The Loyal Edmonton Regiment "Fears no Foe"

In days of old, despite all their spit and polish, military messes had a rather "lived-in" atmosphere of stale beer and tobacco smoke. There is a story that on one particular visit by Queen Victoria to an army mess, she once asked, "What is that curious smell?" "That Ma'am," replied a resourceful General, "Is what we call Esprit de Corps."

The Queen may or may not have been amused, but she certainly had a full understanding for she knew the true value of the mess in promoting unit esprit de corps, team spirit and military professionalism. However, the military society has changed dramatically since the Victorian era, and this change has brought with it certain questions regarding the applicability, necessity, and purpose of socializing in the modern military mess, especially amongst Reserves.

In addressing these questions, it must first be emphasized that the function of the present day mess is not to compete with civilian facilities, but rather to provide a relaxing environment to a privileged membership in an elegant and traditional setting. The mess is also intended to provide a carefree refuge of social and recreational activity, where enjoyment and high spirits can be unleashed in an atmosphere of friendship. Although members do not meet on equal terms professionally, the mess does allow them to meet on equal terms socially. Mess socializing, therefore, can be an effective instrument in the promotion of unit harmony and conformity. These develop not only from the mess rules, customs, and traditions, but from the social homogeneity which encourages an exchange of attitudes, ideas, and opinions.

As well, the mess provides a secondary environment for assessing individuals, particularly in respect to their human and moral values, which play a very important role in combat and other periods of great stress. Mess peers can then use the mess as an efficient mechanism to reject the technical specialist who cannot relate well with other people - before he/she can damage the unit or injure other people. On the other hand, the mess does allow those who are competent and sensible to become known, thereby being conducive to the success of their military careers.

Many Reservists argue that they are too busy and have no time to socialize in the mess. This, however, is all the more reason to attend the mess because in many cases it will be the only opportunity to see one's peers and complete business on an informal basis. Without attending the mess it is far too easy for these Reservists to become too preoccupied with their workload and consequently not be visible to some people for many weeks on end.

In addition, socializing in the mess promotes a feeling of unity, cohesion, and comradeship with peers who share the same adventures, struggles, and problems. This then builds an attitude of pride and a sense of belonging to one's unit, as well as a feeling of Regimental Loyalty, which is founded upon kinship and the family group. No employee is ever expected to die for IBM or GM. The "expectation that one will do his duty until death" is very real within the military. This life and death responsibility, combined with the great personal liability in performance of one's duty to Canada, are very important reasons why the close ties of the Regimental Family are so vital. Just as civilian families transit their values from generation to generation, so does the Regimental Family. In this case, they do it through the customs and traditions of mess life. mess socializing, therefore, provides the close regimental ties and exchange of values required in any effective military force.

Another purpose of mess socializing is to promote military ethics and ethos, which are very different from their civilian counterparts. The concept of military ethics includes obligation, moral reasoning, and honour. Adherence to these ethics helps each Reservist to understand and accept higher level decisions, as well as remain psychologically healthy under stress. The successful Reservist not only practices these ethics, but also adheres to the Canadian military ethos, which includes concepts of sacrifice, duty, self-control, loyalty, and endurance. Far easier than in the classroom, these ethics and ethos are learned in the mess, where the blend of authority, mutual respect, kinship, and good-humoured sharing of experience can contribute substantially to the esprit de corps and professionalism of the Reserves. This whole concept is something unique to the military.

Nevertheless, there are still many who advocate that the contemporary Reservist has no nee to socialize in the mess, even though current Canadian Forces policy still sees the mess as being an important element in the building of unit esprit de corps and comradeship. This is one reason why mess membership remains compulsory. But how often should the Reservist socialize in the mess? In my opinion, the weekly drill night is the absolute minimum amount of mess attendance. However, I believe that every Reservist should attend at least one other mess function per month.

In sum then, the military places many demands on the time and ability of the reserve Force. There can, however, be no substitute for the benefits gained through active mess socializing - regardless of the cost in time or money. The ultimate purpose of the military is very different than that of the civilian sector, therefore, reserve mess life is needed to overcome, in part, some of the civilian attitudes which are not conducive to successful military operation. (Originally written by Lt. R.T. Fowler)