Whatever Happened to the Pen Behind the Ear Guy?

One of the things we’ve lost in my lifetime, and yes, remnants remain, is the pencil or pen behind the ear.

I’ve tried to be someone who sticks a pencil behind my ear, but it never really was me. I’ve also wanted desperately to be a toothpick guy, no chance; though I still try.

I suppose my wearing glasses takes up the space for pencils. Now, with hearing aids and glasses, I’ve simply run out of places to store stuff behind my ears.

The Army demands that you have pens…but loathes seeing you have them.

When I was in the Army, I carried three pens (this is in garrison). One for writing, one for loaning, one for backing up the other two. The BDU uniform had a perfect spot for hanging my phalanx of pens. I kept my pens safely out of sight, yet readily available on the panel that hid the buttons of the BDU blouse. It’s been 20plus since I got out of the Army yet, I still, on occasion, go to my chest for a pen; some habits…

The BDU uniform had, by design, a pen-sized channel sewn into the center of the left breast pocket. However, it was perilous to store a pen there. One risks having the tip of their Bic poke above the line of their pocket and, heaven forbid, be seen. Seeing a pen in your uniform is a sign of bad soldering. Since I already pushed grooming…