SITEREP #2

Welcome to the Mess Deck.

This is where enlisted sailors eat their meals. The galley prepares food for about 250 people every day. The Culinary Specialists (CSs) take a lot of teasing but they are one of the most powerful levers for morale on the ship. Just like at church, relationships are built over bread broken together. 

The mess decks also perform other functions. Large training events are often offered here and after hours it can be a place for crew to hang out while underway.

One of the traditions on ships is that you always remove your cover (hat) when on the mess deck. You can often spot a military person in civilian clothes because they are the ones who take off their hats whenever they are inside a building. It is a custom ingrained into every sailor. 

But it is particularly important to take off your cover on the mess deck for another reason. When there are mass casualties on a ship, the mess deck is transformed into a medical bay. You can see the door in the background with the red cross on it. That gives the Individual Duty Corpsman (IDC, which is similar to a civilian PA) and their team easy access to the mess deck in an emergency.

We take our covers off every time we enter the mess deck to remember all those who were taken care of in that space on any navy ship. We remember that we are a part of something larger than ourselves, that we are asked to go into harm’s way, that what we do can be dangerous and injuries or death do occur. We do it to honor those who have gone before us. We take off our cover, we remember, and then we eat. 

With that in mind, my meal prayers on ship take on a different shape or tone. Maybe we all can learn from this tradition and remember those who have gone before us when we thank God for the food in front of us. Just a thought. Consider giving it a try.