Smoke billowed from the grills set up in the parking lot of the USS Wisconsin as grill masters laid their pride on the line and competed in a cooking challenge as the culminating event for Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month across Training Support Center (TSC) Great Lakes, April 28.

Training Support Center Great Lakes' Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions (CSADD), the Great Lakes Chapter of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) offices co-sponsored the 5th annual Grill Crawl which highlights the importance of Sailors working together to prevent sexual assaults in the military.

"The grill crawl is an opportunity to bring all the students from the different barracks around the base together to not only eat great food and enjoy each-others company, but also talk about a serious topic like sexual assault in a setting that is not so formal," said Chief Damage Controlman (SW/AW) Jeremy Hardnack, the TSC Sexual Assault Prevention and Response coordinator.

Each barracks provided an entry in the cooking competition to be judged by a panel that included Naval Station Great Lakes Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Amanda Hanner and the TSC command triad of Capt. John B. Vliet, commanding officer, Cmdr. Kathleen Milligan, executive officer, and CMDCM(SW/AW) Jeffrey A. Kirby, command master chief.

After trying a multitude of grilled meats and vegetables the judges selected the USS New Jersey and its Western Pacific (WESTPAC) tour-inspired dishes as the winners.

"We wanted to do a culinary trip across the Pacific," said Chief Fire Controlman (SW) Robert Jennings, leading chief petty officer for the USS New Jersey. The grill crawl brought out Sailors, staff and civilians from TSC and helped spread the message of know your part, do your part - the theme for this year's Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

"We can talk about it while we're grilling out, we can talk about it just by making posters," Hanner said. "We can talk about it over a regular conversation and not make it so taboo and people can come forward and people can ask for the help that they are looking for. You have a place in ending this problem and making this place safer for your shipmates."

In addition to the grill crawl, a t-shirt design competition and a board design competition, in which Sailors designed t-shirts and painted plywood boards to depict ways in which you can prevent sexual assault, as well as a 5K color run were part of the month-long events. Additionally, heritage events as well as staff- and civilian-level training sessions were conducted.

The USS Decatur won the best t-shirt competition. The USS Mustin and USS Wisconsin shared the best board design win and the USS Halsey was awarded for the most participation in the 5K color run.

For more news from Training Support Center, Great Lakes, visit http://www.navy.mil/.