Hey, Dave -

Latrine ? YOU GUYS HAD A LATRINE ????

just kiddin', I used that one a few times, but I was only in the company area for a short while, then the Avionics Shop "consolidated" across the Battalion units, and most of the Shop guys moved to a hootch between the Battalion Medics' and Battalion Maintenance hootches, by the Hot Spot, and right next to the Fire Station.

Sure, we had a p-tube, but the closest "one-holer"
was behind the Armaments shop (across the freakin' ACTIVE !!), and there was a "community" latrine over by the HHC Motor Pool, very close to the PX.
At least, those in my hootch thought it was a community latrine.

I remember one morning, very early, while shaving after having gotten a brief, lukewarm shower( one of FIVE during my tour), some cat (either a Warrant or commissioned, I don't know, but he said he was an officer) said something like "good mornin', and asked me where I worked. I told him. Then he asked me what my rank was. I told him I was a SP5, and asked him why he was asking. He proceeded to inform me that "this is an Officers' Latrine, and you need to get your ass out of it." (that's almost a direct quote, to the very best of my recollection)...

I told him I would be "out of it" when I was finished, and would come back as often as I needed to, and if he wanted to do something about it he should go ahead and try, (or words very closely to that effect). He asked my name and unit, and I told him the truth. He stormed out, and I never heard anything about it again, and to the best of my knowledge, never saw him again. Gutless jerk.

I do remember thinking later (dammit, why do we always think LATER of "what we should have said??) that "his" latrine was SO filthy, he should have rounded up all the jerks who thought like him, and who were "officially privileged" to use it, and make like a good PLO outght to....

So no one gets me wrong, Bros, this is only a condemnation of gutless jerks.

Have a nice day.

Lumpy