We knew it was inevitable. Everyone knew it was coming. Now it has happened. The dining facility, our beloved mess hall, has officially closed. No visible sign of the approaching end to operations in Iraq has been more loud and clear to the remaining Soldiers. The date was clearly marked on our calendars for 20 November 2011. Not only did the mess hall close that day, it did so with style. The folks running the place put out a lavish early Thanksgiving spread that ran all day long. Everything from carved roast turkey to steamship round, pumpkin to pecan pie, and cornbread stuffing to candied yams was out for our consumption. Lavish decorations abounded to include ice carvings, decorative cakes, and festive displays. I personally ate my fill of traditional Thanksgiving goodies twice and would have gone again if the hours had been extended. We were very appreciative of the wonderful food, as evidenced by the great many people who came out to eat. It was the most crowded I have ever seen a DFAC on any deployment I've been on. This was most likely due to the fact that it was a holiday meal, albeit early, and that it was the last day for the mess hall. There were whispers floating around throughout the day that the decision had been made to extend the DFAC a few more days. That rumor was put to rest very quickly. As soon as the last Soldier went through the line the workers started tearing down everything, taking down displays, stacking chairs and tables, and moving out the various implements of food service. The end had arrived. From that moment forward our only available food supplement would be the infamous MRE (Meals Ready to Eat). This often maligned portable military ration has been in the inventory since the early eighties. It has been revamped often over the years but it has never overcome its stigma of delivering bad, tinfoil-tasting pre-package food of mystery meat quality.Some people have a very hard time adjusting to MRE's because they clog up the bowels. That's never really been the case for me. It's the opposite. For me MRE stands for "Montezuma's Revenge Eventually". I always lose weight when I'm on a strictly MRE diet. At the same time, I always find humor in being relegated to these rations. Back when I was a kid I was completely fascinated by the old C-Rations (canned rations that were the predecessor to MRE's). Whenever my Marine Dad brought me C-Rations I would party like it was 1999. I've still got an old P38 can opener from a case of C-Rations. I would devour a "John Wayne" bar without blinking an eye and think it was better than any candy bar from the store. Oh how my attitude has changed. MRE's are actually better than the old C-Rations and have much greater variety than the old menu 1,2, and 3. But you still find the lineage inherent in military rations. The cheese spread tastes exactly the same, as do the crackers. Throughout the MRE you'll see "fortified" on the packages. I never knew what that meant when I'd see it on a C-Ration peanut butter and I'm still not sure what it means now. I have a theory though because the effect of MRE's on me is guaranteed. They are fortified with fiber laxative. It works too. I can attest.
So we who remain in Iraq mourn the loss of our beloved mess hall. MRE's are a poor substitute for our nutritional needs. But we can see the silver lining in all of this. The closure of the DFAC is one more giant step towards the eventual end of operations here. We won't eat MRE's for long. There are now only days remaining before we all can say the mission is complete. Then only a plane ride separates us from going home. MRE's is a very small sacrifice as we wait for the big prize of being with our families again.
No comments:
Post a Comment