Posted on Jan 22, 2014
Mess Hall, Chow Hall, or Dining Facility. What do we call it??
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DFAC
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SFC Markley, I've only ever heard it called a DFAC. <div><br></div><div>I wonder when the term "DFAC" was created and what the Army called it before then.</div>
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SSG Mike Angelo
DFAC came during the Reagan era when the military let contractors, who were ex-military cooks come in and take over. Mess whites is formal uniform attire and chow was slang long before my time. IMHO and observation.
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CAPT Hiram Patterson
I only heard the term DFAC when I deployed to Iraq. Just another ubiquitous military acronym.
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When I first enlisted, I went to the "chow hall", and then was told it was a "dining facility". It didn't matter to me what the name was, even though part of my career field was in good service.
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SMSgt David A Asbury
As a former Services Operations Superintendent in the United States Air Force, we went thru a period of improving the image of this branch of the service. Yes, there was a chow hall, we changed it to a Dining Facility. The bowling alley was changed to Bowling Center. The day care for the military dependents was changed to Child Development. Center.The base gym was changed to Fitness Center. As you can see, we worked to improve the places by just changing their names. Also, most individuals who are veterans of the Air Force will say were in the USAF as oppose saying they were in the service.
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Chow hall in the Corps (I guess technically it was the Mess Hall). Only ate at an Air Force "dining facility" once as we were waiting for our Marine Corps transport aircraft (that in itself was amazing, instead of heading to the ships). I was amazed. They had waiters in both the NCO and enlisted mess, even tablecloths. And napkins! Can you believe it?
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For me it always was and ever will be the chow hall. I remember when the Air Force renamed them Aerospace Dining Facilities. The SOS still tasted like SOS.
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I never could get over the term "mess hall". It's rarely a mess. I eat chow - would even try eating a mess. I wouldn't want to sit in a mess either. Just sayin'. In my day, it was a Chow Hall. Though, when I served on ship for a piece, it was the "Officer's Mess" and the "Chief's Mess"....and as a young Corporal at the time, I could see why they called it that on the ship. Because that's how the Officer's and Chief's left it!!!!! :)
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LCpl Carla Grass Robeson
When working there, it was Mess duty. When going there to eat it was the chow hall.
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TSgt Scott Hurley
MSgt John Darchangelo - Being a fellow AF retiree. I am historically correct. It it will always be a Chow Hall, Galley, or Mess Hall. DFAC is just a politically correct term that the AF wants us to use.
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SCPO Dale Leighton
In the sea services the term most commonly used is Galley. On land I found myself saying I'm going to grab or if I was with company do want to grab some some chow. I rarely dwelled on a specific term or acronym.
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