My brother Ken was home on leave from his post in Hawaii, when he announced that he had just been promoted to lieutenant commander. We were all pleased with the news, but some of us less knowledgeable about military rankings asked Ken to explain what the promotion meant.

After several failed attempts to get us to understand, he sighed and said, "Before, I was Hawkeye Pierce, but now I'm Frank Burns."

Expressions of understanding immediately lit the room.