I'm not for sure if this is what's going on in the picture above, but I think it's a good guess. They are definitely checking something.
From Wikipedia:
The term "short-arm inspection" is a military euphemism referring to the routine medical inspection of male soldiers' penises ("short arms") for signs of sexually-transmitted diseases and other medical problems.
The precise origin of the term is uncertain; however, American and Australian troops are known to have used the term during the First World War.
If only Damien still had his blog! This would be perfect for it. (Nice photo, BTW.)
ReplyDeleteI can guess that some of those handsome soldiers would come out of their inspection with a «long-riffle»... LOL!!
ReplyDeleteOh man, I'd hate to have to do that inspection..I'd probably look for any excuse to be elsewhere, NOT! I had never heard that saying.
ReplyDeleteThe podcast "Stuff Mom Never Told You", tied to "Stuff You Should Know", recently did an episode about STIs within the army and how crazy the rates were back during the civil war. They also talked about Japan's comfort women in WWII. As a history buff I thought you might be interested.
ReplyDeleteJapan: http://www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com/podcasts/japans-comfort-women/
Civil War: http://www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com/podcasts/a-buffer-of-whores/