Serving Through the Season: Airman Alex Diaz

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Erin Smith
  • 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Hickam AFB, Hawaii --  For most, cooking for a holiday crowd includes about 10 people but for people at the Hale' Aina Dining Facility at Hickam AFB, this holiday crowd can include more than 300 Airmen and retirees.

Airman Basic Alex Diaz, 15th Services Squadron, works at the dining facility and he and other services Airmen will be busy in the kitchen Christmas day, preparing a huge feast for those who come to partake of the holiday meal. Though he is working on Christmas, for him, it is a rewarding job and he feels part of a something bigger.

"... I feel like I'm doing something that actually matters and not just a regular job. It feels good, I wanted to do something different and make a difference in someone's life."

Airman Diaz joined the military fresh out of high school, in July, 2006. He arrived here in November and quickly became a part of the dining facility staff, working in the dining facility for the Thanksgiving day feast.

"Airman Diaz came in and became part of the team before he inprocessed the base," said Tech. Sgt. Regan Tingelhoff, 15th Services Squadron. "He's eager to learn and pitches in with whatever needs to be done. He's enthusiastic, hardworking and is an outstanding contribution to the Hale' Aina Dining Facility."

Though he is new to the Air Force, he is a veteran when it comes to cooking holiday meals. During the Thanksgiving meal, Airman Diaz worked alongside the dining facility team and helped cook and serve a meal to about 306 guests. This Christmas, they expect to serve about 250 people. The menu will be the traditional Christmas menu with turkey, ham, roast beef, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans, assorted desserts and drinks. They will start in the wee hours of the morning to prepare six turkeys, six roast beef and 12 hams.
To cook a meal like this, an entire staff of people is required.

"Well everybody has their own part. The contractors are going to decorate the place, make it look real nice," said Airman Diaz. "And [we] are actually going to cook the food, there's going to be a whole bunch of us so we're all going to get together and make just a lot of food, a lot of meat. And I'm assuming we're going to have special guests serving the food. We're going to have a lot of retired people coming in and their families, so it'll be a nice day."

Though he has proven himself an asset to the Air Force, he also has reaped the benefits of his military service.

"Well I mean, yeah, the Air Force helped me out a lot, it's helped me stand on my own two feet, and like it's helping me out in my career, it's starting me up, and I love it. I miss my family and everything but, it's worth it."