The Midnight Hour

Ha! I must agree that PT shorts are obscene. I think they should be considered more as a loin cloth than shorts. I noticed that MR. OZWRG and friends in your photo choose not to wear them. Do you guys actually wear those things? I figured they would be considered bad atire considering where you are. Lol!

You should try some flavored water insead of Crystal Lite. Gatorade has a sports dring called Propel. It’s very good and way less sugar than regular Gatorade. I’ll try to send you a bottle.

Take care & Stay safe. X.

I am trying to write this whilst still laughing. It was not so much the last few items but I’m afraid both the sound and visuals required to maintain night vision in the “head” following after a gathering storm so to speak, from prior points, commanded one of those almost uncontrollable situations that move rapidly from laughter to a laughing hysteria with tears. The next point only made it worse and I could barely read it! I rather doubt that a marine of the male gender has ever visited this somewhat bizarre point in time, but you may post to your resume that you have now rendered a reader to this level of unremediated messy mirth!

Or you could say I found this very amusing!

Those are pretty funny Midnight, even though I didn’t understand all of them, they still tickled my fancy.

While otherwise diverted, Misnight, I neglected to mention that your pictures of Fallujah and area are beautiful (deceptively so, I imagine) and your picture slide show is very informative as to how you/our military live. I took a half hour and went thtough them and appreciated it as time well spent. Thank-you for the tour.

God bless and stay safe.

Thanks, guys.

Xyane, bottles of gatorade are only available at the chowhall. Propel isn’t available at all. Bottled water is everwhere, and I can carry 5 packets of crystal light powder in my cargo pocket (also available for free) without a problem. I like the taste of the flavored water. Please, don’t send me Propel. I like the flavored water, and the crystal light adds 15 calories. Cool?

Also, we do wear the silky PT shorts in rare instances. Some people still wear them for unit PT, when green on green PT gear is required (green shorts green shirt). However, I prefer the less nut-hugging olive drab trunks that are also available. The one cool thing about silkies is that most people (including myself) wear them as underwear, but they are an authorized PT uniform. This means I can change clothes anywhere and not have to worry about females being around, because I’m just in PT gear. It’s one of those weird things that is only acceptable because of our culture (similar to female swimsuits being perfectly acceptable in public, but underwear being unacceptable, and no more revealing). We often have to weigh-in to make sure we are within regs, and having PT gear on under your cammies makes it easier.

Perhaps sometime you can go into a more detail on Ugandan chow security.

“Do you have bomb today on waist belt”

This phrase has eight words, if they are polite and say thank you, that makes ten.

In any event I am glad they are there and supporting the mission. I hope they take an opportunity to learn a little english and a get a taste of what true liberty is like from the American soldiers they are supporting and take it take back home with them to secure their own future.

RE closing one eye at night

I do this at home - I guess it has to do with the scatter of leggos left by the kids - ever step on one of them in your bare feet? Easier to preserve your night vision, so you don’t wake up She Who Must Be Obeyed

An besides ALL men are pirates Arrrrgh

Some of the Ugandians are markedly better than others with English. I have learned that since writing the above post, and probably gave them a bad rap undeservedly.

Ahh, the Ugandan soldiers. They kind of scared the hell out of us because they are not exactly soldiers, but contracted security - contracted by an American firm in NM, I think. Yep, a bid for security was placed and the firm subcontracted to the UGANDAN government!

They came unprepared, barely trained with the weapons they carried. Yes, they are very nice and respectful, but they made us nervous. What will be thier LOAC category if one of them flips out and there is a firefight on-base?

However, we got to know a few of them by name. They are respectful, and good to talk to.

Great post! Thanks for sharing your mantras with us all. Takes a very secure man to do that!LOL

Take care, and God bless you.
Semper gratus,
Donna

The USAF used to reach pilots to were sunglasses to keep the night vision tuned up for night flying. Even to the point of wearing them indoors. I think it takes a long while (hours) to fully get the night seeing parts working full speed. Better to have the stereo vision.

Stay safe.

Thanks for the good laugh this morning Jeff
It’s always great to read your blog and see how things are there.
Keeping you and the rest of the troops in my prayers.

God bless!

I just added your site to my RSS feed a week or so ago. Thanks for the on the ground perspective. btw. Macs do have a kind of a right click you just need to push the “control” button on the keyboard (bottom left or bottom right corner) while you click the mouse. JoJo

Hi Midnight. I feel I must apologize. I do not want you to think my opinions came from a place of malice, or ill will. I understand why you wear your PT shorts. (silkies) I live near a recruiter and have seen them in action. I hope you understand that I look at things from a civilian stand point. There is much that I don’t know about military life, never having experienced it.

I won’t send you any Propel. I drink it because it’s only ten calories per serving. I have lost several pounds just by ridding myself of the soda habit. I thought you might like a change, again I do not know what products you have access to. I also drink many different brands of flavored water too. Perhaps you would like one of those instead?

Please forgive me if I seem over zealous as you described MR. OZWRG. I am a giving person and that can sometimes be a disability in and of its self. My wanting to give or do something nice tends to make people think I am strange. I hope that you will excuse that also. I have much respect for your position & for what you are doing there. I don’t want you or others on here to think badly of me. Sorry for any misunderstandings. I can’t apologize enough.

Sincerely, Xyane.

Mac right-click (I can’t believe nobody posted it yet) — 3 options:

OPTION A, Two-button mouse: 1) Obtain 2 button mouse. 2) Plug 2 button mouse into Mac. 3) Right-click.

OPTION B, Click-and-hold: 1) Click 2) -NO! Do not release mouse button! 3) Context (i.e. “right-click”) menu appears. 4) Click desired command in Context Menu.

OPTION C Ctrl click: 1) Depress Ctrl key. 2) -NO! Do not release Ctrl key! 3) While holding down Ctrl key, click mouse button. 4) Context menu appears. 5) Click desired commands in Context Menu.

Mr. Jobs awaits your apology.

Midnight,

I’ve been following your posts for several weeks — with anonymity, of course. I’m glad to see you’re keeping such a good spirit in the face of adversity. Congratulations about being picked up by the New York Times Select! I’m glad to see so many are intrigued by your daily thoughts. Stay alert and return home unscathed. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

I have made it here via Nonsensical Flounderings. I love your Mantra’s to live by. I see you have the luxury to speak with an Ugandan….try living with them, it aint easy. Be safe out there. I am blogrolling this site….great reads.

SGT Capozzi
USA

If one-button mice were a good idea, you’d see them on PC’s. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.

I was introduced to a Mac for the first time at NovaCon. They had about 10 of ‘em lanning SW Battlefront. I sat down to play and realized that there was only one button on the mouse, in fact, the mouse looked like it had no buttons at all! I kept asking people “How do you throw nades?” or “How do you switch weapons”, I eventually gave up and left the room… after pwning some nubs.

My experience with Macs doesn’t go beyond a guy I know who’s last name is “Macintosh.”

Good luck figuring out the whole non-existant right-click thing.

After four years in the Corps, trust me they do wear those shorts. Boy, did I love those shorts. If you spent three years at Quantico, you’d love those guys and their shorts too. Let’s face it there’s only so much to do at Quantico unless you have a car. Many a boring day has been saved by the sight of those guys and their shorts.