Some say the military travels on its stomach, and for the U.S. Navy, the hand that
feeds them is the culinary specialist. Navy “CS’s” prepare meals for deployed U.S.
Navy crews around the clock. If the meal of the day is not being cooked, then it is
being prepared to be cooked. Working long hours in a ship’s galley requires
dedication, fortitude and a discipline to keeping the crew fed.
One such individual taking up the call to cuisine at sea is Culinary Specialist Seaman
Apprentice Marcus Buckley, one of the most junior Sailors aboard the Ticonderoga-
class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54).
Buckley, a native of Riverside, California, graduated boot camp from Recruit
Training Command at Great Lakes, Illinois, in September of 2017, followed by six
weeks of culinary specialist “A” school at Fort Lee, Virginia. Upon graduating,
Buckley was assigned to Antietam, where he said he quickly adjusted to the fast
tempo of naval life at sea.
“I honestly like it, it’s a new experience,” Buckley said. “I didn’t know I would see as
many new ports; and being able to see the stars lit up out here in the middle of the
ocean is great, because I grew up in the city and didn’t get that there.”
Buckley said one of the highlights of his experience on Antietam is the feedback he
gets for thinking outside the box and experimenting with the food that he cooks.
“I like trying something new,” Buckley said. “When someone eats your food and says
‘that’s the best thing I’ve had underway,’ it’s the best feeling as a CS.”
Culinary Specialist 1st Class Michael Bulusan had high praise for Buckley.
“He is a highly motivated individual and approaches every task with motivation to
perform to the best of his ability,” Bulusan said. “He is eager to learn the culinary
specialist rate and is a role model to his peers.”
Antietam recently participated in exercise Malabar 2018 in and off the coast of
Guam. The exercise advanced military-to-military coordination in a multinational
environment between the U.S., Japan and Indian maritime forces.
Buckley said he enjoyed meeting and interacting with Sailors from Japan and India
during Malabar 2018.
“It has been a great experience to meet different cultures and to see how their
navies operate,” Buckley said. “I love seeing their reactions when they eat our food,
which they have never tried before.”
While moored in Guam during the in-port phase of Malabar 2018, Buckley and
sailors from the three nations participated in a sports day event.
“There was good sportsmanlike conduct between the different navies,” said Buckley.
“I participated in the softball tournament which built some camaraderie.”
Buckley said being at sea has been a rewarding experience for him.
From having the
opportunity to see fish and dolphins in his down time, to even chocking and
chaining helicopters during flight quarters on the ship, he takes a lot of pride in
everything he gets to do.
Buckley said he has set big expectations for himself in the future as well.
“I want to get my [enlisted surface warfare specialist] pin before I get promoted to
seaman,” Buckley said. “I want to be the best at everything I do and make [second
class petty officer] before I leave Antietam.”
For long-term goals, Buckley has plans to apply for officer candidate school. But if
that does not work out, he says he will settle for nothing less than Master Chief Petty
Officer of the Navy.
Antietam is currently forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in
support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.