Senior NCO Dining-In

I attended the 26th Annual Senior Non-commissioned Officer Dining-In for the Connecticut National Guard this past Thursday evening, this being my 8th time attending this festive event in which the format dates back to medieval times. This event is a formal dinner held for military members only, a similar event called the Dining-Out permits family members to attend and is usually toned down a bit. This year's dinner benefited the Children's Foundation of Connecticut and is usually a fun time for all who attend, including Connecticut Army and Air National Guard members as well as Marine Corp reservists, Navy reserve and active members, and a few active duty Coast Guard personnel, along with a Canadian Army Reservist and many retired National Guard members totaling about 250 people. The evening honors all those currently serving in the Armed Forces throughout the world as well as all other veterans.

Times have changed, but the event is still an annual tradition were military members gather for an evening of socializing, drinking and fine dining with some mild mannered fun thrown in for good measure. The gathering of military members, otherwise known as the mess, have to follow professional military protocol and courtesies throughout the evening.