507th Air Refueling Wing

Airmen from the 507th Air Refueling Wing Force Support Squadron Services Sustainment Flight serve food to Ch. (Capt.) John Weston and Tech. Sgt. Patrick Garrison of 507th Air Refueling Wing Chapel Services during a field kitchen training exercise Nov. 7, 2015, at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. The kitchen is designed to provide deployed personnel food at remote and undeveloped sites. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chelsea Thomas)

507th Air Refueling Wing

Airmen from the 507th Air Refueling Wing Force Support Squadron Services Sustainment Flight prepare to serve food during a field kitchen training exercise Nov. 7, 2015, at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. The field kitchen is an Air Force requirement for use at remote and undeveloped sites. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chelsea Thomas)

Services flight cooks up field training for Reservists

Published Nov. 19, 2015
By Senior Airman Jeffery Dahlem
507th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 507th Air Refueling Wing Force Support Squadron Services Sustainment Flight held a field kitchen exercise on the 35th Combat Communications Squadron's compound Nov. 7, 2015, here.

The Services Sustainment Flight invited several units across Tinker Air Force Base to enjoy the food prepared by the field kitchen staff, including fried chicken, various vegetables, and desserts. The exercise was intended to help train their Airmen in properly establishing food services down range, from unloading cargo pallets to running a fully functional field kitchen.

"We join the Air Force Reserve to do a specific job, and a lot of times we end up getting bogged down with the minutiae of our computer-based training requirements or paperwork and things like that," said Chief Master Sergeant David Dickson, 507th Mission Support Group Superintendent. "So, on a normal UTA, it's rare that Airmen get to perform their function that they joined the Air Force for. It's a huge morale boost for them to actually perform their job and they did it very well."

Exercise team leaders Master Sgt. Mondrey Ramsey and Master Sgt. Tamika Ferguson contacted a local charity that helps feed the homeless in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area to the remaining food.

"They were grateful and it was a good way to not only get some training done but to reach out to the local community," said Ramsey. "It's nice to be able to help out."