New York Army Guard stands up a Field Feeding Company

CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, CORTLANDT MANOR, N.Y. -- The New York Army National Guard officially stood up its field feeding company during a January 20, 2024, ceremony at Camp Smith Training Site near Peekskill New York.

The 1501st Quartermaster Company (Field Feeding) consolidates cooks who had been assigned to units falling under the New York National Guard’s 53rd Troop Command.

These included the 102nd and 104th Military Police Battalions, the 101st Signal Battalion, and the 204th Engineer Battalion and other elements in the 369th Sustainment Brigade and the 153rd Troop Command.

The new unit, according to Col. Patrick Clare, commander of the 369th, enables culinary service specialists in these units to feed Soldiers more effectively.

“The 1501st field feeding company will play a pivotal role in supporting our Soldiers during training exercises, deployment, and other situations where expertise is required,” Clare told the Soldiers of the 1501st.

“It is with great pride and honor that we witness the birth of this essential unit in supporting sustainment operations, operations at home and abroad,” Clare said.

During the Camp Smith ceremony, Lt. Col. Michael Bedryk, the commander of the 369th Special Troops Battalion, and Capt. Jowayne Meadows, the 1501st’s company commander, uncased the colors of the company to mark the unit’s activation.

The new field feeding company is part of the 369th Special Troops Battalion, which falls under the 369th Sustainment Brigade.

The Army began creating field feeding companies in 2018 to move mess teams where they are needed the most when feeding Soldiers in combat support and combat service support units, according to the Army Quartermaster School.

The Army refers to these units as “echelons above brigade.”

The companies allow feeding platoons and teams to deploy cooks where they are most needed, according to the Army’s Field Feeding Company Quick Reference Guide.

The field feeding companies can also be deployed during disasters to support both response forces and residents who need food, according to the reference guide.

The new organization does not affect the battalions in brigade combat teams, which retain their mess sections.

The active Army began creating field feeding companies in 2018. The New York National Guard began standing up the 1501st in October 2022, Clare said.

The 1501st is organized with a headquarters and a platoon in Orangeburg with two additional platoons in Rochester and Troy. Those elements will provide support to units in those areas, but will train together during annual training, according to Clare.

The company is authorized a strength of 162 Soldiers and includes mechanics and staff personnel. The company also includes five officers and one warrant officer.

The platoons are divided into field feeding teams of 15 Soldiers each.

The new organization also provides more opportunities for culinary specialists, military occupational specialty 92G, to advance in rank, according to Jowayne.

“Having opportunities to grow in an organic way, with positions such as first sergeant is great for the developing the leaders of tomorrow, and only improves our ability to sustain our Soldiers in any environment,” Jowayne said.

“I've had an opportunity to work with a field feeding company, during our recent deployment, and see the passion they bring firsthand, and the role our culinary specialists play overseas,” Jowayne added.

First Sgt. Anthony Mills said he was looking forward to the opportunity for the field feeding company to train as a unit and get better at their jobs.

The field feeding company can make a real difference in the success of any unit, Mills said.

“Nutrition plays an important role in the overall success of the mission,” Mills said.

“When adequately fed, Soldiers generate motivation and build comradery, resulting in physically, spiritually and a morally vibrant force. They will be marked for success,” he added.

This story by Spc. Jean Sanon was published January 20, 2024 on DVIDS https://dvidshub.net/r/ilp636