Posted on 08/04/2016 4:15:52 PM PDT by Nachum
The Army is changing the rules for one of its last remaining officers’ clubs to be more “inclusive,” opening membership at the storied Fort Myer watering hole to service members of any rank.
The commander of the instillation, which neighbors Arlington National Cemetery and is known officially as Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, cited George S. Patton, the famed general who carried ivory-handled pistols, was independently wealthy, and who spoke French, in opening up the elite club to enlisted men.
“Beginning Thursday, Sept. 1, service members of any rank or military branch will be able to dine at the historic club and will be eligible to apply for membership,” according to an Army news bulletin.
The club’s name, Fort Myer’s Officers’ Club or “O Club” for short, will also be changed, and the Army is taking suggestions from service members.
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
Agreed. Clubs have been consolidating for decades now just to stay out of the red. If you think about it, bases used to be very remotely located, and clubs and commissaries and exchanges were necessary for the families to get basic needs without driving unreasonable distances. Today, for the still active bases, most have civilian conveniences just outside the gates. And while some bargains still exist, most items can be found on the outside (or online) at competitive or better prices.
I’m too old for this now, and too settled, (and I don’t want to get arrested or worse) but one thing for sure that you will never see in an O’club again is carrier landings (done the old fashion way). Ah, memories...
I’ve been out of the Army over 45 years. Trust me, I was never let into any officer’s clubs.
Most enlisted folks are not mannered for officers clubs.
No wonder I drink.
Not if you ask the wives
They will have a harder time with this than their husbands
Although there has been consolidation for years now, it is still not a good idea. The original division had its legit purposes.
Then just stop having Officer Clubs period. My guess is the fraternity will continue, but unofficially. The enlisted people expect it too. We enlisted need a break from hanging around our supervisors. What’s so hard to understand about that? Not all jobs are equal, that is how the world and the marketplace operate. This is a very old tradition, one that a single lousy president is not going to be able to stomp out of existence, try though he might.
Even 30 years ago, the O’Clubs on most Air Force bases were ghost towns. The one exception was the Fly Wright annex on Friday afternoon at Wright-Patterson AFB.
The Soviet Red Army did away with personal ranks soon after its founding. The Chinese Red Army did the same. So there is precedence.
Of course, neither experiment worked out very well. But that shouldn't stop today's reds from giving it a try.
You got that right, after one of our troop carrier wings was deployed, the NCO club was loaded with “TDY Widows”, mostly officer’s wives.
You got that right, after one of our troop carrier wings was deployed, the NCO club was loaded with “TDY Widows”, mostly officer’s wives.
In other news, military decorations are being replaced by participation stickers
My parents quit smoking in the 70s, but Mom started again in the 80s and still smokes when she’s in Europe, where you don’t have to stand in a drippy-ceiling section of the parking garage to have a cigarette.
Dad went to the club regularly, both before he retired from the Navy and after, when he was working as a contractor, because you could get cheap drinks and hang out with peers while waiting out the worst of rush hour.
After they moved to The Villages in 2000 or so, he didn’t keep a membership at a military base, but there was a “Navy Club” that would rent one of the country club facilities from time to time to recreate the Old Days.
NCO Clubs always have the better food, better entertainment, and more fun, anyhow.
How about "NO Club"?!
Don’t wanna drink with the grunts.
This active duty Sailor concurs. Officer clubs are increasingly finding themselves relics of bygone eras, as is the military's alcohol culture in general for reasons you mentioned.
The stale-beer smelling O and E clubs of the past are being replaced by flashy new "liberty centers" complete with restaurants with full bars, lounge rooms, computers, maybe a bowling alley. There might be an enclosed room for E7-E9 and one for officers as well, but pretty much everyone hangs out together. The Millennials who are making up the bulk of today's military don't really see an issue with fraternization between officers and enlisted. It smacks of elitism. Heck, most of the enlisted these days have the same college degrees and life experiences as their officers do.
Years ago - decades, even - I was told that alcohol was the basis for the profits of the clubs. Once the clubs became places where drinking got you in trouble, no one wanted to go.
And of course, in the 80s, membership in the “O Club” was pretty much mandatory. I refused at one base and got a chance to be interviewed by the Wing Commander over it. Still refused...
What on earth are you talking about?
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