BIGGER BAGS OR SMALLER SERGEANTS?

Oh the things one sees just by keeping the eyes open.

Let me describe briefly the Army's duffle bag. A cavernous green (naturally) nylon bag shaped like a squat sausage link. A little over three feet long with a diameter around which a grown man might just be able to get his fingers to touch if he were hugging it. The bag has two straps along its side by which one can wear/carry the bag as if it were a back pack.

It holds a lot. And I can assure you GIs never leave extra space in their duffle bags, especially for uncertain deployments such as this.

About midnight last night CPT Patti and her company (The Gators!) had transferred their duffle bags, ruck sacks and carry-on back packs to a huge maintenance bay the size of an aircraft hanger. Awaiting the busses to take them away many of the troops were lying on the duffle bags, trying to catch a nap.

Family members were lingering there as well, spending every available moment with their soldiers.

And then suddenly the First Sergeant stepped in and announced the arrival of the first bus.

The company executive officer ordered the soldiers designated for the first bus to move their duffle bags to the bus. I watched as the supply sergeant, a slight woman, perhaps five-foot-two and maybe 95 pounds struggled to don her duffle bag upon her back. Someone stepped in to assist her by lifting and supporting the bag until she had the straps around both shoulders and the bag on her back.

As the supply sergeant said "OK, I got it" and the assistant released the bag there was a cinematic moment in which the sergeants eyes grew huge with a nascent understanding of her predicament and her mouth opened but it was clear she didn't know what to say. And then, slowly, she began to topple backwards, the weight of the duffle just that required to overcome her slight body weight and straining muscles. But it was an incredibly slow toppling. And in a flash CPT Patti who was standing nearby grabbed the duffle in a bear hug and prevented the sergeant from completing her fall.

Later, while the soldiers were boarding the bus, I overheard another sergeant refer to the pack and bag laden troops as "Weeble Wobbles"

An apt appelation, if ever I heard one.