Mark Pins Colonel in Wrestling Match

So Mark comes quietly into the kitchen this morning in his BDUs. (Which are the old forest-colored uniforms, not the new desert-colored ones.) Mark was sweaty and looked a little tired.

"How was your training?" I asked, chuckling.

"Great," he smiled, nonchalantly.

"It's weird to see you in BDUs. It must have been dirty training. It's really weird to see you in BDUs. You look like Fidel Castro."

Smile. Courtesy laugh.

"So what kind of training was it, anyway?"

"Combatives training. Wrestling."

"Like hand to hand combat with terrorists?"

"Yes." Another nonchalant smile.

"So how did it go?"

"I pinned Colonel Giacoppe." (Note: Colonel Giacoppe is the hospital commander.)

"Good work, Fidel!"

This afternoon, Mark forwards an email that Colonel Giacoppe sent to the entire hospital staff. It's a fictional conversation between the Colonel and "Mildew Man." Not sure who Mildew Man is, but it's still a funny read. Here is the important part:

Mildew Man has been getting an attitude lately. He loves hurricane season. His beard is getting wide and shaggy, and his upper body is practically rippling in the condensation.

"You don't look so good this morning," he told me. "You're limping."

"Combatives training," I told him. "Not only did I get crushed by 1SG Alphonso-it was like the Terminator versus Hello Kitty-but then some pediatrician put me in a face-down choke hold . . . I thought they were supposed to be gentle souls. With guys like that around, the nation's children aren't safe."

"You're just weak. He wrestles four-year-olds tougher than you."

So our gentle-souled Mark has gained greater respect (fear?) from his witty Commander.

Just another surreal day in the Army.