Steak Fest helps kick-off RED FLAG-Alaska 15-3

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Ralph Kapustka
  • 148th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Eielson AFB Airmen, families and RED FLAG-Alaska 15-3 participants were treated to a steak fest outside the Yukon Club Aug. 7, 2015. Steaks were cooked to individual preference and there were a number of traditional barbecue side items to help round out the dining experience.

Steak Team Mission, a private organization out of Texas, held the event and donated 2,000 steaks and all the side items as a way to thank the military community for its service.

In order to put on an event of this magnitude, a lot of volunteers were needed to supplement the Steak Team's members. 

"Eielson put up a sign-up sheet for volunteers to support the steak feed, they ended up having to cut it off because they were getting too many volunteers," said Tony Booth of the Steak Team Mission. "Everybody wanted to come and help; that's wonderful because some of our team couldn't make the trip."

"We don't want to go to places where everyone is going," said Booth. "We would much rather go to where they have dirt on their boots or to places that have a little more isolation - places where they are not getting a lot of folks that want to come do it; that's the type of places we want to be."

The organization has held about 36 of these types of events since 2002, to include cooking steaks for troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. 

"The Steak Team Mission is not necessarily good with small, they are good with big; they're Texas folks so they are good with big," said Chief Master Sgt. Michael Brown, the 354th Fighter Wing command chief. "They heard of RED FLAG-Alaska and we talked about that as a mission. It was an opportunity for them to give back. They are sharing all of their goodness with not just those stationed at Eielson but military members stationed around the world.

"It's really an event for the base and RED FLAG-Alaska personnel," the Chief added. "The fact that someone was willing to take their time, energy and funds they raise to come and support us is exceptional. Anything we can do to boost the morale of both our folks and folks working long days to make RED FLAG-Alaska happen, you can't ask for anything more than this."

The Chief noted a sense of camaraderie when he explained that an Eielson Airman gave the last steak to one of the RED FLAG-Alaska participants. The reason was, the RED FLAG-Alaska Airman was a guest at his base and shouldn't have to go without.