Smelling the drill sergeants in the Marines

 

my nephew graduated from the Marines

80% of the fambo flew down to Parris Island to see the nephew graduate from Marines boot camp. It was touching really to see my nephew leave as very much a kid and come back a soldier. He got whipped into shape physically and also mentally... which I hope serves him well long term. We shall see.

But that's not what this post is about. This post is about Family Day. The very very first thing my nephew wanted to do was go to the fancy commissary and buy... cologne. He wanted the brand of cologne that his drill sergeant recommended because his drill sergeant knows a lot about cologne. The drill sergeant is 26 years old and an expert in the olfactory arts. Believe me, we heard a lot about it.

Let me tell you, these boys smelled good. Even from a distance. Moderation of smell is clearly not part of their training.

It took me a while maybe to figure out that everything about their whole life is regimented and completely impersonal. You look at these guys and they all look the same. But they do not smell the same. Which is the whole point, I guess.