LSU’s Army ROTC held its annual “Dining In” event Friday, March 14 at the Faculty Club to celebrate the year.
“We would like to highlight tonight as one of our special events for the semester,” said David Hernandez, sociology senior and cadet captain of the LSU Army ROTC. “It’s something that’s not very well known to the LSU community.” Lt. Col. Philip Pugh Jr., military science professor and battalion commander of the Bayou Bengals, said the ceremony is a tradition the U.S. Army has been celebrating since it began in 16th century English universities and monasteries. “The British army took this practice in the 18th century and installed it into their regimental mess system,” Pugh said. Pugh said the cadets participate in social activities such as “Dining In” to celebrate the traditions of the U.S. Army and prepare for life as military officers. The ceremony was not only attended by the ROTC cadets but other guests including war veterans dating back to World War II. “I’m here to support the nephew of my son-in-law, who fought in Iraq for a year,” said Roland Toups, CEO of Turner Industries and chairman of the Louisiana Board of Regents. “Since he invited me, and I thought this was a wonderful opportunity to come and see the traditions the Army celebrates.” Toups served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force from 1960 -1964 and was stationed at Cape Canaveral in the early part of the space program. Brian Laborde, mathematics junior, said with ROTC consuming 10 hours a week along with balancing physical training drills, classes and labs, events like “Dining In” makes it gratifying for all of the hard work the cadets put forth. “I was in the Boy Scouts where I earned Eagle Scout and just commitment and service to country was my motivation for joining,” Jason Bordelon, biological engineering freshman, said. “And tonight is a time for all of us in ROTC to reflect and celebrate this past year’s work.” Hernandez said the best part of the event is when the “Grog Bowl” tradition is brought out. Jennifer Lewis, history senior, said the “Grog Bowl” is an opportunity for the ROTC to make representation of the members of their leadership. “The ‘Grog’ is mixed in a toilet bowl with a blend of alcoholic beverages to represent everything in the Army such as the different ethnicity, cultures, specific units, the state and our location here at LSU,” Lewis said. “The ‘Grog Bowl’ is the best part of the night for many because it gets extremely insane for about 15 minutes,” Hernandez said. Hernandez said each ingredient that goes into the “Grog Bowl” represents a conflict that the Army has fought in. For example, tea was added to represent the American Revolutionary War, pina colada mix for the Spanish-American War, champagne for World War II, and rice wine for Vietnam. Tabasco sauce, mustard, jelly and other elements were added to give the “Grog Bowl” a more disgusting effect. The “Grog” was made in two different methods: one with alcohol and one without. “If anyone makes a mistake or violates any of the formal etiquette or basic rules throughout the year since our last ‘Dining In’, they will be pointed out, their offense will be noted, and Mr. Vice, who controls the mess, determines a fair punishment for their offense,” Lewis said. “Once the violator is pointed out, they have a chance to defend themselves for their offenses, but occasionally are they excused for their acts.” Lewis added punishments can be anything such as singing songs, performing childish skits and acting foolish before taking a drink from the “Grog Bowl.” The ceremony started with the color guard posting the colors followed by saluting fallen comrades. As “President of the Mess”, Pugh gave a speech regarding the senior cadets that are graduating in two months as leaders in the U.S. Army. He then proposed a toast to certain groups and people such as the commander in chief, the U.S. Army, the Tiger Battalion and a Geaux Tigers toast as well. After the toasting was concluded, he introduced special guests along with the military veterans. Dinner was then served along with a slideshow displaying the different events that went on throughout the year. “This event is both a morale builder and a fellowship. It’s a way for everybody to get together where we dress up in our class As, sit around and have a real good time,” said Bradford Matens, mass communication freshman.