FORT LEE, Va. (March 1, 2010) -- Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, commanding general of Training and Doctrine Command, is a busy man.
His schedule is filled with meetings, greetings and paperwork that often contribute to 18-hour days.
Master Sgt. Mark Morgan is also a busy man. His job as an enlisted aide to Dempsey is to prepare meals and bring order to the general's busy household, helping to counteract the demands of those 18-hour days.
The two found time Monday to share in something under less demanding circumstances - the 35th Army Culinary Arts Competition that runs through March 12 at Fort Lee. The event is equivalent to the Super Bowl of military food service.
Dempsey, who visited Fort Lee to tour the installation's newest facilities, visited Morgan as the Soldier prepared for a category in the competition. Morgan said it's the general's nature to check on the troops, no matter how busy he is.
"He takes a vested interest in what his Soldiers do," said Morgan, a Soldier of 15 years. "He wants to make sure everything is provided for us; everything that we need to be successful."
Morgan was successful and won a silver medal the day prior, but Dempsey also seemed to relish opportunity to be amongst Soldiers who approach their craft with a strong sense of commitment.
"It was really exciting to see these kids get so passionate about becoming the best possible cook," he said, "and by the way, with nutrition in mind."
Dempsey's feelings about the competition and its competitors seem to parallel the event's goals to improve military food service.
"(The competition) helps the whole Army," he said. "You get these young guys, and they go out and share these skills with their peers; they talk about it or they network. It's raising our game."
It's also raising the game of the other services. Although it is labeled an "Army" event, the Culinary Arts Competition has become an inter-service event. Three hundred members of Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are represented this year.
The competition is the training centerpiece of the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence, the military's foremost food service learning institution.
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