Odd military dining experiences

[Mk VII]

Most disgusting thing was canned pilchards in tomato sauce. I could not eat those things, even when there was nothing else. On one exercise I lived on ration chocolate and nothing else for about two weeks, taking a dump eventually after it ended was an adventure ...
One time a bunch of us got back from a course to the coy out in the brush, and found everybody else had got Montezuma's Revenge from the coy cooking, and we had to have some shots before we were allowed back in. Some people had had it worse than others, even to the point of being excused duty.

[blackhawknj]

On another board a veteran said he was stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska in 1965, he said at Thanksgiving the officers and NCOs were allowed to bring their families to the mess hall, the EM got what was left.
One time I helped the baker prepare the rolls and desserts for Thanksgiving. I had no food handlers certificate, had never been to Cooks and Bakers School, someone mentioned I liked to bake. The Sergeant Major asked me to help, I said sure, why not ? Everyone enjoyed what I made, nobody got sick...

[Sunray]

Always thought only the Army could screw up an egg. Then I had a heart attack and quad by-pass. Ate what I was told was egg's in the ICU. Eggs generally don't have granules of I don't know what. Even the crappy Army scrambled eggs didn't have that. Food in the ward was worse though. Worst of it was that I had been working at the food distributor who supplied it. I had handled all of it. Still have nightmares.
And the Senior NCO's mess always has the best food.

[Allen]

Always thought only the Army could screw up an egg. Then I had a heart attack and quad by-pass. Ate what I was told was egg's in the ICU. Eggs generally don't have granules of I don't know what. Even the crappy Army scrambled eggs didn't have that. Food in the ward was worse though.

Powdered eggs perhaps?

[Fred Pillot]

A guy in our gun club served on a destroyer in the 70's. They were served bad milk one time. Everyone spent the day standing in line for the toilet. You sit down, go, pull your pants up and then go to the back of the line again.

[Vern Humphrey]

Thanksgiving, 1966. My new wife (and Army nurse) sent me a small canned ham. I cooked it over first aid bandages soaked in insect repellent.

[S.A. Boggs]

Thanksgiving, 1966. My new wife (and Army nurse) sent me a small canned ham. I cooked it over first aid bandages soaked in insect repellent.

Run out of P.E.?
Sam

[coastie]

Coast Guard Station Port OConner finally got the word to evacuate as the hurricane approached the Texas Gulf Coast.
Little preparation, just grabbed stuff, loaded station vehicles, boats and personal vehicles, buttoned up the station
and headed up the barge canal to the Dow docks outside of Victoria. When not minding the three boats, slept on a
school's gym floor. Used our own supplies.
TO THIS DAY, CANNOT STAND VIENNA SAUSAGES !
1967.

[CJCulpeper]

When I joined up with the USAF in 76 every thing was chow runner and chow hall and eating chow or food or grub. Some time between then and my one year Alaska vacation in 90/91 at King Salmon the Air Force got all snooty and high falootin'. I must have missed that memo because a chuckle headed TSgt jumped my backside when I told him I liked how well the chow hall was looking. It was a "Dining Facility!" said he. He was very adjitated to say the least to the point of veins popping in his neck. Oh well pardon me all to hell. Always said Chow Hall after that. Still do.

This same chuckle head had a survey a couple of months later. One of the questions asked what personnel on the station did not want to see on the menu. I wrote, in my chicken scratch, basically don't cook anything that every one says tastes like crap. Holy crapski! This guy somehow had the brain cells to figure out it was me. He banned me from the DFac and we had an appointment to see the Major. The Deputy Commander was a smart and good officer and if he made General the USAF would be a better place. So I had to explain to the Major that he had asked a question and he misread the answer. He said Thank and your dismissed. Didn't matter to me too much. Being banned would have gotten me Seperate Rats. The end result was TSgt Chucklehead was not to: 1. have unapproved surveys. 2. show his personnel survey replies. 3. Not allowed to make the threat of banning personnel. He was to suck it up when the Staff Sgt told him it was a chow hall.

I was not banned from the chow hall. dang. The one thing I didn't get to do was catch him on a dark alaska night and brain him with a 2x4. But hey. There's always tomorrow.

The whole episode was too surreal at the time.

[PWC]

Assignment to Shemya 83 - 84, next to last island in the Aleutian Chain (It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from there). Best way to kill an unaccompanied 16 mo is to work it to death. Twelve hrs at work, play raquet ball another 4, then....midnight chow. Best meal of the day; bare 3 egg omlet to 3 egg "everything on the board", bacon and / or sausage, biscuts or toast and SOS (almost as good as the army makes), fried potatos (they knew how to make them crispy), whatever fruit wss available, coffee, milk, juice, soda. Morale was hi.

Remember, the front gate of Shemya was 1400 miles away at Anchorage; everything had to be flown in except once a year heavy equipment type stuff was barged in.