In the service?

[Leland]

They really did paint 'em green (and maybe still do). Jeff MacNelly also got the rolled-up sleeves right, with the inside on the outside of the roll.

I'd like to get a hold of all the other Shoe strips where Skyler's doing the USMC 5500 music thing.

[Leland]

But did you have to run with a sousa like that?

Nope -- I wasn't anywhere near a musical instrument during boot camp. One of my drill instructors almost started laughing when I said that I was a tuba player. He said later that the image that popped into his head was of me, in full battle gear, about to charge up a hill with a tuba strapped to my back.

Why is the tuba green/black in the beginning and orange/brass in the end

Maybe the newspaper screwed up, but in any case, the first couple panels are a "throwaway" gag, because some newspapers format their comics page in a way that eliminates those panels. Quite a number of papers would have published this strip with the first panel being the one where Skyler says, "I know this summer camp drill by now...", so the opening joke has very little bearing on the rest of the strip.

Almost every comic strip has to make that concession for the Sunday paper, whether it's in extra panels or an extra-long title panel. I don't think that any comic strip writer likes to do it, though.

[Chuck Jackson]

Speaking of running, I remember a story when I first got on Staff at the School. Seems that the 101st and 82nd Bands had to, at that time, Pass in Review doing the "Airborne Shuffle" which is basically a 10 minute mile. That had to hurt. Can anyone out there refute/support this story?

Chuck"who only runs after a cold beer and a missed meal these days"Jackson

[tubatooter1940]

I auditioned for the Washington Marine band and was suposed to be a tuba player after I finished boot camp but the needs of the service come first and they needed electricians for the air wing.I didn't mind working on airplanes and was glad I wasn't in the band in Viet Nam when I found out bandsmen were used as stretcher bearers.No bullet holes in me,
tubatooter1940