| Even out here in Idaho we heard that the Army is | | | | Ord, California. They said they couldn't scheduled me |
| developing a powerful gum that will scrub the teeth | | | | until six months after I was discharged. |
| of our GIs while they are blasting away at insurgents. | | | | Too late! Too late! |
| It's true! It's true! | | | | At home, I knew I could trust the Veterans |
| GIs can't always find their toothbrush and they never | | | | Administration to make up for what was not done |
| have any toothpaste. (Let's see, I was cleaning my | | | | while I was in the service. A V.A. dentist gave me an |
| rifle with it yesterday...) Anyway, that's how it was in | | | | examination and told me that I was not eligible for |
| Korea. | | | | V.A. care even though I was a veteran. |
| If you wanted toothpaste or a new toothbrush in | | | | Too bad! Too bad! |
| Korea you had to wait until the Red Cross sent it to | | | | I don't remember anyone cleaning his teeth on the |
| you. I don't remember finding it in the supply tent. A | | | | line. With what? I came down off the line after 43 |
| couple of times the Red Cross sent us some supplies | | | | days of living in a hole (complete with dirt floor and |
| that might (or might not) include dental stuff. | | | | walls) to get a shower. I looked up into that shower |
| However, you could often get a corncob pipe. | | | | and grinned and grinned and grinned. My radioman |
| The dental service was great in Korea too. The | | | | scrubbed my back and I scrubbed his. |
| dentists were too lazy to fix your teeth. They | | | | Scrub! Scrub! Scrub! |
| probably figured you'd be dead anyway. They | | | | I'm glad they are getting that gum for our |
| grabbed a pair of pliers and yanked out your teeth | | | | servicemen. I'm sure they will want to: |
| and went back to drinking coffee. | | | | Chew! Chew! Chew! |
| Back in the states, I tried to get dental care at Fort | | | | |