Many Decembers ago, I proudly served in the 834th Engineer Company, based in a small armory in the middle of Davenport, Iowa. December was great because it was the one winter month when there was no chance our one-weekend-per-month Army National Guard drill would involve freezing in the woods on some training exercise. Instead, the weekend was devoted to annual mandatory briefings, dress uniform inspection, and our Christmas party. It was the most wonderful time of the training year.

Saturday began with a squad-level review of our Class A uniforms on their hangers. Each dress uniform was tailored to fit an incredibly lean Army basic training graduate who had spent months on a carefully administered scientific diet with constant exercise. Many great soldiers maintained or improved upon their conditions. I’m ashamed to admit I did not. November often involved a lot of anxiety for me. The uniform could only be let out so much.