Currahee DFAC earns Best Mess Award

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky-The 4th Brigade Combat Team Dining Facility was awarded

the 101st Airborne Division Commanding General's Best Dining Facility or "Best

Mess" of the Quarter by Maj. Gen. James C. McConville, July 20, 2012 at Fort

Campbell, Ky.

"This is an example of Currahee Soldiers doing their best and exceeding the

standards every day to take care of their fellow Currahee," said Col. Val C.

Keaveny, Jr., the commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne

Divison. "I couldn't be prouder of our food service team, their commitment and

their accomplishments."

The dining facilities on the entire installation are inspected and graded on criteria

to include food preparation, food safety, customer service and cleanliness of each

facility.

"Whichever dining facility receives the highest score for the quarter, receives the

award," explains Sgt. 1st Class Cassandra Carter, the 4th Brigade Combat Team

Dining Facility manager from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 801st

Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Bde., 101st Abn. Div.

"They check to make sure we are upholding proper standards on shift and that we

are training the Soldiers while cooking," said Sgt. Tim Hunnicutt, a food service

specialist and noncommissioned officer overseeing meat products during the shift

in which the inspection occurred. "They even check our paperwork, like our recipe

cards and our production schedules."

Though receiving the news of their accomplishment was exciting, the dining facility

staff understand that great rewards come from hard work.

"This for us is like winning a marathon or a championship basketball game," said

Carter. "Shows Soldiers that their handwork has not gone unnoticed. This

achievement is a pure display of Soldiers in action."

"We work long hours, so it is good for Soldiers to hear they have won because of

their hard work," said Hunnicutt.

"It was an honor to be part of putting the Currahees' bright star back on the map,"

said Carter. "Now we are striving, using our drive to push on, to keep our DFAC in

the running for the award again next quarter."

Receiving this award is a high point for the Currahee DFAC because it is their first

time earning the award since redeploying from Afghanistan.

"This is a good feeling to have again before we deploy," shares Hunnicutt. "This is

The first time we have won since we have been back. It is great to be back in that

top spot."

The brigade redeployed to Fort Campbell from a year long deployment to Paktika

Province, Afghanistan in Aug 2011.