Soon after being transferred to a new duty station, my Marine husband called home one evening to tell me he would be late. “Dirty magazines were discovered in the platoon quarters,” he said, “and the whole squad is being disciplined.”

I launched into a tirade, arguing that Marines should not be penalized for something so trivial.

My husband interrupted. “Honey, when I said ‘dirty magazines,’ I meant the clips from their rifles hadn’t been cleaned.”
— Millie Courtis