Grill cook

After a stint in the bakery at NAS Lemoore, California, in 1971, I was reassigned to the airfield galley. My first assignment was to run the ovens and griddles, a job that I alternately detested and loved.

Feeding a thousand Sailors meant long hours laboring over pork chops, chicken fried steak or hamburgers on any given day. On the good side, the job taught me organization skills and the importance of prep work (or mise en place). I also learned how to work quickly and to perform multiple tasks at once.

PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 24, 2011) -- Culinary Specialist Seaman Diante A. Johnson prepares pork chops in the ship's galley for the crew aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68).

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brian M. Brooks.