Sailors decked out in blue shirts are commonly seen on the mess decks and in the galleys wiping tables, serving food, cleaning, washing plates and more.

The culinary specialists (CS) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) primarily focus on prepping and cooking food, but sometimes they need some help with the non-food related tasks. This is where the food service attendants (FSA) enter the picture.

Comprised of a variety of ratings, FSAs are sent from departments across the ship and temporarily assigned duty (TAD) to help the CSs with their heavy load.

"Food service attendants are valuable in every aspect of their duties," said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Christina M. Plouff. "From working on the mess decks and making sure the crew has clean plates and silverware, to working in the kitchen and helping wash dishes or serving the food, FSAs are vital to our success. Taking care of 5,000 Sailors on the ship makes it very hard to do everything at once, so we really appreciate everything they do."

Sailors who are sent TAD usually work at least three months in various divisions of food services. Boatswain's Mate Seaman Marisa Esparza, an FSA, was reluctant to go TAD, but has found benefits from being in a different work environment.

"I'm from deck department and we're usually busy throughout the day, so there isn't a lot of time for getting qualifications," she said. "As an FSA, I have a little more time to get qualified and work on my warfare pins. Sometimes my parent division will still say they need me, but even with that, whenever we aren't cleaning or preparing for a meal, all that time is mine to make sure I have the qualifications I want and need."

Serving thousands of Sailors a day takes a lot of work and planning, but FSAs make this task that much easier. Despite working in high-stress environments, Sailors still have time to focus on their qualifications, as well as themselves.

"Whether you're an FSA or a CS, between meals our downtime is spent taking care of the things we need to progress as Sailors," Plouff said. "We may not have much cushion because we work long hours, but we have to give all we can of ourselves to being Sailors and remember we still have a job to do outside of the mess decks."

Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Darnell Moore, who leaves the food services division soon, said serving as an FSA was an eye-opener.

"Working with FSAs took me out of my comfort zone," Moore said. "I joined the Navy to do my job, and my job only, so I never thought of anyone else's really. Being with these Sailors let me experience their job, so I gained a bit more understanding of it and a lot more respect for what they do."

Plouff hopes the majority of FSAs that come through her division share similar experiences. She wants people to know that the food services division may not come with tangible rewards, but those who help are well appreciated and will leave their temporary assignment a better Sailor.

"When Sailors come to be an FSA, they work and have to understand the day-in and day-out routines of what we in food services go through," said Plouff. "If Sailors leave here with the knowledge and appreciation of all of these long hours and hard work, it is a positive experience. I also want every Sailor who puts in time as an FSA to know that the whole time they are here they are appreciated for they have done."

Ike is underway during the maintenance phase of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP).

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), visit www.navy.mil/.