Lickies and Chewies

Kerry is getting ready to deploy..........

...........as evidenced by the massive amount of camouflage gear taking over the den.

Today he came in and announced (with great delight), "I got my lickies and chewies!"

After I quit laughing, I asked what on earth lickies and chewies could possibly be.

He told me, "You know when your parents used to go to the bank drive-thru window and when the drawer would slide out, the teller would have put a "lickie" or a "chewie" in the drawer for the kids."

Apparently getting your cool deployment gear is the military equivalent of candy.

First, he held up some thick, gray pants with a waterproof shell.

"Snow pants?" I asked.

"No, no, no," Kerry told me, "these are 'Extreme Cold Weather Trousers, Generation Three'."

"Ah," I said trying to look wise and informed.

Next, he held up what I would have ignorantly called a raincoat. "THIS is a 'Wet Weather Top'."

The Army likes to give everything a more "official" sounding name, I think. Everything sounds more manly when you give it a descriptive name.

Except the chapstick. I kid you not, they have official military chapstick. Except it isn't called "chapstick". It has printed on the side of the tube: RV PABA Lipstick, Antichap, Cold Climate.

You just can't call it lipstick and have it sound manly. Even if you add the words "Antichap, Cold Climate" after it.

Ever.

Not sure if these glasses are "lickies" or "chewies" but Kerry was thrilled to get them.

He was also quite pleased with the special edition Gerber he received.

"Ooohhh, look," he said. "It's got a sexy little camouflage pouch to carry it in."

Then he pulled out his First Aid Kit. "Ben come here! I want to show you something!" he called.

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Ben questioned upon seeing the tourniquet Kerry was unraveling.

"Not yet," Kerry assured him.

Then he demonstrated how to effectively cut off all the circulation in Ben's leg.

"You know what I would do next?" Kerry quizzed. "I would dip my finger in your blood and write a 'T' on your forehead so the medics would know there was a tourniquet on you."

His First Aid Kit also includes supplies to staunch gaping wounds and give someone and IV line if necessary.

For this deployment, Kerry (and everyone else) had to learn how to administer an IV. He has a nice little needle mark on his arm where his partner practiced on him.

Last time he deployed, his First Aid Kit consisted of one large, green bandage.

My, how times have changed.