Snap Crackle and Poop!

Noon....November 10th 1966.  I was in a fox hole on the perimeter of an artillery fire base in South Viet Nam.  It had been raining for 2 days straight, the fox hole was not so much a hole as sandbagged mud hole.  The C-rations were cold and wet, my fingers and toes were all wrinkled up and it was cold.  But it was the Marine Corps Birthday and as soon as we got off guard duty we were going to be treated to some powdered potatoes, powdered gravy, and powdered steak.  My stomach keeping me intertained with what sounded like a John Phillip Sousa march and when you have something to look forward to things always look better.
At 12 noon the guys on my right side started sending up flairs or as we called them Pom-Poms.  To Marines November 10th is not only the birthday of the Corps but it is the birthday of every Jar head that has ever served no matter what part of the world. November 10th is not only the birthday it is sort of like the 4th of July, Christmas and Memorial Day all rolled into one glorious day.
The flairs were exciting to see and since I had some pom-poms in a box  next to my water logged hole in the ground that we were supposed to duck into if we came under attack but unless one had a snorkle there weren't now way any of us Gy-Reans were going to go under that muck filled hole in the ground.
I picked up one of the flairs, read the instructions and after watching the other guys striking the mettle tube on their helmet, I took my helmet off and set in on the ground and since I was a Marine after all I followed the instructions and did smack that mettle tube on my helmet.  Whooooosh!  Right over my shoulder and into the company commander's tent.  I sure am glad it was raining.
The rain stopped about 4 and we ended up actually having a great powdered feast...Ahh the good times.