Mess Haul

The Russian military is having so much trouble finding fit recruits that it is drafting the ill, Russian newspapers report. In one case, a mentally ill soldier on guard duty at the prime minister’s house started to randomly fire his rifle. “Imagine what a mentally ill person or a drug addict can do if you give him an assault rifle,” said a Russian general of the problem. Incidents of suicides, and shootouts between soldiers, are also high, officials say. Meanwhile, the Russian army is so short on funds that it is buying canned dog food to feed troops. Investigators say they found 1,000 tons of dog food when they inspected army food depots near Moscow. When the investigators announced they were going to inspect other food depots, the general in charge of food services resigned. (AP, 2) ...So, if the conscripts weren’t sick when they were drafted, they were by the time they were discharged.