11.12.2010

I'm no hippie, but...

It's an intentionally quiet Saturday as the three of us
watch the war movie about downed Army helicopters
in Somalia. The fourth friend snores through it
cocktail in hand as always. I think back to
the old lady I worked the drive-thru with at
my high school burger-slinging job. She couldn't
watch that film, two of her sons flew Blackhawks.
My eyes catch the screen and my OCD
sucks me back into the present.

"It's always bothered me that the flag patches
on the shoulders of their uniforms are backwards."

The ironic military expert of our group chimes in
with some interesting nuggets of wisdom:

"They have it that way with the stars on the right
because that's how it'd look if they were marching
into battle with the wind blowing against them."

I let this sink in for a moment, fully appreciating
the forethought that went into such a design.
It's the concept that bothers me, though.

If they can put that much effort into looking proper
going into battle, why not apply the same effort
into avoiding it entirely? I keep this to myself
for the time-being. The action's good, the guns
provide topics of discussion, and no real people
are dying in my living room; well, not from gunshots
at least.

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