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Fighting the NEX Power: the squadron geedunk thread

Brett327

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What?! No geedunk in VAQs? Or are VAQs like Amazon; free bananas for everyone? Id assume you should still bring your own hutzler 571.
The only place I ever saw non-FRS squadron geedunk was in VP, and that changed to vending machines in the early-90s. The only one in the Mayport HSL hangar was HSL-40.
 

Pags

N/A
pilot
The only place I ever saw non-FRS squadron geedunk was in VP, and that changed to vending machines in the early-90s. The only one in the Mayport HSL hangar was HSL-40.
Huh, both of the squadrons I was in had geedunks. VX-1 geedunk would often do hot breakfast. HSC-26 geedunk was constrained by NOB food rules and, at one point, a crushing amount of debt accrued due to mismanagement. The HM squadrons also had CSs on staff and would often do hot meals.
 

Brett327

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Huh, both of the squadrons I was in had geedunks. VX-1 geedunk would often do hot breakfast. HSC-26 geedunk was constrained by NOB food rules and, at one point, a crushing amount of debt accrued due to mismanagement. The HM squadrons also had CSs on staff and would often do hot meals.
CVW CSs would usually band together during AWF det to do hot meals at the hangar, but never at home.
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
The only place I ever saw non-FRS squadron geedunk was in VP, and that changed to vending machines in the early-90s. The only one in the Mayport HSL hangar was HSL-40.
We had fleet squadron geedunks there in the early 2000s (what was old was new again). You could buy vending machine food/hot pockets/microwave mini pizzas/various miscellaneous fat pills with a small markup and you could buy squadron schwag (belt buckles, zippo lighters).

I can't remember or not if there were hot breakfasts like what Pags is describing (I mean other than the stuff during Chief season that wasn't really part of the squadron geedunk), but I'd say probably so from time to time.

I also don't remember if every squadron had one.
 

Pags

N/A
pilot
We had fleet squadron geedunks there in the early 2000s (what was old was new again). You could buy vending machine food/hot pockets/microwave mini pizzas/various miscellaneous fat pills with a small markup and you could buy squadron schwag (belt buckles, zippo lighters).

I can't remember or not if there were hot breakfasts like what Pags is describing (I mean other than the stuff during Chief season that wasn't really part of the squadron geedunk), but I'd say probably so from time to time.

I also don't remember if every squadron had one.
The HSC-26 one was like what you described. Squadron schwag, candy, hot pockets, microwave, etc. Proceeds went in to the squadron MWR bucket. I don't think 28 or the HMM next door had their own so they'd often come over to our spaces when they needed a snack. NOB at the time also had some unique little hidden gems of eateries scattered around the corners of the base. The MARMC building had a great and cheap breakfast that was a short walk away. Over by the piers was a soul food place that was mostly for the sandcrabs.

The VX-1 one was different because we didn't have to deal with NOB's no compete rules and because Pax is a weird place for young ACDU Es with little to none of the usual base facilities like a galley.

HM squadrons were also unique in that they were manned to be largely self supporting so hence why they had more than a few CSs, Seabees, and other oddities.
 

sickboy

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pilot
Interesting. What kind of squadron? IIRC, carrier based squadrons are manned with MAs and CSs so they can augment ship's company while squadrons are embarked, and the NAS while ashore. Also, I've never seen a squadron run geedunk or 1st LT division in a fleet VAQ squadron (I think the FRS runs a geedunk).


It was a CWV flavored HSM squadron.
 

thosefreakinATs

insert witty comment here
pilot
HM squadrons have a decent gee dunk. 14 more than 12. not sure about 15. Most MA's ive met on squadron orders did not enjoy their time there. half the time they wernt even utilized for masts.
 

Mos

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The only place I ever saw non-FRS squadron geedunk was in VP, and that changed to vending machines in the early-90s. The only one in the Mayport HSL hangar was HSL-40.
Whidbey hangar 6 (the VP hangar) had a full geedunk staffed by civilians until about 3 years ago after the hangar renovation. The old shop sold a decent variety of hot and cold food, espresso drinks and the like. It was replaced by a mini supermarket with self checkout kiosk selling overpriced shelf/fridge food.

Hangar 1000 in Jax still has a greasy spoon on the lower deck. It's kind of small and has limited hours last I checked.
 

Gatordev

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Every HSM squadron I've been in has had a Geedunk. Some may be machines, but some will still be "manned" with various stocked items. Both HSM-40 and -41 would typically do lunches every day, but of course they're manned with extra bodies (some they want, some they don't), so there's extra manpower to do the lunches.

Brett, I'm wondering if the reason you didn't see the change was because the NAVMAN group just hadn't made it to your Wing yet. I forget what the deployable review is called, but the non-deployable manning review is every 5 years, which usually results in some shuffling of billets. For deployables, obviously manipulating the ROC/POE by the Wing happens concurrently.
 

Brett327

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Whidbey hangar 6 (the VP hangar) had a full geedunk staffed by civilians until about 3 years ago after the hangar renovation. The old shop sold a decent variety of hot and cold food, espresso drinks and the like. It was replaced by a mini supermarket with self checkout kiosk selling overpriced shelf/fridge food.

Hangar 1000 in Jax still has a greasy spoon on the lower deck. It's kind of small and has limited hours last I checked.
I'm aware. NEX food outlets =/= squadron run geedunk.
 

DanMa1156

Is it baseball season yet?
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Do your MAs not go work TAD for base security when your unit is not deployed? I thought that was standard with MAs and CSs.

When embarked, both rates when to the CVN. When home, both rates were in the squadron. Did whatever we could to get them schools, etc. but the reality is there isn't much opportunity. Occasionally, had to send a Sailor (any rate) to the base for morning sentry duty but I can't recall us always choosing the MAs; I think it was a rotating watch bill.

FRS and CVW fleet squadron had Geedunks. Fleet squadron the CSs at least cooked some good stuff - we had breakfasts after PT days and I think they always cooked up something for the night shift guys. More often than the typical burger burns were the homemade recipes; still left us with our heads scratching with what do do with the MAs. I think we had 3 of each rating at any given point.

To put things in perspective, our MWR Geedunk was churning out about $4000-6000 per month in (mostly food) sales from what I recall. I had to do an "audit" one year. Turns out our guys really didn't understand how to make change among other things. Ended up finding over $1000 in small bills and loose change in a lockbox they had hidden because they didn't know what to do with it. I only learned all of this when I spent an entire afternoon going over with guys "show me exactly what you do when I hand you this dollar bill" and how you make change. Also, turns out they were pricing things crazily: lots of items that were like a 200% markup (so I brought prices down for the squadron!) and lots of things with a near 50% loss (and other prices had to come up). The numbers were literally made up and what "felt fair" to our MAs and CSs.
 
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