That last one, about the Army, reminds me of this, that's told about the US Army in North Africa in the Second World War:

A newcomer transferred into a unit in Algeria talked with a fellow who'd been there for six months, and complained about the omnipresent clouds of flies, flies, flies, getting into everything--food and drink included.

The "old timer" said, "Well, your attitude can change about that. In fact you can tell how long a guy's been here by how he takes the damn flies."

"How so?" says the newbie.

"When a new replacement gets here, he's drinking a beer and a fly gets in it, he throws out the beer in disgust.

"After he's been here a month and a fly gets in his beer, he picks the fly out, throws it away, and drinks the beer.

"After he's been here three months and a fly gets in the beer, he takes the fly out of the beer, wrings the beer out of it over his mug, throws the fly away, and drinks the beer.

"After he's been here four months, he catches flies and puts them in his beer!"

Dave Oesterreich