Coast Guard Culinary Specialists,

Good afternoon. I wanted to follow up on my last email. We have a lot to do in the near future to combat this CS crisis including a meeting later this month with all senior leadership on CS solutions, working with recruiting command, work force planning, surge staffing, and other promising ways moving forward in regard to reducing our workload and responsibilities. In the meantime, we can do the following, in-rating initiatives on to help now.

First, I’ve been receiving a lot of positive verbal feedback from cutters on the benefits they are receiving by shutting their galleys down during their time at homeport. I’m also hearing some Commands are not convinced this is a good way to support the crew and the CS team. If you have temporarily closed your galley please send me your feedback on the process. It will help us provide deck plate-level evidence to Commands that are unsure on how they can support their CSs during these critically short times.

Also, if you are personally having trouble finding support from your Command on temporally closing your galley, please let them know we highly recommend a 15+ day, temporary closure of large underway galleys while in homeport to regroup for the next patrol. This down time allows the Command and CSs to:

–        Give the crew BAS
–        Clear everything out (most important) and field day the galley, freezer, refrigerator, dry stores, noncosumable storage, mess deck, the scullery, office space and Wardroom culinary spaces.
–        Maintain equipment
–        Purchase equipment
–        Organize dry stores, refrigerator, freezer and all non-consumable product spaces
–        Conduct a full inventory of all spaces
–        Refine all paperwork especially the inventory
–        Contact Culinary Support Branch (CSB) to help correct all paperwork/inventory issues before the next patrol
–        Create a proper load guide from an accurate inventory and accurate paperwork for the next patrol
–        Create a proper menu from an accurate inventory and accurate paperwork for next patrol
–        Complete required online/in-person training
–        Conduct required unit level training
–        Take leave
–        Participate in any available non required training
–        Work on personal and CS staff qualifications
–        Have a stand down like the rest of the crew

How do you temporally close down a large cutter? What about coffee? Are the people staying in barracks going to starve? The answer to all of these is: Follow the same steps you did in dry dock or contact the Culinary Support Branch. We do this all the time. It’s easy. Coffee will be okay. The adults in the barracks will not starve and they (along with everyone else) would rather have their BAS.

If you are an FSO please feel free to forward this email to you Command for support. I have CCd their bosses at LANT Area, PAC Area, DPR, our CS boss Admiral Dana Thomas and MCPOCG for visibility.

Along with temporarily closing your galley inport we would like Commands to understand that when they are short CSs they must adjust expectation and workloads accordingly. Our recommendation:

All Cutter FSOs,

During my travels I’ve seen a few things we can do to help out while critically short CS3s (even normal status) please refrain from preforming daily non-meal hour events we’ve been seeing around the fleet to include soup break, second breakfast, snack time, coffee break or whatever other meal you are doing outside of normal meal hours. We are the morale of the ship… we understand that… but we are the morale of the ship for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midrats. Nothing else.

We are not being lazy. We are professionals. Last year we won the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Civilian Chef of the Year for the entire nation in Las Vegas. Last year we also won the civilian Pastry Chef for the nation. The American Culinary Federation is the most prestigious culinary organization in the US. To top it off, last year we won the DoDs Military Culinary Competition for the third year in a row at the annual Military Chef Competition. This is the largest culinary competition in the nation. We have the best Chefs in the United States. We have proven that time and time again we are better in all aspects of food service than other DoD components combined. During these hard times we do not need to be over utilize outside of normal meal hours or outside of the galley. We need to fix this: https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2022/10/31/a-cook-shortage-threatens-to-sink-us-coast-guard-operations/?sh=1aaea053248e . 

We are in the top two ratings with the most minority Petty Officers. For commandant initiatives, we need to focus on retention at that level (See Patrol Boats Below). We are proud of what we do. We should be celebrated.

Patrol Boat FSOs,

If you have only one person (87s, 110s or short FRCs). Please forward this email this to your Command. We do not recommend:

–        The requirement to serve breakfast inport
–        The requirement to stand the 2000 to 2400 anchor watch/QMOW.

Due to staff reductions, many FRCs are now down to just one cook. To help ease this transition, we suggest utilizing an open galley for breakfast and shifting your duties to reflect those of 87s. All IDFSOs and FRCs with one cook should not be responsible for breakfast inport. One person has enough on their plate with lunch, shopping, paperwork, inventory, menu prep, preparing for the next patrol and all collateral duties. Also, if you are consistently waking up at 0500 to cook breakfast and standing anchor watch/QMOW until 1200 at night you will probably burnout and leave the Coast Guard at the end of your enlistment…

As for all patrol boat FSOs. We recommend better communication with your Command. Every month when you meet with your CO/OINC for the end of the month report, you need to let them know all the EXTRA you do. Tell them the CS RFMC wanted you to list off the following for their awareness:

–        How many times you shopped in the evening
–        How many times you shopped on weekends
–        How many times you drove your personal vehicle shopping
–        When you cooked for the cutter at home
–        How many hours you arrive before everyone else
–        How many hours do you leave after everyone else
–        How many times you load stores by yourself
–        How much paperwork you do at home
–        When you help out other CSs at other units
–        What broken equipment you work on
–        What personal equipment you used to get the job done
–        What personal money you spent to get the job done
–        How many hours you work underway compared to everyone else
–        How many hours you work inport compared to everyone else
–        What and when you have to unnecessarily clean up after everyone
–        And all the other Self Sacrificing things we do as CSs and don’t tell anyone 

We are not supposed to be doing most of this but we all do and YOU need to get credit for it. Please inform your Commands once a month of all your extracurricular duties.

Shore unit FSOs,

If your dining facility is not able to perform normal operations due to the CS ratings weekly TDY inquiry/demands for support, please request to shut down your galley. Our shore stations are so short due to all the TDY requests they cannot operate regular hours. You have our full support in your recommendation to disestablish to support cutter forces TDY needs.

If you or any of your CSs are told that they will be removed from service due to not being able to fill a TDY request please notify me immediately. There is some serious misinformation circulating around.

I’ve also seen and fully support, shore units that have asked their Commands to shut down their dining facilities for a month or two and offer up their able bodied CSs to fill TDY requests.  Coordination with surge staffing may help your unit combat the last minute TDY request plaguing our rating. Here are some excerpts from several emails that I received to help explain the hardship these last minute requests have on our CS personnel.

“many don’t talk about it and just accepting the situation as ‘the darkside’ of the Coast Guard Culinary. Seeing how the CG has made strides in trying to fix a number of the financial hardship’s families feel, making a grant or adding a financial incentive to TDY (especially now as there are less able body cooks to go around) might make it easier financially for those selected. I personally know stories of cooks that have had extreme hardships due to dependents with high needs and the major cost involved trying to ensure they received care while they were sent TDY. One thing is to be already assigned to a cutter and you make arrangements for your tour at that unit. But when you are at a land unit, even with a back up plan in incase of a TDY, it is still a financial burden that is hard to anticipate and budget for.” (full email below)

We need to change the culture of the Coast Guard regarding temporary galley closures, TDYs, CS responsibilities and CS workloads (especially while we are critically short CSs). Please feel free to forward this email to your Command to help change the perception that the right course of action is for Commands to “always keep the galley open at all costs”. 

On the CS leadership front we are fighting to reduce the CS rating workload/responsibilities by temporarily closing some of our shore dining facilities at stations. This will help alleviate the sting of these CS3 shortages. It is one of our highest priorities. We are also working with recruiting command and heavily involved in recruiting inside and outside of the Coast Guard because we know this is the only long-term solution to ease the pain.  We are working with workforce planning to increase bonuses and non-momentary compensations to help with retention. We talk with surge staffing to advocate for you though this overwhelming TDY crisis. We are trying to fill the EAGLE, HEALY and POLAR STAR with permanent billets to lessen the amount of TDY request per year by over 33%. We have an unprecedented 30 min CS block to talk with, in person, all the Admirals, three stars, and all the CMCs about how we can manage this CS crisis (they are CCd on this email). We have greatly increased the amount senior enlisted operationally experienced CSs working to support you at the new Culinary Support Branch, CG-1113, Product Line, FINCEN, DLA, “C” School and Assignment Officers.

Thanks for everything you do, we are a proud rating, let’s fight together through this crisis to make the right course corrections to support the mission and the future of our CS rating!

-MC

​****3 Deck Plate examples of what we are hearing in regards to Dinning Facility Closures and the effects of TDY on our people. One from a CS3 with a lot of initiative, a Underway Chief FSO and a Land CS1. I will leave out the emails on the short sector/bases to prevent the possibility of throwing large units under the bus:

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Good Evening Master Chief,

My name is CS3 ***** and I am assigned to the CGC ****.  We will be returning home on ****. With your recent email regarding the CS workload and responsibilities, I was wondering if I could pick your brain.  I, along with my Division Officer (SUPPO) have been advocating the shutdown of our kitchen during a boat stand down period of *****.  My SUPPO has been presenting it to the Captain as an opportunity for the CS’s to day work to give the kitchen and scullery a deep clean (which it actually really needs).  We are currently developing a cleaning task list that will need to be done during the stand down.  We will be losing a 3rd once we RTHP and so the workload will become greater for the remaining CS1, a CS3, and newish SNCS.  The Chiefs mess is on board along with a few of the JO’s but there seems to be a snag with our Captain. We know that our YN1 can do a bulk memo that gives everyone their BAS back for the week. However, my CS1 and SUPPO are currently talking about stocking the freezer with frozen meals for those in the barracks (doesn’t make sense to me, but I’ll go with it).

So my question is;  are you able to or anyone else able to direct me or supply me with a reference or policy or any other reading material that could assist us in supporting the temporary shutdown of our kitchen?  My SUPPO doesn’t want to forward the email to the Captain because they don’t want it to seem like we are just looking for additional time off.  What do you think?

Very Respectfully,
CS3
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Good day CSCM,

I have heard the stories before (the ‘darkside’ of the Coast Guard where a cook at a land unit gets TDY orders with less than a week’s notice, for a 30+ day tour, during the December holiday season) but this was my first over 30 day TDY trip to experience the added expense of going TDY. But even with advanced notice it was still a financial burden. These are some of my financial hurdles, but I know and it is not as bad as situations others have had to face with more demanding family responsibilities, like caring for sick parents or high need children.

The first major financial hit for my family (wife and two young kids) is that my spouse had to take a nonpaid leave of absence from her job. My spouse has been trying to get back into the workforce to earn money for extra expenses here. My wife lost out on $1000-$1,200 in pay due as her job couldn’t offer her work hours during school hours.

My spouse can’t drive so bus and mass transit is a life line for her. During the TDY trip she had to spend approximately $430 in Uber or buses. She mainly paid for Ubers as the bus routes weren’t friendly to our location (we have to walk 30-45 minutes from our house just to reach the closest bus stop). Ubers ranged from $15-$20 each way and she eventually had to pull him out of baseball early due to the difficulty of travel. And just for good measure, both boys waited to get sick with something the week after I left, so momma bear had to uber it to pick them up from school early and/or take them to urgent care which is in the next town. over all uber. The bus system is not adequate.

I hope you do convince more TDY cooks to tell you their hardships, as many don’t talk about it and just accepting the situation as ‘the darkside’ of the Coast Guard. Seeing how the CG has made strides in trying to fix a number of the financial hardship’s families feel, making a grant or adding a financial incentive to TDY (especially now as there are less able body cooks to go around) might make it easier financially for those selected. I personally know stories of cooks that have had extreme hardships due to dependents with high needs and the major cost involved trying to ensure they received care while they were sent TDY. One thing is to be already assigned to a boat and you make arrangements for your tour at that unit. But when you are at a land unit, even with a back up plan in incase of a TDY, it is still a financial burden that is hard to anticipate and budget for.

Thank you for your time!
———————–

Hope all is well and you had fun on the EAGLE.  Nicole is an amazing person.  I went to NECI with her back in 2016.

I am reaching out today for a little bit of support.  I have been on the **** for about a year.  We will be home **** from a **** day patrol. We are all feeling the stress of working on an aging cutter. We did shut down for 1 month last year but that was basically due to equipment upgrades.  I am getting major push back from the command  for closing the (15 days).  I have forward your e-mails stating the benefits of closing down but I still get push back.  I was wondering if you could send me a few examples where it was a success and benefits the crew and the galley staff.   

I LOVE the Coast Guard.  I was an “A” school instructor and making an impact of our junior member was amazing.  I’ve gotten galley of the year. One of my CS3s was MVP for the culinary team, another CS3, cooked at the MCPOG change of watch and my I put in my CS1, for EPOY and she won District EPOY.  However, being back afloat is a different beast.  I enjoy the challenges and going to sea and making things happen and having an impact on more than just my shop; however, the old school mind, oh they don’t stand watch or duty and can just go, go go is morale crushing.  As I said before, I still love the Coast Guard, but this last year is making me second guess going past 20.  I have been a FSO 4 out of my 7 billets.  I truly enjoy providing morale through food and mentoring young CSs.  However, I am not sure about being a FSO again if I do go past 20

Ok…sorry to rant.  Back to what I am really looking for.  It would be awesome if you had a little info of successful shut downs and the benefits it provides the CSs and the crew.

Thanks for your time and championing for the CS rate.

V/R,

Culinary Specialist Chief ****

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Very Respectfully,

Culinary Specialist Master Chief James Swenson
Rating Force Master Chief (RFMC Select)
Rating Knowledge (RKM) – TRACEN Petaluma
Phone: 860-389-4470
www.CoastGuardCulinary.com