Even out here in Idaho we heard that the Army is developing a powerful gum that will scrub the teeth of our GIs while they are blasting away at insurgents. It's true! It's true! GIs can't always find their toothbrush and they never have any toothpaste. (Let's see, I was cleaning my rifle with it yesterday...) Anyway, that's how it was in Korea. If you wanted toothpaste or a new toothbrush in Korea you had to wait until the Red Cross sent it to you. I don't remember finding it in the supply tent. A couple of times the Red Cross sent us some supplies that might (or might not) include dental stuff. However, you could often get a corncob pipe. The dental service was great in Korea too. The dentists were too lazy to fix your teeth. They probably figured you'd be dead anyway. They grabbed a pair of pliers and yanked out your teeth and went back to drinking coffee. Back in the states, I tried to get dental care at Fort Ord, California. They said they couldn't scheduled me until six months after I was discharged. Too late! Too late! At home, I knew I could trust the Veterans Administration to make up for what was not done while I was in the service. A V.A. dentist gave me an examination and told me that I was not eligible for V.A. care even though I was a veteran. Too bad! Too bad! I don't remember anyone cleaning his teeth on the line. With what? I came down off the line after 43 days of living in a hole (complete with dirt floor and walls) to get a shower. I looked up into that shower and grinned and grinned and grinned. My radioman scrubbed my back and I scrubbed his. Scrub! Scrub! Scrub! I'm glad they are getting that gum for our servicemen. I'm sure they will want to: Chew! Chew! Chew! The End copyrightJohn T. Jones, Ph.D.2005 |
