| Just about every person had a SHORT TIMER CALENDER, they were usually shaped like the one below, if you look closely you will see a number for each day of the year, as each day passes, the individual would color in the spot, as your tour of duty comes to an end you end up with a colored in picture of a GI who is very short in statue, thus the name,"SHORT TIMER". Most everyone started their own personal calender within the 1st month of being there, and they often brought about good and bad feelings, GOOD as you filled in the spots that would end your tour in Vietnam and BAD when others showed you their calender and it had a lot less days than you. Sometimes you would make a statement that you thought has some importance only to be met with the short timer sign of two fingers squeezed close together. This basically meant, "Go tell someone who cares, I'm too short!" (FUBIS) Short-timer calender supplied by Benny Wilhelm |