1967 classic Grip and Grin picture ~ (embiggenable)
THE PICTURE ABOVE IS SIMPLE ENOUGH…that’s me receiving a commendation and a sizable US Savings Bond from the Commanding General after 3 of my photographs (1 each in 3 different categories) had won 1st place each at the Command level, 2 1st place, 1 honorable mention at the Western Pacific level, 3 honorable mentions at the All-Pacfic level . This event-4 months after buying my first ever camera-soon led to my appointment as a US Army photographer. Simple enough but there’s a back story that the photograph does not, and can not, tell…
On the morning of this event, I was showering in my off-base abode (where I lived with my wife). My Summer dress greens were laid out on the bed. After showering and shaving I went to the bedroom and…holy crap. The kitten we had saved from the street-broken tail and all-had left a trail of diarrhea loaded with worms all over my dress greens. Yikes and triple yikes. This presented several problems…
…1) I would have to wear my Winter dress greens. Most definitely contrary to Army Regs. 2) my Winter greens had silver buttons but I only had brass insignias. Army Reg violation # 2. 3) my company commander and 1st Sgt.-who were accompanying me (to share in the glory)-were going have their own defecation events, aka: shitting their pants, when they saw me. 3a) as we all know, shit runs downhill. And last but not least, 4) commanding generals do not become command generals without playing by the rules. In any event, the die was cast and que sera, sera.
It was a long, very quiet ride to Command Headquarters. Visions of reprimands and demotions dancing in our heads. Sweat was everywhere apparent. It was the sweltering heat and humidity for my companions, compounded by heat and humidity + Winter greens for me.
As it turned out, either it was that everybody at headquarters only saw in low-res BW-can’t tell the difference in brass/button disparity in BW-or that everybody decided they had bigger fish to fry-why waste time with an idiotic draftee who didn’t know any better than to show up dressed like he was? But, whatever the reason, if anyone noticed the problems, they chose to ignore it. And, as many of my experiences in the Army can attest, lots of stuff happened that seemed to defy explanation or logic.
FYI, after becoming an Army photographer-apparently no training required-I made, amongst other assignments, at least a jillion grip-and-grin photographs of one kind or another.
And so it began.