You know how people are always wondering
how certain phrases came into being, like
"Don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes"
and "Remember the Alamo" and so on.
A lot of people asked me where the saying
"You gotta be shittin me" came from.
It so happens I know.
Way back, George Washington was crossing
the Delaware River with his troops.
They were packed into the boats.
It was extremely dark and storming furiously.
The water was tossing them back and forth.
Finally Washington grabbed Corporal Peters and
stationed him at the front of the boat with a lantern.
He ordered him to keep swinging it so they could
see where they were heading.
Corporal Peters stood up braving the wind and
driving rain, swinging the lantern back and forth.
A while later a big gust of wind hit and threw
Corporal Peters and his lantern into the Delaware.
Washington and his troops searched for hours
trying to find Corporal Peters but to no avail.
All of them felt terrible for the Corporal had
been one their favorites.
An hour later Washington and his troops
landed on the other side, wet and
totally exhausted. He rallied the troops and
told them they must go on. An
hour later Washington and his men could
go no further. One of his men
said,"General, I see lights ahead."
They trudged towards the lights and
came upon a huge house there in the woods.
What they didn't know was this was a
house of ill repute hidden in the forest
to serve all who came.
General Washington pounded on the door,
his men crowding around him.
The door swung open and the madam looked
out to see Washington and all his men
standing there. A huge smile came across
her face to see so many men at her door.
Washington spoke up, "Ma'am, I'm General
George Washington and these are my men.
We're tired and exhausted and desperately
need warmth and comfort for a while.
Again the Madam looked at all the men
and with a broad smile on her face said,
"Well General, you have come to the right place.
We can surely give you warmth and comfort.
How many men do you have?"
Washington said " Well ma'am, there are
thirty-two of us without Peters."
Madam said,
"You gotta be shittin me !"
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Unstinting Gaurdian of Children
Defender of Those Unable To
To Err is Human To Forgive Divine, However Neither is U.S. Marine Corps Policy. Nuke'm til the damn camels glow.