated, I thought he had been a staff sergeant for a long time, but it turns out he was still a young staff sergeant.”
Conley, a food service NCO and 2 SBCT supply officer, chief food management NCO, has known Lewellen for three years now and helped him to begin participating in the Phillip A. Conley Program this year. Conley has many years of experience himself with the Phillip A. Connelly Program and sees potential for Lewellen to continue advancing.
“I feel very confident in his ability to lead his team to winning the USARPAC competition and far beyond that,” said Conley.
Lewellen plans to win the upcoming USARPAC competition and continue to the Department of the Army competition, which will pit food service teams from every region of command against each other. Regardless of what competition Lewellen and his team wins, he will always strive to provide the best support for Soldiers through his food services. This is the quality that has set Lewellen apart from others.
“Even though I am in one the most under-appreciated military occupations, it is the most rewarding,” said Lewellen. “When Soldiers are hot and exhausted from doings missions, we are the ones who get to put the smile back on their face.”
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2015 16:30 |
| Story ID: | 176427 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Hometown: | AUSTIN, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 220 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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