USS Reagan Below Deck

But this is a story not so much about the exciting life topside but the more routine life below decks. While seemingly mundane, the galley crews like "Culinary Specialist" or "C.S.", Torry Mitchell, take enormous pride in their work. Torry says with enthusiasm, "I love to cook.. Nothing makes me happier. It makes me happy.. The CS brings morale to the folks on the boat. If the crew is eating healthy, if they're eating good, if the food is good. The crew is good." When this ship is on maneuvers, the Navy spends two-and-a-half million dollars per day, including sailors' salaries and food. Out of that, only around $40,000 goes for meals. Buying in bulk--combined with lots of storage-keeps expenses down.

As far back as the American Revolution, food has been a primary concern for the military. Where to get it, how to carry it, how to keep it fresh. Farm boys raised on good country cooking and marching into battle suddenly found they had nothing to eat except salt pork and a rock-hard biscuit called 'hard tack'." To augment their meager diets, early American soldiers and sailors depended on suppliers like meatpacker "Uncle Sam" Wilson. In the War of 1812, Wilson stamped his initials "U.S." on barrels of meat and secured his place in American history.

While field kitchens have traditionally served our troops, today's soldiers often rely on prepackaged meals. Host of 'America's Heartland', Paul Ryan, served in the Marine Corps in the 1960s and back then the food in the field was called 'c' ration-'c' for combat. He says it was nutritious but not at all delicious. Over the years the 'c ration' has evolved into the "MRE", or meal-ready-to-eat. An improvement in taste and variety, it includes snack foods, dessert, and a main dish that ranging from pot roast to vegetarian pasta. You won't find MREs onboard the Ronald Reagan. That's because food here is prepared from scratch.

Culinary Specialist and professional cook John Smith is from Alabama. Hey says, "I've been to two different schools for it. The Navy sent me to two different schools. So I'm pretty well-trained and experienced. And that experience pays off-in flavor. Whether potatoes, pasta or poultry, suppliers for the Navy go through a competitive bidding process. Not completely unlike but certainly more high-tech than America's first provisioners. People like "Uncle Sam" Wilson, mentioned earlier, who won a contract to supply meat during the war of 1812.

Today, boxes of fresh produce, canned and frozen foods are loaded on in port then replenished at sea by supply ships. The Reagan goes through millions of dollars of food every year. Normally the ship carries a three-month supply. Culinary Specialist Jose Huerta says they have everything from ground beef to prime rib on board. All that food adds up too - Jose goes on to say that roughly $900,000 worth of food is stored in one freezer alone. For those who prefer seafood, the ship stocks salmon, halibut, and other frozen fish. In terms of drink, the days of issuing "grog"-watered-down rum-are long gone. There is no alcohol on board U.S. Navy vessels. For older personnel, the beverage of choice is coffee; for younger sailors, milk. Jose points out, "This milk right here is the same milk you would buy at the grocery store just packaged a little bit different. This milk right here is called "ESL"-extended shelf life. ESL has an extra step during homogenization that prolongs its life. The milk will last ninety days in cold storage."

The junior enlisted personnel eat their meals in one of the mess halls. Complete with a walkway down the chow line patterned after the star-studded Hollywood Walk of Fame. The senior enlisted enjoy fancier "dining quarters" like this one with a wall-sized mural of Rancho Del Cielo, the Reagan's ranch above Santa Barbara, California. The most popular item for the younger crew: chicken nuggets. They're served on the so-called "brown line" where all the food is deep-fried. Commanding Officer, Terry Kraft says, "You know, the average age of sailors is about 22. And I find your desire for nutritious food is inversely proportional to your age. So as sailors mature, they start to look for more healthy options and we're able to provide that." And that means a growing emphasis on going "green"-pushing a healthier greens-based diet with a boatload of vegetables and fruit.

Another Culinary Specialist, Elizabeth Garcia, is in charge of the salad bar. She laughs and says she's pretty sure the crew has been eating healthy due to all the enormous amounts of lettuce she chops daily. To help everyone make informed decisions, cards with portion size and calorie counts are posted. The galley operates around the clock. One meals ends and right on its heals comes the next. Almost every sailor will do "K.P."-kitchen patrol duty for a full three months. It's tough. For some, it's tougher than being on the flight deck. Judy Goodwin compares the two jobs, "Flight deck, you know. There's a lot of experiences. But down here its just grueling hours, repetition over and over... So I think definitely down here is much, much harder."

Antonio Padilla has his hands full as the galley supervisor. Still, he finds time to put his artistic talents to work. Antonio says, "I cook some pretty good food so when they eat it I usually get good feedback from them." As he cuts a melon into the shape of a swan he says, "Basically (it's) a garnish for our line. That way the crew will have something. As they wait in longs lines they wait a long time usually on board the ship. When they come through, we give them something nice to look at." All this attention to creativity, nutrition and flavor has earned the Reagan the 'crème de la crème' of awards in the Navy. In 2007, the Captain Edward F. Ney trophy went to the ship for having the best food on any aircraft carrier. But, despite the emphasis on "fresh" and "wholesome", old eating habits can prevail.

Too much of a good thing means that more than 60 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, that's according to the Centers for Disease Control. And the Armed Forces are no exception. So, in an effort to get the crew into ship-shape, the Navy has put its muscle behind its own "Ship Shape" program. Combining exercise with nutrition tips and behavior modification to develop healthier eating habits. Britt Callison is the Reagan's "Fitness Boss" and says, "On top of physical fitness, it is probably the most. Right up there with physical fitness the most important thing. It's about what you put in your body as well as what you take out." There is enormous pressure to get into and stay in shape. It not only makes good sense for better health, but for readiness. Sailors in good condition perform physically demanding duties more quickly and easily. And that's especially critical in times of emergency.

Ask any of these sailors, 'why did you join the Navy?' Invariably one thing he or she will say is something sailors have always said, 'to see the world.' Captain Terry Kraft says, "It's always interesting to see how many sailors come from landlocked places in the United States. It actually seems disproportionate. So many of our sailors came from the heartland, from places like Nebraska and Kansas and Iowa. A good example was our escort, Petty Officer Chad Bascom who is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Another example is Benjamin Lewis who helps run the media department. Chad is from outside Superior, Montana where he worked on a horse ranch. He says he joined the Navy to see the world and adds, "I wanted to go experience new things and then eventually go back." Elizabeth Garcia traded life in rural America for sweating it out in the ship's galley. She says, "I do want to go back to Texas. My family has a ranch."

Shipboard life takes a lot of getting used to. Cramped sleeping quarters, little or no privacy, long work days; weeks at sea with no land in sight. But for some, the great expanse of ocean reminds them of home. Benjamin says, "When I go out and look out the hangar bay doors and see the water and no people it kind of feels like home in a different sense, I guess. Because it's open spaces and no people." That's what Toby Snowden yearns for. Toby is another farm boy. He joined the Navy three days after graduating high school. He supervises a team of sailors responsible for moving ordnance-bombs and ammunition-from the storage bay to the flight deck and onto jet fighters. He'll retire from the Navy with twenty years of service. It's been a good experience. Toby says, "I enjoy being able to, when we get out to foreign ports being able to interact with them. Going out, having a good time. I also enjoy just seeing different places, traveling the world, not having to pay for it." But Toby has plans for a second career. For that, he's going home to the heartland. He says, "I want to go back and work on my grandpa's farm when I get out..Sometimes this can be hectic. This can get at you. This is hard to do. I've been on the Reagan two-and-a-half years and we've been gone, I would say 75 percent of the time."