U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY TO HONOR MESSMEN
September 16, 2008
Sept. 9, 2008
Media Contacts: Phone: (410) 293-2292
Judy Campbell Email: mediarelations@usna.edu
Deborah Goode
U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY TO HONOR MESSMEN
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the Naval Academy will dedicate a marker in honor of Navy Messmen who served in the Academy’s midshipmen mess (King Hall). Messmen were the cooks and stewards who prepared and served meals in the Navy and also at the Naval Academy. Between the First and Second World Wars enlisted men of African-American and Asian-Pacific descendant were only allowed to serve in the U.S. Navy as cooks and stewards.
Surviving Messmen veterans have been invited to dinner with the Brigade in King Hall during which the marker will be unveiled. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), a member of the Academy’s Board of Visitors, will address the guests and the Brigade.
There will be an opportunity for interviews and photos of messmen and Navy officials, and a group photo of the Messmen prior to the ceremony. Photo/videography opportunities will be available during the ceremony and speech. Interviews with Midshipmen will be available at the conclusion of the ceremony.
If you wish to cover the ceremony, please contact the Naval Academy’s Public Affairs Office no later than 5 p.m., Sept. 16. The night of the ceremony, please plan to arrive no later than 5:30 p.m. at Gate 1 (at the foot of King George Street) where you will be met by Public Affairs and directed to parking, etc.
USNA
Naval Academy to Honor Service of Messmen and Stewards
By Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW) Misty Trent
U.S. Naval Academy Public Affairs
“This marker is dedicated to all of our shipmates and unsung trailblazers of African and Asian-Pacific ancestry who proudly served with honor and distinction as Messmen and Stewards in the Naval Academy midshipmen’s mess, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice as American Sailors in war and peace.”
On Sept. 17, the leadership of the United States Naval Academy will unveil a plaque in King Hall bearing those words during a ceremony in front of the Brigade of Midshipmen. The ceremony will pay tribute to the service, as well as the struggle, of those who served generations of Navy and Marine Corps leaders as Cooks and Stewards.
“We wanted to have a marker because we wanted to make sure someone coming along knew that dues were paid, to know that what you have today is to be treasured and to be honored,” said retired Master Chief Mess Management Specialist Melvin Williams, Sr. “We wanted to make sure the young folks coming along today won’t take for granted what they inherited.”
For many years, African Americans and Filipinos who wanted to serve in the United States Navy were restricted to the Messman Branch, made up of Commissarymen and Stewards. In 1935, a letter from the Navy to the president of the Chicago branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People stated that the restriction was in place because “men of the colored race, if enlisted in the seaman branch and promoted to the position of petty officers, cannot maintain discipline among the men of the white race over whom they may be placed.”
At the Naval Academy, those Messmen cooked and served all meals for the Brigade until 1975, when food service responsibilities were contracted out to civilian organizations.
“It was very hard duty,” said retired Master Chief Mess Management Specialist Cesar Cabrera, who served as a Steward at the Naval Academy from 1958 to 1960, as his very first duty station.
According to Cabrera, the Messmen lived aboard berthing ships tied up along the seawall. Each morning, the Messmen were inspected before marching over to Bancroft Hall to start their day. Cabrera explained that each Steward was responsible for 24 Midshipmen. They started their day at 5 a.m. preparing for breakfast, and their workday didn’t end until King Hall was completely cleaned after dinner.
“These people are so important, in a demanding job that wasn’t always looked highly upon,” said Master Chief Culinary Specialist Thaddeus Wright, Force Master Chief for Afloat Food Service. “To see them get their just dues, and to see leadership acknowledge that these people were not just hired help, is a good thing for the Navy.”
In 1975, Williams, who served with then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, was tasked with chairing a committee to resolve racial issues plaguing the Messman Branch. The solution was the merger of Stewards and Commissarymen into a newly-created Mess Management Specialist rating.
In January of 2004, the Mess Management Specialists became Culinary Specialists, a change designed to more accurately reflect the modern responsibilities of the career field and to enhance the rating’s professional image. The special evening meal on Sept. 17 will welcome guests from today’s Culinary Specialist rating as well as honor Stewards and Commisarymen of years past, including not only those who served at the Academy but also those, like Williams, who worked hard to elevate the status of those Sailors.
“Having served as Steward, to see us be honored in this manner is really overwhelming,” said Williams, whose son, Vice Adm. Mel Williams, Jr., is a 1978 Naval Academy graduate and currently serves as Commander, U.S. Second Fleet. “You really have to understand our history to understand how we feel by being recognized in this manner.”
When Williams enlisted in the Navy in 1951, he didn’t want to be a Steward, and tried to change his rating several times with no success. Eventually, Williams decided if he was going to be a Steward, he was going to be the best Steward possible. This led to his assignment running the CNO Flag Mess under Zumwalt, who Williams credits with being the driving force for change.
“He was a reformer. He brought about a lot of cultural changes,” said Williams. “In my lifetime, to watch what [the Navy] was under [President Harry S.] Truman’s desegregation order evolve to what it is today where we have minority admirals, is really amazing.”
“This was a hidden generation of people, and some still haven’t been recognized. You can’t ask for anything better,” said Wright. “This event shows that everyone’s job is important, from the person who takes out trash to the person giving the speech.”
The Messmen Memorial Marker will be revealed to the Brigade of Midshipmen during a special evening meal ceremony. The goal of the event is to honor veterans for their service, pay tribute to enlisted service members, educate the Midshipmen, and highlight the importance of diversity.
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