Cool job keeps Airmen fed Published April 18, 2005 By Staff Sgt. William Farrow 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- They have the coolest job in the desert -- literally. The two Airmen who put together flight meals work in a large walk-in cooler where the temperature is kept at a chilly 40 degrees to preserve the food for the thousands who sit down for a meal at a forward-deployed location.However, there are many people who get their food to go. They are greeted at the cooler by Airmen who prepare meals for aircrews, security forces Airmen and other people who take their meals to go.“It’s kind of like working at the drive through at a fast-food restaurant,” said Tech. Sgt. Aaron Reynolds, a reservist out of Pensacola, Fla. But he said he knows his mission here well. “(I help) flight crews with their meal requests and ensure they stay well-fed and hydrated during their missions over Iraq.”He and his night shift assistant, Airman 1st Class Courtney Richardson, produce more than 400 flight meals every day.The Airmen print out the order form and then begin pulling the food off the shelves and boxing it up for the crews to pick up later. The job sounds simple, but keeping the customers happy when the ever-popular Hawaiian chicken salad sandwiches are not available can prove to be a challenge.“They love the Hawaiian chicken salad,” Airman Richardson said. “If we run out of those, then I have to explain why they have roast beef instead, which at times can put them in a foul mood.”But she said customers are usually pretty understanding, especially as she and the crews get to know each other.“I see these people at least every other day, we get to know each other and I begin to know what they like and what they expect, so the job gets easier,” she said.