Deployment, Day 122 – Mess Bills

It seems like the mood of the crew has picked up a bit over the past few days. I think everyone is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and anticipating the transit home. It is still a long time until we make that trip under the Coronado Bay Bridge and moor to that pier full of jubilant friends and family. However, it seems like that trip back east is finally within reach.

Everybody on the ship has their own way of counting how long it will be until we get home. My method is to count up to 181 using my blog counter (as you can see above, we’re on day 122). A lot of people would rather count down (59 days and a wakeup). Some people even count using their paychecks (military members get paid twice a month, so we get paid twelve times in six months). Personally, along with my blog counter, I count using my mess bill payments.

Believe it or not, everyone on the ship is required to pay for their own meals. Depending on your rank, you pay for your meals differently. Everyone gets a special monthly allowance in their paycheck to cover the cost of food. The junior enlisted folk simply give up that money for the meals. The officers and senior enlisted (chiefs) do it a little differently. They still get to receive the food allowance, but they have to pay a “mess bill” for their monthly meals. The officers pay for every meal while underway and for the individual meals they eat while in port.

The mess bill for the month is due a couple weeks after the end of the month. I just paid my May mess bill a couple of days ago. For some reason, it seems like a huge victory for me each time I pay a mess bill with a new month written into the memo line of the check. Only two more mess bills to pay before we get home.