Halloween in the Army

Its October already which means...HALLOWEEN!! Time to plan your totally fabulous, one-of-a-kind, awesome costume!! I, for one, am all about Halloween costumes. I love to see creative and original costumes and I try every year to be wearing one of them. And even if someone is wearing a costume that I wouldn't necessarily wear, if it falls in to the categories listed above, I give them props. However, there is a line that should not be crossed when it comes to Halloween costumes.

We've all heard the stories about Halloween costumes that go too far: the white frat guy who dressed up as a black chick, Prince Harry wearing the swastika. Every year you hear about at least one person who takes their costume too far. If you were at a party with that person, would you say something to them or would you let it go as an innocent Halloween prank? Well, I said something.

Stonewall, both of our sisters, and I were at a Halloween party at a bar last year. This was about a month after Stonewall returned from his deployment and we were still dealing with the guilt/depression/everything else that comes with a soldier when he comes home. My sister was the first of us to notice the offending costume. It was a guy and he was dressed up as a soldier. A dead soldier. He was wearing an Army uniform and he had used makeup to put bullet holes and blood on his head.

Like I said, I'm all for people being creative and for pushing the limits when it comes to costumes, but this was going to far. Especially considering the current situation our military is in. I was about to marry a man who still had nightmares about the things he saw while in Iraq. The last thing he, and I for that matter, needed was a very real looking dead soldier standing in front of him.

At first, we tried to keep Stonewall from seeing the costume, but a costume like that tends to make people whisper. Most likely, I was not the only person offended by his costume choice, or the only military significant other in the bar. Inevitably, Stonewall saw the costume and while he tried to play it off, he proceeded to get exceedingly drunk.

I was not about to let it slide though. There is humor, there is creativity, and then there is pure downright insensitivity and cruelty. This guy was the latter. I found the guy sitting at the bar and told him that his costume was inappropriate for a number of reasons and if he did not leave on his own, I would ask the manager of the bar to escort him out. (The manager may or may not have complied, but I sure as hell would have tried!) The guy tried to convince me that he was a soldier who had just recently come home from Iraq as well. I did not believe a word of it because I can not imagine a returning soldier thinking the death of his fellow soldiers was a joke meant for a Halloween costume.

After I walked away from the guy my sister said something to him as well. He left soon after, which was good for several reasons, including that drunk Stonewall was convincing the table next to us the soldier guy needed to be lynched.

Halloween is a fun holiday. Not only do you get to dress up, but its a time for no-guilt candy, haunted houses, and pumpkin carving. Have a good time with Halloween, but also keep in mind that you'll be around other people. I realize that something will always offend someone. However, take a look around, use your brain, and have some common courtesy for people around you. There are some costumes that will never be appropriate and a dead soldier is one of them.