80th APS celebrate during combat dining in Published Oct. 6, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Karla V. Lehman 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- Members of the 80th Aerial Port Squadron held a combat dinning in here Oct. 4. This celebration was designed to allow Airmen of all ranks to come together and celebrate unit and individual accomplishments. "We held a combat dining in to bring the unit together and boost morale overall," said Capt. Rebecca Nistler, 80th APS operations officer. "It was awesome to see military members just having fun together while honoring the great things that we do every day." The history of the dining in ceremony is believed to date from the time of the Roman Legions, when military commanders frequently held banquets to honor individuals and units. A combat dining in is far less formal than a traditional dining in/out and is geared more toward enjoyment. The dining in includes everyone in the squadron, whereas if you do a dining out, you include a guest for each member of the unit. Dining out requires formal dress uniform while a combat dining in requires military uniform of any sort, from G.I. Joe to Roman Legion to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. The event featured creative activities for attendees such as the grog, rules of the mess and the obstacle course. "The obstacle course was the best part of the event," said Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Herold, 80th APS. After the formal ceremonies were complete, the mess erupted in a free-for-all water fight using a variety of weapons. Participants in the fight were held to a complex of set of rules. Violations against the rules would require the participant to complete an obstacle course to drink from the grog bowl, which was a toilet bowl containing several unpleasant substances mixed together.
