Deutchland, Deutchland Uber Alles

Went out to a social onboard a German Frigate that was in port. They invited the officers and senior enlisted from our Combined Joint Task Force, the French, and Spanish. At first is was kind of awkward, Americans congregating in one area, Germans in one, French in another, and Spanish in yet anther. As the beer flowed folks finally started to mingle around. I finally got up my courage screwed to the sticking point (my Bride will tell you that I am a complete social wreck. I have no social graces at all. In fact, I pretty much hate mingling with anyone at all), went up to a couple of German Officers and tried out my German that I have not used since college. Thankfully, they spoke good English and didn't laugh at my mutilation of their language. I when they found out I was a logistics officer they found their ships logistician, Frank, and that's when the party really began. I must say I am deeply impressed with the German Navy. The have one thing we don't and they don't have something we do. They have bars in their mess decks and even though they have mixed gender crews they do not have to treat them defferentially, i.e. the German Navy ain't PC God Bless em'. Frank lead me and my fellow logisticians away from the reception and down to the wardroom where the sehr gutes deutche bier und jagermeister flowed freely. I tell you what boy, those German fellas throw a soiree like the 28th Virginia boys do. Lots of laughter an too much popskull. We almost missed our bus back to the base. I was feeling a little rugged this morning considering that I do not often drink and it takes very little beer or other intoxicants to give me a healthy buzz. The last time I indulged in the evils of liquor it was 1863 in the field near Gettysburg PA. As I recall it was the evening after we cleared the federals out of the Devil's Den and fought our way across the Valley of Death. The survivors of company L (well those of us over the age of 25. I believe we were lamenting how youth was wasted on the young pups in the company) were sitting around the camp fire passing Sailor's ever present bottle of popskull around. That was a good time especially since the next day Col Bone got us surrounded an almost captured by those Garibaldi Guard boys wearing the chickens on their heads.

While not directly related to the party, the event has convinced me that we are definitely winning the war against trans-national terrorist. We went to the party in busses. We had to travel through town encountering several obstacles that cause our two bus convoy and FAST (Anti-Terrorisism specialist troops) troopers riding shotgun, to have to stop fully exposed for several minutes at a time. Coming back was the same story except it was two bus loads a happily inebriated officers and senior enlisted. One Al Quieda terrorist with an RPG or AK-47 could have done serious damage. If I were them I wouldn't have passed on the opportunity. No incidents at all. Hopefully, it means we have them hamstrung out here.
TO THE TYRANT NEVER YIELD