Not Quite What Walt Had in Mind

From the same people who brought us 'we had to destroy the village to save it', comes my new favorite catch-phrase as Command Sergeant Major Mike Hall of the International Security Force and a very bright man, judging from his recent writing will now be handcuffed to one of those 'but what I meant to say' quotes that makes everyone cringe in hindsight.

"This is a war zone-not an amusement park" he offered within a Reuters' story Monday, datelined from Kandahar, Afghanistan, "No Fries with that: Fast Food Axed at Afghan bases." I've not been in a war zone, at least in this life, though I have been to one or more amusement parks but I suspect the Smadge, as Sara then-V used to call SGM Hollywood, has a point (which may be why he wears a hat) about differences and distinctions.

Some one has to make the final cut, and while Pizza Hut may be all well and good (they had them in Germany when I was there; in German , a 'hat' is called a 'hut' (hoot) and that image always made me smile) but what about TGI Fridays? I'll bet they actually call it TAI Fridays (what do you mean, 'what do you mean?"). And yet Tim Horton's (hears a Who) will remain. The world is a funny place, eh?

I don't imagine a Marine pulling guard duty out on the wire for the last eighteen hours in a nation of hostiles and friendlies who look exactly the same (and often are) actually thinks he's at Six Flags over Kandahar while sipping on a papaya smoothie at the Orange Julius but I appreciate the clarity of the clarification. And the real eye-opener is reading any, or all (if you've got the gumption) of the over 4,400 on-line comments the article has prompted. Gotta tell ya, as attractive as the fish fingers at the chow hall short order line may prove to be, there's just something homey about a DQ Blizzard. Suspect that was really the Gunner's Dream.

-bill kenny