BAGRAM AIR FIELD - Cooks operating at a life support area located on the eastern annex of Bagram Air field, are known for their excellent cuisine, and the attention to detail they place into each meal.
However, for one Navy Service member, the only submarine he'll see will be the submarine sandwich he prepares at the dining facility he helps operate. Navy Culinary Specialist 1st Class Mark Shipley is part of a joint culinary team serving TF Protector Service members who eat at the Camp Harrison dining facility, known as the “Street Fighter Café.”
Shipley is the only cook on a team of Sailors and Soldiers who has ever cooked for Military Service members aboard a sub marine. On average, Shipley served meals to between 120 and 200 Sailors a day depending on the submarine. In the Street Fighter Café, he supervises day-to-day ops, and ensures meals are prepared for up to 800 Service members a day.
“I miss my guys. I miss getting underway. I miss hearing the dive alarm,” said Shipley when asked about what he misses most from his previous assignments aboard submarines. To Shipley, the coming Afghanistan winter and the snow and cold temperatures it will bring is quite the norm. He carries the distinctive title of “Blue Nose,” a title bestowed upon Sailors who have conducted ops while in the Arctic Circle. A Sailor is designated as a “Blue Nose” after he has braved the Arctic cold in a ceremony conducted aboard the submarine.
“You guys are awesome. You guys love every meal that comes out of here,” said Shipley about TF Protector Service members who eat meals cooked at the dining facility. Many would agree, as the meal headcount of the Street Fighter Café continues to increase steadily since Sept. One thing which doesn’t change whether aboard a submarine in the Arctic Circle or in a dining facility surrounded by former Soviet land mines, the joint Service member’s favorite meal: Surf and Turf.
