Chefs Volunteer to Treat Troops at Atlanta USO

President Bush wants an escalation of troops in Iraq. Atlanta chefs are urging a surge of their own.

Nothing political, of course.

Just more culinary bodies to prepare more food for the thousands of men and women in uniform who travel daily through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

"Operation Chefs Unite," debuting in Atlanta, aims to keep military stomachs happy and, perhaps, provide a few moments of bliss for weary souls.

"We just want our troops to be taken care of," said Michael Deihl, executive chef at the East Lake Golf Club and president of the greater Atlanta chapter of the American Culinary Federation.

"These guys get up every morning and risk being blown up," Deihl said. "It's the least I can do as a chef, to provide them with 15 minutes of comfort."

Atlanta, one of several gateway airports the military uses to shuttle troops on two-week leaves from Iraq, is the first to start a volunteer dining program in its USO lounge tucked away above the atrium. Organizers hope Atlanta will serve as a model for other transit hubs.

Military personnel, who often have long layovers in Atlanta, can relax in the lounge, watch television or hook up their computers. And now, they can occasionally enjoy a free hot meal courtesy of a team of volunteer chefs who donate the food and their culinary skills.

Most of the time, the menu consists of sandwiches, chips and cookies. But on holidays, such as the Martin Luther King Day observance, area chefs try to cook up something special.

On Monday, roughly 300 transiting troops were served hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and brownies.

For Sgt. Thomas Wedding, the meal was more than just good eating.

Wedding, flying back to Iraq after visiting his wife in Honolulu, had already been traveling for nine hours when he chomped down on a thick and juicy burger (it was just the right shade of pink on the inside).

It was much tastier than the stuff in the military chow halls, he declared.

Wedding will probably be in transit for another two days before he reconnects with his unit in Tikrit, Iraq.

"It's great to see that people take the time out of their personal lives to help us out," he said.

The USO's meal program started along with the war in 2003, said Mary Lou Austin, president of the Georgia USO. The need, she said is great.

"Our cupboards are bare today," Austin said on an early January day after several very busy days of holiday traffic. As many as 12,000 troops had gone through Atlanta.

Austin asked USO volunteers to get out giant cans of tuna and make sandwiches to feed the tired and weary.

"We need people to fill in the gaps," she said.

"It doesn't have to be fancy, dancy. It can even be boxed lunches."

Howard Cooper, a retired master sergeant who owns Coop's Catering, said so far, member chefs of the American Culinary Federation have volunteered for the USO food program --- a handful are regulars.

But the pilot program of "Operation Chefs Unite" will open it up to anyone wanting to provide something small, such as packaged condiments to a full-blown feast of turkey and trimmings.

Deihl said he plans to approach top chefs, including Shaun Doty and Kevin Rathbun. Will that mean braised brisket and Maryland crab cakes in the military lounge?

Deihl said he hopes to have a Web site up and running soon on which chefs can pick a day and volunteer to cook.

He said, eventually, he would like to see chefs volunteering to do the same at other airports.

Deihl, who volunteers to cook on Mondays and on every Christmas, said no matter what your political leanings might be, there is nothing like hearing words of thanks from a man or a woman serving the country.

Last Christmas, a young woman holding a baby approached Deihl and said: "I never thought my husband would get a hot meal again."

"That hit me pretty hard," he said.

"It's the little stuff that carries you for months."

News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.