Overheard Item #2

If you haven't talked to me on the phone lately, you probably haven't heard all about the wonderful Dining Facility (DFAC) here at Ft. Sam. Again, the logistical problems associated with this particular eating establishment are too numerous to cover in a post, however, I will say that the one great consistency of the DFAC is the mile long line in which you will stand, in the hot sun, for anywhere from 30-40 minutes to get in. Why the long line, you ask? Well, there are lots of reasons: some of them good, some of them not so good. One of the reasons that my group and I, in particular, wait for so long is that there are tons of enlisted soldiers training here, and as a matter of custom (and I'm sure a lot of you reading this know what I'm talking about) officers always, always let the enlisted soldiers eat first. Which means that anytime a school bus full of them pulls up to the DFAC, well, we all scoot to the back of the line, further out into the sun, and let them go in ahead of us. This particular custom is probably the singular line-standing-related thing that everyone in my OBC class agrees is 100% appropriate and we're happy to oblige. One caveat, however: it's not a completely altruistic arrangement on our part. The added bonus to all of this is for we long-line-standers is that from 12:00 until 12:30 everyday, we get to do all the people-watching you'd ever want to do. And it's usually pretty colorful people-watching, at that. Usually, you're watching drill sergeants scream at these poor EIT soldiers/kids tumbling off the bus: some of them remembered the Military ID they need to get in to the DFAC, the rest get yelled at. There's one Drill Sergeant, in particular, who I see every single day. What makes him special? Well, I'm sure there are probably lots of things that make him special, but the one that I notice is that he wears braces. I know, I know: what's more intimidating than a drill seargent with a mouthful of metal? ANYWAY, I see this guy at the DFAC practically 5 days a week, and he's usually having to yell at the same kids again and again. And it's getting old for him, you can tell: he's halfway to his houseboat in Florida, or wherever, in his mind. So, we're all waiting in line at the DFAC, and this Drill Sergeant has just finished yelling at his soldiers for, oh, the buzillionth time and he kind of rolls his eyes. Another NCO says, "Hey, Drill Sergeant, how's it going?" The poor braces-wearing DS holds out his hands, palms upward and looks from side to side at this ridiculously errant group of 18 year-olds and says wearily, "All this," followed by the dramatic pause that is also somehow customary in the Army, "and a paycheck too?" and looks skyward. Ohhhh boy.