Mess Night, a formal dinner in honor of Marine culture and tradition, is held on the first Friday in March. The newest officers have not yet attended a Mess Night, but they have heard the stories and know it will turn into a night of prodigious drinking and more. "Bull had promised Lillian that he would not get drunk, but she was not a young wife and she had heard such promises before." (pg. 389) At eight o'clock, men begin filing into the dining room. Some make a final trip to the bathroom, because Bull has decreed that no man may use the head until Mess Night is over. Bull has arranged for the finest food and drink for his men, and dinner begins with ceremonious grandeur. The toasts begin as Bull introduces.....
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