The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

About That ‘One Each’ Shtick

Posted on | November 5, 2011 | 10 Comments

by Smitty

Sometimes the gag runs so long that you completely forget it’s even there.

This blog must double down on its unyielding commitment to reader safety. Not meaning to be mysterious, or have any killing go on, no matter how much some others may need it, here is the scoop: ‘one each’ refers to a military unit of issue. I managed to elide the trailing ‘a’ whenever I signed up for a gmail account those bazillion years ago. Whoops.

Here is an example that just came out of the closet:

If you want to over-think it, and you should not, consider it an oblique, smirking statement about the de-humanizing, anti-individual nature of modern life. My humanity is reduced to some stock ‘Smitty’ character, which comes from the supply department in a ‘one each’ unit of issue.

For practical purposes, I can start up an online account somewhere, pick the user name ‘smitty’, tack on a ‘1e’, and have both little worry about colliding with an existing account, and some hope of remembering the user name. If anybody ever guesses that my password is ‘password’, though, I am toast.

Category: Uncategorized

Comments

10 Responses to “About That ‘One Each’ Shtick”

  1. Dell Hill
    November 5th, 2011 @ 2:05 pm

    Not to worry, Admiral!  Your password password is forever sealed in the file marked “Top Secret” with me.

  2. Dave
    November 5th, 2011 @ 2:10 pm

    ALRIGHT! This one’s started babbling. Throw it on the pile and issue me another Smitty!

    /Top Sergeant mode

  3. Anonymous
    November 5th, 2011 @ 2:39 pm

    I remember when you came up with it. That’s how I knew it was you posting at the old TOMc.

  4. Adjoran
    November 5th, 2011 @ 2:45 pm

    And I always figured it meant, “I’ll have one of each!”

    Live and learn.

  5. richard mcenroe
    November 5th, 2011 @ 2:50 pm

    Smitty’s trying to throw us off!  His REAL password is 12345

  6. jwallin
    November 5th, 2011 @ 4:18 pm

    That’s a:

    M1M2a

    Explanation, Military Usage (All SERVICES)

    1 EA

    JWL1N2-01-E-2011

    11/11

  7. Anonymous
    November 5th, 2011 @ 4:42 pm

    In my day we had to inflate the air mattresses ourselves…only to find that they all leaked.

  8. Quartermaster
    November 5th, 2011 @ 5:53 pm

    Ah, Wombat, you remember the old Rubber Maiden. Oh yes. They *all* leaked. Some leaked slower than others, but they all leaked.

    In Smitty’s case the unit of issue is 1 only. Heaven help us all if there’s another one lurking out there.

  9. Anonymous
    November 5th, 2011 @ 6:25 pm

    I see what you did there.  Obviously your password is “toast.”

  10. Paul Joslin
    November 5th, 2011 @ 8:24 pm

    Does this make the spawn “Smitty, auxiliary, 1 ea.”? Seems fitting if Mrs. Smitty is “Smitty, Completion kit, (better half)”.