i worked the Saturday following Veteran's Day. i walked in a little early, laundry hamper on my back, into a celebration of the 235th birthday of the Marine Corps. it was very quiet. twenty or so men circled another, who spoke to them in a firm, loud voice. when his sentences were over, they responded in kind. HUAH! i stood there in a kind of awe, my mind fluttering around, some how reminded of being at an intimate catholic mass when the door man broke the Corps's spell.
"You'd better go around."
"Huh? Oh, right...yeah, looks like it."
as i exited i couldn't help but notice three of the bouncers were Marines. crazy.
the first two people who come in are Marines. they are pissing side by side.
"Whatcha packin there?" One asks.
The other shakes his head.
"Nothing too great, huh?"
"Hey man, you're the one in the kiddie urinal," he finally responds.
"Ha," he scoffs, "yeah this is bullshit i get mad back splash. How am i supposed to do this?" He asks, turning to me.
"You gotta squat!" I say.
He squats. "Oh yeah, there it is!"
"I've never seen black stalls before," other says, "perfect for my black cock." [he's white]
"Soooo," I begin, "what's up with that assembly and all these Marines? Everyone here is a Marine?"
"Yeah," a Marine says, "we're celebrating our anniversary. we do it every year. the Marines started in a bar, y'know."
"I did not know that."
"Well..." *shrug*
"So is this like people from all over, or did you serve with most of these guys, or what?"
"Nah, these are people from everywhere. None of my buddies are here. Some of them are gone, some haven't come back yet."
"I'm sor--"
"Nah," he cuts me off, "all these guys are my brothers!"
Another Marine walks up.
"What's this devil dog tellin you? Some craziness?"
"Just informin' me about the core," I say. "What's a devil dog?"
"German forces called us that in WWI," he says, "cause we fought so ferociously."
"So, it's a good term, then." I say.
"Yeah, it's a respect thing."
"Can it be used as an insult? Like if I called you a devil dog it would be not cool, yeah?"
"Nah, nah, it would be fine. Now that you know, what it is, you'd have to say it out of respect so it is all good."
"Cool," i say.
I think one of the best things about this job is that it has changed the way i think about the military and those who serve in it. Hanging out with a lot of the leftist people, i never really interacted with anyone in the military. I've taken part in some protests that demonized people who've served in the process of condemning war. Justification or not aside, people in the military have always treated me, a lowly bathroom guy, with the most respect of any patrons.
*shrug*
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