Uniform? I don't need no stinking uniform!

Well, I do have a stinking uniform. Or at least it will be soon. I have one set of the Army Combat Uniform (ACU), the Army uniform. I do have a two sets of the Airman Battle Uniform (ABU), the new Air Force uniform, that I could wear. But I don't want to. I'm proud to be in the Air Force. Proud of what we bring to the fight. But our uniform sucks. It is made of a thick material that might be nice in the winter, but it is almost summer here. The ACU is much thinner.

Fortunately, I have one more set of ACUs on order through supply. It just isn't here yet. I went to two supply offices to see if they had any extras lying around, but no joy. They probably do, but Army supply people are notorious for hoarding their supplies and so they definitely won't hook up an Air Force guy any more than they have to. So ABUs will have to be my laundry day uniform. Not a big deal. I'm mostly sitting in an air conditioned facility anyway.

As it is, I was given an order sheet and a price limit and told to get whatever I wanted on the list for my official supply issue. So I picked out some cold weather layers, a boonie cap, and another set of ACUs. I won't really need the cold weather layers during this trip, but it will be nice to have official uniform cold weather layers for when I need them. When we actually go in the field, we're not picky about uniforms as long as our stuff works, but at home we need to be all pretty and professional.

Back at work, where the magic happens, the guy who sits next to me has been talking about all sort of weapons parts and where to get the best prices on various pieces of equipment. This could be dangerous. A lot of free time, an internet connection, and an enabler... but I won't. I may be tempted, but now my wife knows I am tempted. It's a great way to avoid making needless purchases. Though there were some screaming deals.

At one point I was sitting there when he slammed a can of Rip It on my desk. He had one and two other guys had one. I was then told that the last one to finish was a, well, something that need not be mentioned in a family blog but would get me an instant discharge from the service under current policy if it were told... if you are tracking. Well, a Rip It is a carbonated energy drink. It may have over taken Red Bull as the fuel that powers the Global War on Terrorism. Anyway, I'm not usually into energy drinks or carbonated drinks. It was my first Rip It. But I was the last to finish mine. I should mention I didn't realize it would be carbonated, but this is a no fail environment and I failed.

As an epilogue to that story, a minutes afterwards, I made a sarcastic comment to a senior non-commissioned officer. They declared it must be the Rip It speaking.

I will also admit that while I'm not big in to energy drinks, I do start my day by stealing a Shocker from the snack bar of another Ops Center. Shockers are just canned ice latte things. Nothing too fancy, but a nice start to the workday. One guy asked if I could get him one too, but then I got a little worried after that young Navy officer said "I love you" when I gave him the can. There is a standard inter-service joke in there somewhere, but I am above such petty things. Well, that and I'd think its funny, my wife will roll her eyes, and most other people reading this wouldn't get it.

As a last little vignette from today, we cleaned out some of the shelves and cabinets in our workspace this morning. There was a salami that someone had received in a care package that we didn't know what to do with. So we put it in one of the community candy plates on the Ops floor. So there it is with a bunch of Brach's mint type things and Jolly Ranchers.

We also found a bible. A lot of groups send bibles. It's a very nice thing to do and is appreciated. However, there are now a lot of bibles in theater. Most bible-reading troops bring their own on top of that. So, when we leave, or at least move forward with the impending draw down, we will either be taking a lot of bibles back with us or bequeathing a lot of Christian bibles to the Iraqis along with some very nice facilities that they may or may not be able to maintain. We are not particularly confident that, if left, these bibles will be disposed of or otherwise treated in anything resembling a respectful manner. Fortunately, there is a double standard when it comes to Arabs in this region showing respect for such things so it won't create much of an uproar if it happens. I said it.

Low expectations, even when very very warranted and proven, are a prejudice too.

And I was trying to keep it light.

Everyone congratulate my wife and getting to deliver a baby all by herself on her first day of her advanced family medicine rotation. And she's biking to work. I'm very proud.

OK, off to the gym.