Photo By Sgt. Shawn Valosin | Staff Sgt. Carmen Zavala gives a toast to United States Navy Corpsmen during a mess...... read more read more
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WILMINGTON, N.C. - Marines and Sailors with the Deployment Processing Command/Reserve Support Unit-East participated in a traditional Marine Corps Mess Night aboard the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, North Carolina, May 1, 2015. The DPC/RSU-East supports the mobilization of Reserve Component Members to the combatant commanders of forward deployed units.
The USS North Carolina was the first of 10 fast battleships to join the American fleet in World War II and was considered the world’s greatest sea weapon in 1941.
The event was put on by a noncommissioned officers steering group within the Deployment Processing Command / Reserve Support Unit-East, whose purpose is to advise and make recommendations to the commanding officer.
“The NCOs of the command planned, coordinated and executed this event, and dealt directly with the superb staff of the USS North Carolina,” said Col. Francis P. Piccoli, the commanding officer of the DPC/RSU-East and a New Brunswick, New Jersey, native. “The purpose of a mess night is to enrich the cohesion and camaraderie of the Marines and Sailors that serve within the command.”
Mess nights traditionally have been a time for Marines within a unit to come together to celebrate customs and traditions of the Marine Corps and to build camaraderie and cohesion.
Marines and Sailors attending the mess wore their dress uniforms and followed traditions that have been passed down for generations. The Marines gave toasts to honor those who have fought in battles since the founding of the Marine Corps and for the United States. Once the toasting and the meal were finished, the president of the mess addressed the audience and then turned the microphone over to the guest of honor, Brig. Gen. Helen Pratt, commanding general of Force Headquarters Group, Marine Forces Reserve.
“I am impressed with the work that you do and the representatives that you are for the Marine Corps,” Pratt said. “I look out into the audience, and I see the fire in your eyes, the spirit that you exude, and the desire to contribute to something greater than yourself. I know that president Reagan was right when he said that ‘Marines don’t have to wonder if they make a difference in the world, they know it.’”
Following the guest of honor’s speech, Col. Piccoli presented Brig. Gen. Pratt with a plaque on behalf of the Marines and Sailors of the unit that was made with wood from the original deck of the USS North Carolina.
The night concluded with service members reflecting on their history and enjoying the camaraderie of their fellow Marines and sailors.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2015 15:04 |
| Story ID: | 162439 |
| Location: | WILMINGTON, NC, US |
| Hometown: | NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ, US |
| Web Views: | 422 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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