Odd military dining experiences

[Ken The Kanuck]

Not having been in the military I am not too sure if my contribution counts, but it does have to do with the US navy. I was working in Bander Abbas in Iran in the 70's and the Shah had bought a bunch of ships from the US navy. I was helping to run a construction camp for the workers on those ships who ex-navy guys. One day a US ship came into port and naturally a bunch of the guys knew one another. Some of the sailors came to the mess hall for dinner, as I was running the canteen I struck up a conversation with a couple of them. It turned out that for some reason the ship's mess did not have a particular item (I think it might of been pineapples, but to be honest with you I cannot remember). It turned out that we had lots of what they were missing, but our beer supplies were low. The ship had more beer than they needed so we struck a deal, a very good for us. We were traded beer for the missing item at a rate of about 5 to 1.

Everyone was happy, my guys got some beer and the ship's crew got what they were missing as what we had was considered to be gold and we got a great deal.

Just goes to show you whenever the government is involved they will fook it up.

KTK

[Garden Valley]

Wierdest I ever saw was at the BX at Bien Hoa in 1969.
By then that place was like a little city-they had a modern air conditioned movie theater and a nice shopping center with a decent restraunt/snackbar.
Our rear area compound bordered it and we had free run of the place.
I was buying a bunch of stuff for the guys back on the team when a deuce and a half full of army guys in from the field pulled up.
They headed for the snack bar for chow and BX stuff.

A punk ass AP and backup appeared and told them they were not allowed in because of their appearance.
He said they had to go to their own unit which was miles away.

I was beside myself in disbelief. They loaded up and left. I still think about that shameful day.
I bet none of them ever forgot, either.
It wasn't just the "hippies."

Summer of 1968 I was sent down to Da Nang to the NSA optical shop and with a bit of spare time afterwards I took the shuttle bus to the big Air Force PX in Da Nang. When I started to go in a "punk ass AP' stopped me and told me that Marines were not allowed in the PX. I've not had a good thought about the Air Force since then.

[Clark Howard]

We were having burgers in the DOOM, and wieners and loaf bread in the mess hall at Danang. After months of this diet, I persuaded several members of the ops crew to slip through the wire to the Fleet Air Support Unit's mess hall. Since we were wearing Marine flight suits, (AF Nomex was still months away), we were allowed to enter the line for a meal. The white-coated server asked, "Steak, or lobster, sir". I took the steak, but the guy behind me asked for "both", and got it with a smile. The Navy soon figured us out, and if they could catch us before we made it to the mess, they jeeped us back to our unit operations. Look at Google Earth, the whole area is now restricted for Agent Orange contamination. Bon Apetit! Regards, Clark

[Major Tom]

As OOD, I had to inspect the mess hall when they closed up for the night. I'd walk in with the 1st cook, turn on the lights and the floor would always be a moving black mass of cockroaches. 8-(
On the other hand, when in 'Nam, Special Forces officers would show up at the back door to our mess hall wanting rations for their camp. We always had a surplus of beef especially steaks. The SF guys would trade captured weapons for steaks. Gun running was very profitable when selling those weapons to GI Joe.

[RCK]

Back in 1967 Army Reserve Summer Camp was two weeks camped in the "woods" at Camp Pickett Va. As a Construction Engineer Bn., we were building roads and small Bridges under tactical conditions on the Post. Late in the second week the Mess Sgt. and two cooks disappeared in the afternoon. That evening meal we had Chocolate Cake with chocolate icing for desert. They had gone back to the base mess hall and baked five large sheet cakes. Seconds for everyone. Made up a bit for the heat, dirt, chiggers and pup tents.

[Varmintpopper]

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Try these, but be very hungry !

[jlutin]

Lajes AFB, Azores 1970 36TAS C-130E's stopped there both ways on rotations to and from Mildenhall and Rhein Main. You could be sitting in the OOM having breakfast and the guys at the next table flying in from the opposite direction would be having dinner. The specialty was snails. One time I was served garlic butter for my breakfast pancakes.

[fjruple]

Mess Sgt. "get in, get it, sit down, eat it, get out". No idle chit chat there! Oh, and there better not be anything edible left on the tray when you turned it in to the KP.

Tom-- Better yet. "Inhale your food and chew on the way out! Ft. Dix Basic Training - 1975

[alibi]

There are several military dining events that I recall in detail. Three that occurred in the dining facility in the post confinement facility at Fort Ord. I was a Correctional Specialist assigned to the facility from November 1970 to January 1972.

On one occasion a group of Correctional Specialists (guards) were seated in a group eating when some prisoners entered and filled in the rest of the table. One prisoner took exception to the guard seated across from him and stabbed him in the neck with a fork. Fork didn't go in very deep and little damage was done to the guard's neck.

Prisoners were used as KPs in the mess area and on another occasion one of the guards found a band-aid folded up inside a meatball, obviously put there by a prisoner, but I still wonder if the meat ball was intended for a guard.

For Thanksgiving day 1971 I was assigned to work segregated quarters, these were the prisoners that for whatever reason couldn't be in general population. Usually these prisoners (usually 5 or 6) were fed in their cells, but it was decided to let them eat in the dining facility, ahead of the rest of the population. We seated them at the table closest to the door to SQ and they had the usual nuts and candies along with their meal. Everything was going fine when a general in dress blues entered the dining hall, went to the only prisoners in the place and asked if they were getting enough to eat. The general continued on his way which I took to be a traditional command visit. Years later I discovered that the CG of Ft. Ord at that time was Maj. Gen. Harold Moore, of "We Were Soldiers" fame, and I am certain he was the general that came into the dining facility that day.

I was commissioned in the National Guard in 1974 and picked up some extra duty at Ft. Irwin doing annual training site support. One morning I went to the designated mess hall that was being run by a mess team from another state National Guard. The mess sergeant kept going up and down the line sort of pushing people into line, because a general officer from his state was scheduled to visit. I finally got tired of being pushed and told him to keep his hands off of me. The next day he refused to let me into the facility and had a major standing by to enforce his refusal. I discussed the matter with the major, told him that I understood the mess sergeant's anxiety over the visit of the general and if he wanted the line to move in a military manner he should have conducted it that way, not pushing people into line. The major agreed to let me into the mess facility. I was scheduled to conduct an inventory of the range control vehicles and needed to get there before they were on the road for the day so did not pursue entering the facility. By the time this was discussed I didn't have time to eat. I'm not sure how this incident got around but I understand the Command Sergeant Major of Ft. Irwin got involved. The next day when I went to the mess facility I was admitted but it was obvious not welcomed, and I was served what can only be described as a short ration, by servers that were obviously uncomfortable with their instructions. I saw no point in making any more waves there and avoided that mess facility after that.

[Merc]

Great USN cooked meals aboard the carriers Enterprise, Saratoga and Shangri-La in the early 1960s. No complaints other than the long lines for the enlisted men. Meals at NavCommSta in Morocco were mostly good with an occasional surprise. We quickly learned not to eat the dinner rolls. Those dark round things in the bread weren't raisens. They were flour beetles. I guess the Navy thought a little extra protein never hurt anyone.

The local Moroccans that worked in the galley washing dishes liked to take home all the leftovers, especially butter patties. We made sure to clean our plates of every last bit of food (except the dinner rolls) and put out our cigarette butts in the butter. Then the loud cursing in Arabic could be heard throughout the mess hall and out into the street.

[blackhawknj]

I often found C-rations preferable to "hot" meals, especially in the field. No arguing over portions, no surly cook dishing out mystery meat, no wondering how to clean your mess kit. One veteran told me they were at a range in Germany, an overnighter. Dinner arrived, some dummy had grabbed a mermite of potatoes instead of the meat dish. Biggest problem with C-rations-aside from Ham and Lima beans, which I liked-was stupid commanders always trying to "toughen up" their troops by putting them on short rations, and thieves.

[PWC]

C ration ham & eggs, beanie weenies..... beefsteak and pork was OK after you got the grease out. Boned chicken and Turkey, and tuna all tasted the same. Pound cake; open the lid but don't cut it off, add cream pack, some cocoa powder little water put it on the exhaust manifold of your MRC-107 or 108 jeep to cook. Made a pretty good cake. Ranger cookies; 4 to a can; must have been what used to be called hardtack.

LURPS came along and I don't think there was a bad meal; only problem was they required hot water, which wasn't always available, or you were not allowed to lite the C3 or C4. (C3 turned fingers yellow) Chili Con Carne was the best.

Now the troops have what sounds like really good chow that even heats itself. Best surprise of all is now you don't have to write home for that wonderful taste enhancer-taste killer....Tobasco is included in little one-time-use bottles.

[2flasargent]

Uss Ohare, Off Nam. Someone somewhere thought an ethnic night was a great idea so Chitlins were on the menu. The entire ship smelled for a week, and not a person of any persuasion was able to eat a bite.

[Former Cav]

I don't know if it was the "hot chow" the choppers flew in or the C rats or just poor hygiene. I was in the 3/4 Cav, 25th Inf div. And we were running a resupply convoy through downtown Tay Ninh.
I was squatting on the sponson (tool) box on the fender on my M48A3 tank with my fatigues down by my ankles defecating into the wind while we were breezed through downtown about 35 MPH.
I'll never forget the look on that Vietnamese guys face when he saw me.
I was sicker then a dog. ended up being medevaced to a hospital at Cu Chi and had about 4 days of IV's. They called it gastroenteritis. I had that same problem for many years after I got out of the army.
Maybe it was the malaria pill, who knows?

[JohnPeeff]

Former Cav, Where you in 3/4Feb 68?