PREPARING FOR DEPLOYMENT

Blackfive passes on some tips for those about to deploy to Iraq. Not much has changed since I was there in ’91.

A few favorites:

3. Six hours after you go to sleep, have your wife or girlfriend whip open the curtain, shine a flashlight in your eyes and mumble, “Sorry, wrong cot.” [Heh--although, I must confess, this was mainly the troops. As a platoon leader, I was spared guard duty--although I experienced this ritual plenty as a cadet.]

8. Don’t watch TV except for movies in the middle of the night. Have your family vote on which movie to watch and then show a different one.

9. Leave a lawnmower running in your living room 24 hours a day for proper noise levels.

10. Have the paperboy give you a haircut.

37. When your 5-year old asks for a stick of gum, have him find the exact stick and flavor he wants on the Internet and print out the web page. Type up a Form 9 and staple the web page to the back. Submit the paperwork to your spouse for processing. After two weeks, give your son the gum. [What--they get the gum now?]

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