Bruce Hall keeps hungry Marines fed

“Up in the morning with the Quantico sun, gonna run all day till the run is done.”
For the civilian Marines who work at the Bruce Hall dining facility they are up even before the sun, and they are constantly on their feet all day till the run is done.
The chow hall works as a clock and each spoke and wheel needs to be in place to make sure everything runs on time to feed 600 Marines daily.
“The system manager is here at 4 a.m. and then the workers get here at 4:30 a.m. and start preparing the food,” said Patricia Reese, the general manager. “Our mess attendants trinkle in and at 6 a.m. and then we open for business. At 9 a.m. we start preparing for lunch and start all over again.”
There are several different shifts of workers every day. Some people start at 4 p.m. and the day ends for others at 9 p.m. Each part serves a different purpose at the chow hall.
“I pull out the frozen foods, thaw them up and I help prepare them,” said Karl Bealle, a cook. “Sometimes I marinate the food. We follow a strict military guideline on how food is prepared so I check for the temperature of the food so no bacteria is growing. After I prepare the food I plate it up and put it on the line.”
“I serve the food, clean the pot shack, I cashier and restock,” said Deon Tayler, a mess attendant.
“I check the ice, help set up the line, clean the floors and then I do more cleaning,” said Peter Osborne, a mess attendant.
Among the 60 employees of the chow hall are store room clerks, cooks, mess attendants and managers and there is a general sense of passion for their work helping Marines.
“I love serving the Marines because I’m prior service myself,” said Bealle, who spent five years in the Army. “I enjoy working to give the best quality food I can possibly give.”
“I want to make sure Marines are taken care of because Marines will always be my first love,” said former Gunnery Sgt. Reese.
“I enjoy interacting with the Marines,” said Paula Branham, a cook on the deli line. “I crack jokes and make sure everyone is smiling and having a good day.”
Though most chow hall employees enjoy their job, it is still hard work when you are working constantly to feed hungry Marines every day of the week.
“Our goal is to make sure this is a good experience for every Marine who comes in here,” said Reese. “It’s a hard job; you’re on your feet all day. You rarely get to sit down, and you’re constantly moving. Still, everyone knows their part and does it well.”
They’re there before the sunrises and they’re there after the sun sets. The business of keeping Marines fed is rigorous duty.