BLUE GRASS ARMY DEPOT, Ky. (July 20, 2012) -- Task Force Wildcat food service specialists served fellow Soldiers meals with a helping of morale during Operation Golden Cargo 2012.
"We're preparing breakfast, as well as dinner meals, to help boost the morale of the Soldiers before they head out to accomplish their mission," said Spc. Latia Thomas, a food service specialist with the 424th Transportation Company out of Galax, Va.
"The importance of my job is to make sure that all Soldiers leave here fed, in a healthy manner, to include all of the food groups, so they're not going out there dehydrated and low on protein," said Thomas. "It gives them that extra boost to accomplish their mission throughout the day."
The food service specialists ensure that the menu features a well-balanced meal and varies from day-to-day.
"In order for the Soldiers to fulfill their mission, they need to have a well-balanced meal and stay healthy," said Spc. Lashawnda Johnson, from Winston-Salem, N.C., also a food service specialist with the 424th.
"My mission is to feed the Soldiers so they can go out there and fulfill their mission," said Johnson. "The importance of our job is mostly to keep the Soldiers healthy, no food-borne illnesses or anything: we always wear gloves, we always wash everything, we stress no cross-contamination."
"We go by a recipe, but, you know there's always something that you could throw in there to make it taste a little better," she added.
Sgt. Kenneth Moore, a food service specialist with the 424th from Denver, N.C., said that training environments rely heavily on food service specialist to provide healthy meals.
"When you're in the real world, off post, you can go to McDonalds, you can go to Wal-Mart, and you can go wherever, to eat. When you're stuck on post, and can't get off post on a mission or because you're deployed, the dining facility is where the Army and military feeds you, and they give you healthy, nutritious meals," he said.
Moore, an experienced food service specialist with close to 20 years of service, said his unit has received praise for their culinary services at the excercise.
"So far it has been very successful, we've got nothing but rave reviews out of Soldiers and senior noncommissioned officers and officers," said Moore. "We give most of the units, regardless of where they're going, support; giving them lots of meals, to-go boxes, whatever they need to motivate them, to inspire them to finish their missions."
"I enjoy what I do, knowing that you give them a good meal, and it might sound petty, but you're doing your job; you're making sure they can do their job," said Moore. "Nobody likes running around on an empty stomach, nobody. Soldiers like to eat, and that's what we're here for: to provide them with safe, nutritious, and healthy meals."
Social Sharing