I am proud to have served my country for a total of five years. I served two years in the Army National Guard then enlisted in the Regular Army for three years, being discharged in July, 1967. My time in the military gave me the opportunity to grow up. I enjoyed my three years of active duty and was very lucky to have good assignments. I learned a lot about the Army, but was unaware of just what the Army has given to America. The US Army had something to do with six inventions that you might not be aware of:
Jeep. The popular SUVs and Jeeps owe their popularity to the light reconnaissance vehicle requested by the Army in 1940.
Ray-Ban sunglasses. The first pair of Ray-Bans, the Aviator model, was created on the order of the Army Air Corps to protect pilots’ eyes from the sun at high altitudes.
Bug spray. The Army developed DEET, the active ingredient in many insect repellents. This was used to protect soldiers from mosquitoes in jungle warfare during World War II.
EpiPen. This device was designed to protect soldiers from chemical exposure by way of an auto-injecting syringe for people suffering severe allergic reactions.
Electric razor. Retired Colonel Jacob Schick invented the first easily manufactured electric razor and had it patented in 1928.
Pringles. The Army Quartermaster Corps collaborated with the Department of Agriculture to develop dehydrated potato flakes, which lead to the creation of Pringles Potato Chips. The English language has many expressions that derive from our relationships with animals. The phrase “the dog days of summer” for instance, has many people believing that it refers to actual dogs suffering from the summer heat. The dogs it references are not literal, but the phrase actually refers to a period from mid-July to late August, when the weather is normally at its warmest with high humidity. Literally, the phrase “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” references the fact the buyers of horses typically look in a horse’s mouth to determine the animal’s general health and age. As a horse ages, the gums will recede, therefore exposing more of the teeth, this might determine the true age of the horse being purchased. Therefore, it you are receiving something for free, or as a gift, you shouldn’t be overly concerned about its condition or value. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon. In Shakespeare’s time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase…”Goodnight, sleep tight”. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So, in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them, “Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.” It’s where we get the phrase “mind your P’s and Q’s”. Stay cool and I’ll see you Out and About! Norm Stutesman lives in Three Rivers. He receives mail at P.O. Box 103 in Three Rivers.
