Saluting

Anybody remember that scene in Forrest Gump where Forrest and Bubba report for duty in the jungles of Vietnam? Where they shoot their hands up to their hats in a salute as soon as they see Lieutenant Dan? And he proceeds to chew them out for doing something as dumb as showing the snipers who the leaders are?

 

Here at Bagram, smack in the middle of a war zone, we salute. All the time. ALL the time. This place is crawling with officers. So many officers, in fact, that most of them probably have more bosses than subordinates. It must make them feel so small that they searched and searched and searched for a way to feel important. Best they could come up with is getting everybody to salute them. It's as ridiculous as it sounds.

 

Afghanistan is a beautiful country. I mean it. I wish I could see more of it. (And I still owe you a run down of my trip last week). Problem is, I don't live in Afghanistan. I live on Bagram Airfield, a place with neither the comforts of home nor the mystery of being abroad.  I'm not complaining (really), just reflecting. And by the looks of this LA Times article, I'll have plenty of chances to get out and about over the next few months.