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Source: US Navy. Dining In: A Tradition, How to Conduct a Dining In. (Montgomery AL: Maxwell Air Force Base, 1982), 3-7.
Origins
Since the beginning of organized society, there has been a military
establishment. Today, our sophisticated multi-service military
observes many customs, traditions, and procedures traceable to
the earliest of warriors. The dining-in as a military tradition
has its roots in the shadow of antiquity. The pre-Christ Roman
Legions probably began the dining-in tradition. Roman military
commanders frequently held great banquets to honor individuals
and units. These gatherings were victory celebrations during which
past feats were remembered and the booty of recent conquests was
paraded. The second century Viking War Lords stylized the format
of the victory feast. "These celebrations saw all clan members
present with the exception of the lookout, or watch. Feats of
strength and skill were performed to entertain the members and
guests. The leader took his place at the head of the board, with
all others to his right and left in descending order of rank."
From the northlands, the custom was transplanted to the British
Islands. In the sixth century, King Arthur and his Knights of
the Round Table surely practiced a form of dining-in. One author
suggests that in sixth century England the tradition spread to
the nonmilitary society. "Its roots are embedded in the old
monasteries where monks, who followed a most rigid regimen, had
their form of dining-in as an integral form of monastic life."
As educators, the clergy spread the custom to the academies and
universities. The British officer corps comprised of those graduated
from the centers of learning then carried the tradition to military
units. The dining-in became increasingly formalized after the
first officers' mess was established.
A British Tradition
Until 1776, America was a British colony. Accordingly, early American
customs and traditions were British in origin; the military was
no exception. British Army and Navy units deployed to the wilderness
of America, brought with them the social customs and traditions
of their services including the formal military dinner referred
to as guest night. The purpose of which was to gather "for
an evening of good food, drinking, fellowship, and honoring the
feats of individuals and organizations." In establishing
an independent nation, including social borrowed much of the military
structure of their adversary America's founders customs. The popularity
and growth of the tradition in the United States parallels its
popularity and growth in Great Britain and the Commonwealth nations.
Growth of the Dining-in Tradition
British Naval, land and air units are still active enthusiasts
of the dining-in. In fact, many units reportedly hold at least
one such function monthly. Some British messes still call the
occasion guest night while others refer to it as dining-in night
or band night. Regardless of what the present day custom may be
called, the ceremony and protocol which have evolved have remained
remarkably similar throughout the British armed forces. Today,
the British dining-in rules and customs are also closely observed
by the armed forces of the Commonwealth countries, particularly
Canada and Australia.
As previously mentioned, the United States dining-in tradition
was borrowed from the English by George Washington's continentals.
Despite the colonists aversion to anything suggesting Redcoat,
continental naval and army officers must have fully realized the
value of these occasions in the promotion of pride of service,
high morale, and loyalty. Over the past 200 years, the dining-in
tradition was relatively slow in becoming widely accepted by United
States military officers. Nevertheless, it is a popular tradition
today, though it goes by several names. Both the United States
Navy and Air Force call this social affair the dining-in. The
Marine Corps and the Coast Guard refer to it as mess night and
the Army calls it regimental dinner.
Roots of the United States Navy Tradition
Formal dinners in wardrooms afloat and messes are among the finest
traditions of military institutions. The history of the Navy and
Marine Corps is replete with examples of such occasions. The tradition
of formal dinners in the Navy and Marine Corps differs slightly.
The Corps' most notable early mess nights were held in Washington,
D.C., while the Navy functions were in wardrooms of ships anchored
in foreign ports. The Navy Department Historian, Gordon Bowen-Hassell,
suggests that due to the arduous nature and length of the cruises
during the 1800's, the crews virtually disbanded upon final arrival
in the United States. This, coupled with the fact that the officer
corps didn't socialize as we do today, helped confine the formal
dinners to the wardrooms of deployed vessels.
The practice of formal dining-ins in ships was usually reserved
for entertaining foreign officers and officials during port calls.
In 1820, while conducting joint operations with some British ships,
the officers of the USS Cyane had many exchanges of on-board
dinners with their British counterparts. Clearly, the British
introduced the formal ritualistic tradition of guest night to
American Naval officers during such occasions. In 1853, Commodore
Perry entertained dignitaries from the Lew Chew Islands aboard
his flagship, Susquehanna. The evening may not have been
the formal dining-in style we know today but full military courtesies
were rendered to the guests including Marine escorts and a three
gun salute. These famous dinner parties were enhanced by tie musical
talents of the Marine Corps band. Admiral "Fighting"
Bob Evans, in his autobiography, tells a story of a series of
formal dinners in 1867, with the British in Hong Kong. Again,
we can speculate that the ritualistic guest night procedure was
followed by the British and the United States Naval officers reciprocated
with an equally structured formal dinner.
In all instances of on-board entertaining, toasting with wine
was very much a part of the formal dinner. Dr. John T. Bonner
[Jr.] in an article ["Sober Reflections on a Mess Night,"]
for [US Naval Institute] Proceedings [vol. 99, no.11 (Nov.
1973): 51-55], states that "toasting, which forms an integral
part of mess nights, traces its antecedents back for probably
half a millennium." The loyal toast or the royal toast was
the British custom of drinking to the reigning monarch. Since
its inception in the days of Elizabeth II, the loyal toast has
always been drunk in British messes ashore and afloat. Americans
transposed King to President and, until 1914, when Navy Secretary
Josephus Daniels banned alcohol in United States Navy vessels,
U.S. Naval officers practiced loyal toasting both ashore and afloat.
The days of the wine mess in the wardroom abruptly ended and with
it the formal on-board dinners in the guest night tradition. The
center of Naval social life shifted from the wardroom to the officers'
club.
Since 1914, the dining-in tradition has been kept alive in officers
messes ashore. The Marine Corps has served as the keeper of custom
during the post-Daniels years. While not deployed in ships, the
United States Marine Corps officers kept the mess night tradition
alive. One author suggests that had the Marine Corps not had "foreign
service on land, the mess night, or formal dinner might have disappeared
for the Marines as well."
Despite attempts to keep it alive at sea, without wine the tradition
became dormant in the Navy. We, in the Naval service, can thank
the Marines for preserving the time-honored custom of dining-in.
As the Naval officers afloat were privileged to share guest night
functions with the British, the deployed Marine forces of this
century were entertained by the Royal Marines. These exchanges
of custom and tradition most certainly enhanced the traditional
Marine Corps mess night. In 1927, in Shanghai, Marines dined with
the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards, in 1930 with the Royal Ulster
Rifles, in 1946 with the Royal Marines in Portsmouth. As anyone
who has had the pleasure to serve with the British knows, they
are most anxious to entertain and are unquestion ably most hospitable
hosts. Today, the Marine Corps has a very structured British style
mess night. Fortunately, the Navy shares most of that Marine Corps
tradition.
Despite the obstacles of the twentieth century, the tradition
of dining-in has not died out. Veterans of old days remember and
revive the tradition at every opportunity. They recognize the
important role these occasions play in preserving the traditions
of Naval service.
The Evolution of Navy Dining-in Policies
One should not get the impression that Mr. Daniels destroyed the
social life of the Naval Officer Corps. In 1914 when he banned
alcohol in ships, the world was at war; social life onboard fighting
ships was not part of a wartime routine. After the Armistice of
1918, the United States went into a post-war disarmament program
followed by the great depression, and social activities took a
back seat to the task of survival in difficult times. The depression
was preempted by World War II and social activity for sea-going
men was limited to well-earned liberty. Korea followed before
the Navy got fully involved in post-war reorganization. Fifty
years of conflict and economic chaos coupled with the famous Secretary
of the Navy prohibition stunted the growth of the dining-in as
a Naval tradition.
Through semiofficial literature, the evolution of the mess night
can be traced even during its dormant years. In 1939, Vice Admiral
Lovette (then a Lieutenant Commander) published his third edition
of Naval Customs, Traditions and Usage, which included
as an appendix, Admiralty Fleet Order 202/27, a synopsis of the
British rules of toasting at official dinners when foreign officers
are present. The inclusion of this document in a United States
Navy guide is without explanation, implying that the Admiralty
rules in this area were also American Naval custom. Interestingly,
this appendix was not included in the first (1934) or second (1935)
editions of Admiral Lovette's work. Seemingly, the Navy, as well
as the country itself, was just beginning to feel socially well--a
feeling interrupted by the events of December 7, 1941.
Literary mention of the dining-in does not reappear until 1954.
That year, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Shepherd,
having been one of the Marine officers hosted by the Royal Marines
at Portsmouth, urged Colonel Heinl to include a section on mess
night in his book, The Marine Officers Guide. According
to Major Bartlett's "Reflections on a New Tradition, The
Marine Corps Mess Night," "the first mess night in the
form we recognize today was held at Marine barracks, 'Eighth and
Eye' in late summer of 1954." During the following year,
a series of Marine Corps mess nights were held in Washington and
Quantico. In 1956, Colonel Heinl's Marine Officers Guide
was published. Section 2403 of that Naval Institute publication
devotes five full pages to mess night procedures. Taking a cue
from the Marines, Admiral Lovette revised his fourth edition (1959)
of Naval Customs and Traditions by including a new appendix
D. Again, the Admiral relied on the British tradition, noting
that Navies of the Commonwealth "maintain consistently the
highest formal officer mess standards of the maritime countries."
His appendix entitled "Dining in the Royal Canadian Naval
Mess," cites specific rules of the mess while discussing
the proper grace to be said and protocol for toasting. If we combine
the Marine Corps evolved tradition as described by Colonel Heinl
with the Anglicized formal procedures presented by Admiral Lovette,
we have what emerged in the bicentennial years as the dining-in.
In November of 1964, the Chief of Naval Operations Naval History
Division prepared an article on the mess night for the BUPERS
Mess Newsletter. The article was aimed at Commissioned Officers
Mess Managers and provided a synopsis of the Navy dining-in. This
was the first official mention of the event. A renaissance of
the dining-in can be linked to the 200th birthday of both the
country and the Navy. During the bicentennial, officials were
reviving virtually every traditional event to celebrate the occasion.
The Chief of Naval Information (CHINFO) prepared a pamphlet entitled
"How to Conduct a Dining-In." The guide was published
as an article in the March 1975 issue of U.S. Navy Medicine.
This is a most important document because it describes the basic
format of the Navy dining-in.
Unlike the other services, the Navy has no official regulation
concerning the dining-in. There is no mention of it in the Social
Usage and Protocol Handbook (OPNAV 092-P1), no mention in
BUPERS Manual, and not even a passing reference in The Naval
Officers Guide. Vice Admiral Lovette is the only Naval officer
to address the subject and even his approach is not direct. The
BUPERS Mess article in 1964, and the U.S. Navy Medicine article
of 1975 are the only official documents that address the dining-in.
Through the encouragement of General Shepherd, the Marines revitalized
the tradition in the Corps and today, mess nights are an integral
part of their Junior Officer Training. At The Basic School in
Quantico, every Marine officer attends and appreciates the custom
and traditions of mess night. Naval officers tasked with planning
formal dining-ins cannot, unfortunately, reference one instruction
for guidance.
14 October 1999
