It was a quiet afternoon on the Voices Campus. We had just put our latest Issue of Voices ‘to bed.’  We had answered all the recent inquires we get for advice from the Sewanee Review, Kenyon Review, and a few others. As it was the last day of the week we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at one of the outside tables of one of our favorite places for convalescence on Mission Street.

This always an interesting place for the passersby going or coming back from the nearby train station, a good place to people watch. And to ‘car watch’ also as the traffic has to stop and wait for the arriving and departing trains. One such group of vehicles included a noisy truck. This was the kind we once referred to as a pickup truck, but now was much larger again by half, at least, with four doors, large exhaust pipes that went up the back of the cab, and which was stacked up on oversized wheels and tires. There were steps by the door to get on down out of the truck. The only this this truck ever ‘picks up’ are six packs a convenience stores. 

As the truck waited, the engine raging at the slow moving train, we noted that it is painted in a camouflage pattern, like the military vehicles wear to hide in the forest from enemies in war. About the same time and occasionally before and after a passerby would walk by wearing a ‘camo’ top or bottom. We have several staff members who served in the military years ago during the time of compulsory military service.  A time when all the boys in the neighborhood served, except for the few who went to college or got married right out of high school.

One staff mentioned people who were never in the military wearing military-type clothing, and that got a conversation started. The staff who had served back in those days told of how the guys would go into the different services and go off to all parts of the world, Europe, and Asia, and on the seas. After they returned, they were quickly back in their civilian clothes and telling each other tales of their adventures while away. The dress uniforms likely went into the back of a closet to be forgotten and the ‘fatigues,’ few were camo, were stripped of their unit and name patches and became clothes other family members wore when painting, changing the oil or working under the car, or digging up the lawn.

Any of the freshly former servicemen would be subject to ridicule by the others if he wore any part of his former uniform. Anyway, that was just about the last thing any wanted to do. And this led to some Beer Garden Sociology about why the camo now? We concluded that after part of a generation had passed after compulsory military service had ended some people, not the ones who went into the voluntary services, but others developed some fantasy life of military daring do. We thought this started by them finding discarded military clothing in junk stores. Then clothing manufacturers picked up on the demand.

We ‘Sociologists’ further noted that this happened at the same time that the young male population, or a large part of it, it is hard not to be unkind, seems to be more flaccid, passive, overweight, or very overweight. They seemed to have experienced very little physical activity. Now if some ride bikes now the peddling is assisted by batteries. Other exercise is being seated poking at an electric screen. We will be at a loss if ever… .  

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