If you are bugging out/evacuating/getting the hell out of dodge, you will likely be doing so under extreme stress. It will be good, once in a safer environment, to be able to have a good cup of coffee, tea, something you enjoy to drink, a good book or DVD (small laptop or DVD player, IPAD, whatever), and have the ability to laugh. When troops are in combat a lot, they tend to develop a graveyard humor. The ability to laugh while seeing the most horrible things man can deal with or create is a coping method and really does help get through hard times.

I had a time when I was in Iraq that we were contacted by Iraqi Police about a "floater", or a body in the river. So we went out and met the police on the scene and they tried to tell us that it was our problem to deal with. We felt otherwise. The man had been executed and was snagged up in some brush along the side of the river. He was bloated, and already stank. So we set about trying to figure out the best way to get him out of the water. While the leadership was discussing what to do, arguing over who's body it was to collect, and such.... The rest of us pulled security and joked about the situation, made fun of the body "Look at how the blindfold is sunk into his face, man that is one fat dude" and "Poke him with a stick!!!" we did this because in all reality, for most of us, it's not normal to hang out with a dead body. Some, like me, get superstitious about it and feel a bit creeped out. Laughing about it made things much easier, although from the outside looking in it might appear callous behavior. Maybe it was, but it made us feel better about it. It was decided to try to tie his arms and drag him ashore, and that was a mistake, he split open and man did he stink! Some of us (myself included) threw up, but we maintained the humor anyway.

We also had a guy that no matter how heavy the fight was, he had jokes. He made fun of how a guy lay after being shot, he made fun of how Hadji couldn't shoot, he made fun of himself when he got an erection (it's natural although I don't understand why it is) and he made jokes about the Company Commanders decisions if we didn't like it. One time during a lul after 4 hours of fighting he asked "Does anybody else feel like some popcorn". On another occasion he was up on the .50 and returning fire when we were ambushed. He looked down at me and yelled "Dude!! I got wood!!". I was glad to have the guy with us, always breaking up the tension.

During a SHTF event, we will all go through some horrifying experiences and extreme stress. So laugh often, laugh hard, and don't forget you're human. You've got to maintain mental health and laughter is the best cure when times are total sh!t. Even better when you can relax and joke about the days events over a cup of coffee or tea, or maybe a bit of whiskey if you're safe enough to do so, although don't over do it. You may need to maintain your senses enough to keep good security. If you're a weed smoker, save that crap for when you get to your destination and can actually fully relax. I realize that some folks may do this and I personally have no problem with it, but I'm just saying, if you're going to use it, do it in a safe environment, not while on your way to someplace. You need to maintain alertness.

But, there ya go. Be sure to take care of your soul and heart, as your body may be battered and bruised but the ability to relax and laugh about it will carry you through the most F'd up times you can possible go through.

Funny...........

Well, then, Grimmy ought to be worth his weight in gold ......or .....

When I was in Iraqistan, we always figured if we couldn't laugh about everything, maybe there was something wrong with us... other than the real job at hand, when it needed to be done, we were always laughing, and that's what kept us sane for the most part.

BTW PM, you bag them while they are still in the water. Lots neater.

use an RPG on the floater. after you blow him into chunklets you won't have to WORRY about having a body to remove..

You know... I never did see anybody break out a bag. We just pulled him ashore and left him for the IP's to take care of.

CFI, I'm not blowing rotten chunks of stinky dude all over the place. Maybe we should have just laid a big rock on him and sunk him.... Hmmmm. But then again, waiting for the IP's to be closer to him and blowing him all over THEM WOULD have been poetic justice.... I'd bet they'd never ask us to take care of their problems again.... Might be on to something with that.

you could always suggest the use of the RPG to one of the IPs (or maybe even an officer you didn't like) and then gotten way...WAY back.

My Officers were good, well, at the Company level anyhow, I'll not get in to Battalion level. Lets just say nobody wanted them around when a fight was on

But blowing up IP's, many deserved such a thing! Most were corrupt, taking bribes for whatever, helping insurgents, and more than a few shot a us. Of course they quickly realized their mistake on those times, although entirely too late. But if blowing up stinky dude would have kept them from getting in to their house because they stank too much, well I'd have been happy with that LOL.