I've heard plenty of shipmates gripe about Navy chow. Not me. They fed me well enough to excel at PT while hovering at 20% BF in the last half of my 26 year career. The only raw deal I (and the crew) ever got was on a Frigate when the SUPPO must have transposed a decimal point when stockpiling #10 cans of creamed corned. We ate it 7-8 times a week for the whole deployment. If the chow was good, and it usually was because I was always hungry doing mostly port & starboard watches as a Radarman because sleep competed with eating, I'd always make it a point to compliment the cook and thank the messcooks. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. Especially for those doing thankless tasks. Got me seconds when I asked.
I always had a soft spot for the ship's baker. Fresh bread, pastries, cakes, cookies, pies. When standing a midwatch on the bridge of my FFG I could always smell it when the baker, a 19 year old kid with tremendous talent and work ethic, was baking cinnamon rolls. I'd call down and ask him if I could send the Messenger for a dozen to feed the bridge watch. He'd cheerfully oblige. Does life get any better at sea than steaming along at 14 knots in formation doing station keeping at 0230 while gnarfing down on a fresh, hot cinnamon roll and black coffee on a Maneuvering Board (HO 2665-10) coaster? No, it does not.
Alas, my final tour aboard an Aegis Cruiser was on one that was a two times in a row Ney Award winner. That ship was a fantastic feeder. As it happened, my final deployment on that ship before I retired was to Desert Storm. Folks who were there in the Persian Gulf might remember how well the Saudi's kept us supplied in fresh food and lots of it. You couple that Ney Award proficiency, with fresh supplies of primo food stuff, unlimited Baskin-Robbins ice cream and with that Cruiser's avid (rabid) %BF/weight control/PT program and it got spicy for some of us. I'll admit that I was 23%BF when I retired the day the ship returned to Mayport. I gave away all my uniforms except the one I was wearing, figuring my shipmates could grow into them.
The Missus is serving prime rib today. We had turkey on Monday.
Happy Thanksgiving Day to all and may God bless those still serving with a good meal today and bright futures.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, SAL!
Amen!
Happy Thanksgiving to those at home and abroad serving our great nation.
Happy Thanksgiving to all Sailors & Marines at sea! 🦃
Thanks to all serving overseas, at sea or at home.
I've heard plenty of shipmates gripe about Navy chow. Not me. They fed me well enough to excel at PT while hovering at 20% BF in the last half of my 26 year career. The only raw deal I (and the crew) ever got was on a Frigate when the SUPPO must have transposed a decimal point when stockpiling #10 cans of creamed corned. We ate it 7-8 times a week for the whole deployment. If the chow was good, and it usually was because I was always hungry doing mostly port & starboard watches as a Radarman because sleep competed with eating, I'd always make it a point to compliment the cook and thank the messcooks. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. Especially for those doing thankless tasks. Got me seconds when I asked.
I always had a soft spot for the ship's baker. Fresh bread, pastries, cakes, cookies, pies. When standing a midwatch on the bridge of my FFG I could always smell it when the baker, a 19 year old kid with tremendous talent and work ethic, was baking cinnamon rolls. I'd call down and ask him if I could send the Messenger for a dozen to feed the bridge watch. He'd cheerfully oblige. Does life get any better at sea than steaming along at 14 knots in formation doing station keeping at 0230 while gnarfing down on a fresh, hot cinnamon roll and black coffee on a Maneuvering Board (HO 2665-10) coaster? No, it does not.
Alas, my final tour aboard an Aegis Cruiser was on one that was a two times in a row Ney Award winner. That ship was a fantastic feeder. As it happened, my final deployment on that ship before I retired was to Desert Storm. Folks who were there in the Persian Gulf might remember how well the Saudi's kept us supplied in fresh food and lots of it. You couple that Ney Award proficiency, with fresh supplies of primo food stuff, unlimited Baskin-Robbins ice cream and with that Cruiser's avid (rabid) %BF/weight control/PT program and it got spicy for some of us. I'll admit that I was 23%BF when I retired the day the ship returned to Mayport. I gave away all my uniforms except the one I was wearing, figuring my shipmates could grow into them.
The Missus is serving prime rib today. We had turkey on Monday.
Happy Thanksgiving Day to all and may God bless those still serving with a good meal today and bright futures.
Happy Thanksgiving