You may not be a mall ninja but recognize anyone here?
Your father told you a .45 would knock you down if it hit you in the little finger and you pretty much believed him. In fact, you pretty much still do, only you never heard of anyone getting shot in the little finger.
You thought you were being clever in enlisting to avoid the draft. Later you figured out it was the guard you were supposed to enlist in.
You were in the army, your father was in the army and your son was in the army. All took basic at the same place.
Your father was a private in WWII but your father-in-law was a lieutenant. Neither ever got promoted, however.
You looked down on the recruits in the reception center when you had been in the army for two weeks.
You received more issue clothing than would fit in the duffle bag. All the clothes you had at home wouldn't fill it up.
You lost all modesty.
Your lived in wooden barracks. You lived in barracks built during the Indian Wars.
You learned that a part of a 105mm howitizer was an M14 (or was that an M!?).
You learned that if you left the charging handle for a co-ax machine gun on a tank in the wrong place, the main gun would rip it off when the main gun recoiled.
You thought an M114 was the neatest thing and you wanted one, only the practical side of you would have settled for a 3/4-ton (which your father called a "weapons carrier). You didn't care for the Jeep, which wasn't a Jeep.
Have since quit saying "in country," "mox nix," names ending in "-san," STRAC, "MOS," "ETS," and "TDY."
Have fond memories of PM Magazine, the Overseas Weekly and Armed Forces Radio.
Recall that a beret was rarely seen, as were female soldiers, though the latter were adored.
Realized that the army was composed of half southern, half northern and half western, about 12% black, about 2% Mexicans (from California or Texas) and about 1% gay. It was a while before you found out about the latter but no one made a big deal of it. Still later you found out what that really meant.
Wondered if all senior NCO's were from, well, you know.
Knew at least one senior NCO still wearing HBT's (herringbone twill fatigues).
Had your fatigue trousers pegged.
Always wondered where the officers got their baseball caps, which were nicer than issue.
Learned to shave in the army.
Knew officers who learned to shave in the army.
Knew officers.
Stationed in Kansas or Oklahoma without every hearing mention of tornados.
Stationed in Kansas or Oklahoma without A/C.
Could never manage a decent spit shine.
Was practically a 90-pound weakling, yet had no trouble with the PT test.
Never had a PT uniform. Surprised to learn the British did during WWII (what are plimsols?).
Wanted to be in the British Army really (Rifles) or the French Foreign Legion but couldn't understand either language.
Wife is a decendent of a Confederate general (from New York) and decended or related to several other Confederate officers, all buried in the same Episcopal Church yard. You are decended from only one Confederate private. Grateful your wife married you anyway, mostly.
Possessor of folded flag and spent .30-caliber blank casings from father's funeral. Had bugler play revellie after playing taps. Think hard, it's a religious thing and anyway, Churchill had that done.
Born in town and county with no Civil War statue because it is exactly between the North and the South and they didn't settle their differences until after the war by men on horseback in the middle of the night. Go in any direction and there are statues. Surprised to see Civil War statues in New York villages. Now lives where "The War" means the War between the states.
Wants to have "Dixie" played at funeral, if possible.
Your father told you a .45 would knock you down if it hit you in the little finger and you pretty much believed him. In fact, you pretty much still do, only you never heard of anyone getting shot in the little finger.
You thought you were being clever in enlisting to avoid the draft. Later you figured out it was the guard you were supposed to enlist in.
You were in the army, your father was in the army and your son was in the army. All took basic at the same place.
Your father was a private in WWII but your father-in-law was a lieutenant. Neither ever got promoted, however.
You looked down on the recruits in the reception center when you had been in the army for two weeks.
You received more issue clothing than would fit in the duffle bag. All the clothes you had at home wouldn't fill it up.
You lost all modesty.
Your lived in wooden barracks. You lived in barracks built during the Indian Wars.
You learned that a part of a 105mm howitizer was an M14 (or was that an M!?).
You learned that if you left the charging handle for a co-ax machine gun on a tank in the wrong place, the main gun would rip it off when the main gun recoiled.
You thought an M114 was the neatest thing and you wanted one, only the practical side of you would have settled for a 3/4-ton (which your father called a "weapons carrier). You didn't care for the Jeep, which wasn't a Jeep.
Have since quit saying "in country," "mox nix," names ending in "-san," STRAC, "MOS," "ETS," and "TDY."
Have fond memories of PM Magazine, the Overseas Weekly and Armed Forces Radio.
Recall that a beret was rarely seen, as were female soldiers, though the latter were adored.
Realized that the army was composed of half southern, half northern and half western, about 12% black, about 2% Mexicans (from California or Texas) and about 1% gay. It was a while before you found out about the latter but no one made a big deal of it. Still later you found out what that really meant.
Wondered if all senior NCO's were from, well, you know.
Knew at least one senior NCO still wearing HBT's (herringbone twill fatigues).
Had your fatigue trousers pegged.
Always wondered where the officers got their baseball caps, which were nicer than issue.
Learned to shave in the army.
Knew officers who learned to shave in the army.
Knew officers.
Stationed in Kansas or Oklahoma without every hearing mention of tornados.
Stationed in Kansas or Oklahoma without A/C.
Could never manage a decent spit shine.
Was practically a 90-pound weakling, yet had no trouble with the PT test.
Never had a PT uniform. Surprised to learn the British did during WWII (what are plimsols?).
Wanted to be in the British Army really (Rifles) or the French Foreign Legion but couldn't understand either language.
Wife is a decendent of a Confederate general (from New York) and decended or related to several other Confederate officers, all buried in the same Episcopal Church yard. You are decended from only one Confederate private. Grateful your wife married you anyway, mostly.
Possessor of folded flag and spent .30-caliber blank casings from father's funeral. Had bugler play revellie after playing taps. Think hard, it's a religious thing and anyway, Churchill had that done.
Born in town and county with no Civil War statue because it is exactly between the North and the South and they didn't settle their differences until after the war by men on horseback in the middle of the night. Go in any direction and there are statues. Surprised to see Civil War statues in New York villages. Now lives where "The War" means the War between the states.
Wants to have "Dixie" played at funeral, if possible.