Anticipation was evident on the faces of the Marines preparing for inspection. Food preparation, sanitation and appearance were just a few things on a long list of what needed to be perfect. As if the Marines at the field mess did not have enough on their plates, Mother Nature called for rain, and the flooding began.
“When it started flooding, we thought we were going to have a bad day,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Tijerino, food service specialist and assistant field mess manager with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “It ended up working to our advantage because when it’s a sunny and beautiful day, anybody can perform. Today, we showed that we can perform regardless.”
In August, MWSS-172 was nominated to represent III MEF to compete for honors as the best field mess in the Marine Corps.
“It’s all about pride in belonging,” said Master Sgt. Clinton L. DeViney, field mess manager for the squadron. “My Marines take a lot of pride in being the best field mess in III MEF. Now, we want to be able to say we are the best field mess in the Marine Corps.”
Upon claiming the title of best field mess in the Marine Corps, the winner will be awarded the Maj. Gen. William Pendleton Thompson Hill Award. The award was established in 1985 to improve food service operation and recognize the best messes in the Marine Corps.
To earn such a prestigious award, Marines must compete against other Marine field messes. A winner is dubbed after an inspection is done by Marines and members of the National Restaurant Association. Competitors are judged in 17 categories, such as operations, sanitation, taste and food quality.
“The restaurant business is a $10 billion-a-year business,” said Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Linnabary, an inspector and food service officer for U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific. “Just because we are in the military does not mean we do not have a part in that because we do the same things they do.”
While this field mess competition did not take place in an actual deployed field environment, it did not stop the Marines of MWSS-172 from acting like it. The Marines had constant security at the entrance and exit points of the field mess. The facility was encompassed by barbed wire and patrolled by Marines throughout the entire exercise.
During the inspection, Lt. Gen. Kenneth J. Glueck, Jr., commanding general of III MEF, and Lt. Gen. Duane D. Thiessen, commander of MARFORPAC, arrived to show their support of the field mess.
As the morning turned to afternoon, and the rain subsided enough to walk through the field mess without getting soaked, a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment arose from the Marines of MWSS-172. Although the squadron will not know whether it earned the title of best field mess until January 2012, the experience was enough to leave a favorable impression on the Marines, said Tijerino.