Mess halls

A week later I cracked a joke at the wrong time and got volunteered again.

You'd think I would learn.

I say the same thing every time I get three days on the beach here. :D

I remember my turn to do KP at Lackland. It was only one day, and it wasn’t bad. However, I don’t remember all the large pots and pans.
 
I say the same thing every time I get three days on the beach here. :D

I remember my turn to do KP at Lackland. It was only one day, and it wasn’t bad. However, I don’t remember all the large pots and pans.

I found out that Pots & Pans was special punishment for Flight funny guys.

Took me two times to learn to confine my material to the barracks.
 
I found out that Pots & Pans was special punishment for Flight funny guys.

Took me two times to learn to confine my material to the barracks.

Ah, got it. :D

FWIW, my nickname in basic training was, Airman Bozo. Wasn’t being funny on purpose.

Although I don’t even sing in the shower, I volunteered for the choir so I could get out of the Saturday and Sunday GI parties, and stay out of Sgt. Hurt’s crosshairs. I spent all weekend lip synching at the various base churches. No one ever caught on. :D
 
Aboard ship, naval officers eat in their wardroom, not the galley. The reason the food is so good is that the officers pay for their own food.

When we were flying in Afghanistan from the USS Eisenhower, we had an Army major onboard to serve as a GLO (Ground Liaison Officer) for coordinating air support for Army operations.

A great guy, but he was appalled at the concept of a mess bill while deployed. I think he faced numerous threats from above before he paid.

The Chief's Mess is generally better. Steaks to order. As much shrimp as you could eat. Several lobster tails for your dinner. Saw Alaskan King Crab legs to eat during the evening movie. A Carrier Chiefs Mess is probably the best food in the Navy. About 250 Chiefs and Marine E-7 and above ate there daily. Our officers would vie to eat dinner there when we were allowed to bring one of our officers to chow.
 
Last edited:
My last chow hall (Shaw) had civilian bussers.

Each table had four red plastic flags so you could put one on your tray to indicate "hey, I'm not done eating yet" when you went to get a drink refill or extra dessert.

Fatigue dining at its finest.
 
The Chief's Mess is generally better. Steaks to order. As much shrimp as you could eat. Several lobster tails for your dinner. Saw Alaskan King Crab legs to eat during the evening movie. A Carrier Chiefs Mess is probably the best food in the Navy. About 250 Chiefs and Marine E-7 and above at there daily. Our officers would vie to eat dinner there when we were allowed to bring one of our officers to chow.

I had the good fortune of being invited to the Chief’s mess aboard the Forrestal during a Med cruise. Lobster and steaks…….I think the officers Clean Shirt Ward Room was offering chicken fried steaks or some such thing…….
 
  • Like
Reactions: AJ
Best GI Chow

USAF 1969-1991: Never a bad meal ANYWHERE!
Best deal: Midnight chow. All the eggs, bacon, and SOS you could pound down for $0.25!
Best breakfast: TDY to Vallejo CA: Chiefs Mess REAL SOS!! (creamed chipped dried beef)
Best pound cake: out of a k-ration green can opened with a p-38 during HURRICANE Camille at Keesler AFB in Aug 69.
 
The powers that be were not happy after a gang of hungry and hyper Boy Scouts tore through the mess then the gym at Moody AFB in the early 70's. Complaints to the Scout leaders were met with shrugs and denials of knowledge of any shenanigans.

Someone up top liked us because we were welcomed back the next year.
 
One mess officer told me in Vietnam they treated the rations as if they were gold, the amount of paperwork he had to fill out was staggering, there was always someone looking over his shoulder, questioning his figures, etc. At one National Guard Annual Training the Mess Sergeant told me that at ration breakdown out of 100 pounds of delivered meat they got only 55 edible pounds.
 
Back
Top