Face of Defense: Marine Keeps 300 Comrades Fed

By By Marine Corps Cpl. Ed Galo

Regimental Combat Team 6

COMBAT OUTPOST CASTLE, Afghanistan, Aug. 23, 2012 – Whether preparing the ingredients to be used for a meal, preheating ovens or making sure the food doesn’t overcook, feeding 300 people can be a difficult task.

Marine Corps Cpl. Nicholas Fredrick, a food service specialist with Charlie Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 6, usually starts his day around 4 a.m. to begin cooking breakfast here. He begins to serve at 7 a.m.

Fredrick, of New Castle, Del., said being the only cook at his combat outpost can be difficult.

“The hardest part is just putting all the food out there and keeping up with all the Marines.” he said.

Fredrick, 26, says his favorite meal to cook is steak and lobster, which he tries to make every Saturday. “We have a grill in the back, and I’ll just get out there and start grilling for the guys,” he said.

He also is licensed to operate 7-ton trucks, the vehicles Marines use to move supplies throughout Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Once a week, he drives as part of a convoy to pick up the supplies he needs to continue to feed his Marines.

Since Fredrick is the only cook in his company, he gets to decide what is on the menu every day. He said he likes to add something extra instead of just cooking them right out of the packages they come in.

“The guys always tell me they like the meatloaf,” he said. “I like to add a little extra cheese to the top of it and bake it in the oven. They always love the steaks, too. I season those myself. I try to make things a little better for everyone out here.”

Even though cooking for so many Marines can be a demanding task, he said, seeing happy Marines makes it worth it.

“I like boosting everyone’s morale,” he said. “That’s [my] main purpose out here -- keeping the Marines nice and full and happy. If they’re happy, then I’m happy, too.”

Fredrick said he takes pride knowing that he is never late to open the doors to the mess tent. He always tries to open up 15 to 20 minutes early, he added, and sometimes closes late to ensure everyone is fed.

Face of Defense: Army Cook Performs Multiple Tasks

By Ashley Curtis

117th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan , May 30, 2012 – From working in offices to working beyond the wire of forward operating bases in combat zones as a driver and a gunner, Army Staff Sgt. Clint Pinson has been there.

But 13 years ago, Pinson chose to make his cooking hobby a career by enlisting in the Army as a cook, and he’s still doing that today.

Yet, Pinson, assigned to Headquarters and Support Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, doesn't prepare food in a kitchen, nor does his place of work here have a single stove.

The Tulsa, Okla., native works at the NATO Accommodation Barracks, managing and maintaining the site every day.

"I've been known to get up, throw on flip-flops in the middle of the night and take care of what I've got to take care of," Pinson said. "I have pulled stuff off over here that no one else thought I could do."

His current duties don't follow the typical cook's job description, but his work ethic and great attitude have helped Pinson adapt to this and several non-cooking assignments in the past.

"He is like a chameleon, he can blend in [to] any situation and succeed," said Army Staff Sgt. Josue Molina, Pinson's supervisor.

Pinson embraces his positive attitude, and he won’t allow himself to be defined by what people think he does.

"I've seen cooks hang with the best of them, and out-do some other soldiers," he said.

On his previous tour to Iraq, Pinson was tasked to run a dining facility on an outlying post for four months, but spent the remainder of the year doing various other assignments. He views such constant adjustment positively.

"I've had a lot of opportunities in the Army," he said.

Pinson said he plans to make a career out of the Army, whether that means working as a cook, or doing any other job that the Army needs him to do.