Latrine Queen--So Out of Date Sarge

In 1972 when I first enlisted in the Air Force, on my father's advice I volunteered for latrine duty. Back then, the guy with that job was called the Latrine Queen.

Yesterday was my day for barracks cleaning duty along with one of the medics.  I cleaned the latrine, he swept the barracks and took out the trash.  I told one of my 20-year-old roommates that I was Latrine Queen for a day.  He said Latrine Queen was so out of date.  No one says that anymore.

The job is the same.  And he did not seem to know what replaced the royal title, but he knew that the old title was as gone as the Army Jeep.

My informant must be current on language.  He occasionally drives his squad leader nuts by answering in the affirmative with a sound he said is "Yerrrrp."  The foster son who lived with us last summer made a similar sound when he wanted to say yes and piss his mother off at the same moment.  When he left, our other two boys fell under the strictest instructions never to make that sound/answer again.

Life does have a way of circling back.

My New Home

Here is a quick look at Home, Sweet, Home for the next week.  My bunk is on the right out of the frame.  There are two open bays, one for our company, one for Fox company.  In the middle are the latrines.  There are four showers, with doors!!!  It's very odd to have any kind of built-in privacy in a barracks.  This morning after breakfast all four stalls in the latrine were taken.  That led to jokes about warm seats and people wishing aloud they had a gas mask.

Because the officers and senior enlisted are in another barracks, we have lots of room.  Everyone has a lower bunk, for example.  

The food is pretty good too.  We have a real dining facility to eat in and for the cooks to use, not a field kitchen.  Over the weekend we have a 48-hour training exercise, so we will get very tired, then drive home.

Later today will be a Humvee driving obstacle course.  That should be serious fun!