Army Spouse Grog Ceremony

Army spouses are a special breed. We have endured since the beginning of our Army and served our nation, the military, and families well. Today, many units and Army balls celebrate with the tradition of a grog ceremony as they herald their history. We thought it appropriate to create a “punch bowl/grog ceremony” to celebrate the course of our spouse history.

(Each # is read with gusto by a separate person standing around the back of the punch bowl, and the grog is stirred after each addition.)

Grog Addition #1

Martha Washington was our first First Lady and the one who held the first coffees. If you’ve ever gone to a unit coffee, you were participating in a tradition that dates to the days of our First Lady! Martha even had her own “rules for good coffee”—a cup of water and heaping tablespoon of her specially selected coffee “pulverized as fine as cornmeal.” She was our foundation. For Martha, we start this “grog” with her strong dark coffee.

Grog Addition #2

Next, we celebrate our spouse heroes and Gold Star families. “Molly Pitcher” was the nickname for the most well-known Army spouse, Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, wife of an artilleryman who served during the Revolutionary War. On a brutally hot day, Molly carried buckets of cool water to the men and their hot artillery pieces, and sometimes even carried the wounded back for care. When her husband was wounded, she immediately took his gun position and continued the fight. Margaret Corbin was also a spouse hero who helped with the cannons when her husband was killed. Gold Star mothers and spouses strive to keep the memory of their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, alive by working to help veterans, service members, their families, and our communities. For their courage, we add ice to cool this punch.

Grog Addition #3

Frontier Army wives of the 19th century endured untold dangers and hardships, yet still maintained the niceties of life back home as best they could. At first, they slept in wagons, tents, and eventually small crudely-built homes. They used what they brought and borrowed other things to entertain as best they could. All the while, they watched for Native American raids, fires, and wild animals. To honor their bravery and help with their entertainment, we add sugar.

Grog Addition #4

During the wars of the 20th century—World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam—many wives left their home life and went to work, replacing the men in the civilian work force. They helped to build the tools of war and rolled bandages to help heal the ravages of war. These spouses learned to speak in acronyms and laid the groundwork for many traditions we follow today. To recognize their spirit and hard work, we soften their efforts by adding milk to our dark coffee punch.

Grog Addition #5

The extended deployments of recent years have been especially hard on military spouses and their children. The internet and social media have kept the lines of communication open but are no replacement for being able to hold their soldier. While separated from loved ones, spouses make a difference as supportive teammates across their communities–children’s schools, churches, and as professionals and unit and community volunteers. When the time comes, they pick up stakes and relocate to the next post, unit, and community where they will again make a difference. To help our supportive spouse teammates stay awake waiting for that FaceTime connection, we add vanilla ice cream.

Grog Addition #6

In the last few decades there have been societal changes that have influenced our Army. Military spouses have been at the forefront of adapting to those changes, welcoming all to our ranks. We celebrate military spouses’ ever adaptable spirits with something we think all will enjoy—chocolate ice cream.

We believe that these words describe today’s military spouses. You are our foundation; you are courageous and have, hard workers, teammates, and ever adaptable.

(Invite the senior person to taste the punch.)

They reply, “As with all good Army spouse recipes, this one is deemed perfect the first time!”

[An alcoholic grog can be made with substitutions such as Kahlua, Bailey’s, Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur, and Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur.]