2ndLt Earl H. Pete Ellis recalled a farewell dinner for a group of officers departing Cavite during his first tour in the Philippines in 1902. A variety of after-dinner beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, were available as well as coffee. A commonly found recipe in the Caribbean includes water, light rum, grapefruit juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, cinnamon, and honey . This course is to remind diners of the War in the Pacific. At the other tables, decanters of Port are passed counterclockwise. The choice of toasting with Port wine has its origins more in politics than in gastronomy. Military Customs(Aldershot: Gale and Polden, 1952). Arugha! MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE ALBANY, GA -- The U.S. Marine Corps prides itself on traditions that have been around since the Corps was established in 1775. Modern usage [ edit] John A. Lejeune refused to emulate the lavish social scene of his predecessor, and formal dinners at Eighth and Eye became somewhat infrequent and subdued affairs. of chilled nonalcoholic white wine. A guest last night in a British officers messcirca 1930s, is what approximates the mess night tradition adopted so faithfully by the Marine Corps--at least what Brigadier General Robert H. British Bob Williams prescribed for readers of the Marine Corps Gazette in June 1955, and Colonel Angus M. Tiny Fraser wrote for the same journal in June 1957. The following day, General Kolers aide-de-camp received a telephone call from his counterpart at Kadena: Driving home from your mess night last night, the general remarked that was the best affair Ive ever attended; you call the Marines and find out how its doneand were going to have one just like it.. A variety of stimuli have provoked the preparation of this study, not the least of which are the disappointing mess night witnessed that evening at TBS. two twelve-ounce cans of frozen lemonade concentrate and ales. Although the attending officers drank to the health of King George V with a glass of fine Port, the battalion commanderthe President of the Messinvited the pipe major to join him in a glass of whiskey after the performance. Thus, the infamous General Order No. After fermentation, inspectors release a minimum of one third of the vintage to which approximately 20 percent alcohol in the form of brandy has been addedand the vintage passes to the open market for sale. Sterling Fessenden, the chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council, apparently orchestrated the donation in 1927, and the grateful Marines dubbed their new musical group The Fessenden Fifes. The bandsman of the Green Howards, another British Army regiment in Shanghai, taught the Marine musicians to play the instruments (one base drum, eight side drums, ten fifes and two piccolos). In a saucepan, combine 3 quarts cider with cup sugar; add the spice bag and simmer for ten minutes. Process: 2-sixteen ounce packages of frozen strawberries. By the time I entered The Basic School (TBS) in 1963, a mess night for each class had become an institution. or repondez sil vous plait appears on the invitations at the lower left corner, along with a name and telephone number; at the lower right of the invitation, the uniform or civilian dress is specifiedit always indicates orders and decorations) to provide the committee with a final list of attendees. Early in 1977, the headquarters of the III Marine Amphibious Force on Okinawa organized a mess night to honor its popular commanding general, Major General Joseph Koler, Jr., on the occasion of his detachment. Everyone says, The President of the United States, takes a sip of Port, and sits down. Sometimes, Marines may fabricate false allegations or tease one another just to stir up their comrades. The invitations used the phrase the honor of your presence.. From that date until World War II altered the social stratification of the British officer corps, it served as the cornerstone of the military social institution. Combine: 4 cups orange juice, juice of one lemon, 1 large banana, 6 frozen strawberries, cup of whipping cream, and 6 ice cubes. Replace the skillet on the heat and stir in the milk, keep stirring until the . -Grandly proclaims job is to train young men and women into Marine Officers which entails not only teaching them skills necessary to lead Marines and win nation's battles, but also to be exemplary gentlemen. This Order prescribes procedures for all close order drill and military ceremonial evolutions. The mess committee elected to forego the ritual cigar because the facility is a no smoking building, as are most government buildings. Finally, consumption of alcohol is down considerably from the heights of bygone years. In some regiments, the senior subaltern or senior dining officer enforced such rules by levying small fines. Raspberry or red currant syrup into 6 oz. Served hot in mugs. Moreover, the social and gender practices of the Marine Corps have changed radically. Interviews Brandied peaches ended the repast. A prime rib of beef was the unanimous choice for the main entre. Then, just before he left office, a group of general officers honored General Shepherd at a mess night at Quantico. Gallantry and comradeship-in-arms have enabled our small Corps to build and maintain a name for itself as a force in readiness that is known throughout the world, feared by our enemies and respected by every military service in existence, he noted. The Old Corps: A Portrait of the U.S. Marine Corps Between the Wars(Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1982), pp. Thus, the tradition of the Vice President of the Mess as orderly officer, wearing his sword at dinner, emerged as a tradition in some officers messes in the British Army. Marines, it appeared, wanted to dress up and eat and drink by the numbers, all the while reminding themselves of the hallowed traditions, customs and rich history of their Corps. The latter officer once served on detached service with the City of Philadelphia as its Commissioner of Public Safety, and undertook a determined program to rid the municipality of vice and demon rum. Drain excess fat and set aside. Your personal reward is so great in doing so, but the legacy and handprint that you leave, where you have been planted or assigned, is immeasurable. The contents should be non-alcoholic as to not dampen the spirits . ORANGE FRAPPE Mister Vice: approaches the head table with a steward pushing a serving cart; on it is a punch bowl and sufficient glasses. In a large pan heat: 48 ounces cranberry juice, 4 cups cider, 1 sliced orange, and 1 stick cinnamon; allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Exchanges such as recalled by General Shepherd continued as the 4th Marines served in China. Mix 1 quart orange juice with cup of white sugar and cup of brown sugar. Bring to simmer at medium heat and stir until sugar fully dissolves. Baldwin, Hanson. The other officers followed and spent the remainder of the evening reading, playing cards or billiards, or returned to their rooms. During the next three years, it participated in amphibious operations in the Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls, and Okinawa., President of the Mess: Mister Vice, the 2d Division., Vice President of the Mess: Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2d Division., Band: plays six bars from Victory at Sea.. President of the Mess: introduces the guest of honor. Wardrooms throughout the fleet in 1914 witnessed a variety of going dry commemorations, liberally punctuated with witty soliloquies that demeaned the character of the pompous Secretary of the Navy. (June 1936): 842. Later, while at Quantico, Butler threatened to put the tiny municipality adjoining the base off-limitsunless the city fathers eliminated the bootleggers selling alcohol to his troops. As it matures, a heavy sediment appears on the bottom of each bottle, thus the requirement to decant it prior to serving. Serve in 6-ounce mugs with 2 tsp. During the dinner, the battalions pipe major played several traditional highland ballads to the tune of his own wailing on the bagpipes, and a guardsman danced. George Barnett, Soldier and Sailor Too, Barnett MSS, MCHC. President of the Mess: Mister Vice and then by turn runs through the list of heads of state for each foreign officer president, in descending order by the rank of the officer. A guest last night in a British officer's messcirca 1930s, is what approximates the mess night tradition adopted so faithfully by the Marine Corps--at least what Brigadier General Robert H. "British Bob" Williams prescribed for readers of the Marine Corps Gazette in June 1955, and Colonel Angus M. "Tiny" Fraser wrote for the same . 1815-1900: Members of the mess, spouses, and guests partake of refreshments and meet the guest of honor and the guests of the mess. Join Date Jan 2011 Location Knoxville, TN Posts 3,756 Credits . 1815: The guest of honor, and his spouse; and the guests of the mess, and their spouses arrive to be greeted by the president and vice president of the mess. Sheehan, J. M. Wardroom Mess,U.S. He is the editor ofAssault from the Sea: Essays on the History of Amphibious Warfare(Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1983; reprint ed., 1985 ed., 1985), author ofLejeune: A Marines Life, 1867-1942(Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1992; reprint ed., Naval Institute Press, 1996); After 1703, to drink French wines donated a show of favoritism to the enemy on the continent. 1805: the commanding officer of the regiment arrives. The mess silver sparkled in the light of the handsome candelabra arraigned on a polished table laden with fine crystal and china. The Secretary of the Navy extended his unpopular dictum to stations ashore, even into the quarters of the officers. Following a similar, celebratory dinner a couple of years before in the islands, Smedley D. Butlerobviously in his cupsserenaded the nearby jungle foliage for the remainder of the night; a future CMC, Ben H. Fuller, thought the spectacle so outrageous that he recorded the incident for his personal papers, labeling it Butlers Bawl., Even after four decades, General Holland M. Smith remembered the conduct of the officers mess in nearby Olongapo and Colonel Lincoln Karmanys strict compliance to the social niceties of the mess. Male recruits consume approximately 3,950 calories and females consume 2,700 calories each day (Photo by Lance Cpl. The punch served this time is 1775 Rum Punch.. Vice President of the Mess: Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States. The band plays the National Anthem. General Krulak remembered a guest night hosted by the Royal Ulster Rifles: It was severely formalmarching in by twos, printed menus, three wines, great formality in the areas of introduction of the meat, toasts, recognition of guests, cook, etc. In the fall of 1953, General Shepherd visited the 3rd Marines at their camp at Mount Fuji, Japan. On the morning of the dining in, the committee met at the officers club to review final preparations. At the end of the table, a steward retrieves the decanter and places it at the opposite end of the head table. Lelia Montague Barnett, Washington Dinner Disasters, Barnett MSS, MCHC. Using a large skillet (12-14), crumble and brown the ground beef with the fat and salt, remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly. Company guidons line the wall of the dining hall, while the colors of the regiment and its three battalions are arranged behind the head table along with the flags of the United States and the United Kingdom (a Royal Marine officer, serving an exchange tour with the regiment, is present). easy INGREDIENTS 2 oz Dark Rum .75 oz Lime Juice .5 oz Demerara Syrup 1 oz Water INSTRUCTIONS Step one Add all ingredients to a tiki mug filled with ice and stir to combine. In any event, a junior officer with little or no private means could hardly afford to spend his leisure time elsewhere. To this end, she coordinated with the Marine Corps Historical Center for the loan of a wide assortment of memorabilia. The manual is based on several sources, all of which are listed in the bibliography, and summarizes the experience gained from Mess Nights presented by the Naval School, Civil Engineer Corps. Members of the regiment earned three Medals of Honor; one out of every two Marines suffered wounds. Unlike Americans, Britains responded to each toast by draining their glasses and sometimes throwing them over the left shoulder so that no lesser toast might be drunk. Toasts were always drunk with Port wine, and in bumbers. This unusual name for a wine glass had its origins from the continental custom of always toasting the Pope first,au bon Pere, which in its convoluted form became simply bumper. In the Book of Navy Songs (Naval Institute Press, 1955), a doggerel proclaims most proudly: Make it a bumper, comrades, However, without a "grog bowl," some other means of punishment for infractions should be considered. The dining-in is a traditional formal dinner for members of a military organization or unit. While the Navy conducts mealtimes in the wardroom with far more rigidity and ceremony than the other services, nothing I witnessed during that tour even remotely resembled a mess night or a formal dinner. The Marine Corps and the Coast Guard refer to it as mess night and the Army calls it regimental dinner. [1] The dining in is a formal event for all unit members, male and female; though some specialized mess nights can be officer- or enlisted-only. These nonalcoholic aperitifs are pleasing alternatives for the pre-dinner cocktail hour. The Marines received the musical instruments to accompany a successful mess night, a gift from the American Troop and American Company of the Shanghai Volunteer Corps. Is it someones birthday? Conversation during dinner dwelled on the pleasant and topical; professional topics, shop, and references to ladies were taboo. Top with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a dash of Angostura Bitters. Pour: the mix and strawberry slush over cracked ice into a punch bowl; stir in the ginger ale. Stewards remove the previous course and sherry glass, and serve a seafood cocktail of Dunginess Crab Imperial with a chilled glass of Schloss Johannisberger 92. Nathan Hanks Sometimes, the conduct of such affairs became excessively spirituous or bordered on the insubordinate. Stewards: remove the main course and white wine glass. Everyone for the rest of the night became "You do this, and RugbyGuy0089 go drink one (grog) for Chesty/Smedley Butler/A.A. pour over cracked ice in a glass punch bowl. In the 18th and19th Centuries, it was a common custom for the aristocracy to lay aside a mess. He explained the colonel had been shocked to observe many of his officers displaying ignorance as to what utensils and glasses to use at dinner. They made grog by combining rum and water. Dining In,Leatherneck, January 1975, pp. The committee made arrangements for fresh Dunginess crab to be flown in from Puget Sound, and a group of spouses volunteered to clean the seafood and prepare the meat for Crab Imperial. STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI PUNCH A night to remember: Mess Night celebrates Marine Corps tradition in field environmen; 03-26-15, 07:10 PM #2. A steward follows with a carafe of Fortitudine Punch, and the Vice President of the Mess serves everyone at the head table beginning with the guest of honor first and the President of the Mess last. You give of yourself just like you are spending your adult lives giving and serving our country, he continued. --non alcoholic wines and beers should also be available. A contemporary reported that, following a mess night held on Okinawa in the immediate post-Vietnam era, an outraged battalioncommander held a mess night every night for a week following the unprofessional and ungentlemanly conduct of his officers at the original gathering; apparently by evening number seven, they got it right.. The maintenance of traditional discipline, gallantry, and love of God, country and Corps are the Marines bonded duty, according to Robinson. This traditional beverage was supposedly served to potential Marine Corps recruits at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, during the American Revolution, according to Marine Corps History Division website, https://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/Pages/Customs_Traditions/Mess_Night.aspx. Daniels Explains That Wine Mess Order,Literary Digest55 (27 October 1917): 42+. Get a printable version by clicking here. Krulak, Victor H. 17 August 1978. SHARE. The President of the Mess serves himself last. President of the Mess: Mister Vice, the regiment., Vice President of the Mess: Ladies and Gentlemen, the 6th Marines., Band: plays six bars of Mademoiselle from Armentieres.. Whatever else we might have learned from the company executive officers class on mess nights, the requirement to remain at the table once dinner had begun appeared absolute. Colonel Robert D. Heinl, Jr., shared Williams love for fostering history and tradition in the British military style. Formal dinners, or anything resembling todays mess night might have disappeared altogether given the egalitarian moralizing of Secretary Daniels and the tide of temperance that followed in the 1920s. Two members of the committee volunteered to consult with the manager of the officers club, prepare a dinner menu, and offer it to the committee for its approval. 24 April 1979. Naval Institute Proceedings55 (1929): 11-16. As I read them over, the historian in me became increasingly challenged: the narratives appeared to have been copied from the same source. During this time-honored tradition, officers and staff noncommissioned officers from various commands throughout the base, took part in a formal dinner held at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albanys Town and Country Grand Ballroom, recently. The Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Naval Operations, and personal friends of General Shepherd attended as well. Viet Cong infrastructure in the rural areas. During the brief intermission, a decanter of Port has been placed on each table. Naval Institute Proceedings62 I recall a rather formal dinner at An Hoa in late 1968, held to honor the departure of the regimental commander. The steward carries the plate around the head table and serves it to the President of the Mess, who says: I pronounce this beef fit for human consumption and commend it to the enjoyment of the mess and our guests. The steward retrieves the plate and utensils, rejoins the fifer and drummer, and the three of them march out of the dining room to another chorus of The Roast Beef of Old England.. A mess night as a traditional social gathering became codified during the commandancy of General Shepherd (1952-1956). Until 1914, wine messes were part of the wardrooms of the ships of the fleet. President of the Mess: Ladies and gentlemen, please join me at the bar.. ground coriander and heat over low heat until blended thoroughly. Naval Institute Proceedings99 (November 1973): 51-55. Place one piece of orange into a cup, fill with cider, and sprinkle with nutmeg. 1800: the officers of the regiment are all in the anteroom, and those desiring refreshments have them in hand. --soft drinks, including diet and decaffeinate brands, must be The new commanding general, normally Spartan and disinclined to partake liberally of mess life, did not advocate conspicuous luxury; instead, he merely suggested no reason to undergo unnecessary privation: Let us all be as comfortable as possible, he advised his staff. Used to such affairs, most of the Leathernecks who participated remained nonplussed if not bemused by the lack of post-dinner high jinks and the heavy weight of so many senior officers. Mess night is a ceremonial occasion where Marines, wearing their dress blue uniforms with ornate medals, gather to share the Corps customs and courtesies as well as build camaraderie and Esprit de Corps. Naval Institute Proceedings61 (March 1935): 377. After hearing both sides of the argument from the accused and accuser, the president of the mess imposes fines; in most cases one dollar or a drink from the grog, for any infractions deemed appropriate. This traditional beverage was supposedly served to potential Marine Corps recruits at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, during the American Revolution, according to Marine Corps History Division website, https://www.mcu.usmc.mil/historydivision/Pages/Customs_Traditions/Mess_Night.aspx. This traditional beverage was supposedly served to potential Marine Corps recruits at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, during the American Revolution. Stewards: serve a dessert of French pastry and Camembert. In heat-proof mug, add rum and lime juice. Junior officers, especially, spent most of their evenings in the messtheir home-and to dine out or warn out more than once a week invited a rebuke from the senior subaltern. Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany. Naval Institute Proceedings96 (July 1976): 86-88. Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery expressed disgust at the state of the headquarters mess when he assumed command of the troubled Eighth Army in North Africa in 1942. Stewards remove the previous course and wine glass, and serve a salad of mixed greens with a low-calorie, low-fat vinaigrette dressing. The Marine Corps officers introduction to anything resembling todays mess night came through service at sea. The appellation to toast came about through the English custom of flavoring wines with spiced toast, as apparently wines transported from the continent often spoiled enroute to the British Isles. Chaplain: offers a brief, non-sectarian grace. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, it was a common custom for the aristocracy to lay aside a pipe of port for each male member of the progeny. The next senior officer sits to the left of the President of the Mess, and then by seniority the remaining officers alternate from the right of the guest of honor to the left of the President of the Mess. Stewards filled our wine glasses when appropriate, and the serving and removal of courses evolved with the panache of a sunset parade at Eighth and Eye. When we uttered that last toast, to the Corps, all the aches and pains of the endless days and nights in the field, the bruises and sore muscles from the obstacle course and the drudgery of classroom lectures melted away. As often as once a week, but more likely less often, each mess held a guest night. Finding little or nothing on the subject at the Marine Corps Historical Center, except for the dreary and plagiarized materials that I already read, I was advised to telephone Colonel Robert D. Heinl, Jr.: He knows everything about the subject, was the sage advice.