My Name is Baggins, Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins the FOBbit. As you know, a Forward Operating Base or FOB (pronounced "Fahb", rhymes with "Bob") is where troops live in Iraq. Soldiers who arrive at the FOB, stay on the FOB, never go on patrol, and never leave the FOB until it's time to go home 365 days later are called "FOBbits."
Every war has its derogatory name for soldiers who don't serve on the front lines. WWII and Korea gave us "pogues" and Vietnam gave us "REMFs" or "Rear Echelon Mo Frackies" (hey, this is a PG-13 blog). This war gave us "FOBbit".
Well, the problem is that being a FOBbit would be a step up for me. I'm probably more in the REMF / pogue category because I don't even live on a FOB. Nothing about this base is "Forward".
Oh, and it's not so hot anymore. These days, the temperature doesn't climb over 105 for more than a couple hours each day. It should be downright comfy in a month.
Every war has its derogatory name for soldiers who don't serve on the front lines. WWII and Korea gave us "pogues" and Vietnam gave us "REMFs" or "Rear Echelon Mo Frackies" (hey, this is a PG-13 blog). This war gave us "FOBbit".
Well, the problem is that being a FOBbit would be a step up for me. I'm probably more in the REMF / pogue category because I don't even live on a FOB. Nothing about this base is "Forward".
Oh, and it's not so hot anymore. These days, the temperature doesn't climb over 105 for more than a couple hours each day. It should be downright comfy in a month.
posted at 10/05/2005 01:02:00 PM
1 Comments:
Greetings from Wishful Thinking...
I spent 28+ years in the USN and my entire sea duty was a whole 8 hours on an oiler off the coast of San Diego. Never saw combat, but took care of many people who had been injured. Never went to sea, but provided support to the men/women who were out to sea and to their families. The REMF's (and the Fobbers) are only put down when they begin to feel that they are better than the guys in the foxhole. Both are important, like two sides of the same coin. Don't put yourself down. The guys on the front lines could not do their jobs without the guys behind the lines doing theirs.
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