Skip to main content
Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

The Navy Department Library

Related Content
Topic
Document Type
  • Primary Source Document
Wars & Conflicts
File Formats
Location of Archival Materials

Z-Gram #30; dated 23 September 1970

Commissioned Officers’ Messes Open

R 231440Z SEP 70
FM CNO (Z-30)

TO NAVOP

UNCLAS //N01746//BASEGRAM
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS’ MESSES OPEN

1. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT COMMISSIONED OFFICERS’ MESSES OPEN TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION VARYING TASTES OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS WHEN SCHEDULING ENTERTAINMENT AND OTHER SERVICES. IN MANY INSTANCES MESSES HAVE BEEN CATERING TO "OVER 30" PATRONS WHILE OVERLOOKING OR IGNORING DESIRES OF YOUNG OFFICERS. CONSEQUENTLY, THE LATTER IN SOME AREAS ARE RELUCTANT TO USE FACILITIES OF NAVY MESSES, PREFERRING TO SEEK ENTERTAINMENT ELSEWHERE IN THE COMMUNITY. ALL OFFICERS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO THINK OF THE MESS AS THEIR CLUB; THE “O” CLUB SHOULD BE THE SOCIAL CENTER FOR ALL NAVAL OFFICERS, REGARDLESS OF AGES OR GRADES.

2. COMMANDING OFFICERS OF ACTIVITIES WHERE COMMISSIONED OFFICERS’ MESSES OPEN (OR COMMISSIONED OFFICERS’ MESSES CLOSED WITH SOCIAL FUNCTIONS) ARE BEING OPERATED ARE REQUESTED TO TAKE FOLLOWING ACTION:

A. ENSURE ADEQUATE NUMBER OF OFFICERS UNDER AGE OF 30 ARE APPOINTED TO ADVISORY GROUPS AND ENCOURAGED TO EXPRESS DESIRES AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF YOUNGER GROUPS.

B. AT LEAST ONCE WEEKLY, INVITE SELECTED GROUPS OF YOUNG LADIES WITHOUT ESCORTS TO VISIT THE MESS. THIS SHOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE EXTENSION OF INVITATIONS TO GROUPS OF YOUNG LADIES SUCH AS THE STARS & BARS, BACHELORETTES, COLLEGE SORORITIES, OR OTHER LOCAL GROUPS TO ACT AS HOSTESSES AT THE MESS FOR ALL BACHELOR OFFICERS IN THE AREA.

C. PERMIT CASUAL WEAR IN AT LEAST ONE ROOM OF MESS.

D. AT ALL NAVAL AIR STATIONS, PERMIT WEARING OF FLIGHT SUITS IN AT LEAST ONE ROOM OF MESS.

3. REQUEST CHNAVPERS BE PROVIDED BY 1 FEB 1971 WITH BRIEF EVALUATION (IMPACT ON MORALE, ATTENDANCE, ETC.,) OF ABOVE POLICIES.

4. AS ADDITIONAL EXPERIMENT, FIVE “HARD ROCK” CLUBS FOR YOUNG OFFICERS ARE BEING ESTABLISHED OR DESIGNATED WHERE ALREADY ESTABLISHED AT NAVSTA NEWPORT; NAVSTA NORFOLK; NAVSTA SAN SIEGO [sic]; NAS NORTH ISLAND; AND NAS PENSACOLA. THESE WILL OPERATE AS ANNEXES OF MAIN OPEN MESSES BUT WILL HAVE THEIR OWN ADVISORY GROUPS COMPOSED OF YOUNG OFFICERS. IT IS INTENDED THAT ESTABLISHMENT OF THESE MESSES WILL GIVE JUNIOR OFFICERS A FREER HAND IN ORGANIZING OFFICERS’ OPEN MESSES IN A MANNER MORE RESPONSIVE TO THEIR DESIRES. COMMANDING OFFICERS OF THOSE ACTIVITIES ARE BEING REQUESTED TO SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM. DETAILS ON OPERATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED. E. R. ZUMWALT, JR., ADMIRAL, U.S. NAVY, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS.
BT

__________

ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS:
CHNAVPERS: Chief of Naval Personnel
NAS: naval air station
NAVSTA: naval station

[END]
Published: Mon Oct 03 06:50:55 EDT 2016