Sgt Grit,
Recent comments regarding mess halls and food brought back related memories.
My first day as a "Junior PLC" officer candidate at old Camp Upshur aboard MCB Quantico, in July of '63, we have just exited the vehicle (a cattle car) and are in formation in front the messhall. In charge, is a very tall, very stern, very loud gunnery sergeant (our platoon staff has not taken over, yet).
He speaks: "It is now time for chow. This is a knife [I have seen many of those utensils before], this a fork [used that often, maybe too often], and this is a spoon. It is a big spoon. The Marine Corps ain't got no little spoons [not in the budge?]. When you go through the line, you will take what you want, but you will eat what you take. Marines do not eat to enjoy a meal, they eat to feed their skuzzy bodies. You will eat your meal and get back out here in formation in fifteen minutes."
[Note: the mess hall was a large "tin" building with ceiling fans far above the tables–no air conditioning. I have attached a photo of a portion of Camp Upshur found on some internet site–can't remember where. It doesn't show the mess hall, which was in the area of the parking lot in the lower right-hand corner, but that building was similar to, although larger than, the class rooms in the upper right-hand side of the photo. My squadbay was just out of the picture in the upper left-hand corner. Our "grinder" was that open area above the Quanset huts in the upper left.]
On some days during our stay, the temperature/humidity level reached "black flag" conditions–no physical activities. On one day early in our stay there, sweat was running freely down faces. I looked at the sweet roll that I had chosen, and my stomach rebelled against accepting it. As I attempted to deposit it in the proper receptical, I heard, "You will eat that, Candidate! You may gag; you may puke; but you WILL eat that!" Somehow I managed.
I can agree that the food in the Marine mess halls where I ate was always better than what I found aboard Fort Sill–my only experience with Army food. While serving with the Reserves for six years, aboard NAS Corpus Christi (C & D Cos., 4th Recon Bn, combined and re-designated as "C" Co.,1/23 in 1972), after my three years active service, I ate at the BOQ. On one visit there, I found that someone had "modified" a Marine recruiting poster: it had the word "men" crossed out, and now proclaimed: "The Marine Corps builds–robots." Prompted by jealosy, I guess.
Once a captain, USMCR; always a Marine
Tom Downey
July '63-July'76 "for pay purposes"
Vietnam: 4Dec66-18Dec67 [11th Marines: "I" 3/11, for about 8 months (FO for "L" 3/7 for 5½ months, then FDO) and HQ Btry, 3rd 8-Inch Howitzers for 4½ months (FDO/MTO)]