My first assignment was Light Infantry. And depending on just where we were in the training cycle, we might go to the field Monday through Friday every other week. And in that time, we at MREs. You might get one hot meal in that 5 day cycle.

We're REALLY Light Infantry. You need to resupply us, you can just kick a case or two of MRE's out the door of the Huey, and we're good for few days.

Seriously, potable water was the only real issue, and we all knew where to find some.

I'm not saying I was dancing naked in a Dole pineapple plantation on Molokai bathing myself from a tap when a family of four rode by on their bikes. Lemme check the statute of limitations.

There's not really a problem per se with feeding rifle platoons nothing but MRE's Monday to Friday.

But of all operational rations, the MRE is just about the most expensive.

Believe it or not, we'd kinda like to not waste your money too often.

At a minimum, if we're going to waste your money, let's do it with ammunition, not food.

OTOH, in a heavy unit... a tank and mechanized Infantry task force, well, we're getting fueled at least twice a day, usually thrice, and 4 times a day isn't unheard of.

If you're going to all the trouble to send fuel forward, might as well send hot food.

It's great for morale, and is WAY cheaper. I mean, BBQ pork MRE is like $7 each bag. Hot food? What we could call an A ration? I'm having a pork chop, rice, green beans, coffee and some bread at a cost to you of about $0.70

BTW, logistics is hard. I'm an end user.
The S-4, the unit staff officer? He's got to get it done. You can fuck up in S-1 and screw up a guy's pay. You've got time to fix it. S-2? Nobody expects Intel to get it right. S-3? Operations sometimes go bad.

S-4? No excuses. Fuel, ammo, food. It's kinda like "the spice must flow."

And S-4 at the battalion and brigade level is not the sexy job. At brigade, it's a job you toss to a Major that's already decided to leave at the 12 year mark. S-3 is the sexy job.

It's... grueling. These guys may have decided to leave, and ordered the ham and fuck it sandwich on the way out, but they're also going to do EVERYTHING they can to do the job to the best of their ability.

And it's not an easy job.

I literally saw two S-4's that had complete and utter mental breakdowns, and wound up hospitalized for a couple weeks.
My buddy breaks his arm? That's hilarious.

This shit, no sir. I'm not sure what to say, but I'm never talking any smack at all.

This is kinda taking the long way around to get to....