The Army saw MiddleFingerMom as a GREAT medic, but as a soldier... ... ...

[MiddleFingerMom]

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...they saw him as...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...well...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...certainly... different.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
He has always been able to live with that.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.

[Skittles]

1. MFM is a green plastic figurine>?

no matter; I CAN KICK FIGURINE ASS

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear MiddleFingerMom!

Love the green figurines.......and the story too.

:hug:

[kimi]

3. I can see that!

I'll bet you were a great troop. I was an AF nurse, wish I could've worked with ya.

I loved the folks I worked with - the head nurses and hospital commanders, not so much. Skateboarding medics - oh, yeah!!

[Lasher]

4. Is one of those soldiers doing a trick on a skateboard?

Must be some kinda unconventional warfare.

[Iggo]

8. I think he's gleaming the cube...

...or something.

[sarge43]

5. Huh. They're all puke green

Must have deployed via Military Airlift Command

[MiddleFingerMom]

7. We flew into Ft Bragg once C-130... me leaning forward sleeping with my head on the big tire...

.
...of a Gamma Goat.
.
.
.
.
.
Woke up when we BOUNCED off the runway HARD,
aborted the landing and went around for another "try".
.
.
.
.
.
I was wide awake for THAT landing.
.

[sarge43]

10. I spent 14 hours between SC and WGermany via the North Pole

sleeping or not on top of a big ass packing crate with about 2" of clearance between me and the bulkhead. I think it was C130.

Your Cattle Car in the Sky

[hobbit709]

6. I always aced the technical knowledge of my APR

Now Military Attitude and Bearing was a completely different story.

[MiddleFingerMom]

9. EXACTLY!!!

.
.Got my E-5 stripes solely on the strength of my medic-hoodnessosity --
I was pretty much a ragbag with an attitude otherwise.
.
Even got me out of a slap-on-the-wrist jail term and reduction in
rank (and PAY!!!!) once when they found they were going to be
giving me a Letter of Commendation AND a non-judicial punishment
at the same time.
.
.
.
It WAS kinda like M.A.S.H. -- medics were TOTALLY committed to what
they were doing, often desperately needed, but not many of us made
for what would with ANY stretch of the imagination be called "good
soldiers".
.
.
.
They made... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... great allowances for this.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
We accepted those allowances gratefully and graciously.
.
:rofl:
.

[sarge43]

11. Story I heard yea many years ago from an AF zebra corpsman

He was in the Korean fracas and for some reason assigned to an Army infantry platoon in shall we say unpleasant situations. He said it took him awhile to figure out what was going on, but he'd always be placed in the center of the platoon when they were on patrol, always got the safest spot at end of day, etc.

Field medics: They can get you home -- alive. The Romans had that one squared away 2K years ago.

[MiddleFingerMom]

12. I worked HARD to get assigned to our scouts...

.
...because they pushed HARD AND FAST for half-a-day and
then sat around relaxing and napping and shooting the shit for
a day, maybe a day-and-a-half sometimes while the main unit
caught up to us.
.
Guy that carried the .30 cal machine gun (BIG guy, naturally)
was ALWAYS complaining about it ("You guys just don't know
how HEAVY this motherfucker is by the end of the day").
.
Once, right before we started out for the day, I asked him to let
me see it. When he handed it to me, I wouldn't give it back and
humped it all day long (didn't show it, but I was DYING with that
burden).
.
When we finally stopped at the end of the day, I handed it back
with a simple, "That motherfucker IS pretty heavy."
.
We never heard him whine again, not after the (affectionately-called)
"goddam hippie medic didn't make a peep".
.
Gave him a new perspective on his fate -- a new way to deal with
things. As medics, we were usually between 18 and 20 y.o., just
like the other guys... but we were often looked at as counselors
and/or confidantes... sometimes even "father-figures" from whom
"sage" advice about absolutely EVERYTHING under the sun was sought.
:rofl:
.
We actually took that pretty seriously and did the best we could.
.
.
.
I LOVED "my" men.
.
They LOVED "their" medic.
.
.
Absolutely right, sarge43... they took good care of me. I think
that was pretty universal behavior.
.