It's the same guy as above - You gotta understand that a combat vet has a different take on things - I sent this to one of the Medics assigned to us when he was asking about funny encounters with "Docs" - what we called the Corpsment assigned to us in the Fleet Marine Force.

Then there was the time after Vietnam - I was stationed at LeJeune with Headquarters 8th Marines Comm Platoon. We had this asshole of a Sgt E-5. Name was Gary Hamblin - I'll never forget that guy. He hadn't been off across the pond yet and figured our attitudes just plain sucked and he was going to send us back to boot camp for a retraining.

I don't remember what we did but this knothead decided that several of us could spend the weekend field daying the barracks. They were brand new brick barracks, instead of the quonset huts we'd been used to, and they had a shit load of windows. So it was toothbrushes and no more - to clean the whole area. Man we were pissed.

But we did it and sniveled - but we did it. A week or so later we found out that Sgt Hamblin was scheduled to have some hemoroids removed by surgery. Well shucky darns - guess who the attending Medic was? Yep - same Brother that stitched up my eye in Vietnam. I'll have to ask JD what his name was - don't know why I can't remember it. Remember him real well.

So anyhow - here's Sgt Hamblin getting a ream job and our buddy is going to be ass(pun har freaking har)isting person after the surgery to make sure he's all clean and stuff. Wasn't all nice and laser techy like today. They used pocket knives and horse hair stitching material.

There was also the issue of what to keep the area in question clean with.

I tell you those Docs earned my respect even more - ever hear of Witch Hazel? That shit will burn holes in your nose just smelling it - let alone on fresh knife cuts around someone's anus. And even better? Doc called us and told us when the first application would be. So we moseyed over, just to see how Sgt. Hamblin was (can't let a Brother down now can we), and with us in attendance the Doc applied liberal doses of Witch Hazel to Sgt. Hamblin's ass hole.

It was so freaking cool!! Hamblin didn't dare yell cause we were visiting and actin like we liked him. Doc's filling his butt with fire. And the tears were rolling down his cheeks. We had to leave before one of us lost it. So outside we went and laughed our selves into a fit! Lord was that funny. And we were just outside his window all the time! I can still remember rolling on the grass grinder between us and 10th Marines. Holding our stomachs and laughing - oh man - I still laugh when I think about that.

He came back to us a few days later and was quite civil. Treated us like real live combat Marines that needed a break. Lord you Docs - EVIL when pushed!!

Told you we looked at things differently -

Semper Fi
Steve