The Mission Ready Airmen initiative is well underway across the U.S. Air Force, ensuring service members possess the skills needed to succeed in combat. That ethos is surely reflected at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, where 482d Fighter Wing warriors are honing their Agile Combat Employment skills during Exercise Mosaic Gecko II. 

In keeping with the ‘Beds, Beans, and Bullets’ model of any military operation, airmen need a place to rest, three meals a day, and the tools needed to complete their tasks. Without any one of those three critical components, the mission fails. For this reason, keeping troops fed and fueled for the mission is paramount. This is a concept the 482d Services Squadron understands very well, so during this weeklong, base-wide combat exercise, their field kitchen is keeping the mission advancing, one hot meal at a time. 

“We’re doing our best to keep the exercise moving by providing fresh meals throughout the day – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and ensuring that our services airmen performing the exercise are keeping the combat mentality,” said Tech. Sgt. Elias Nunez, Field Kitchen NCOIC. He also noted that this real-world training is invaluable to younger airmen who have never worked in austere conditions.

As the supervisor of this operation, its success depends on his team’s ability to operate within established health guidelines, which means food safety is at the forefront of his mind. Nunez has a very clear understanding of how quickly food poisoning can impact the mission. “If the maintenance squadron goes down due to a foodborne illness, then we can’t get planes in the air,” said Nunez. For an Air Force base, that would lead to a critical mission failure.

Thanks to Nunez and his team, the 482d Fighter Wing is well-fed, and the skies over Homestead Air Reserve Base are filled with the sound of the fierce F-16 Fighting Falcon. Through exercises like Mosaic Gecko II, the Services team and the base at large now have sharpened expeditionary skills and a greater mission-ready mindset.