Hey, not only is the moral true, but that’s a true sailor story.
I had three pair of issued underwear when I got out of bootcamp (Great Lakes) complete with my stenciled name on them. I immediately went to A school down in Meridian, MS afterward. I rotated between those three pair of underwear for 3 months while in school. I only did laundry once a week. Do the math on that one.
ROFL .... sounds familiar. I got my issue stuff when I finished bootcamp in early ‘70, and went to RM “A” School in Bainbridge MD. I had to do my laundry almost twice a week. And with studying and all the watches I had to stand, didn’t get much sleep.
Reminds me of an old Reader's Digest HUMOR IN UNIFORM anecdote, dating from the Pacific War:
The flagship hailed a destroyer whose crew were all stripped to the waist ... "WHY ARE YOUR MEN HALF NAKED?" The captain replied, "BECAUSE WE MAKE THEM WEAR PANTS."