The Best Trip Ever (And A Few Lies)

There's a saying that goes something like, "if you can't say something nice, then just suggest it through thinly veiled generalities." It is very similar to the popular and oft quoted, "turn the other cheek so as to begin your roundhouse kick." It's the moral high ground in our current crazy, mixed up, passive-aggressive, and duplicitous world today. And I am nothing if not moral. Assuming "moral" is a synonym for either "male" or "Caucasian."

As such I have nothing but good things to say about my recent MEDRETE trip with the Army to the Dominican Republic to deliver health care to the those less fortunate. The thick blanket of rules provided at the Foward Operating Base (FOB) gave me a snug sense of security while the daily ration of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) gave both my jaw a rest and my colon a work out. The feverish pace at which we saw patients taught me how to diagnose a whole array of diseases and medical conditions based on the slightest amount of information -- even if I didn't understand a word they were saying! And the contraband sniffing dog at the Health and Wellness formation? Man, that was one cute dog.

It wasn't all sunshine and unicorns, though. They did make us go to the beach the last day, and take this ridiculous picture.


The smiles were forced. Truthfully, I spent most my time thinking about chow.











Some pictures. Hopefully there'll be more later if the official photo sergeant ever gets back to us with all the photos she took.