Guest Speaker: To Be Determined, all suggestions welcomed.....
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What is a mess night/dinning in? The Mess Night is members only, and a Dining In permits Members of the Mess to bring a spouse or date, (bringing a spouse and a date is frowned upon, and not considered good taste).
The purpose of the mess night/dining in is to recognize and pay homage to the Marines who came before us and it gives us a chance as a band of brothers to socialize with one another in our best dress.
The mess night is fashioned to fit a formal gathering with a military flavor present. A Marine is assigned to be president of the mess; he is in charge and controls the flow of events.
The vice-president of the mess, or 'Mr. Vice,' as the title has come to be known, acts as the enforcer of the president's decisions and also regulates who may speak to the president.
Invited guests are also part of the group. Conventionally, their place is at the head table with the president. The remainder of the participants make up the mess. They are the heart of the event, and are expected to pay fines as the president sees fit for issues brought up by the mess men.
During the formal meal portion of the mess night, members of the mess have the opportunity to charge another mess man with a fine if he has a legitimate reason to.
A mess member must stand at attention and ask Mr. Vice's permission to address the mess. Mr. Vice has the option to turn the request away or to forward it to the president. If the president grants permission, the mess member must state his case on why his comrade must be fined.
If the mess member makes a good case, the president fines the guilty party a certain amount that he sees fit, or forces the defendant to perform a show for the mess.
Other procedures also go into the tradition of mess night. It starts with a social hour where Marines of the mess have drinks with one another as well as meet and greet the guests.
The formalities of mess night begin when the mess marches in, followed by the head table guests. Then the fun of mess night begins with the meal. Marines of the mess sit down to a formal dinner, normally Prime Rib. During this time, Marines bring forth outrageous situations to be fined.
An intermission will then sound after the mess portion of the night, followed by the toasts given by members of the mess. Tributes are given to battles Marines have fought in the past as well as the future.
The toasts of the mess is what mess night is all about, the toasts are tributes to all the campaigns the Marine Corps has fought in. The final toast is always to the success of the Marine Corps.
Other portions of the mess night are included as well. Normally a guest speaker will make a presentation, The Prisoner of War/Missing in Action table is recognized, and the kitchen's head chef will parade the beef in regards to the mess' liking.
