Today I heard one of those lines that I wish I could say and really mean. The FOB dentist was walking through the clinic. He is a trip. He obviously joined the Army to pay for dental school with the full intention of getting out after his service was up - nothing wrong with that. He just does not really fit the stereotype of a soldier. I have never seen him in anything but his PT uniform, and when he does have it on he wears tennis shoes that would be obnoxiously red/yellow/blue bowling-tennis shoes were it not for the Rustian dust that turns everything a drab grayish brown. Even after he gets a haircut, the top of his hair is just a tad on the long side so he looks like Fonzie from happy days. Every time he sees me in the clinic, he gets the biggest kick out of hailing me with a hearty, piratelike "Ahoy, seamen." Well, his obligated service is up this June, but because the unit he is with was depolying in September and would return within 3 months of his end of service obligation, it was within the Army's rights to extend him. And extend him they did. Then, when the SecDef announced the 3 month extension for all deployed units, it was withing the Army's rights to extend him. And extend him they did. I think if he had a job that required real working hours or if it did not take extra effort, he would be seriously torqued and bitter. But not this dentist. I figure he has decided that the Army made a deal with him to get 4 years of dentistry, and if they want to spread that out over 4 1/2 years, so be it.
Someone in his unit had the fine idea of assigning to him one of the truly meaningless but time consuming reports that the military thrives on, and emailed him the tasking and required document. Then they asked where it was a couple of weeks later. As one of the doctors said, "I don't think he even checks his email," (Mental note: that strategy might work.), to which he heartily agreed in a lacksadasical way. Then he said, "Oh, do they still want me to do that? They should have asked someone else if they wanted it done right." I don't think I have the follow through to really mean a line like that, but living in a bureaucratic morass that is not just the Navy, but the Narmy, I am tonight jealous of the moral courage and intestinal fortitude it takes to just not care.
