Mess Facts Needed

9/19/03 | SELF

[Robe]

I just delivered my son to the Citadel in Charleston SC this weekend, and as a Knob , during dining (MESS)....he's challenged by the upperclassmen to provide totally useless but interesting facts.

[Rogle]

BTW which Company was he assigned to.

[Robe]

I heard that from a civil war reenactor cannoneer....so the source IS questionable ;)

[Robe]

He's in 1st Battalion, Alpha Company, Murray Barracks

[wrench]

The last side arm developed for mounted cavelry in the US Army was the 1911 Colt 45ACP.

A version of it is still used today in Iraq by Spec Ops and Marine MEU units.

Imagine a horse pistol now ridding in a Hummer?

[Cyber Liberty]

Killing's my job, and business has been good.

--A Marine near Baghdad--

[Cit72]

As a graduate of The Citadel, I can assure you that your son will do well there if that is his intent. Sending mess facts is fine, but be prepared for the cadre to ask him about facts on subjects that he has no knowlege. That is for stress.

[Young Werther]

The Abrams tank is named after Captain, (later General Abrams), who commanded the first tank to break through the Bastonge perimeter during the Battle of the Bulge.

He was one of Patton's tankers and one heckuva military hero!

[Little Ray]

The Royal Navy salutes with the palm in to hide the tar from working with and climbing on the standing rigging.

After Nelson was killed at Trafalgar, his corpse was preserved in a barrel of rum for the trip back to England. For this reason, rum was known as Nelson's Blood in the RN.

[Young Werther]

Cernan's book is entitled "Last Man on the Moon". Schmitt and Cernan need to be reversed to correct the chronology!

[mass55th]

Have him relay the following:

On February 21st, 1865, after the evacuation of Charleston, the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (African-American unit), was the first Union regiment to enter that city.

[frmrda]

A question for all of you, and I swear I'm not trying to be a wise guy. I have great respect for any person wanting to serve their country, and from all I know about the Citadel the people who go, and send their kids there are extremely patriotic.

My question is this and please correct me if I'm wrong. Why would anyone want to go there when there is no guarantee that you will graduate and go into the service as an officer?

My brother in law, who's now in Iraq went to West Point and commented on how the cadets there and at the other academies sort of looked down on and scoffed at the Citadel because there is no military obligation that follows graduation and you can go there and be a "poser" or "wannabe" without having the obligation of going in and facing combat.

I undertand that there are programs available (ROTC) that would allow you to become and officer (like you could do at any other school), but a military obligation is not required upon graduation

Also, he says he can't understand why anyone would want to go through the abuse (which as I understand is much different and more "hazing-type" stuff than at the academies) without at least knowing you're going to get out as an officer.

If all I assume is true, I have to agree w/ him. Why would you go to a place like this, if you're not going to go onto the miltary and be an officer. I think that if you want to get anywhere is SC going to the Citadel gets you in doors, but it seems to me its no different than a high school "military academy" that has no ties to the armed forces, let alone pay betweenn $15 and $25K when if you really wanted to you could go the real academies for nothing.

[Little Ray]

Oh, and the average number of missions a USAAF heavy bomber in Europe survived in WWII was 11... Keep in mind the crew didn't go home until they finished 25-50.

[JRandomFreeper]

1. The Harvest Falcon kitchen can feed 1100 troops, is all electric, and beats the heck out of the old kitchen tents and M2 burners.

2. Air Force doesn't allow steel wool in any dining facility.

Oh, I thought this was supposed to be trivia about dining (mess) facilities. 8>)

[jimt]

A bison has 14 pairs of ribs.

[Our man in washington]

Four of Pat Conroy's novels have been turned into movies.

(Actually, he might be better off not using this one.)

[AF_Blue]

Check here. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 ought to give your Knob some ammo. It's a large Adobe Acrobat file that you can peruse online. Feel free to use other chapters within this publication as reading material if you're having problems getting to sleep.

[Little Ray]

Don't forget the M1911A1 designed to replace a .38 cal Colt double action revolver. It was designed in .45 cal because the .38 did a poor job at stopping amok Moro warriors; the Army actually went back to the M1873 Single Action Army, because the .38 was so inadequate.

[Rogle]

That is why I didn't finish there. But I assure you that, VMI and Citadel grads are well though of.

[JRandomFreeper]

I took the test on that CDC last year. I took the test one month after I received the CDC and passed (rather well, actually) but spent 5 hours a day with my nose in those 3 volumes trying, struggling, fighting to stay awake.

/john

[Cit72]

Re: The Citadel. The concept is citizen-soldier. Some folks would say military training serves you well in civilian life.

No, not all graduates enter one of the services, but if you want to receive a commission upon graduation through one of the ROTC programs, it is usually there for you.

FYI, two graduates have died in the current Gulf war.