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July 4th. What a day! BBQs...fireworks...picnics...the grandeur of Independence Day!

Then there's Korea. We awoke to a July Fourth filled with the edges of a local typhoon. And when it rains here it doesn't mess around. It's more like an airborne flood. But, being the hard charging military types that we are, we went ahead and held the annual Toilet Bowl, a flag football extravaganze pitting the Non-Commissioned Officers against the Officers of the battalion. Basically it was a contest to see who could slide around in the water and mud the least...cause that guy was gonna win. Sadly, that was the NCOs. 18-0. But I got in a few good plays. I received one good pass in splendid fashion and then turned to run only to find my feet sliding the way I didn't want to go. And of course the freight train that was trying to take my head off couldn't stop before cramming a knee into my forehead. Later, I got the ball again, and blinded by the rain ran into a mob of very large, very muscular, very uninclined to move for me sergeants who proceeded to pummel me into the ground and then takeing the flag off my near corpse and proclaiming down over. The last thing I remember was shouting, "A little help?"

Well, the toilet bowl ended around 11am. Just in time for chapel. So soaked to the bone and a bit chilly, I went to service for our special 4th of July Water and Patriotism service. I've never preached in shorts and running shoes while covered in grass clippings. Another first on the DMZ for me.

At any rate, Happy Birthday America.