Back from dinner. It was interesting. Just when you think you have seen it all or know a lot about place something occurs that reminds you that life changes and nothing ever stays the same. Tonight we were entertained by several bachelorette parties where the bride had to do something stupid or funny to make money for her wedding. Many were entertaining (we saw at least five of these groups) and it was just an interesting tradition.

Enough about dinner lets talk about the reason I started this blog. During dinner we had a discussion about military apparel. As many people know military personnel are required to wear a spanky uniform. For me I almost exclusively dress in flight suits. We aviators call them "bags" and they are not as comfortable as they look. In winter the wind blows right through them and in the summer your sweat blocks the fabric and they became sauna like. They are comfortable in the sense that they are baggy and loose fitting.

What does military fashion have to do with this deployment? Well during dinner I brought up the fact that we don't have enough desert patches to wear with our tan flightsuits. Why is this important? Well the first mission my crew flew we show up at our deployed squadron looking like a bunch of clowns. Only one guy had patches on every portion of velcro and looked normal. Some of us had one patch, some were wearing patches from previous units. The frickin' military wants to talk about our superiority and yet we can't even dress the part. By the way there's always one guy who looks like a million bucks (but those guys can't usually do their f'in job).

So we all got handed one MAJCOM (Major Commmand) patch. That signifies who you work for. In this case we have two handlers, both of whom will remain nameless. What do I do if I lose one? In your normal squadron, when your not deployed, you can get a ton of these. Hell we still have about five hundred subdued American flags before some genius realized that the American flag cannot be any other colors or representationat except what you see at sporting events and in the parade..... according to federal law. That's why you see American Soldiers in the desert with the good ole' red, white and blue!!! Riddle me this Batman: If that were really true how come most combat soldiers have the IR flag on their shoulder, which is definitely not what you'll be seeing displayed on the fourth of July. But that's another story.

Back home = tons of patches so you look professional. This deployment= almost no patches so you look like a GI Joe doll made in China. Even our squadron patch can't be made for less than three dollars a patch. You want to gouge the military then just make shitty ass patches and sell them for way more than their worth . Ahhh the smell of capitalism.

Anyhow I feel that if your deployed in support of whatever operation you should have all the equipment you need and should look like a professional even if you may not be one. I'm sure many people have read about all the units where the members speak out about not having the right equipment or amounts. Then all those allegations are washed away by some smooth talking O (Officer) who explains that these individuals are either disgruntled or don't know what they are talking about. These people make great spokesmen for companies like...British Petroleum:)

It is the right of any soldier, sailor, airman, or marine to gripe. For now it's time to rest so that I can continue to gripe in the morning.