U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Dan Vanderkooy, a 22-year-old

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Dan Vanderkooy, a 22-year-old food service specialist with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and native of Mt. Vernon, Wash., mixes a batch of mashed potatoes while preparing dinner outside the dining facility, or ‘chow hall,’ here, Dec. 15. Vanderkooy is part of a five-Marine team of cooks that prepares and serves three meals to approximately 500 hungry troops and civilian contractors here every day. “The best part of our job is making good food for our guys instead of only serving [unitized group rations] and meals, ready-to-eat,” said Cpl. Exxon Suarez, a fellow cook and 21-year-old Portland, Ore., native. “A lot of people come in and say ‘chow’ is the best part of their day.”