I have a shibboleth I use to really tell people who've been in the Army for a very brief time from those who've been in long enough. It's a simple question: "If you were in a survival situation, life or death, would you eat a dead human?" Presumably, you didn't kill him for the sole purpose of eating him. There's lines, after all.
The young bucks almost always answer with a vehement "No!"
The old bastards almost always answer with a "Yeah, sure, why not?"
I don't think it's so much that the military encourages cannibalism as it is that us fellas who been in a minute have a better understanding of ourselves and have much fewer taboos. We have a better idea of what we will and won't do out of necessity, whereas civilians cling to certain illusions about what they won't do in order to survive.
In other news, I'm having pork for dinner.
I've been in the Army for what I'd call a "Hot Minute" and the differences between me and the new Soldiers are astounding! I could bitch about the lack of discipline and the boldness of these kids for hours, but that is neither her nor there.
ReplyDeletePoint is, I say cheers and I'll take a thigh.
They really are, even the differences between a guy like me who's only been in a lukewarm minute and these kids. I'll have to write up a somewhat more articulate post on it sometime.
ReplyDeleteThe muh-reen instructor and I were having fun with the IET kids today. Primarily in the form of discussing favorite cuts, preferred recipes, and which of the IET kids would be the tastier. Personally, I think the kid named Salmon is asking for it.