We’re freezing in our slit trenches waiting
for the menacing Migs to fly back to North Korea.
Another sleepless night for the Comm. Squadron.

Later I will provide a comforting elixir, a fifth of something soothing,
secretly added to our 50-gallon medicated water bag
when TopKick McGlumphy is prowling elsewhere.

Gene Newman was a USAF cryptologist during the Korean War and is a retired engineer and journalist, including stringing for the N.Y. Times and being a crossword puzzle creator for the New York Times and USA Today.

Note from the author: I was a cryptographer at a Kunsan, Korea USAF base during the Korean War. My buddy Bob and I did improve the Lister bag’s contents with a 5th or two of Kentucky’s finest one dark night. Morale improved noticeably the next day, but we denied involvement!