How ya fixed for spit and dry socks?

My father was a soldier, and one of his favorite sayings was "How're ya fixed for spit and dry socks?"

I'm still trying to figure out precisely what it meant, but it seemed to be what he always said when we really had no option but to grin and bear it. And it definitely came from combat.

I think it meant something like:
You're out of food. You're out of ammo. You're cold. Someone's shooting at you. But hey, you've got some fresh socks to put on, so really, things could be worse.

Socks become very important to a guy who's mucking through the mud for weeks at a time.

And they were extremely important to Ken Sweet, an Australian soldier in World War II.

Why? Because these were special socks. They started a 65 year marriage.


See, these socks had a name inside

And Ken went ahead and sent a note.

"My Dear Doris, you will know (sic) doubt be surprised to receive a letter from me. 

"I am writing to you because I thought you would like to know where the pair of socks you knitted got to. They were given to me in a comfort fund issue in Palestine just after we came from the desert and I can tell you honestly, that at the time I was very pleased to get them."

 Read about Ken, Doris, and this wonderful, unlikely love story here:

-Pat