AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq - In a well lit dining facility aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, noncommissioned officers from II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group (Forward) lined up and prepared to silently walk into the VIP room, Sept. 26.
This is an NCO mess night. It is their time to share something with each other and all of the sergeants and corporals who have come before them. The time-honored tradition of mess night dates back to a time before the Marine Corps, before muskets and lances, before the North American continent had ever even been discovered by Europeans.
They march in, single-file, to their places at the table. They turn inboard, facing one another and after a long pause are given permission to sit down.
"Mess Night is part of the Marine Corps' tradition," said Sgt. Derrick R. Martin, group safety chief for II MHG (Fwd). "It is about a group of Marines, a group of warriors, getting together and celebrating being just that...warriors."
The night was spent in the presence of the outgoing senior enlisted Marine for the group, Sgt. Maj. Kevin D. Parrick, the sergeant major of II MHG (Fwd).
While the Marines enjoyed their meals, they conversed and shared jokes and stories, which is the true purpose of the mess night, building comradeship. The Marines also enjoyed the finer tradition of pointing out errors of other Marines present, thus making them pay a 'fine', which in this case was drinking a cup of 'Grog' — an unsavory mixture of condiments and beverages with a scent which pierced the nostrils. The Marines all joked and laughed, even those who had to consume the smelly drink.
While there was joking within the VIP room, there was a sobering reminder of their calling outside the door.
Each and every Marine in the mess had to walk passed it on their way into the VIP room. It was a lone chair and table, set with silverware and a filled cup. This setup was for the Marines who could not be in attendance, for they were cut down in battle. It is meant to honor those who could not be present.
"It wasn't exactly the mess night you always hear about, but it was still an awesome time," said Sgt. Michael K. Burns, II MHG (Fwd) administrative section non-commissioned officer-in-
While the evening did offer something different from the hard work and toil that comes with a combat deployment to Iraq, it was very much steeped in the traditions of the Marine Corps. For even as the evening came to a close, the NCOs of II MHG (Fwd) did what Marines have always done, they had their fun and then went right back to their missions...whatever and wherever those missions may be.