人生行路 — The Journey of Life

Today’s Sunday edition of Stars and Stripes reports that Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN), introduced H.R. 4497 earlier this month looking to end gambling on U.S. military bases overseas. The bill’s short title is Warrant Officer Aaron Walsh Stop DOD-Sponsored Gambling Act, so named for an Army Warrant Officer who committed suicide over a gambling addiction that the military apparently never treated.

This looks mostly like a fundamental misunderstanding of why the armed forces provide slot machines and alcohol on base: it keeps the problems on base as opposed to out among foreign nationals. Nobody’s trying to ban alcohol or tobacco from military exchanges or bars, and those combined kill far more of our people and administrative resources than gambling. If he didn’t get the treatment, figure out why and address the issue there.

Somebody broke the television in my guys’ berthing the other day in some drunken rage. Based upon the colorful diagonal streaking across the LCD screen, I’m convinced that the damage is irreparable unless one could just replace the LCD part. The cost of that would only justify getting them a new TV, which we did more quickly than I would have anticipated. Still yet, I doubted the move in that maybe the guys would find some value in peace and quiet rather than having the tube…er…screen making noise all day.

So a fellow DIVO and I are given a blank check and get assigned to hit up the exchange and get the guys a television. We buy a television, get back, and get it installed. Later on in the day, I’m told to check on the guys and the television. I get there, the television is installed…and off. A bunch of guys are just resting there, couches towards the TV.

I’m confused. Is the television working?

“Oh yeah, sir, the television’s working. We just started liking to be able to sleep during lunch hour.”

Who knew?