Marines have extremely strict clothing regulations, both in and out of uniform—leaving some to criticize our seemingly relentless dedication to even the smallest of orders and regulations. To those of us in the Corps, however, that relentless dedication to orders is a serious point of pride. Which brings us back to the crayon thing. The joke played well in a room full of veterans, service members, and defense media types — and as the tray made its way up to us, I made a command decision.
I stood up and waved to our audience, politely picked up a red crayon from the tray, and I ate the damn thing. The decision prompted cheers from the crowd and the nod of approval from the other guys I spotted in the audience with the tell-tale high and tight hair cut.
Our jokes, as always, should come from a place of mutual respect and camaraderie. Save the spicy ones for the squad bay. Alex Hollings is a writer, dad, and Marine veteran who specializes in foreign policy and defense technology analysis. David Bessey see less View Image Page. The same is true for recruits on Parris Island. Training cannot happen if recruits are malnourished or dehydrated. The depot serves approximately 5 million meals each year to sustain the average 6, recruits in training at any given time, said Master Sgt.
Kinneth Bouknight, 40, the senior food service staff noncommissioned officer. The hot meals form the basis of most meals served on Parris Island.
Three of the four recruit mess halls operate on the same master menu, which runs on a day cycle. The portion size of each item is controlled to ensure every recruit receives a daily amount of calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and water needed to keep their bodies fueled throughout training.
The meals consist of five major parts, which are meats, vegetables, starches, soups and desserts. However, the meal servings can be adjusted if a recruit is a vegetarian. David Hunley, 35, the food service director. Over the years, I've received more e-mail concerns about this aspect of military basic training than any other factor. It seems recruits are scared or self-conscious to be naked in front of other recruits during shower time. When I went to basic training, group showers weren't a big deal because daily group showers were required after high school physical education.
Tip: Don't waste energy worrying about this aspect of basic training. I can guarantee that when it happens, you'll be so nervous or scared of your drill instructor that you won't worry about the shower. When my twin daughters attended Air Force basic training a few years ago, they were so nervous about this aspect of training that they almost decided to change their mind and not ship out.
I almost had to drag them to MEPS when the final day came. They were scared silly about having to shower in front of other people. During their basic training graduation, I asked them how they got through having to take group showers. They looked at me like I was crazy.
They didn't even remember being nervous about it! Go figure. In basic training, you receive three meals per day. Most of the time, these are hot meals served in the chow hall called the dining facility in the Air Force and Army , and the galley or mess hall in the Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard. Warning: Chow hall meals in basic training are not slow, leisurely events. You have a limited amount of time about 15 minutes to sit down and consume your meal. Even though the chow hall serves them, recruits are not allowed sweets or even sodas in some of the branches.
After basic training, you'll enjoy your meals in the chow hall much, much more. Most military chow halls today include an extensive salad bar, a station for full meals such as fried chicken, seafood, Mexican food and pastas, along with a snack line that includes hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, fries and other junk-food items. Plus, you're allowed to consume sodas and dessert! The chow halls in basic training are limited. You usually have a salad bar, but the snack line is generally off limits to recruits.
If you don't like the choices offered in the full meal line, that's just tough. It's that or go hungry. The basic training chow hall food will be reminiscent of the choices offered at a high school cafeteria -- not very appetizing. One thing has changed for the positive in military basic training chow halls from days past.
In the old days, the rule in the chow hall was that you had to eat everything on your plate. That rule no longer exists.
0コメント