Re: USS Kitty Hawk master of arms mess deck #27 badge
After the "racial incident" of 1972, several Lead Petty Officers were temporarily assigned to the Master At Arms to maintain order in the mess decks. This was done because the fighting started in the forward mess. This button a rare artifact of a part of the Hawk's past that is not a popular topic. If you want more information search for "Racial incidents aboard the USS Kitty Hawk" and you will find the congressional report in the US Navy Archives.
Re: USS Kitty Hawk master of arms mess deck #27 badge
I believe you’ll find that Mess Desk Master at Arms were around quite some time prior to the ’72 incident. Mess Deck MAAs were normally E-4s while ships MAAs force were E-5s & E-6s. The MDMAAs directed traffic and insure orderly flow more than anything else and called notified the MAAs if there was anything serious. I have a MDMAA badge, #17, but I can’t recall how it came into my possession. I do remember the ship’s MAA force badges as being larger and heavier than the MDMAAs badges, but the CMAA wouldn’t let me keep or buy mine when my TAD tour (July- Dec 1972) was over.
