Terminal Lance “Furlough Tuesday”

So I’m sure most of you (especially those of you currently working for the US Government) are aware of the government shutdown currently in effect. I don’t really talk about politics, and I don’t really plan on doing it right now, if you want to learn more about it I’m sure you can tune into CNN or basically any other news outlet to get your fix on the situation.

Really, the only thing that anyone reading this comic needs to know is that active duty service members will keep getting paid, combat operations will continue overseas, and that veterans will keep receiving benefits for the immediate future.

The worldly issues really don’t matter much when you’re overseas. As it was gloriously noted in the film Jarhead, “The world back home don’t stop just cause we’re out here in the suck.” (Paraphrasing) It’s true though, unless it directly affects you, there’s really no need to worry about it. You’ve got enough to worry about out there. I was in Iraq in 2009 when Michael Jackson died. The entire world was talking about it. I remember sitting in the chow hall in Rhamadi, glancing up at the TV to see CNN reporting round-the-clock about the late racially bewildered pop star. My glance lasted maybe 30 seconds before it moved back to whatever crappy food was on my tray.

I just didn’t care, I didn’t want to care and I didn’t need to care. Granted, I still don’t particularly care, but it was apparently a big deal. On a random note, I first heard the word “Furlough” aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii. On Fridays, there’d be hundreds of kids running around in the middle of the day, and when I asked what was going on, I was told it was “Furlough Friday” at the schools on base. My response was something like, “What the fuck is a furlough?”

In other news, my trip to LA was a great success. I got to visit the set of “Enlisted” and kick it with the main cast and crew for a day. I’ll write more about it later, I’m packing up this apartment this week and relocating to a new place. I’ve spent two years here, and I’m looking forward to moving onto new pastures. In the meantime, here is a photo of me and Keith David holding up the Terminal Lance hand signal.