I joined the Army at age 17 and the one duty I really hated was kitchen police (KP). There were all sorts of KP jobs, such as dining room orderly, which was considered one of the best jobs to be assigned. There was also cook's helper, dish washer, outside man and the one I really hated, but always seemed to get, pots and pans. At some locations the duty day was 24 hours, and you were so tired during breaks that you simply sat in 2 inches of water on the floor, and with your back to the wall, fell instantly asleep until the cook kicked your boots to awaken you to start scrubbing the big pots again. Oh how I looked forward to the day when I would no longer have to do pots and pans. There was even KP on the troop ships going to and returning from Korea.

I've long since retired from the Army, gone on to other careers, and eventually had my final retirement. All my children have since grown and raised their own families. It's just the wife and I now, and we are both in our eighties. I try hard to act like the boss in the kitchen, but I find myself washing or drying as directed. But when it comes to pots and pans, that is my job, and don't try to take it away from me.

Oh, how I love to make them shine so beautifully, just like I did before.