Gin+BBQ+lots of sun+late nights+pain meds=weird dreams.

So I've been spending the weekend surrounded by angels, soldiers angels, at the warehouse opening (it's awesome) and permanent museum opening (I have my own wall!) and a BBQ with the wounded at Brooke Army Medical Center.

We handed out (no pun intended) something like 50 laptops to the wounded.  This brings the total donated in less than five years to over 4800.  Good on all of you.  I was passing them out, and as the service members walked up to get them, someone asked if I was going to make them walk all the way up there to get them.  "Hell yes, I am.  I'm not going to treat them any different than I would any other soldier."  I even made a few comments about the guys still in the hospital being too lazy to wheel their hospital beds down to the BBQ.  All of it was well received.  My best advice to  the assembled masses:  You're a cripple.  Own that, wear it like a badge, or it will own you.  Besides, when you make cripple jokes, it makes (some) people really uncomfortable.

I also hung out with the Guys from Ranger Up, who are just as crazy as they seem.  And funny.  Very funny.  We talked about a calendar idea.  I can't tell you everything, but July, Banana Hammock, Body Paint, Flag Skin Grafts, holes.

While at the warehouse, I learned how to do screen printing (they make all the SA gear in house) and made a shirt for my wife and a friend's wife.  Nothing like having some on the job training for in case this Army thing doesn't work out.

Lots of gripping and grinning, but it was with really interesting people.  Members of Congress, the president of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, the President and CEO of Green Beans Coffee, and Jeff Messner, who is responsible for World T.E.A.M. sports, which sets up and runs rides and other sports for exceptional athletes--including wounded troops.  All of it is 100% free for the troops, too.  I was also honored to meet many of the good people who staff the surgical and patient care teams from BAMC, although I did have to explain something to an Army Captain.  He asked me what uniform I was wearing.  He was wearing his Dress Blue uniform, and I was wearing the Dress Mess uniform.  He asked me what uniform it was.  I said "It's the dress mess."  "Oh, Okay.  But what branch of service?"  Sheesh.  These kids today.

Oh, about the title of this post--after all of this weekend's activities, I slept like a log last night.  Except I had a dream that I was being taught a history course, which I was really struggling in, and the course was taught by Jeremy Irons, with a thick German accent.  I am going to end up in a padded room one of these days.

--Chuck