There is a common vector, here. MCRD San Diego and Edson Range at MCB Camp Pendleton are about 60 miles apart. It was common procedure that a training company, 4 platoons, after having finished two weeks of rifle qualification, would spend a week on mess duty, at the range, before returning to MCRD for 3rd Phase. We did our mess and maintenance week before we went to Edson Range. Three platoons mess, one platoon maintenance. Of course, ours had mess detail.
Oddly enough, me and a couple of others learned how to run a floor buffer, cleaned the staff NCO club, made a run over to the base laundry to turn in and pick up sheets, generally coasted, that week, while the rest of my platoon was on mess duty...
I've never been able to determine if that was a good thing or not. Perhaps they figured I wouldn't do any damage...