How Army Cooks Are Trained To Feed 800 Soldiers In The Field | Boot Camp | Insider Business

When you have a good cook... it's a game changer. When I was in Afghanistan in 2012 we were on a platoon COP and were assigned one cook. This dude walked around in a robe, tan t-shirt, and PT shorts with flip flops. He did whatever he wanted and the boys loved him. He kept us rolling in steak, burgers, chicken... he rigged up a grill. He made pan cakes... not only did he make pan cakes he opened up M&M packets and mixed them in. I can not overstress how much of a force multiplier he was. No matter what happened during the day, no matter how shitty our day was we always had a meal to come back to made by a dude who cared about our morale. Let me tell you, no one fucked with that dude. He only pulled security one time when the COP was at absolute minimal strength and he was excited to do so. Most cooks go through the motions. A dedicated cook can literally change unit morale.

My husband was an Army Cook. He still cooks like he’s feeding a battalion- and it’s just the two of us! 😂😂

I wish we had these kinds of classes in high school tbh. Cooking is such an important skill that everyone should have the opportunity to learn.

My dad was an army cook and he served in the Vietnam and Korean war. He grew and canned everything in his garden and always cooked in a huge pot. I was the youngest of 7, he had his own army to feed. His spaghetti was the best.

I am a culinary specialist for 4 years and this video went through the majority of what our AIT looked like. What isn't said in the video is the sleep schedule and the reality of cooking in the field. Most cooks only get at most 4 hours of sleep regardless of the conditions. When cooking in the field you will learn to take showers and wash your clothes with a 5 gallon bucket of soapy water. The recipe cards will most likely not be utilized when cooking for over 500 soldiers. Whatever ingredients you got, you will use all of it. PMCS are extremely important regaurdless of the mission. Especially when the nearest maintenance shop is over 200 miles. Make sure all you equipment works properly before using it and note any faults during use. Last thing you need is half your mbus to backfire and set off all the carbon monoxide detectors or your CK tires blow up during convoy. The field sanitation center is the bane of all cooks. You will hate setting it up and it will never be perfect. That's probably the most dangerous equipment we got. If that tent looks like it's tilting or the winds are pushing it too much or the soil is too soft then its best to not bother setung it up. Not worth it to get crushed while washing dishes. There's more to say about being a cook but those are the things that come up to my mind. There's many good reasons why the retention rate for cooks are one of the lowest in the army.

My Dad was an Army cook, so always a soft spot in my heart for the cooks. From my years in the military, the two groups of soldiers that consistently were the hardest working were cooks and mechanics. Often overlooked and underappreciated, cooks and mechanics keep the army functioning. When you have bad maintenance and bad food, you get the Russian army in Ukraine.

I returned from Vietnam and went through this program in 1968. I cooked for 18 months at Ft. Benning, GA. I am impressed that the program is basically the same as I experienced, but with updated equipment. The Army taught me cooking skills that I rely on to this day.

In German there is a phrase: "Ohne Mampf, kein Kampf" which roughly translates to: "No fight without food". A warm meal after a hard day of training or combat can make all the difference. That's why i respect all military cooks.

My grandfather worked in a butcher shop when he was young and became a cook in the army during WWII. Although he was deployed with front line troops, he credits the position for keeping him alive. His war stories to us always revolved around ways they got creative with finding and preparing sustenance.

I was in the Army from 2006-2013. I loved and appreciated every cook I met. The army runs because of those men and women. They work long hours to ensure this.

When I was an MP in the Army there were certain people we took care of: Any Medic - they kept us alive Our Mechanics - They kept us mounted an rolling. Our Supply - You misplaced something, they hooked you up. Our Cooks - morale! It doesn’t matter how shit a day was…. Coming back to a hot meal makes it better! A cook can make or break your day!

I have a lot of respect for cooks and I’m an Infantryman. I’ve been in The Army for almost a decade and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have good hot chow in the field and on deployments over MREs. I don’t always get hot chow in the field and on deployments, sometimes it’s just MREs, but when I do, I am so happy. Respect to all cooks. Too many people don’t treat cooks with respect and it’s really sad.

I was a First Sergeant and without a doubt among the hardest working soldiers of my unit were the cooks. Their work starts very early to prep for breakfast and ends very late with cleaning up after dinner. I have so much respect to all these soldiers.

Army cooks get made fun sometimes, but as someone who knew a few army cooks during my time on active duty, I can tell you that these people work hard, often very long hours. The morale aspect couldn’t be more true as after spending a week out in the field, coming back to a hot meal being handed to you by a fellow solider made me say to myself “this isn’t so bad…” 🤟

As an soldier I know that good old feeling when your tired, hungry and wet as F, and you will be handed a plate of warm meal. Cooks are Top G's

I've been out of the Army for 6.5 yrs now but, I'll never forget the cooks. I was a medic so I got immediate respect but, the cooks were folk I felt went underappreciated sometimes. A hot meal on a cold morning in the field (especially after subsisting on MREs), breakfast in general, and just the omelets alone never failed to bring morale up.

Nobody can turn your day around like the cooks and medics. Thank you all for your service!

No army can fight with empty stomach, big respect for them

Support units like these are so so so valuable and crucial in keeping the war engine moving. If the soldiers arent eating .......they arent able to do much of anything else . Much respect to the support units like these. 🤝

This is so wholesome haha. I mean you watch the movies, you hear the stories, you see the guns and cool tactical stuff they do - hell you even got friends that enlist but you never think of food. You never think of nourishment beyond MREs and which flavors they come in. (At least I don't) Thank you for the post, its a great eye opener for me and gives me another view to another world and thank you to all the men and women putting it all on the front line day in/day out. Much love guys.