The Great Steak and Lobster Scandal
I've resisted commenting on the outrage over the Department of War's purchase of steak and lobster for our troops. Now, I think it's time for me to weigh in. I never considered any part of my military service to be scandalous or frivolous, but I guess it's time to rethink that. I enlisted in the Marine Corps in the mid-1970s. In the 24 years that followed, I deployed at sea for three months or more six times, four of those times for six months or more. Confession time... On just about every one of those occasions, we were treated to a meal of steak — and sometimes lobster — at some point along the way. And we lapped it up wantonly, as if it was something that we should actually feel good about. But the scandal didn't end there. I started out as an infantryman, and when we were in the field on Thanksgiving or Christmas they would actually truck a hot holiday meal out to us — usually a turkey dinner with the trimmings for both holidays. They did this even though one o...