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MILITARY CULINARY AWARDS WRAP-UP

Finest in the Field

84th Engineer Battalion’s 2018 Connelly Award Caps Long Push

ield kitchens are designed to rapidly set up the es- In all, the Talley estimates that the team was focused on
Fsential features and equipment that enable culinary the Connelly for more than 18 months. “Being competitive
teams working under challenging conditions to support calls for extensive planning, resourcing, and command
warfighters by quickly preparing nutritious meals three support for roughly half a year,” she said. “Our battalion
times a day at high volume and quality. provided all the necessary equipment and personnel for
The Army’s Philip A. Connelly Awards program selects the competition. The support, assistance, and mentorship
winners in both field and garrison environments to mo- we received allowed our team to focus on perfecting an
tivate and recognize excellence across all its food service immaculate product.”
teams. Administered by the Joint Culinary Center of Ex- The command support not only allows the FFT to train,
cellence, the Connelly competition also presents a perfect but sets the stage for battalion-wide training exercises.
opportunity to conduct training to ensure that unit-level “At the battalion level, we are able to train in multiple
culinary specialists are prepared to answer the nation’s call. mission-essential tasks across our formations,” said Lt. Col.
Connelly judges visited Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in Michael A. Busby, 84th Engineer Battalion commander.
February to evaluate Forward Support Company, 84th En- “For example; our 95th Clearance Company was able to
gineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, 8th Theater Sus- use this opportunity to conduct route clearance, general
tainment Command, in action.
At the time, the 84th Engineer
Battalion was one of only four
remaining units still competing
in the Department of the Army-
level Active-Duty Field Category
Competition. Having won the
U.S. Army Pacific-level (USAR-
PAC) nomination by defeating
teams from across Hawaii, Alaska,
Joint Base-Lewis McChord, Wash.,
Japan and the Republic of Korea
in September.
Teams compete in multiple
levels of evaluations to win the
Department of the Army Con-
nelly Award Active-Duty Field
Category prize. Winners in each
of the Army Connelly’s four cat-
egories were recognized and re- Soldiers of the Forward Support Company, 84th
ceived awards on May 18th at the Engineer Battalion earned the annual Philip A. Con- engineering support, and area defense train-
National Restaurant Association nelly Program award in the field kitchen category. ing. The competition is a battalion effort. We
The competition celebrates culinary excellence
Show in Chicago, Ill. through the recognition of food service programs. take care of the little things so the FFT can
All the training, discipline and (U.S ARMY PHOTO, 8TH TSC PUBLIC AFFAIRS) focus on culinary excellence.”
hard work paid off in May when Possibly the most important aspect of the
Forward Support Company, 84th Engineer Battalion, 130th competition is one that is easily overlooked given its scale,
Engineer Brigade, learned it became the 2018 Connelly and that is the opportunity to serve hard working soldiers
Active Army Field Kitchen category winner. excellent food. “Taking care of soldiers is what a 92G culi-
“We began competing in the Philip A. Connelly Com- nary specialist does day in and day out. Whether in a field
petition in July of 2017, said Staff Sgt. Francine Talley, or garrison environment, the Army’s culinary specialists
the Field Feeding Team (FFT) Noncommissioned officer in are up first and asleep last, preparing the meals that fuel
charge. “For more than half of our team, it was their first our nation’s warfighters,” Busby said. “Their legacy is the
field Connelly. The planning, coordination, and execution impact they have on soldiers; because as we in the Army
has been exhausting, yet extremely rewarding on both a know, there is nothing quite like waking up and smelling
personnel and professional level.” the sausage.”
—GFS
26 GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • JULY 2018