Hot meals a premium during Florence

Photo By Sgt. Nicholas Lubchenko | Pfc. Charles Guerbens, food service specialist, Mess Hall Wallace Creek 100, flips patties during the dinner rush at Mess Hall WC 100 on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune on Sep. 27, 2018. Guerbens is one of many food service specialists who worked to reopen the mess halls following Hurricane Florence. The mess hall was opened just days after the hurricane, allowing for service members and emergency workers to eat a hot meal. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Nicholas Lubchenko)  

CAMP LEJEUNE, UNITED STATES

09.27.2018

Story by Lance Cpl. Nicholas Lubchenko 

Marine Corps Installations East       

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Food service specialists played a significant role in ensuring service members and emergency workers got hot meals during the recovery effort on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
Within two days of Hurricane Florence there were multiple mess halls open, giving service members and emergency workers an opportunity to eat a hot meal.
“We came in the day after the hurricane, settled down to move food and try and get the mess hall open,” said Cpl. Jacob Marquez, chief cook for Mess Hall Wallace Creek 100. “We worked hard to give the (service members) something other than Meals Ready to Eat.”
Getting food to the Marines was important for commanders of MCB Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River.
“The commanders were regularly asking when their Marines could get a hot meal,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Maria Marques, operations officer, Food Division, Marine Corps Installations East. “When it came to food service, it was a priority. There were even people sleeping in mess halls so that they could get them back open as soon as possible.”
During the storm and recovery, 49,000 MREs were consumed by personnel across MCIEAST.
“Everyone was saying ‘thank you.’ They were happy to have a regular meal again,” said Marquez. “Anyone will get tired after a few days of eating MREs.”
Food service specialists also provided food to the shelters with the help of the Panda Express located on base.
“The manager of Panda Express called us and said, ‘we have food and we want to feed the shelters, but we need help to do that,’” said Marques. “So, two of our cooks from MCIEAST went over to Panda Express and helped them cook over 150 portions of chow that was split up between our shelters.”
The hardworking food service specialists are scheduled to receive some time off as thanks for their efforts over the last few weeks.
“In the past few weeks, my faith in humanity has been restored,” said Marques. “I have seen countless Marines go above and beyond so that they could open the doors to the mess halls. They were getting people through the doors to eat their first hot meal in a week. When you see your cooks, say thank you .”

• Date Taken: 09.27.2018
• Date Posted: 10.03.2018 09:40
• Story ID: 295240
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, US