By Marine Corps Cpl. Mark GarciaRegional Command SouthwestCOMBAT OUTPOST FIDDLERS GREEN,Afghanistan, Oct. 2, 2012 – When Staff Sgt. Juan Contreras first joined theMarine Corps, he had no idea where that journey would lead him.
Contreras, a senior advisor with the 1stMarine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group’s food service contact team,originally came into the Marine Corps as an administration clerk.
“I decided to join the Marine Corps asan administration clerk during my first enlistment,” said Contreras, from SantaAna, Calif. “Sixty days prior to getting out of the Marine Corps, I was sent togo do mess duty. During that time, the chief mess cook got me to start helpingout with cooking, and I picked it up quick. Then two weeks before I wassupposed to get out, I submitted a package to switch jobs, and I got approvedto be an actual food service guy. I don’t regret that decision at all, either.I’ve really enjoyed my time in food service.”
Contreras enlisted in the Marine Corpsat 18. Nineteen years later, he’s serving on his fifth combat deployment.Contreras has also been a part of three humanitarian assistance missions whileattached to a Marine expeditionary unit.
“Every deployment I’ve gone on is basedoff of what my grandfather, who was prior military, told me,” he said. “He usedto say that all veterans’ cemeteries are full of honorable and courageouspeople, not cowards,” Contreras said. “So that’s the reason I always go where Igo. That’s what makes me come out here.”
During his previous deployments,Contreras was with infantry units or with a regimental combat team. During thisthree-month deployment, his last before he retires next year, Contreras travelsfrom one base to another, ensuring Marines are getting the proper nutrition.
“I look at this deployment as a gift, tobe able to go to all these bases and see what direction the job is going sinceI came into it,” Contreras said. “When I go to these bases, I sit down and lookat all the orders the Marine who is cooking has. I make sure he’s ordering eachthing Marines rate while they’re out here.
“I conduct sanitation classes,preventive maintenance of the equipment that they actually use to cook andinventories of everything they have,” he continued. “So I just go from place toplace making sure they have everything they need to be set up for success.”
For Contreras, food service has theability to change the attitudes at an entire base.
“Food service is the morale booster outat these [forward operating bases], because if you have bad food, people aregoing to have bad attitudes,” Contreras said. “So having a good cook with agood attitude creates a big difference. One thing that I try to do is boost themorale up when I come out to these places.”
Contreras’ love of cooking doesn’t stopwith the Marine Corps. Once retired, he said, he plans on receiving aneducation in business management and opening a restaurant.
“Three years after my retirement, I planon opening my own seafood restaurant around the San Diego area,” Contrerassaid. “Ten or 15 years down the road, I see myself opening up another one ortwo restaurants. I’d like to have a least two restaurants with the same nameand same menu.”
Contreras credits his drive and his lovefor cooking to family members.
“I got my hard work ethic from my dad,and I got all the discipline from my grandfather,” Contreras said. “I inheritedthe cooking skills from my mom. Everything just comes natural for me. I knowall the armed forces recipe cards off the top of my head. If there’s a productwith 50 ingredients in it, I can tell you right away if you’re missing onething or if anything’s wrong with it.”
“He has a lot of knowledge. He’s a greatstaff noncommissioned officer, and you’ll really learn a lot from him,” said MarineCorps Sgt. Tony Pressley, also with the food service contact team. “Just beingable to work with him has been a great experience. He’s done a lot throughoutthe years, and he knows what he’s doing. He’s someone who has kind of helpedmould me the way I am today, so it’s been a great experience.”
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