Dining in facts for kids

Mess Night at Camp Lejeune

Dining in at Fort Dix, New Jersey

Dining in is a special formal dinner for people in the military. It's a way for members of a company or other military group to get together. The main goal is to build strong friendships and a sense of team spirit.

In the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Air Force, this event is called a dining in or dining-in. The United States Marine Corps calls it a mess night. You might also hear it called a regimental dinner, guest night, or formal mess dinner.

A dining in event is usually for all members of a military unit. Sometimes, certain mess nights are only for officers or only for enlisted members. The unit's chaplain (a religious leader) is often invited to give a prayer. Only members of the unit attend a dining in, except for special guests of honor.

There's also a dining-out, which is a similar formal dinner. The big difference is that a dining-out includes spouses and other guests who are not in the military. It follows many of the same rules as a dining-in, but it's often made a bit less formal so that civilian guests feel more comfortable.

Except for the annual celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday, no social function associated with the smaller of America's naval services is more enjoyed, admired and imitated than the mess night.

—LtCol Merrill L., USMC (Ret.)

History of Military Dinners

The idea of formal military dinners probably started in England in the 1500s. Back then, monasteries and universities held similar formal meals. Some records even suggest that ancient armies, like the Roman Legions, had formal dinners. The Vikings also held special ceremonies to celebrate battles and heroes.

In the 1700s, the British Army made formal dining a regular part of their regiments. They even created official rules for these dinners, known as the "Queen's Regulations". This made the mess night a strong tradition in all British regiments.

Americans adopted many traditions from the British military. They held mess nights in the 1700s and 1800s. However, this tradition became less common after the American Civil War.

During World War II, the custom was brought back in the U.S. military. This happened especially in the US Army Air Forces, which was based in Britain. American officers were invited to British mess nights and then had to host their own in return.

British Traditions

Formal Events

In the British military, a formal function is an event that all mess members might be required to attend. Service personnel are on official duty during these events.

Officers' messes usually have 12 formal functions each year. These often include two seasonal balls and ten other events like mess dinners. Warrant Officers' and Senior Rates'/Sergeants' messes typically have six formal functions per year. These usually include two seasonal balls and four other events.

Loyal Toast

A very important part of a British military dinner is the Loyal Toast. This is a toast to the King or Queen. Before the toast, special port bottles are placed on the table. The President and Vice President of the mess remove the stoppers at the same time. Then, the bottles are passed around the table, usually to the left. If someone doesn't want port, they can have water instead.

After everyone has their drink, the President asks the Vice President to propose the Loyal Toast. It's interesting to note that while the Army and Royal Air Force stand for the Loyal Toast, the Royal Navy remains seated. When passing the port, Royal Navy Senior Rates traditionally keep the bottle on the table. They might tip it to fill a glass held below the table's edge before sliding it to the next person. In the Royal Air Force, the port is passed hand-to-hand without touching the table. The Army's tradition depends on the specific regiment.

Royal Navy and Royal Marines

Royal Navy officers have a special privilege: they can remain seated when toasting the King or Queen. Some say this tradition started with King William IV. A popular story tells that King Charles II once bumped his head on a low ceiling on his ship, Royal Charles, when he stood up for a toast. He then said that naval officers would never have to stand for a toast to the British ruler again. In 1964, Queen Elizabeth II gave this same privilege to the Royal Marines to celebrate their 300th anniversary.

The custom of "dining in" to welcome new officers and "dining out" to say goodbye to retiring officers also started with the British. While some countries, like the United States, have stopped this specific practice, it is still done by the Royal Navy.

Toasts at Sea

For ships at sea, there are traditional toasts for each day of the week after dinner. Here are a few examples:

• Sunday: ‘Absent friends’ or ‘Absent friends and those at sea’
• Monday: ‘Our ship at sea’ or ‘Our native land’
• Wednesday: ‘Ourselves’ (meaning, "since no one else cares about us")
• Friday: ‘A willing foe and sea room’ (meaning, "a good enemy and plenty of space to fight them")
• Saturday: ‘Our families’

Trafalgar Night

Trafalgar Night is a special mess dinner that celebrates the famous Battle of Trafalgar. The routine for this dinner is a bit different. Before the main course, a large piece of beef (called a Baron of Beef) is paraded around the table behind a drummer. Similarly, before dessert, models of the "Ships of the Line" (the main warships from the battle) are paraded around the table. The toasts on Trafalgar Night are:

1. Her Majesty the Queen.
2. The immortal memory of Admiral/Lord Nelson and his comrades.
3. Our distinguished guests (if there are any).

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force (RAF) got many of its mess traditions from the British Army. This is because the RAF's main earlier group, the Royal Flying Corps, was part of the Army. These customs were then passed on to the US Army Air Forces during World War II. This happened as British and American aircrews worked closely together.

US Traditions

A "dining in" event in the US military can have both serious and funny parts. Knowing what is appropriate at different times is important.

The dining in follows a set of rules. It usually starts with a short cocktail hour (about 30 to 45 minutes). Then, the officer in charge, called the "President of the Mess," announces, "Please be seated." Everyone then moves to the dining area and sits down.

After a special tasting of the meat (usually beef), the President declares it "tasty and fit for human consumption." Then, the meal is served to everyone. After dessert, the President invites the chief steward to bring out wine or punch for toasts. The toasting then begins. After the toasts, people can "fine" others for breaking rules. The President and the guest of honor can also give speeches. After this, the event often returns to a more relaxed cocktail hour before ending with final honors.

Formal Toasts

U.S. Navy Mess Night Invitation, 1986

Formal toasts are a very important part of a dining in. A junior officer, called "Mr/Madam Vice," first proposes a toast to the guests. The guests remain seated for this toast. After that, different people will offer toasts. These include toasts to the Commander in Chief (the President of the United States), to the leaders of other countries if they are visiting, to their branch of service, to their specific military units, and to military members who have died.

In the United States, the President is both the head of state and the Commander-in-Chief of the military.

The last and most serious toast is always to fallen comrades. This means military members who have died, been captured, or are missing in action. Often, a special table setting is dedicated to them as a tribute.

Some unusual ways of toasting are common in the U.S. and Canadian military. For example, in the Toronto Scottish Regiment, a special toast to the regiment's Colonel-in-Chief (who is currently the Prince of Wales) is done while standing with one foot on the chair and one foot on the dining table. They face a portrait of the Colonel-in-Chief and drink after a bagpiper plays. Other Scottish regiments also do toasts this way. This is also a common way of toasting in the United States Marine Corps.

Breaking the Rules and Other Traditions

If someone breaks the formal rules of a dining in, they are "punished." These punishments are usually lighthearted and involve "fines." Here are some examples of things that might be considered "Violations of the Mess":

• Arriving late to the event.
• Smoking at the table before it's allowed.
• Arguing about who has been in the military longer.
• Wearing the uniform incorrectly.
• Making loud or rude comments in a foreign language.
• Using bad language.
• Talking about forbidden topics like politics, religion, or women.
• Not following the correct toasting procedure.
• Leaving the dining room without asking the President of the Mess for permission.
• Drawing a sword unless it's part of a ceremony.

At some mess nights, people who break the rules might have to publicly drink from a special "grog bowl" in front of everyone. Grog is usually a mixed drink, often not very tasty, as part of the fun punishment.

Besides visiting the grog bowl or paying fines, rule-breakers might be told to sing songs, tell jokes, do push-ups, or perform small tasks to entertain the group. Often, when someone is caught breaking a rule, they get a chance to explain themselves. However, this rarely gets them out of the punishment and usually just leads to more fun consequences!

Most mess nights include military music and marches. Sometimes there are live bands, or recorded music is played. Depending on how formal the ceremony is, the diners might even be required to march to their seats.

Recently, Marines have created a different kind of mess night for "field environments." Instead of formal uniforms, they wear their camouflage uniforms and combat gear (even facepaint). They use canteen cups and eat in tents. However, they still keep the formal feel of the ceremony.