The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where

military personnel Military personnel or military service members are members of the state's armed forces. Their roles, pay, and obligations differ according to their military branch (army, navy, marines, coast guard, air force, and space force), rank ( office ...

socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the officers' mess, the

chief petty officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above petty officer. By country Australia "Chief Petty Officer" is the second highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Australian Navy ...

mess, and the enlisted mess. In some civilian societies this military usage has been extended to the eating arrangements of other disciplined services such as fire fighting and police forces. The root of ''mess'' is the

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th French ''mets''), drawn from the Latin">French language">French ''mets''), drawn from the Latin verb ''mittere'', meaning "to send" and "to put" (cf. modern French ''mettre''), the original sense being "a course of a meal put on the table"; cfr. also the modern Italian ''portata'' with the same meaning, past participle of ''portare'', ''to bring''. This sense of ''mess'', which appeared in English in the 13th century, was often used for cooked or liquid dishes in particular, as in the " English language">English in the 13th century, was often used for cooked or liquid dishes in particular, as in the "mess of pottage" (porridge or soup) or Eton mess">mess of pottage">English language">English in the 13th century, was often used for cooked or liquid dishes in particular, as in the "mess of pottage" (porridge or soup) or Eton mess.

Canada

Messing in the Canadian Forces generally follows the British model (see #United Kingdom, United Kingdom below), from which most traditions have descended. Basic regulations regarding the establishment and administration of messes is contained in the King's Regulations and Orders and the Canadian Forces Administrative Orders. As in the British Forces, there are normally three messes: the officers' mess (called the

wardroom The wardroom is the mess, mess cabin or compartment on a warship or other military ship for commissioned naval Officer (armed forces), officers above the rank of midshipman. Although the term typically applies to officers in a navy, it is also ...

in naval establishments), for

commissioned officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

and

officer cadet Officer cadet is a rank held by military personnel during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by personnel of University Service Units such as the University Officers' Training Corps. Th ...

s; the warrant officers' and sergeants' mess (Navy: chiefs' and petty officers' mess), for senior non-commissioned officers and

warrant officers Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

; and the junior ranks mess, for junior non-commissioned officers,

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

s, and seamen. Some bases, such as

CFB Kingston Canadian Forces Base Kingston (also CFB Kingston) is a Canadian Forces base in Kingston, Ontario. History The Barriefield Military Camp, commonly called Camp Barriefield, was established as a military base at the outbreak of the First World ...

in the 1980s, had a

master corporal Master corporal (MCpl) () is a military rank used by a number of countries. Canada In the Canadian Armed Forces the displayed rank of master corporal is an appointment that can be granted to Canadian Army, army and Royal Canadian Air Force, air ...

s' mess separate from the junior ranks'; all of these, with the exception of the

CFB Valcartier 2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), formerly known as and commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valc ...

master corporals' mess (known as the ), have been amalgamated with the junior ranks' messes. Certain other bases, mainly training establishments such as HMCS ''Venture'' have messes known as the gun room for the use of subordinate officers (naval or officer cadets). Most bases and stations have three messes (officers', warrant officers' and sergeants', and junior ranks'). Many of these establishments have lodger units (such as air squadrons, army regiments, etc.) who also have their own messes. All of

His Majesty's Canadian ship The designation His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS; CSM, is applied as a Ship prefix, prefix to surface ships in the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Joint Operations Command. The similar designation of His Majesty's Canadian Submarine is appl ...

s have three messes aboard; this extends to Naval Reserve divisions and other naval shore establishments which bear the title HMCS (see

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. 'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French ...

). Due to limited budgets and declining revenues, many messes have been forced to close or amalgamate: for example, at CFS St. John's, the junior ranks' mess of the Newfoundland Militia District closed, its members moving to the station's junior ranks'; the station's officers' mess and warrant officers' and sergeants' mess later amalgamated. Headdress is not worn in Canadian messes, except: * by personnel on duty, such as a duty or

watch officer Watchkeeping or watchstanding is the assignment of sailors to specific roles on a ship to operate it continuously. These assignments, also known at sea as ''watches'', are constantly active as they are considered essential to the safe operation ...

, or the

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

; * as permitted on special occasions, such as during costume parties, theme events, etc.; * by personnel for whom wearing headgear is mandatory (e.g. for religious reasons). All Canadian Forces personnel, regular and reserve, must belong to a mess, and are termed ''ordinary members'' of their particular mess. Although normally on federal property, messes have been ordered to comply with the

legal drinking age The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary betwe ...

laws of their province; for example, an 18-year-old soldier may legally consume alcohol in a Quebec mess, but not in one in Ontario, where the legal age is 19 years. However, despite being underage, the soldier may not be prohibited ''entry'' into the mess. Canadian Forces personnel are normally welcome in any mess of their appropriate rank group, regardless of element; thus a regimental sergeant-major of an infantry battalion is welcome in a chiefs' and petty officers' mess (inter-service rivalries notwithstanding). Personnel of a different rank (except as noted below) must ask for permission to enter; that may be granted by the president of the mess committee, his designate, or the senior member present. These restrictions are normally waived on certain special occasions, when the messes are "opened" to all personnel, regardless of rank. These occasions may include (and will be locally published by the mess committee):: *

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

, January 1, called a '' levée'' *

Canada Day Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is the national day of Canada. A Public holidays in Canada, federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, with the passing of the B ...

, July 1 *

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...

, November 11 The commanding officer of the establishment or unit that owns the mess is permitted access to all his messes; thus a ship's captain has access to the vessel's chiefs' and petty officers' mess, the commanding officer of a regiment may enter any of the regimental messes, and the base commander is welcome in any of the base's messes. In practice, commanding officers rarely enter anything other than the officers' mess unless invited, as a point of etiquette. In addition, duty personnel — such as a duty NCO or officer of the watch — or the military police have access to any and all messes for the purposes of maintaining good order and discipline. Chaplains are usually welcomed in all messes. As in the UK, Canadian messes are run by the mess committee, a group democratically elected by the members of the mess. One exception is on warships, where the president of the junior ranks mess is appointed by the commanding officer. The committee members are generally the same as those of their British counterparts, with the addition of special representatives for such things as sports, housing, morale, etc. These positions are normally spelled out in the mess constitution, which sets out the bylaws, regulations, and guidelines for such things as conduct of mess meetings, associate memberships, dress regulations within the mess, or booking of the mess by civilian organizations. The constitution and any amendments are voted upon by the members of the mess.

Germany

The Federal German Armed Forces (''Bundeswehr'') differentiates between three different mess areas. 1. HBG (''Heimbetriebsgesellschaft'') - More commonly called Enlisted Mess (''Mannschaftsheim''): it is common for most bases to have one, where food and drink can be purchased. Newspapers and in some cases equipment and souvenirs such as key chains may also be available. There is generally no strict regulation of conduct, even though access is not limited to enlisted personnel, and NCOs or officers may also be present, ensuring some regulation of conduct. 2. UHG (''Unteroffizierheim'' or ''Unteroffizierheimgesellschaft'') (''Gesellschaft'' lit. society) - also called UK (NCO Comradeship/''Unteroffizierkameradschaft'') - Non-commissioned Officers' Mess: this is the area where NCOs can dine or spend their evenings. As opposed to the HBG, the UHG has a constitution, bylaws and a board. Access is usually restricted to NCOs, while officers can gain entry, even though it is usually frowned upon by the NCOs. Some bases have a joint NCOs' and Officers' Mess. 3. OHG (Officers' Mess/''Offizierheimgesellschaft'') - Also called Casino (''Kasino'' or ''Offizierkasino''). Much like the UHG, the ''Kasino'' also has a constitution, bylaws and a board. Gentlemanly conduct is mandatory: for instance upon entering the main hall, officers are expected to stand at attention and perform a small bow. Additionally, veterans' meetings are usually held either in a UHG or in a Kasino. As with the UHG, Kasinos have permanent personnel, as a general rule enlisted men, called ''Ordonnanzen'', a military term for waiter or barman. Some Kasinos have grand pianos, and hold recitals, as well as having music played during luncheons or dinners. Official events such as balls and unofficial events such as weddings, informational events and the like, are held here. The German Navy call their messes ''Messen'', with the distinction ''Offiziermesse''. The land-based messes are also called ''Offiziermessen''.

India

The Indian Army follows a system similar to the British. A typical regiment/unit would have one mess and two clubs, one for the commissioned officers, club for the Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) and one for the NCOs. Havildars/Daffadars (equivalent to Sergeants) are considered to be NCOs. The Air Force, however has an SNCO (Sr. NCO) mess for Warrant Officers and sergeants, while lower-ranking NCOs would be members of the NCO's mess. In the officer's mess and the JCO's club, there also is rank of Mess Havildar. A Mess Havildar is a senior NCO who manages and executes the day-to-day activities of the mess/club. On Republic Day (Jan 26) the JCOs are formally invited for cocktails at the Officers mess. This is reciprocated on Independence Day (Aug 15) by the JCOs at the JCOs Club. The term mess (short for mess halls) is also used for South Indian restaurants that serve vegetarian meals.

Israel

In the

Israeli Navy The Israeli Navy (, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'', ; ) is the Israel Defense Forces#Arms, naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Eilat and the Red Sea th ...

, although

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

speaking, dining rooms on the Missile Ships,

Dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

submarines, and the kitchen in the Patrol Boats are named Messes, Crew Mess and Officers' Mess. Also, every special meal brought by a crewmember, say celebrating a birthday or a rank promotion, is called Mess.

United Kingdom

On a naval or military establishment there are usually two or three messes: * The Officers' Mess, for

Commissioned Officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

; * The

Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above petty officer. By country Australia "Chief Petty Officer" is the second highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Australian Navy ...

's or Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess, for Senior

Non-Commissioned Officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

s (SNCOs) and

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

s (WOs); * The Junior Rates' or Junior Ranks Mess, for Junior NCOs, Rates, Airmen and Privates. Officers and SNCOs are required under King's Regulations to be a member of a mess and unmarried members usually live, eat, and socialise in them. Members of the Officers’ and SNCO mess are also required to pay a subscription fee for supplies and upkeep. The amount is decided upon by the commanding officer within the limits stipulated by the Regulations. Soldiers, sailors or airmen are welcome in any mess for their rank or equivalent, should they be away from their home unit, as long as they are paying dues in at least one mess. For the Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess the highest ranking (normally the regimental sergeant major) member is known as the Presiding Member. A mess is run by the Mess Committee, a group democratically elected by the members of the mess (except wardrooms), but normally agreed by the commanding officer or regimental sergeant major. # President Mess Committee (PMC) - (Officers' Mess) or Chairman of the Mess Committee (Sergeants'/Petty Officers' Mess) # Vice President of the Mess Committee (Mr Vice), who is responsible for toasts during mess dinners. He or she is rarely the deputy of the PMC (normally this is the Secretary) but instead the most junior person in the mess. # Treasurer # Secretary (Sec), who is responsible for records and minutes, etc. # Wines Member, who is responsible for keeping the bar stocked. # House Member, who is responsible for furniture and infrastructure. # Entertainments (Ents) Member, for any special events or parties in the mess. Some messes also have a Senior Living-In Member (SLIM) who represents the living-in members and supervises their conduct. The commanding officer of the unit has right of

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president (government title), president or monarch vetoes a bill (law), bill to stop it from becoming statutory law, law. In many countries, veto powe ...

over the mess, and any changes or events must have his approval. The CO is allowed into any mess (because they are legally all his), but it is often considered an abuse of power, unbecoming conduct or disturbing the order for a CO to drink in a lower rank mess, except when invited on special occasions. The Officers' Mess in a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

ship or base is called the

. Associated with the wardroom is a gunroom, the mess for

midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afric ...

and occasionally junior sub-lieutenants. The captain of a vessel is not normally a member of the wardroom, which is always run by the first lieutenant or executive officer (XO), thereby known as the Mess President ("Mess Prez"). This post is part of the job of being a ship's XO. Other committee members are generally appointed (voluntarily or otherwise) by the XO.

Mess dress Mess dress uniform is the most formal (or semi-formal wear, semi-formal, depending on the country) type of evening-wear uniform used by military personnel, Police officer, police personnel, and other uniformed services members. It frequently ...

is the military term for the formal evening dress worn in the mess or at other formal occasions. It is also known as mess kit. Mess dress would be worn at occasions requiring

white tie White tie, also called full evening dress or a dress suit, is the most formal evening Western dress code. For men, it consists of a black tail coat (alternatively referred to as a dress coat, usually by tailors) worn over a white dress shir ...

black tie Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and North American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal ...

United States

U.S. Army

In the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, officers historically have had to purchase their own food using funds allocated to each officer. In the far-flung forts of the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

, officers would organize their food service in two ways: * "Closed Mess" was when the few officers of a small fort would pool all of their food funds to provide all meals to members only, thus being "closed" to outsiders except as guests. * In a larger post, the larger pool of officers could allow the officers to purchase meals on an individual meal basis (after payment of a small monthly dues amount). Such arrangements were called "Open Messes". The mess now is called a ''dining facility'' or ''DFAC''. The Officers' Club ("O Club") is an outgrowth comparable to the Officers' Open Mess, but also providing areas to allow officers to entertain guests. A similar version for enlisted personnel is the "E Club". ''Mess'' also describes the formal affair of having a "dining in", held for military members and closed to the public, or a "dining out", a social event for military personnel and their families. For much of the 20th century the Army's mess food selection was spartan, but after the end of the draft they changed to a

food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food Vendor, vendors and provides a common area for self-serve di ...

model with more variety including fast food, while also making fast food franchises available on bases. In 2011, the Army rolled out a program known as "Soldier Athlete" which promotes healthier foods including low-fat milk, whole grains, and veggie wraps.

U.S. Navy

At most

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

shore installations, galleys (previously called Enlisted Dining Facilities in the 1970s and early 1980s) provide messing for sailors (and, if assigned, enlisted marines) ashore and as an option for sailors (and, if assigned, enlisted marines) aboard ships while in port at those installations. Commissioned officers may use these facilities as well. In addition to galleys ashore, various social clubs with dining facilities may also exist. These are enlisted clubs for sailors in the grade of Petty Officer First Class (E-6) and below; chief petty officer clubs for CPOs (E-7),

senior chief petty officer Senior Chief Petty Officer ''(SCPO)'' is an enlisted rank in the navies of some countries. United States U.S. Coast Guardsenior chiefpetty officercollar device U.S. Coast Guardsenior chiefpetty officerinsignia Senior chiefpetty officer ...

s (E-8) and MCPOs (E-9); and officers' clubs for commissioned officers, although many have been closed, merged into combination enlisted/CPO clubs, or converted into "all hands" enlisted and officer facilities. Such changes began to be imposed following the congressionally-mandated end of Department of Defense budgetary subsidies for all such clubs in the 1990s and the subsequent need for these clubs to be financially self-sufficient. Further impacting the club system ashore for the Navy is the fact that most naval units deploy for extended periods (e.g., six to ten months) on a regular basis with, especially for shipboard personnel, requiring for senior enlisted personnel and commissioned officers to maintain concurrent membership in a ship's CPO Mess or officers'

, respectively. At sea aboard naval vessels, messing is still separate, with E-6 and below utilizing the ship's mess decks, E-7 through E-9 utilizing the ship's CPO mess, and commissioned officers being part of the

. Certain large vessels (e.g., aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships) may also include a first class mess for E-6, typically a separate dining area adjacent to the mess decks. This is considered a chance for future CPOs to learn how to be a part of a mess before they enter the CPO mess, often called by the sobriquet of "goat locker." Enlisted personnel normally receive all meals at what appears to be no cost, but in fact subsidize their meals through forfeiture of their Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), also called "commuted rations," although chief petty officers may also have a mess "buy in" or monthly mess bill equivalent to the BAS. For those ships with embarked Marine Corps personnel, staff noncommissioned officers in the grades of E-7, E-8 and E-9 will also be part of the CPO Mess. Commissioned officers retain their BAS, a flat-rate allowance much smaller than the graduated by rank amount paid out to enlisted personnel; however, they must pay for all of their meals while afloat out of pocket. This usually entails a mess "buy in" as a member of the officers' mess and will typically have either a monthly mess bill or will purchase meals via some sort of debit card.

U.S. Air Force

Social clubs on

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

installations were at one time called Open Messes, even though most were known in vernacular as Officers Clubs or NCO clubs. Those for officers were able to utilize their initials as colorful acronyms, among the more well-known of which in the 1960s and 1970s were Zaragosa and

Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; ; , ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach (Blies), Schwarzbach River. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; older forms of the name include Middl ...

(ZOOM),

Danang Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the list of cities in Vietnam, fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River (Vietnam), Hàn R ...

(DOOM), Ramstein (ROOM), and

Korat The Korat cat (, ) is a silver-tipped blue-grey, short-haired Cat breed, breed of Cat, domestic cat with a small to medium build and a low percentage of Adipose tissue, body fat. Its body is semi-cobby, and unusually heavy for its size. It is an ...

Air Bases or

Kirtland Air Force Base Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base. It is located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator C ...

(KABOOM), Randolph AFB (Auger Inn) and Nellis AFB (Robin's Nest), with the nicknames usually ascribed to those facilities' casual bars versus the entire club. At one time, each squadron had its club, and some flying squadrons continue to maintain a bar in the squadron facilities for officer and enlisted aircrew to this day, but most disappeared after World War II and the various Airmen's Clubs, Senior NCO Clubs and Officers' Clubs became facilities of a base rather than a unit. Most are now officially referred to as officer or enlisted clubs; the term "mess" or "officers' open mess" having largely disappeared from the Air Force lexicon. Though a few bases (usually major training bases) have separate Airmen's Clubs for junior enlisted and NCO Clubs for noncommissioned officers, this is no longer normally the case. Physically separate Officers' Clubs still exist at some installations; however, smaller Air Force installations may have one consolidated club with separate lounges. Membership is voluntary, though highly encouraged for senior NCOs and officers. Most NCO and Officers Clubs contain a sit-down restaurant in addition to social lounges, meeting/dining rooms, and bars. Mess halls in the USAF, where unmarried junior enlisted residing in the

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

are expected to eat, are officially referred to as "dining facilities," but are colloquially called "chow halls," although dining facility workers traditionally take offense at the term.

U.S. Marine Corps

In the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, enlisted dining facilities ashore are commonly referred to as 'galleys' or 'chow halls.' When embarked aboard naval vessels, enlisted Marines and NCOs in the rank of staff sergeant (E-6) and below use the same mess decks as sailors in the grade of petty officer first class (E-6) and below, while staff NCOs in the rank of gunnery sergeant (E-7) and above take meals in the chief petty officers (CPO) mess. Separate enlisted, NCO and officers clubs continue to exist at Marine Corps shore installations, following the Navy model of enlisted, CPO and officers clubs. Marine Clubs have also been in decline. According to an article by ''USA Today'': :"Alcohol deglamorization in the late '80s started the decline," says Carol Garland, head of the Marine Corps' Food and Hospitality, Personal and Family Readiness Division. "(Congressionally) appropriated funds to support the operation of clubs, including managers, were greatly reduced. Without appropriated funds, clubs had to be self-supporting businesses."

U.S. Coast Guard

The

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

follows the U.S. Navy model in terms of messing facilities afloat and ashore in terms of the demarcation of galleys for petty officer first class (E-6) and below, chief petty officer messes for chief petty officers (E-7) through master chief petty officers (E-9), and

s for commissioned officers. The only exception is that, given its small size, there are very few Coast Guard clubs aboard Coast Guard shore installations and those that do exist are typically "all hands" facilities.

References

External links

The Officers' Mess
a Canadian view

a Canadian view {{Authority control Military catering Military installations by type Military life