My dad was in Vietnam too.
The first time I ever heard that that was the way waste was disposed of in the Army, I was 21.
On my 21st birthday, I had to work 2nd shift at a CNC programming job I was doing in college. I pissed and moaned about it because of course, I wanted to go out drinking.
Well, he proceeded to tell me on HIS 21st birthday, he got in trouble for something over there. His punishment was being assigned to burn s**t for HOURS that night.
I shut up about my birthday after that. :)
Don’t to be hard on your Father for getting into trouble. If they did not have enough people to fill the SH*T burning detail the powers that be would find or invent an infraction!