# Soldier goes into battle in pink boxers and flip-flops



## Bill Mattocks (May 23, 2009)

http://www.military.com/news/articl...es-the-pink-boxer-gi.html?ESRC=topstories.RSS









> "He immediately grabbed his rifle and rushed into a defensive position clad in his helmet, body armor, and pink boxer shorts that said 'I Love New York,'" Gates said Thursday night.
> "Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, an AP photographer was there for a candid shot," Gates continued.


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## Bob Hubbard (May 23, 2009)

Too funny.


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## MA-Caver (May 23, 2009)

Yeah, but the commanding officer gave praise for it... the guy didn't waste time putting on a pair of pants to cover his civvies.


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## celtic_crippler (May 23, 2009)

Those of us that have served know why he got prais from his commander. 

It reminded me of Air Base Ground Defense school standing in the chow line and hearing Sarge' yell in his latino accent, "CHOOT SUMBODEEEE!" and having to hit the dirt regardless of whether I had a tray full of food or not. LOL


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## theletch1 (May 23, 2009)

I guess it was this scenario that prompted one of my DIs to pop me a good one for not getting my cammie blouse on fast enough during boot camp 20ish years ago.  He musta known I preferred to go commando and that, my friends, would not have made a good photo for the AP.


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## Tez3 (May 23, 2009)

British troops are issued special underwear for Afgahnistan, they're coated in special stuff to prevent bacterial infections and have seams that don't chafe. It also has silver particles woven in to prevent sweating.


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## Sukerkin (May 23, 2009)

Thanks Irene :tup: - the things you learn on the Internet sometimes :lol:.


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## Tez3 (May 23, 2009)

Sukerkin said:


> Thanks Irene :tup: - the things you learn on the Internet sometimes :lol:.


 
they look like black cycling shorts and are just the thing for the guys to wear under Thai shorts....which is how I've seen them lol!
Anyway Mark it's good to see where your taxes go.....keeping soldiers bits cool and dry roflmao!!


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## theletch1 (May 23, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> they look like black cycling shorts and are just the thing for the guys towear under Thai shorts....*which is how I've seen them *lol!
> Anyway Mark it's good to see where your taxes go.....keeping soldiers bits cool and dry roflmao!!


Riiiight!


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## Tez3 (May 23, 2009)

theletch1 said:


> Riiiight!


 
Honest!!

And it's so much better if they wear them than boxers under Thai shorts..........


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## theletch1 (May 23, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> Honest!!
> 
> And it's so much better if they wear them than boxers under Thai shorts..........


Stop! You're killing me.  Now I have to wipe the coffee off the monitor.  :lfao:


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## Tez3 (May 23, 2009)

:ultracool


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## Archangel M (May 23, 2009)

We issue underwear too, but unless things have changed boxers are far more comfortable.


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## Bill Mattocks (May 23, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> British troops are issued special underwear for Afgahnistan, they're coated in special stuff to prevent bacterial infections and have seams that don't chafe. It also has silver particles woven in to prevent sweating.



And if you tap your heels together three times whilst repeating _"There is no place like home, there's no place like home..."_


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## CuongNhuka (May 23, 2009)

Archangel M said:


> We issue underwear too, but unless things have changed boxers are far more comfortable.


 
Still issued, still uncomfortable, still no one who cares enough to complain if you go around wearing something else.


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## Bill Mattocks (May 23, 2009)

CuongNhuka said:


> Still issued, still uncomfortable, still no one who cares enough to complain if you go around wearing something else.



I hated the boxers.  One-cheek sneak.  Not comfy.


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## CuongNhuka (May 23, 2009)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I hated the boxers. One-cheek sneak. Not comfy.


 
It's tighty whiteys now. I think there is something wrong with there sizing system though....


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## Bill Mattocks (May 23, 2009)

CuongNhuka said:


> It's tighty whiteys now. I think there is something wrong with there sizing system though....



Yeah, yeah.  "_This water's cold; and deep..._"

Tell me, do they still issue the P-38, also known as a 'John Wayne'?  I'm guessing not, since they stopped issuing C-rats.


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## CuongNhuka (May 24, 2009)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Yeah, yeah. "_This water's cold; and deep..._"
> 
> Tell me, do they still issue the P-38, also known as a 'John Wayne'? I'm guessing not, since they stopped issuing C-rats.


 
Nope. But, I do know what you're talking about


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## theletch1 (May 24, 2009)

Bill, they stopped issuing the John Wayne somewhere before 1988 when I went in.  I carried one that I bought at a military surplus store just in case though... as well as my own bottle of Tabasco sauce.   At that point we only had a few choices on MREs.  I recently had one of the meals that the guys are getting now-a-days and it was actually pretty good.  I can remember the dehydrated pork patty that you'd snap a piece off of and carry it in your mouth like a wad of chewing tobacco to get it softened up enough to swallow as you set up a defensive position or transported from place to place.  

Anyway, now that we've gone six ways from Sunday from the OP... kudos to the man for setting modesty aside for duty.

Edit: Here's the Wiki on the P-38.  I knew I was getting first generation MREs and this thing states that the JW was issued up into the 1980s.  Seems we were changing a lot of things when I went in.  Jeep to HMMWV,  .45 to 9mm, A1 to A2.


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## girlbug2 (May 24, 2009)

This is deja vu...I think I'll grab a tub of popcorn and watch the show.


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## Tez3 (May 24, 2009)

Bill Mattocks said:


> And if you tap your heels together three times whilst repeating _"There is no place like home, there's no place like home..."_


 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-08-19-british-underwear_x.htm


They are issued by the Ministry of DEFENCE btw. They issue flip flops too.


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## Bill Mattocks (May 24, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-08-19-british-underwear_x.htm
> 
> They are issued by the Ministry of DEFENCE btw. They issue flip flops too.



Oh, I don't doubt they do it, I saw the link the first time.  I just read the 'anti-chafing' and 'impregnated with silver' bit and found it all a bit ... precious.  Yes, we'll leave out any other word I might have used.  Precious.

And they spell DEFENSE wrong in the UK.  Just FYI.


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## Tez3 (May 24, 2009)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Oh, I don't doubt they do it, I saw the link the first time. I just read the 'anti-chafing' and 'impregnated with silver' bit and found it all a bit ... precious. Yes, we'll leave out any other word I might have used. Precious.
> 
> And they spell DEFENSE wrong in the UK. Just FYI.


 
Nah it was our word first! 
When you're out of patrol for days at a time, in a hot sandy country anti chafing and anti sweating is hardly precious!  The troops deserve the best equipment they can get to be able to do their job, we owe them that and if you think thats precious, fine. I would remind you though that the dead soldiers coming back here will still be wearing those 'precious' underwear.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1542864/On-patrol-with-the-Marines-in-Afghanistan.html


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## Bill Mattocks (May 24, 2009)

Tez3 said:


> When you're out of patrol for days at a time, in a hot sandy country anti chafing and anti sweating is hardly precious!



Have done.  Didn't have anti-chafing anything.  Somehow managed.



> The troops deserve the best equipment they can get to be able to do their job, we owe them that and if you think thats precious, fine. I would remind you though that the dead soldiers coming back here will still be wearing those 'precious' underwear.
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1542864/On-patrol-with-the-Marines-in-Afghanistan.html



Sorry for any disrespect.  It was intended as a bit of humor.


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## Tez3 (May 24, 2009)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Have done. Didn't have anti-chafing anything. Somehow managed.
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry for any disrespect. It was intended as a bit of humor.


 
Managing isn't enough now, performance has to be spot on every time. The game has moved on and the odds upped these days, every single thing that can help the troops is done, they deserve it. And no one could ever call a British squaddie precious...well they may but only ever once lol! 

My sense of humour is lacking when it comes to things like this, still mourning my student. I have others going out to Afghanistan later this year.


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## grydth (May 24, 2009)

theletch1 said:


> Bill, they stopped issuing the John Wayne somewhere before 1988 when I went in.  I carried one that I bought at a military surplus store just in case though... as well as my own bottle of Tabasco sauce.   At that point we only had a few choices on MREs.  I recently had one of the meals that the guys are getting now-a-days and it was actually pretty good.  I can remember the dehydrated pork patty that you'd snap a piece off of and carry it in your mouth like a wad of chewing tobacco to get it softened up enough to swallow as you set up a defensive position or transported from place to place.
> 
> Anyway, now that we've gone six ways from Sunday from the OP... kudos to the man for setting modesty aside for duty.
> 
> Edit: Here's the Wiki on the P-38.  I knew I was getting first generation MREs and this thing states that the JW was issued up into the 1980s.  Seems we were changing a lot of things when I went in.  Jeep to HMMWV,  .45 to 9mm, A1 to A2.



I am glad _somebody_ has fond memories of the pork MREs, as I certainly do not. On a Bright Star exercise, some complete imbecile decided to give some of these to the Egyptian plainclothes guys working with us.... just imagine the consequences had their families eaten _those!_ Naturally, I got picked to go get them back.  I fortunately brought some beef MREs along to trade (the steaks were like a cross between a T-bone and a saltine cracker....odd things, but good). After an actual tug of war that would have been comical, were there not distressing signs they were considering shooting me, I dropped on all fours and pointed at the pork MRE and began oinking.... then I pointed at the beef MRE and Moooooo'd. Demeaning, but it worked. So I went from thief to savior and lived to come here and post dumb (but true) stories.

Every generation of soldiers thinks the one before them and the ones after them are spoiled......... and that's true, too.


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## grydth (May 24, 2009)

Bill Mattocks said:


> http://www.military.com/news/articl...es-the-pink-boxer-gi.html?ESRC=topstories.RSS



" Corporal Klinger, you get back in here... *now!*


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## Bill Mattocks (May 24, 2009)

grydth said:


> I am glad _somebody_ has fond memories of the pork MREs, as I certainly do not. On a Bright Star exercise, some complete imbecile decided to give some of these to the Egyptian plainclothes guys working with us.... just imagine the consequences had their families eaten _those!_ Naturally, I got picked to go get them back.  I fortunately brought some beef MREs along to trade (the steaks were like a cross between a T-bone and a saltine cracker....odd things, but good). After an actual tug of war that would have been comical, were there not distressing signs they were considering shooting me, I dropped on all fours and pointed at the pork MRE and began oinking.... then I pointed at the beef MRE and Moooooo'd. Demeaning, but it worked. So I went from thief to savior and lived to come here and post dumb (but true) stories.
> 
> Every generation of soldiers thinks the one before them and the ones after them are spoiled......... and that's true, too.



That is an AWESOME story!  Great job, too!


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