# I pit DrDeth **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 28, 2021, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971 "2021-02-28T19:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/363 "2021-03-30T01:53:14Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Not to mention beneficial in helping dogfaces get a degree, which normally would not be available to them. My dad, for example. My dad joined military college at 16. He got them to put him through medical school 10 years later. I know signing up can make your life way better. Like I said, I was just triggered by the volume of veteran grandpa stories. I was a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/364 "2021-03-30T02:04:31Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > I was a jerk. Thanks for saying that. You are forgiven, my son… You know, every day that I’m here (only 364 in the past year…) I see people being jerks. And I think “What a jerk. And he doesn’t even know it.” But you do. I just never thought I’d hear someone admit it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/365 "2021-03-30T02:17:59Z")
What **digs** said. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/366 "2021-03-30T02:29:53Z")
Most of mine were, too. My maternal grandfather was in WWI, and one uncle was in Vietnam, but that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/367 "2021-03-30T02:49:24Z")
I’m not terribly impressed by my dad’s military service. But to be fair, neither is he. He and his buddy Terry joined the Army on a whim, in the late 50’s, when the Defense Department reacted to some crisis by trying to add more warm bodies to the ranks. They only served about six months when TPTB decided they _didn’t_ need so many buck privates after all, and that the defense of the Nation did not require the services of a couple of skinny rednecks from Rocky Mount, N.C. They both got out on medical discharges. My uncles, both of whom had served in the Navy, called my dad and Terry “the ninety-day generals”. My older uncle was in the Navy during Korea, but he never had to face enemy action. Well, not _foreign_ enemies, anyway. He was stationed at Naval Air Station Weeksville, near Elizabeth City, N.C., where he maintained the blimps the Navy used for anti-submarine patrols off the East Coast. The base was not popular with the locals, as the airships would come in low over the nearby livestock farms, scaring the pigs into breaking out and fleeing. Remonstrances by local farmers fell on deaf ears, so one day a farmer, exasperated by yet another pig stampede, took a shotgun to an arriving blimp, and perforated the middle of the three gas compartments. The airship was able to land, and my uncle had the job of climbing into the envelope to pick out the buckshot and repair the holes. Amazingly, until he told me that story two or three decades ago, my uncle had never seen the humor in stampeding porkers and buckshot-riddled blimps. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/368 "2021-03-30T04:30:36Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > I was a jerk. This post was the antithesis of every **DrDeth** interaction. 😝 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/369 "2021-03-30T05:15:05Z")
Ditto for “Double Down” **Magiver**. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/370 "2021-03-30T05:39:02Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Want the truth? Some really bad shit went down around Betelgeuse. But I don’t talk about it. Unless really under the influence of alcohol - and maybe some psychedelics. Tell us about the c-beams, and oh! how they glistened. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/371 "2021-03-30T06:02:12Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > This thread is why I’m not going to get into explaining the actual history of Christmas to DrDeth. I do not expect that he will listen to the idea that the Catholic holy day is not the only historical ancestor to Christmas. Or how the Church of England even banned Christmas for a time because they thought it was too secular. actually, it was like 200 years tho after the first 50 or so it wasn’t really enforced but dickens actually had a hand in bringing it back or at least overturning the law anyways wait until he finds out what they did on Xmas back then … the hedonistic riots with public drunken gay sex and the molestation of anything on 2 legs in orgies and burglary arson and the like it was a street riot that burned like 5 or 6 blocks and 5 or 6 people were killed in brawls that shocked Cromwell who banned it if I’m remembering the history channel special on Xmas right …it made things like mardi gras and carnival look tame … ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/372 "2021-03-30T06:08:37Z")
Given what Dickens himself describes, I take some of that with a grain of salt. Religious people often seem to want to play up the debauchery. I have an (the?) annotated A Christmas Carol, which describes a lot of Christmas traditions. The parlor games where the loser might have to kiss the winner seem far too tame to be in the same tradition as orgies. > **[Amazon.com: The Annotated Christmas Carol: A Christmas Carol in Prose (The...](https://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Christmas-Carol-Prose-Books/dp/0393051587)** > > Amazon.com: The Annotated Christmas Carol: A Christmas Carol in Prose (The Annotated Books): 9780393051582: Dickens, Charles, Hearn, Michael Patrick, Leech, John: Books ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/373 "2021-03-30T06:18:05Z")
well by the time dickens came about it had tamed down immeasurably from the Elizabethan and before ages ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/374 "2021-03-30T13:04:56Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > Like I said, I was just triggered by the volume of veteran grandpa stories. Why? Nobody was taking any personal credit; certainly not celebrating military “exploits”. People were just spontaneously sharing a bit of family history. What has that to do with you? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/375 "2021-03-30T13:09:56Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > People were just spontaneously sharing a bit of family history. Presumably without embellishing, unlike the target of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/376 "2021-03-30T13:24:34Z")
It just still feels like bragging and glorying in the military. People generally don’t memorize and recount which line at which Ford plant their grandpa worked at. Unless you’re a big union supporter, perhaps. I know people don’t always mean it that way. Sometimes I forget. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/377 "2021-03-30T13:35:14Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > I know people don’t always mean it that way. Sometimes I forget. Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/378 "2021-03-30T13:40:49Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > It just still feels like bragging and glorying in the military. I’m not a fan of the way certain political factions have managed to turn soldiers into demigods by default, particularly while minimizing and denigrating most other forms of civil service. But volunteer military service, in a vacuum, isn’t a bad thing. I’m proud of my family members who are soldiers and I’m proud of my family members who are teachers. Now, my grandpa fought the Axis, which was doing its level best to commit several flavors of genocide. He was a genuine goddamned hero and I regret that he died before I was old enough to hear more about his service. Here’s my funny story: one day he showed me a katana that he’d brought back from the Pacific theater. A genuine\* samurai sword, just like the second-best ninja turtle\*\* used! I was so delighted by it that he asked my mother whether I could have it. She of course said hell no and he didn’t press the issue. A couple months later, a big cardboard tube showed up in the mail with my name on it. He’d polished the blade and cleaned up the scabbard, and my mother - who’d let me open the package and was now in an unwinnable position - acquiesced and let me keep it. Anyway. Props for making an apology in a pit thread. You don’t see that too often. \*not a genuine samurai sword, but a factory-made NCO’s blade. It’s in quite good shape, but he painted the metal scabbard army green to cover up the decay of several decades in a humid garage. \*\*Donatello, of course, is first best. ---
**Author:** ![tricoteuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tricoteuse/32/4334_2.png) [@tricoteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tricoteuse)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/379 "2021-03-30T14:04:00Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Want the truth? Some really bad shit went down around Betelgeuse. But I don’t talk about it. Unless really under the influence of alcohol - and maybe some psychedelics. Ohhh, you must have got stuck in the Great Collapsing Hrung Disaster. Whatever a Hrung is. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/380 "2021-03-30T14:09:13Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > wait until he finds out what they did on Xmas back then … the hedonistic riots with public drunken gay sex and the molestation of anything on 2 legs in orgies and burglary arson and the like > > it was a street riot that burned like 5 or 6 blocks and 5 or 6 people were killed in brawls that shocked Cromwell who banned it if I’m remembering the history channel special on Xmas right …it made things like mardi gras and carnival look tame … Dear Pastor, I noticed that, in your sermon, you said “I’m in favor of a traditional Christmas” Well, I’ve been in touch with many of your flock who all agree with you, and I’ve shared some Historical Documents with them. I’ve got to say, I’ve never seen such enthusiasm for the annual Christmas pageant! We have many skits planned and do hope you and the missus can attend. And do bring little Bud and Muffy. It should be very educational. Yours in Christ, Brother Digby ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/381 "2021-03-30T14:17:07Z")
My Ganddad was born in 1905, so too young for WWI and too old for WWII. His father-in-law, a fine Quaker man, drove an ambulance in France. My father managed to get student deferments until my brother was born, so no 'Nam for him, unlike my Uncle. Uncle Maus was not doing too well in school, and knew his number was up, so he volunteered before he was drafted. He was an Intelligence Specialist who rode a desk in Saigon for a year before being transferred to Leavenworth. He asked to go back to Saigon because, stateside, he was doing the exact same job without the deployment and hazardous duty pay. His superiors decided he needed to go into the field. D’oh! He came home okay. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971/382 "2021-03-30T14:33:02Z")
> [@FigNorton](#): > > I know people don’t always mean it that way. Sometimes I forget. I think you also missed the point here. We were relating the _mundane_ service that our relatives did in war, for the most part. My dad fixed submarines in the war which was pretty cool but it’s not like he was Sergeant Fury leading his Howling Commandos. These stories were in contrast to the crazy bullshit that DD has been trying to get everyone to believe, which is “bragging and glorying in the military”, and in a way that is clearly not even true (so it’s even worse, he’s guilty of indirect stolen glory). These are real stories to contrast with what he’s been doing. We’re not trying to glorify things here; on the contrary, those of us who’ve been in military families know the downside of not seeing our family for long periods of time or even losing them in war. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-drdeth/933971.md?page=20)