CAMP MUJUK, KOREA – Some Marines get awarded medals for distinguished service on the battlefield, but one young PFC has been given a Navy Cross for an achievement closer to home. PFC Esteban Rodriguez, a Food Service Specialist with 3rd Combat Logistics Battalion, received the award at the close of Operation Freedom Banner in Korea for improvements made to the archaic cooking service.
Life can be tough in the frozen wasteland of Mujuk. The Korean winters are especially harsh and the camp is isolated, with conditions rendered somewhat spartan. Despite the challenges, this motivated young Marine has, according to his award citation, “Made the best damned plate of instant eggs the Colonel has ever eaten.”
For years, Marines on deployments around the world have been forced to eat disgusting, slimy, unevenly stirred concoctions served on trays made of broken dreams, all provided in lieu of real rations. Some have said they even prefer MREs to the hot chow. The most infamous examples of these "food items" are the instant eggs served by the pan. While normally uneven and disgusting, PFC Rodriguez has turned stirring fecal matter into an art form.
“I ate the ‘eggs’ he made in the makeshift chow hall for the first time yesterday, and amazingly I didn’t shit my pants thirty seconds after I finished. So that was a first for me,” said Lance Corporal Ian Baker, a Motor Transport operator who worked nearby. “I asked him what his secret was the next time I went through the line but he just said ‘Aye aye, Lance Corporal.’ He’s going to go far in his career.”
