Cunning Linguist Ousted from Army

[pgwenthold]

Not really. It's very difficult to fake being in the military. Civilians lack the insane vocabulary. My dad was in the military, and even though I had tons of exposure to the life, I couldn't fake my way past actual military for more than a minute.

And he wasn't hanging out with his CO; they just wound up at the same place at the same time. I got the impression it had happened before, since neither seemed the slightest bit surprised.

What's really awkward is when you run into one of your former high school teachers in a gay bar. "So, what have you been up to since tenth grade, Mr Monkey?" "Uh, let's see, I've done college, some travel, and the blond guy over there."

For some reason, I always figured you more the brunette type (are guys actually considered "brunettes" or just "brown haired"?)

 

[Dragonrock]

Not really. It's very difficult to fake being in the military. Civilians lack the insane vocabulary. My dad was in the military, and even though I had tons of exposure to the life, I couldn't fake my way past actual military for more than a minute.

Okay, I guess so. I was an air force brat and when I joined the army I slipped easily into the jargon without thinking about it. It never occured to me that it might be that tough to fake.

And he wasn't hanging out with his CO; they just wound up at the same place at the same time. I got the impression it had happened before, since neither seemed the slightest bit surprised.

The only time something liek that happened to me was when we saw our female commander dressed in civies on her way to meet her husband. The universal comment was "She's even uglier out of uniform."

What's really awkward is when you run into one of your former high school teachers in a gay bar. "So, what have you been up to since tenth grade, Mr Monkey?" "Uh, let's see, I've done college, some travel, and the blond guy over there."

I did watch someone hit on one of my college professors, but it was out by the lake and she didn't look too bad.

 

[TragicMonkey]

For some reason, I always figured you more the brunette type (are guys actually considered "brunettes" or just "brown haired"?)

I have brown hair myself (where it's not going prematurely white). But I'm definitely not "a brunette".

 

[Dr Adequate]

Well, this is nothing new.

Between October 2001 and September 2002, the Army discharged ten trained linguists – seven of them proficient in Arabic – because they are gay.

In 2001 alone, a record 1,256 servicemembers were discharged because of their sexual orientation – almost double the number discharged in 1992, the year prior to the policy’s enactment.

The policy has cost the military an estimated $218 million to recruit and train replacements for servicemembers discharged because they acknowledged their sexual orientation.

A DoD spokesman said "The key to military intelligence is to get inside the mentality of your opponents. So we're doing our very level best to be ignorant freedom-hating religious bigots"; adding, "Can you imagine if the US Army let people like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar join? Sure, we might start winning wars again, but I just hate queers."

 

[Mephisto]

"...but it was also my pleasure to know many gay men when I served in the early 70s."

Hey, be careful there Mephisto...
(only pulling your leg lol)

Hey! I meant I was acquainted with them, not KNEW them (wink, wink, nudge, nudge ). I'm straight, but not narrow.