KABOOM

Excellent interview with blogger/author/Veteran, Matt Gallagher.

Does U.S. apathy and ignorance bother you?
Yes. It’s an unintended consequence of having a voluntary force. People who lack a direct connection to the war are often unengaged. To a certain extent, I understand. People have lives. The economy is tanking. Pelicans are dying in oil. The last thing they want is more bad news. But every now and then, I get on my self-righteous soapbox. You describe moments of subtle defiance in the book. Under your uniform, for example, you wear socks featuring the Guinness beer logo and pink boxer shorts with skulls on them. It was a way of reminding myself that I was an individual. I could get the job done and do it well, but still be Matt. The military has a group culture — everyone wears the same uniform, cuts their hair the same way, eats the same food, speaks the same coded language — so it’s easy to forget who you are sometimes. You spout acronyms. Some are serious, like AO (area of operations), and some are humorous, like BCGs (birth control goggles — eyewear so ugly it deters the opposite sex).