The best meal from Uncle Sam

[Griff Murphey]

Three meals come to mind, the lobster at the Mau Camp at Cubi Point, Subic, in 1-4's mess hall 1975. Very good, and all you wanted. Since officers receive money to buy their own food, we had to pay something like $3. One night at the officers' mess at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, we had tacos. Not the best, sort of an Okinawan version, but for the Texans and Californians it was a long-overdue taste of home; everybody raved over them. Also will never forget pre-deployment mess night for BLT 1-4's cruise, great roast beef, quite a party afterwards.

I used to get tickled at the Okinawan cooks at Hansen. They would put out grapefruit cut in half, but they cut it bass-ackards, top to bottom, where you couldn't get to the fruit. One time they served oyster stew. There were so few oysters in it I recall one Marine Lt saying "I'm gonna see if I can snag the duty oyster as he swims by..." The ice cream machine was left on all the time. During movies (long before video!) we'd cut the tops off of beer cans and fill 'em up with ice cream for a snack. Then go to the bar for MORE BEER.

[Bill D]

Maury, I don't know where you were having to eat after the Officers and NCO's but I never in 23 years saw that kind of crap.If I had I would have been feeding some Officers and NCO's "C" rats. That's just the kind of BS a good officer or senior NCO wouldn't tolerate. The soldiers are the precious comodity. Short change the troops look for some severe guidance from any Commander worth his salt.Nick

Nick -

You are spot on with your post.

I spent a good many years as a platoon sergeant and it was ALWAYS my policy that my men went into chowline first followed by junior NCO's. THEN came senior NCO's and officers. I always ate dead last and if there wasn't enough food for me, the mess sergeant was going to have the seat of his pants in tatters.

Officers and senior NCO's eating first is disgraceful and reflects very poorly upon them.

Bill D

[UUURah]

BEAR reminded me of a time when TDY at Coronado, the Navy Base.

Every evening they had something really terrific to us Gyrines. We were in hog heaven. One evening we had Fried Rabbit. Man, it was sensational, better than any fried chicken I had ever had.

As I was cleaning out my tray into a garbage can near the door, a Navy guy walked up, he probably had half his meal still on the tray. As he was dumping it out into the can he remarked to us, "Same old sh*t every night".

[RED]

My worst was at Whiteman AFB. WE landed there to refuel one night at zero dark 30. We were on our way back to Oceana from NAS Moffet. I hadn't eaten since noon and my tummy was growling. Between me and my pilot we finally came up with enough change to get a sandwich out of the machine. When I pulled the handle, down came the package but when I tried to open the door it wouldn't move. Try as I might that damn door was stuck. Finally some young AF airman comes over and says "excuse me sir" and lifted the door and handed me the sandwich. It was molded!

[Bill D]

My worst was at Whiteman AFB. WE landed there to refuel one night at zero dark 30. We were on our way back to Oceana from NAS Moffet. I hadn't eaten since noon and my tummy was growling. Between me and my pilot we finally came up with enough change to get a sandwich out of the machine. When I pulled the handle, down came the package but when I tried to open the door it wouldn't move. Try as I might that damn door was stuck. Finally some young AF airman comes over and says "excuse me sir" and lifted the door and handed me the sandwich. It was molded!

Hey! Of course it was molded. You don't expect the locals to eat vending machine swill, do you. They have to wait until some dumb sh!t Navy aircrew come along and then have to show them how to operate the machine. Just kidding - I spent a few years in the Navy as an airdale dealing with Navy airplane drivers before I went over to "The Dark Side".

[BEAR]

Hey Bear, I was DRO at the Last Supper! Nick

And my son jokes about me serving in the Roman legions! So you were in the old black sandal army too?

[Nick Riviezzo]

Yeah,The first Huey[helicopter] I ever flew had dirt floors ,a linen covered tail boom, and wooden rotor blades! But, not to highjack the thread, the "C" rats came stone jars and leather pouches. Nick

[Michael Tompkins]

At Ray Barracks in Friedberg, FRG every Sunday they had a brunch at the Officer's Mess. It was all you could eat. I never missed going, except if I was in the field or on patrol. I loved that set-up! Mike

[John Sukey]

Oh well , I can't top any of your stories. but the best meals I ever had were at Cold Lake CAFB and at Halifax Nova Scotia You actualy had a choice of several different meals. Ft. George in Scotland was a bit different, First time I ever drew a cup of tea with the milk already in it! However the bangers and eggs for breakfast were great. Only one meal where I really couldn't identify what they were serving. And No, it wasn't haggis

[SMOKEY]

Dont remember good meals but I do remember being served canned hamburger, or so we were told, from WWII. Thing looked like hockey puck and was as hard. Could not eat it but we got one each meal for months, along with all the other gourment chow the Navy served

[phil441]

Yeah,The first Huey[helicopter] I ever flew had dirt floors ,a linen covered tail boom, and wooden rotor blades! But, not to highjack the thread, the "C" rats came stone jars and leather pouches. Nick

Nick, hope you saved one of those leather pouches. They're collectibles now.
And weren't the original sandals brown?
So now we've got you bracketed between the invention of dirt and linen?

Phil

[Michaelp]

Around 1990 at the SF convention at Ft Bragg, they took us to a mess hall for lunch.

It was like a big modern buffet type deal.

I could not believe the quantity and quality of the chow available.

I don't know why modern GIs weigh less than 300 nlbs eating like that.

During my service, 1966-1970, I never had a single messhall meal I considered palatable.
I shudder remembering it.
In basic, they caught the 1st sgt, Company Commander and mess sgt stealing and selling our chow downtown.
They disappeared. We got more , but not better food after that.

We had a chinese cook at a camp I was at in RVN that put out a good meal.

[Weasel]

I can't remember what you would call a good meal but NAAS Whitting Field in 1967-1969 was edible. NAS Lakehurst wasn't fit to slop the hogs with in 1967. I lost 35lbs in the 5 months while I was there. Cubi Point in 69 and 70, once in a great while would fix something edible. There problem there was they stuffed every thing with rice. I still hate rice. Those rabbits they sent us from El Centro was the pits. I guess no matter were you were it wasn't like mom's cooking.

[2flasargent]

Worst: Midrats on a destroyer Officer or enlisted - stale bread, sliced horsecoxx and bug juce. warmed over coffee.
Best: Invited to the Italian NCO club in Brendisi Italy - Linen, seafood pasta, light wine, and all about fifty cents.
Second Best:Invited to the Spanish Officer's Club - Barcelona, Spain. It had seen the officers of the Spanish Armada depart. Marble tile, personal orderly the entire time (I had enough Spanish to get by and didn"t need it) great meal with wine and cigars (Latter regretfully declined) in a magnificant game room. Them furriners know how to live!!
Given the opportunity i tried to meet my counterparts inport. Usually a very gratifying experneince.

[ballou's dad]

I remember one cold afternoon in late 1961 in the field at Ft. Riley. We were given creamed corn, roasted chicken, and milk. The corn and the milk froze before I found a place where I could stomp the snow flat to sit down and eat. Not the favorite memory of my military career.