New 1st Cav Div's dining facility initiative at Fort Cavazos serves up success as modern cafeteria dining, focuses on warriors' nutrition

FORT CAVAZOS, Texas - An unveiling/ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Headquarters Department of the Army Go for Green Action Menu and Station was held Oct. 9 at the Operation Iraqi Freedom Dining Facility here.

"The implementation of the HQDA Go for Green Action Menu and Station is a pivotal quality-of-life project for the Fort Cavazos Food Program," said Col. Stacy Moore-Callaway, 407th Army Field Support Brigade commander. "The Go for Green Action Stations not only emphasize the consumer-driven solutions that we're working toward, but also reinforce the Army's dedication to fostering a balanced lifestyle, through nutrition, for our Soldiers. The action station will serve as a model for promoting optimal physical readiness, well-being and long-term health for our Soldiers, supporting the broader goals of readiness and resilience."

Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos commander, said the action station is one way that The Great Place takes care of Soldiers, families and DA civilians - an enduring priority.

"It's really important that we have healthy options for them to fuel their body," he said. "We put big demands on our Soldiers everyday … and we want more feedback on what our Soldiers need and what will help them be better in doing their jobs everyday.

"I really appreciate all the initiative that's happened here with the 407th (AFSB) and with our garrison teammates," Admiral concluded. "Thanks for what you're doing to help bring new options for our Soldiers and our families."

After the ribbon-cutting, leadership was brought inside of the dining facility and given a tour of the changes made. The modern and revolutionary approach to cafeteria dining looks to eliminate choke points at the headcount station and the inability for dinners to read the menu prior to selection by utilizing cuisine-style serving lines and choice architecture that highlights menu selections and modernizing Soldier meal preferences.

"We are promoting a food-court-like concept by providing choice architecture for each entree," said Chontrelle Sturdivant, Food Program Management Office manager. "We have a chicken wing section, a warrior's deli section, a warrior's Tex-Mex section, as well as a warrior's grill, which is the Mongolian option for our dinners.

"You can see that each of our sections feature a warrior-type concept," Sturdivant continued. "That is because the warriors, the Soldiers, are our customer base. This is the ultimate place to dine for our Fort Cavazos diners and we want to ensure that we're expanding on the quality of life for our Fort Cavazos Soldiers."

Soldiers trickled in shortly after, ready to eat lunch.

"It makes me happy to come to lunch everyday," Pfc. Sieria Harris, 215th Brigade Support Battalion, said of the action station. "I know I'm going to have something good to eat."

Sturdivant said the response from diners has been positive, adding that the head count ranges from 500 to 700 diners.

"I think the impact on our Soldiers is going to be great," she said. "Food is directly correlated to morale so we want to ensure that we're increasing morale through our food service program. It is absolutely important that we provide what the Soldiers want in addition to what the Soldiers need. This is why we are here."

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