DO You Remember Your First Meal In The Marines Corps Mess HAll

[watson54]

Do You Remember Your First Meal in The Marine Corps Mess Hall
We were in receiving barracks when they marched us to chow and it was
pitch black. Mine was scrambled eggs and bacon with toast, coffee, milk. Had about two minutes to chow down. To this day I still think The Marine Corps served GOOD CHOW. OUR platoon commander would always say
everybody will be outside when I get outside and in platoon formation at the postion of attention. Semper Fi

[GT6238]

Almost identical to mine, except they had us lined up outside toes to heels....not a good start...

[R Landry]

Late at night in the receiving barracks, some sort of chili-mac with little square pieces of fried potatoes. I don't remember the sides. But I do remember those little square pieces of potato scattered across the squad bay when someone threw up this tasty fare.

[radio relay]

It was breakfast ... and all I remember is that I couldn't eat any of it for fear of puking it back up. Particularly that stale toast cover with lumpy white gravy.

A few weeks later "sh!t on a shingle" was a breakfast that rivalled ambrosia of the Gods...

[DrZ]

The only thing I remember about my first meal in the chow hall was the milk was ice cold...and I remember regretting drinking that big glass because the DI had us in the dirt right after it. UGH!!! lol

[lastcigar]

H*ll,
that was 45 years ago. I can't even remember what I had for lunch today.

[Supersquishy]

Yup, scrambled eggs, french toast and bacon. I was almost too tired to eat, I remember seeing the huge black and white mural on the wall of the chow hall with a bunch of Marines in dress blues and President Kennedy inspecting them. I was awake f0r over 24 hours, coming from AK with no sleep from excitement and the time change. Talk about jet lag.

[doc h fmf]

It Was Sort Of A Shock From The Navy Side But After A While I Got Use To It. I Check In Camp Johnson Fmss On Friday Afternoon And Had My First Marine Corp Chow Monday Morning> Scrambled Eggs Sos Which Was Very Good In My Opinion

Semper Fi

Stephen Doc Hansen Hm3 Fmf

[Mongoose]

I cant remember the food but it was breakfast. I remember the D.I. telling us to drink the coffee to keep from getting constipated. S/F

[micarr57]

i didn't remember eating for the first week went from receiving to training was not in a forming plt but a day or so
but i do remember it was all good chow

[sparkie]

No,,,,,, and I didn't crap for 2 weeks.

[RLE0352]

Not really, but I sure remember my second meal.

Mess duty, receiving barracks, CCP, PCP, CasCo and everybody else that wasn't counting training days was in the chow hall before the other platoons started marching in.

As our platoon was sitting down, a recruit in mess-duty whites was chewing food while walking to refill his drink. (I'd been there less than 24 hours and even I knew that was wrong.) I heard the voice of god from across the chow hall "Sit down with food in your mouth! Have you lost your mind?"

Instead of sitting down, the recruit dropped the plastic cup and his eyes rolled back in his head. He started to fall and before he hit the floor our Drill Instructor started in the recruit's direction. He ordered everyone to "get up, make a hole."

A rather large, okay huge, Sergeant supervising the Corrective Custody Platoon (with a .45 on his belt) ordered everyone to remain seated.

Drill Instructor: "Get outta the way!"

CCP: "Sit down!"

They both got louder each time they spoke.

The Drill Instructor checked the recruit for breathing, tried to open his airway, tried to breathe again and finally punched him in the sternum. "Dammit Private, I said breathe!"

The recruit spit up a piece of something and started coughing.

I don't think anybody ate the first bite. Our trays were in the scullery and the platoon was out the back hatch before the ambulance arrived.

I never saw the choking recruit again, but I heard scuttlebutt that Drill Instructor Sergeant Santiago got a medal for saving his life.

[D Hoffner]

I remember that first Breakfast in the Corps as if it was yesterday, even though it was over 50 years ago. We were rousted out of the Receiving Barracks at what seemed like 0300 Hrs. In reality it was probably around 0500. We were 'marched' to the Mess Hall in a heard of shuffling zombies, all terrified and suffering from shock. The Mess Hall appeared in the distance in clouds of steam. The noises were incredible. There was a strange and ominous screaming sound caused by the steam pipes in the wash racks at the exit of the Mess Hall, blended with the sound of metal trays banging against wash racks, and garbage cans banging against dumpsters. The chow line brought us to a flat top grill where eggs were being 'cooked to order' (yeah sure!). The eggs were cracked over the grill, landed on the grill for 5 seconds, were flipped, cooked for 5 more seconds, and were then shoveled onto your tray. Boots manning the chow line, that had been in the Corps 6 weeks longer than us, and thought they were now 'old salts', could see we were right out of Receiving because of our yellow sweat shirts, shoveled more food items onto the tray. they piled everything on the center of the tray, on top of the eggs; Oat meal, Spuds, Fruit Cocktail, you name it, all went together. We were given less than 10 minutes to eat any meal, and I remember our Senior Drill Instructor telling us we would probably wolf our food down for the rest of our lives, simply because of the way we were required to eat while in Boot Camp. For me, he was right, and from time to time over the years, I have often had to tell myself to slow down while eating.

[Quinbo]

I remember standing in a tight line with a silver tray and every stop you had to say eggs private, or hash private, or whatever that is private. The eggs they fished around in what looked like a giant bowl of soup with a slotted spoon and came up with what vaguely resembled scrambled eggs. Then for your drink you got sprite or orange juice and you had to walk with your hand on top of your cup.

Months later a crusty Sergeant told us the reason why Marines get put on mess duty on ship, is because they don't make you walk with your hand on your cup and every swinging dick grabs two glasses every freakin time. If you lazy bastards would just take another trip to the soda fountain you'll never get put on mess duty. I believed that for a minute LOL.

[Garyius]

Late at night in the receiving barracks, some sort of chili-mac with little square pieces of fried potatoes. I don't remember the sides. But I do remember those little square pieces of potato scattered across the squad bay when someone threw up this tasty fare.

No kidding. I went in 87, and we got some issue that night, and did stupid paperwork the rest of the night, and "marched" to the chow hall for breakfast when it got light out. In a sweatshirt, cammie bottoms, tennies, and a canteen and knowledge stuffed in our pockets.

We never ate in the barracks all of boot camp.