It wasn't just the Army, or the Navy; it was the system. If I had to be a Sad Sack I'd be a civilian.
"As you like. Agreed?"
I looked at him. "Agreed? What do you want me to say? Agreed. That's a good word for you to use to me."
"You can rest assured—" He saw what must have been on my face, and stopped short. For a long minute we sat there, he thinking his thoughts, and me thinking mine. Mine weren't pleasant. Then he got up and came over to me. "Sorry. This is a pretty big meal to digest all at once. I know how you must feel."
I stared up at him. "Do you?"
Then he turned and left. Later, I don't know when, the young fellow came back alone and took me to my cell. I must have finally gotten to sleep.
The young fellow, who turned out to be a fairly good citizen named Stein, came after me the next day. He wanted me to pack. Pack? All the clothes I had were on my back.
"Toothbrush, things like that. Tell me what you want in the line of clothes and you'll get them. Or anything else, within reason."
"Anything? Anything at all?"
"Well, I said anything reasonable." We didn't have to go any further into that. He knew what I meant.