Mistaken Identity

Finally, I've been here about a week now and there is something half way interesting to recount.

I was making my way from the laundry service on the airforce side of our installation. It was early evening. I could start to feel the sleep monster climbing onto my shoulders, preparing to put me down for the night. I was carrying a 6.25 kg parcel of laundry back to my billeting (about a 20 minute waltz) when an air force enlistee came up behind me and said "Looks like your walking heavy tonight!"

"What was that," I replied as I made my way across the gravel strewn walk way. The street lamps cast a yellow and red hue upon the pebbles as this airman moved in closer to respond.

"I said, looks like you're carrying a lot tonight, but it's probably not an issue for you - you are a Marine after all."

I could not believe what I had just heard...me? Mistaken for a Marine? Never! I'm sporting the light foliage green, tan, and dark foliage green of the US Army's ACU (Army Combat Uniform)! How could he confuse the Corps duty uniform for the Army's!

I responded to this egregious error of identification with, "Actually...I'm in the Army...Hooah?"

The befuddled airman took a moment to reply in kind. I could almost feel the "oops!" pop into his cranium as he just entered into one of the largest and longest running inter-branch rivalries to face our nations Department of Defense.

"Oh - sorry about that!" was all he could come up with - I said, "Not to worry, it's probably the new uniforms."

"I didn't know you guys had those yet."

"Well," I replied, "now you do!"