Air, Water, and Toilets
It is a great start:
https://x.com/SecWar/status/1976386024994750535/photo/1
But can we upgrade the field latrines?
Worst experience? Fleet Hospital Dallas provided medical support for a live fire exercise at Twenty-Nine Palms. The latrine had a long line of toilets with each toilet close enough to pass a field-stripped MRE to the combatant on the next toilet. Some of our officers would trudge out to do their business at 2 a.m . It was too much for their gentle dispositions.
Me? I just put on my sunglasses in cavalier manner. We all looked about the same in uniform anyway. But partitions would be nice. And a softer grade of toilet paper too, please.
Second bad experience? FHOTC at Camp Pendleton. We had a rattlesnake removed from the shower facilities. The snake was secured with long tongs and tossed over the wire to slither back into whatever desert-scape suited it. But we also had a nasty rattlesnake in uniform. An uptight individual reported that females were taking too much time putting on make-up. The command had the mirrors removed.
Because my parents should have named me "Rascal", I gathered a few officers and we pulled out our mirrors and applied lipstick. To hell, with small minds with even smaller malignant mind games. I took the photo as one of many souvenirs during this adventure.
Give me liberty or give me death!
Best of show? The US Marine ( at Twenty-nine Palms) who had everything but his boonie cover and boots stolen while in the shower. He ran down the sand dunes yelling loudly, entered his barracks and came out the other side chasing his buddies. "Still nekked," as we say in Texas.
We Band of Nurses? Laughing so hard that we couldn't manage to snap a picture. With the wet bulb temperature at 113 degrees F - there was not much to laugh about and this brief moment gave us respite from our tasks. Was there still good order and discipline? Yep. The military needs risk-takers, and bravado can be good for morale. But we did spend the rest of our days trying to locate "red". Definitely a redhead. wink
Permission to speak freely, SecWar Hegseth? The galley menu is great. Fort McCoy in Wisconsin has the best galley ever! I was quite impressed! The MRE's provide more than enough caloric intake. But improvements can be made in the latrines.
Small note from the former LCDR:
Toxic masculinity is a political construct which has been used to delegitimize manhood. Stripping our soldiers of manhood (composite qualities of the male such as courage, vigor, determination, and calculated recklessness) shave the edge off the lethal capabilities which combine with masculinity to make it possible for our men to survive in combat.
I believe in manhood. And I believe there are cowardly men who choose to bully and target women. The former should consider a military career. The latter, will eventually meet his own miserable fate.
The US Marine in the field who ran naked down the hill was targeted by his fellow bunk mates. This was most likely done to build male bonding. And my guess is he was targeted because he was the Alpha male; the guy was popular! It was not done to target the nurses. Hence, it was not sexual harassment.
Women who are uncomfortable in the presence of manhood, easily offended by the light-hearted moments in the field which provide for comic relief should probably choose to be kindergarten teachers. wink
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