Amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) was recognized as the winner of the large afloat category 2016 Capt. Edward F. Ney Award for food service excellence Feb. 14.

The Ney award, established in 1958, is given each year to the galley which displays an attention to detail and excellence in food service such as general sanitation, administration, training documentation, and service.

For the Food Service Officer aboard America, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Paul Arboleda, this award is a representation of the approach America takes in making sure they maintain the highest standard in quality year-round.

"This award is not just about the couple of days of inspections," said Arboleda. "This award is the final results of the year-round hard work, dedication, and quality service that the America food service team provides day in and day out."

After hearing America had earned the Ney Award, Cmdr. Ernan Obellos, America's supply officer, spoke with the Sailors who make up the food service division to thank them for their hard work and to congratulate them on the achievement.

"This means the whole world," said Obellos. "Food service is morale, and morale is food service. The crew deserves it. The crew has a specific tasking of their own, and the best that we can do is when they come to nourish themselves it can be something that can get them to relax a little bit and they can go back and do their jobs."

To earn the Ney award, ships must pass a series of inspections to earn a nomination. To do that, America set a standard to ensure they would qualify.

"We set ourselves for a high standard and we maintained that high standard throughout our inspection cycle," said Culinary Specialist 1st Class Travis Rhinehart, America's cargo chief. "In order to qualify for the award, we went through Supply Management Certification 1.1-1.4. Throughout that process, we were graded high enough to be eligible to be a Ney contender."

For Culinary Specialist 1st Class Shameka D. Hooker, America's food service leading petty officer, that high standard was instilled in her and her team through both leadership past and present, and was a contributing factor in the victory for the members of her team.

"This win is for my guys; it's a win for USS America," said Hooker. "I just feel like this is a standing testament of all the hard work that we put in for. We've had some great leadership and they instilled so many things in us that we carry on with us even after they are gone. To me, it's a testament that hard work really does pay off."

America is an aviation-centric amphibious assault ship which provides forward presence and power projection as an integral part of joint interagency and multinational maritime expeditionary forces. It will support Marine aviation requirements, from small-scale contingency operations of an expeditionary strike group, to forcible entry missions in major theaters of war. America is currently underway preparing for their maiden deployment later this year.

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