A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”?
2. In what movie did we hear the phrase, “You Rebel Scum.”?
3. In what song (and who sang it) do we find the following lyrics?
   How can people be so heartless
   How can people be so cruel
   Easy to be hard
   Easy to be cold

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How does one “accurately” describe Navy Chow?

Before I get into that discussion, I have to remind myself that I had another cook before the Navy—Mom.

See, I’m from Florida and my mom was a great cook. Lots of great vittles from her third-generation cast iron skillet. But biscuits… well, mom’s few feeble attempts at biscuits turned into gut-bombs. Everything else was fantabulous, but I learned to make biscuits later in my short journey as a city firefighter–it was required!.

My dad, on the other hand… Well, he was good at cooking steaks and “square” hamburgers. Now and then, he’d empty the fridge and make what he called, “Garbage Soup.” Man, that was tasty, but my mom could never understand how soup stains appeared on the ceiling when he cooked. Anyway, that’s the kind of cooking I was used to before the Navy.

An Introduction to Navy Chow

I had two duty stations during my short 4-year Navy “journey” (1973-77). My first was NAS Agana, Guam and I worked in Crash & Salvage. My second was aboard USS Kitty Hawk, where I worked on the flight deck in V-1 Division (Crash, then Yellow Shirt Director). And yes, IMO, Navy meals served in Guam were different than those served aboard Kitty Hawk.

In July 1973 at Orlando RTC (boot camp), my first “introduction” to Navy Chow was SOS. I’ll let you Google the meaning. But, “Shit on a Shingle” was standard Navy-issue chow which, as many of my fellow shipmates will attest, “ain’t that bad.” Basically, SOS is creamed chipped beef on toast.

Have I indulged SOS since July 10, 1977 (my discharge date)? In a simple word, “no.” And… I’ll leave it at that.

Well… what about “Sliders?” Surely, we can talk about them. Or “One-eyed Jacks” or “Barney Clarks.” Absolutely. Sliders are hamburgers and One-eyed Jacks/Barney Clarks are sliders with a fried egg. And yes, over the years, I’ve been known to partake in these delectables from time-to-time.

No, I won’t mention Baluts, because they weren’t served in the mess hall (at least, in my time). For those who served on the west coast, I’m sure you’re familiar with this Filipino “delight.” For those who served on the east coast… you’re lucky. And… I’ll leave it at that.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Navy chow was always plentiful and I never went hungry. I know some shipmates might argue, but while I enjoyed some meals more than others, I appreciated what we had when we had it… even those times when we couldn’t get down to the mess hall.

Though there was that time during a work party when one of the crew “found” a package of frozen hot dogs, “Use before Dec 1956.” And… I’ll leave it at that.

Mess halls @ NAS Agana, Guam

We didn’t have a galley at the Crash Barn and we couldn’t drive the crash trucks over to the mess hall because it was too far away from the airfield. We got our meals on wheels, so to speak.

We had two sections in Crash, Port & Starboard, during my entire 15-months on Guam—24 hours on and 24 off. When the shift changed over, there was a signup sheet listing what was available for dinner that night.

About 1800 (6:00 p.m.), one of the guys would take a pickup truck over and load our chow, provided in stainless steel serving pans by the cooks, and drive back. We used standard Navy issue metal trays (same as aboard Kitty Hawk) and loaded up.

Mess halls aboard Kitty Hawk

On Kitty Hawk, there were three galleys, located on the second deck, two decks below the hangar deck. The main galley was located aft and served the main meals buffet style. Unlike today’s Navy chow lines (serve yourself), back then the cooks and stewards would serve you when you put your tray out. We bussed our own trays so we just took them over to the scullery, dumped excess food into a can, and handed our trays, glasses, and utensils to the dishwasher.

A second galley, called the “Express Line,” was located forward. This was similar to a “fast food” drive-in, serving mostly hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, spaghetti, and whatever else the cooks could scrape up quickly. I ate a lot of meals there, not because I was a burger or dog fanatic, but because it was fast—with 80 guys in our division to feed and long times in the chow line, we needed to get something quick, choke it down, and get back on the flight deck to let another group come down.

Powdered Milk

We usually had whole milk when we first left port. However, after a few days, the galley ran out of fresh milk and began serving powdered milk. That tasted like [insert your own definition here], so it didn’t take me long to learn to eat cereal only the first few days at sea. After that, breakfast for me consisted of anything other than cereal.

Chow lines

Chow lines at sea were always long. It was not unusual to wait for an hour to get chow. On an aircraft carrier, the galley needed to feed more than 5,500 men every meal (3,000 ship’s company and 2,500 air wing). That’s about 17,000 meals served a day, including more than 900 loaves of bread when the ship was underway. That’s a lot of meals to prepare, cook, and serve.

Lines would wrap around and through several different passageways. I learned early on to bring a book while waiting for chow. Yeah, I read a lot of books in the Navy.

I can’t really complain, though. The photo above shows a chow line in Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge-my dad’s old unit. Yeah, we had a roof over our heads; no complaints here.

We ate in shifts, so to speak. During flight ops, we had to maintain a minimum crew of yellow shirts and crash crew on the flight deck so each unit would send five to six guys down at a time. Most of us would get our chow, eat like the dickens, and then head back up to relieve another crew man.

And yes, I still eat “like the dickens,” even though I’ve tried to slow down over the years. Old habits, I guess. Am I the only one here that still does that?

Saltines… a Sailor’s Best Friend

Saltines were always readily available, and I ate a lot of them. I didn’t know it at the time because I just liked Saltines, but for some reason, they were magic. During my time on Kitty Hawk, I never got seasick, which is more than I can say for a lot of other guys, especially the FNGs.

There were times when I would have a bag of greasy, buttered popcorn and see some new guy a little green and offer him a handful. He headed for the side of the ship, tossing his cookies. I know it wasn’t a nice thing to do. And… I’ll leave it at that.

Wardrooms

Officers had it made—they ate in wardrooms which, as I understand it, had round tables, tablecloths, real dishes, and better yet, a full wait staff. I never ate a meal in the wardroom. In fact, I never stepped in one until I spent a couple of days aboard USS Ronald Reagan, CV-76, while researching for my book. I wrote about that experience earlier [click here].

CPO Mess

Another place I never had the “privilege” to visit was the CPO (Chief Petty Officer) Mess. From what I’ve heard, the CPO Mess had the best chow on the ship, even better than the Wardroom. The CPO Mess is also referred to as the “Goat Locker.”

I did not know this (I had to Google it), but the term “Goat Locker” dates back to the days of wooden sailing ships. Goats were kept aboard ships because they’d eat anything and always provide milk. Why we didn’t have goats aboard Kitty Hawk after the first few days at sea (see above), I’ll never know.

When the rank of Chief Petty Officer was established (before I was born), there were no separate berthing areas for these senior enlisted men. Rumor has it that they shared the same quarters as the ship’s goats.

I’m sure if I’m not 100% accurate, a CPO will correct me, ask me to remove my cover (hat) and knock three times to enter. And… I’ll leave it at that.

Midrats

Midnight rations (Midrats) were always available for those working late into the night. They were served in the forward galley from 2300 to 0100 (11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.) and usually were pretty good. Many times, midrats were left-overs from the evening meal, or burgers, hot dogs, or eggs to order, and other “quick to fix” items. I ate there many times when I was assigned the night shift.

Does anyone else still use the term “Midrats”… for anything consumed after dinner, especially late-night snacks?

Gedunk

Also just forward of the main galley was the Gedunk shop. This small onboard store was like a small neighborhood convenience store or a New York Bodega and had an assortment of snacks and cigarettes. While I didn’t smoke, some of my friends did and their standard line was, “Where else can you buy a carton of cigarettes for ten bucks?”

There were times when the chow line was too long for me to wait so I would head to the Gedunk and pick up a bag of chips or crackers, some canned cheese, and a can or two of sardines. It wasn’t that healthy, but it was something to eat. Unfortunately, while standard Navy issue meals came with the job, the Gedunk shop did not and this came out of our pockets.

Steel Beach Picnic

I made one cruise aboard Kitty Hawk, Westpac ’75. Great times and I’ve written about it several times on this blog. One thing we didn’t experience during that cruise (at least I don’t remember) was having a steel beach picnic.

From what I gather, they were held on the flight deck or in the hangar bay and usually after a long at-sea time period. The goal was to help improve crew morale.

For those who haven’t heard the term, think of a “beach picnic,” with grills for ribs, bratwurst, hot dogs, hamburgers, and whatever else the galley needs to cook before the expiration date. Usually, there was music (most Navy ships have several bands playing different styles of music), games (e.g., Frisbee, football, volleyball) and plenty of time to just “chill.”

And yes, at times (from what I’ve heard), crewmembers were allowed to drink beer.

Soup from the Galley – Always Happy to Help

Several times during the Westpac cruise in the colder climates (Sea of Japan), I called down to the galley and asked if we could get some hot soup. They said sure, come on down. So a couple of us made several trips down several ladders to bring up a huge 25-gallon container of hot soup. It tasted so good and everyone in our crew got a break to come in and down some. It helped us choke down the cold sandwiches, too.

I wrote about our Westpac ’75 cruise through the Sea of Japan earlier. Click here to read about it.

Coffee, Black, no sugar please

Both in Guam and at sea, we always kept the coffee brewing. That is something we never ran out of. That tradition continued when I joined the Gainesville Fire Department after leaving the Navy. There were many times when I would come in off the flight deck to warm up and to get a cup of hot coffee.

I started drinking coffee in Guam (I was 18 years old). There was always plenty of cream and sugar. But on Kitty Hawk, I usually was the last one in to get coffee (I always let my guys come in first), there was never any cream or sugar left when I got mine, so I had to drink it black. I got used to that and still today, I drink it black.

There were also many times when I would tip the 100-cup coffee maker to get the last dregs of coffee, complete with grounds. But in cold, miserable weather, even that coffee tasted good.

Roach Coach

No blog post about Navy chow can be complete without a mention of the infamous, “Roach Coach.” All Navy sailors on both coasts are familiar with the Roach Coach.

For those not familiar with the term, a “roach coach” is similar to what’s now known as the “food truck.” Of course, back then, there really wasn’t a “food truck health inspector.” Back in the day, you could get a lot of different types of sandwiches and my favorite… Bean Burritos.

And… I’ll leave it at that.

Stay safe, my friends.

Until we meet again,
Andy

Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (’73-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran’s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans. Download your FREE copy HERE.

Previous blogs mentioned in this post:

• #13 – After 30+ years, I’m back on the flight deck
• #23 – Rough Seas – Sea of Japan

Answers

1. Lao Tsu.
2. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983).
3. Easy to be Hard, Three Dog Night (1969); written by Galt Mac Dermot, Gerome Ragni, James Rado.