Dining in is a formal military ceremony for members of a company or other unit, which includes a dinner, drinking, and other events to foster camaraderie and esprit de corps.
The United States Army, the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Air Force refer to this event as a dining in or dining-in. The United States Marine Corps refers to it as mess night. Other names include regimental dinner, guest night, formal mess dinner, and band night.[1]
The dining in is a formal event for all unit members, male and female; though some specialized mess nights can be officer- or enlisted-only. The unit chaplain is usually also invited, if an invocation is needed. A unit's dining-in consists of only the members of the unit, with the possible exception of the guest(s) of honor. An optional formal dinner, known as the dining-out may include spouses and other guests. The dining-out follows the same basic rules of the dining-in, but is often tailored to minimize some of the military traditions and be more approachable to civilian guests.
Except for the annual celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday, no social function associated with the smaller of America's naval services is more enjoyed, admired and imitated than the mess night.
— Lieutenant Colonel Merrill L. Bartlett, USMC (Ret.)[2]
- ^ "Chapter 24: Mess Night" (PDF). Marine Corps Drill and Ceremonies Manual. MCO P5060.20. United States Marine Corps.
- ^ Bartlett, LtCol Merrill L., USMC (Ret.) (November 1996). "A Marine Corps Mess Night". Customs & Traditions. Historical Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 20 February 2007.
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