“Doctrine Man” is an anonymous, unauthorized Facebook comic strip about living through the absurdities of military services life. Doctrine Man has been continuously gaining a global following among the military services rank and file and printouts are seen at the Pentagon. Doctrine Man is the latest in a long-line of military caricatures created to mitigate the harsh realities of life within the armed forces. Resource for this article – Doctrine Man to the rescue – Facebook comic makes military friends by Money Blog Newz.
Doctrine Man is there for you
Last summer Doctrine Man appeared on Facebook, created by an Army offer.According to the brand new York Times, the officer (who’ll remain anonymous) was working with people who "just didn't get it" and he needed an outlet to vent his frustrations. He leaves names out of the mix, but he takes a hit at military doctrine in a comical way from experiences he has had with anybody he comes in contact with who meet his cartoon criteria. Doctrine Man has lead to many private e-mail conversations with other military officers who have wanted to talk with him. He sends feedback about what’s going on within the field up the command chain.
Doctrine Man and Facebook updates
The stick figures of Doctrine Man comics aren't what is essential, it is the message he gives. The Facebook superhero is best describes as, “Able to leap useless acronyms with a single bound, faster than a lumbering field manual, more powerful than a cheese enchilada in a staff huddle.” Some of the events that are seen in this comic are things like an officer selecting someone for a special assignment by throwing a book at the first person passing, a military member wearing a Hawaiian shirt in combat, and the military's endless efforts to make the war zone feel like home.
A history of military satire
Doctrine Man is the latest in a long line of satirical portrayals of the common grunt accepting his fate with ironic humor. Bill Mauldin for example made Willie and Joe cartoons during World War II while in Europe. Richard Hookers "MASH" and Joseph Heller's "Catch-22" are a few comics that started out that were and were eventually turned into huge hits. "Beetle Bailey" has been continued by various different people since it started in 1950, and some believe Doctrine Man might follow in the same path.
Citations
facebook.com/pages/Doctrine-Man/110598432306650
New York Times
nytimes.com/2010/11/19/us/19pentagon.html?src=twrhp
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Mauldin
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