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Fifth Job of Bob - Army Part IX - I believe in mail call, you sexy thing; touch the cookies in the Pringles can and die
This entry was posted on 9/2/2010 1:56 AM and is filed under Jobs of Bob, Army.
Somebody at work the other day took a look at my Pringles container and said, "Damn Bob, you got a bunch of treats stuffed in this thing."
My God, I thought. I had not even given it a thought over the many years when I occasionally use a Pringles cylinder to put eats in. You see, while I was in the Army, my mom had sent me cookies in...Pringles containers.
In those days, it took some time for stuff to arrive overseas. Nowadays, I think some of the stuff sent to military people gets there in a couple days.
Mom. Always the child of the Great Depression and World War II economic era. Always using every trick in the book to get by even in better times. It was however, in my military time, the Great Rust-Belt Recession of the '70s. And, 'Nam was still smoldering in the background. You never know when that darn Depression might rear its ugly head again, you know, don't you know.
The cookies were usually homemade oatmeal chocolate chip. And, each was individually wrapped. And than each was carefully put in a Pringles tube. Then the tubes were wrapped in paper and put in a box. And then, the box was wrapped and taped to survive a nuclear war.
In my Army days, many of my colleagues had been given a choice by the Ol' Judge. "Go to prison...or join the Army, son." Some of these guys I served with were tough barrio mooks, gang bangers, and often just plain hard asses. And then too, most of them had been to 'Nam - some of them there twice.
Good Ol'' Mom; I saw former convicts now crass Army Engineers, beg for a chocolate chip cookie as if they were sitting on Santa's lap in the department store.
"I only stole two cars, Santa. And shit man, I learn't my lesson. So's...how 'bout one of them cookies? Don't make me shank your ass, Santa."
In segue, there was a musical group back in those days called Hot Chocolate. They had a song called, "I Believe in Miracles." The word "Miracles" is always garbled - not unusual in pop music - ever. In the Army, music was always playing, all the time, from some where. The war movies at least have gotten that right.
One day the duty sergeant was calling out names to come to his big Santa bag and, "Pick up your God-damned mail." In the background played that Hot Chocolate song.
But, it sounded like, "I believe in mail call. What's your name. You sexy thing."
Then Serg' called my name, and out of his big bag came the nuclear war wrapped cookie presentation.
Every time I hear that song still to this day, I smile and think of Mom and all those big tough barrio bohunks and mooks she tamed with those coveted cookies.
I had long forgotten about the Pringles tubes though.
Note: This blog "Jobs of Bob" Category does not list the jobs chronologically - I write about the experiences as they pop up in my memory and I often revisit an older job. Go to the Cooldadiomedia Web site and the Jobs of Bob Page for an ordered chronology.
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
Army Corporal Kenneth Cross, 21, of Superior, Wisconsin, died Sunday, August 27, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. He was killed during combat operations when his Stryker Vehicle was attacked by enemy forces using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. Corporal Cross was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), out of Fort Lewis, Washington. He was one of two soldiers killed in the attack during the combat operation. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned Cross wanted to follow a family tradition of military service citing his desire to drive a tank like his World War II veteran grandfather. Cross' father was a Vietnam Veteran. His mom's dad had been a Marine stationed in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. Kenneth married in April of 2006 in Washington state. He met his wife, Heidi, on the Internet while stationed at Fort Lewis. He was shipped out to Iraq two months after the marriage. Cross planned to buy a home and start a family after he returned home from Iraq. He left Superior High School during his senior year so he could join the Army, earning his GED at a local vocational school. He enjoyed deer hunting, and driving snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. The Journal Sentinel went on to say, Kenneth is remembered for his affection for mischief. The Website komonews.com notes Cross and his wife lived in Steilacoom, Washington. He had served one year in the U.S. Army before his death. A Stars and Strips article posted on strykernews.com mentions Cross' Army roommate was also killed in the attack. Private First Class Daniel Dolan was 19 years old. They were members of 3rd Platoon, Company C of the unit mentioned above. Both soldiers were posthumously promoted - Cross to corporal, Dolan to specialist. They were the first casualties for the battalion since it arrived in Iraq in early August of 2006 to participate in Operation Together Forward, a mission to reduce sectarian violence in Baghdad. Cross was known for knowing everything about a Stryker vehicle there was to know, and would spend his free time reading notoriously boring Army technical manuals. But Army friends noted Kenneth also had a lively side as well. At the time of his death Cross was survived by his mother Betty Cross; five older brothers and a younger sister; and, articles did not mention if Kenneth's father was still alive. Corporal Kenneth Cross was the 61st Wisconsin military service person killed in Iraq since the spring of 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
97,568 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
9,654 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,421 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1269 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
788 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
31,929 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
7,820 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
102 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
20 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
142 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
21 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; and, icasualties.org.
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