I have almost completed two full weeks in AL and two full weeks back with my man! Like I posted last week it was a bit slow for me. I pretty much did some job searching and waited in a line for my military ID for three days.
My favorite part of the week was the dinning out! Later in the afternoon on Thursday I hung out with two other wives I had met while we chatted and started to get ready for the dinner... you know I (don't) like to primp! We went to the dinner and it was another military function with rules and unique traditions that are so fun to learn. The service members refer to these dinners as The Mess. Technically a mess is a place where military personnel socialize, eat and live.
I believe there are twenty rules of the mess and they are posted for all to read. Some of the rules are, to great as many people as you can before the dinner starts, to tap your spoon on the table instead of clapping and one of the hardest, you may not us the lavatory unless the mess is dismissed!
The schedule of a dinning out (well the ONE I've attended) was mingling beforehand in the foyer, finding your seat and toasting certain special people such as the President of the US or the Queen of Australia. There is always a head table where the President of the mess sits and has a gravel and basically directs the dinner.
Once toasting is over the grog opens up. The grog is a mix of many different liquids.... placed in a toilet. Any person may stand and of course be called on by the President of the Mess and has to say a rhyme to call another service member to drink from the grog. This was very entertaining and we laughed a lot! Once the President has called the service member to the grog he/she must drink from the grog in front of everyone by toasting the mess by saying, "To the Mess!" and we would reply "Oh what a Mess!" Then they proceed to drink up and then hold the glass upside down and turn and salute the President.
One of David's buddies called him to the mess with this lovely rhyme.
Mr. President, Sir ... If I may interject.
And I mean this sincerely ... With all due respect.
I have a comment on offer ship ... About courage and conviction
And about why these two traits ... are to one of us here.. merely fiction.
You see....
There's among us a young JAGette ... whose shown absolutely no shame
In accepting... without protest ... the constant butchering... of his name.
It is to this individual ... this mouse among men
Whom I now introduce ... as one... David Blomgren.
There was General Lorenz, to begin with ... who though obviously quite keen
misread poor David's nameplate ... as one David Blumgreen.
To this David just smiled ... a nervous... sheepish grin
Letting the General repeat his error ... over... and over... and over.. and over again.
Next up was the DJAG ... who said the following.. without pardon
"Let's see your name is ... Oh, it's Daniel Bloom-garden!"
But the General caught his mistake ... saying, "Sorry, your name's harder than mine"
To which again David simply smiled, and said ... "No worries, sir, Bloom-Garden's just fine!"
Now in the grand scheme of things ... all this may seem no big deal
But Dave's actions were cowardly ... and our embarrassment quite real
We are proud, courageous airmen ... our color's Blue, it's not yellow
David doesn't fit in this mold ... his spine's made of jello.
And so it is. Mr. President ... that I ask you, as Top Dog
To make this "Whatever His Name Is" ... sip from that big... beautiful Grog.
As you can imagine we had a blast! I will post pictures some day, when we can hook up our camera once we are in CO. Can't wait to share that with you!
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