Relative Humility: A Journal of Life in a Peacetime Army During the Mid-Fifties

After graduating from college with a degree in forestry, Frank Fowler was eager to apply his newly acquired knowledge, but instead was drafted into the army. He was not prepared for the debilitating effect of losing his personal freedom. Supervision was often couched in game-playing and mindless exercises. Some of it could be rationalized as necessary during basic training, but it was clearly beyond the pale when the bullying leadership continued to persist. He realized a strategy to stave off depression was needed. With a few like-minded friends a deliberate effort was made to find humor in daily living. This led to walking the line between acceptable and reprehensible behavior. The uplifting effect of laughter brought such mental relief that excess energies were frequently directed to this end. While his actions may now seem childish, it was a serious attempt to survive a system that was sucking at his sanity.