Peeps, while we celebrate our cherished United States veterans today, who better to salute than our very own Theo, former Cute Overload Moderator, who will be leaving Qalat, Zabol, Afghanistan and coming home in a matter of weeks.
We salute you, Specialist Durbin! (Or are you a Colonel now?) See you soon, Sir!
Photos courtesy of Laurie C. of IBKC, the Dearborns, and the US Freakin’ Army.
Something I have been wondering lately: why is the camo pattern pixelated?
They are being used as they simplify design and are easier to print on fabric than more traditional “spotchy” patterns. (pulled from Wikipedia, and it has a source!)
I thought my eyesight was going when I looked at the unifofrm . . . or maybe it was the qtness of the kitties had blinded me!
It’s based on CADPAT, which is “computer-generated digital camouflage pattern currently used by the Canadian Forces (CF). CADPAT is designed to reduce the likelihood of detection by night vision devices” [Wikipedia]
I’d imagine it’s pixellated because that’s how everything else from afar would look like from a digital camera or night vision goggles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CADPAT
Thanks, never knew why our armed forces had that; I baroo’d when e’er I saw it, but no longer.
Easily Googlable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARPAT
With a computer at your fingers, no need to wonder..
“Googlable” love that word–will add to mine own vocabularity
Valerie, read more about pixelated camo here: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/07/camouflage_problems_in_the_army_the_ucp_and_the_future_of_digital_camo_.single.html
(Courtesy of Slate and Wikipedia)
It works, too! Check it out
http://www.moillusions.com/wp-content/uploads/2.bp.blogspot.com/_cxmptAPYR-s/Ri5oc7aat-I/AAAAAAAAAtk/_VLydEBs3Co/s400/camojncouch.jpg
When my (Air Force) dad first emailed me that picture it took me a moment lol. “Dad, why’d you send me a picture of a —OH!”
These photos are SO cute. I hope Theo comes back safely!
Many soldiers (and sailors, and Marines, and airmen) share your skepticism, by the way. The pattern I’m wearing right now (MultiCam) is not pixelated.
Theo? You rock. We miss and love you and appreciate you.
What she said? Me too. We miss and love you.
I know the feeling. The first time my dad came home with pixel camo (army), I pointed out “Dad…you look like you’re in a video game. That’ll blend in with a computer screen but in the real world? It sucks.”
Now that he is retired, he vocally agrees with me.
I salute you, too. Thank you for your service.
Come home soon and safely Theo!
I wholeheartly second that!!!!!!!
Third!!!!!!
Thanks for your service, Theo! Safe travels and stop by CO if you get a chance. I’m sure there will be a tasty beverage or two in the Mod Lounge.
and if you’re REAL nice to us, we’ll tell you ALL the words that will admit you to this exclusive little enclave within CO
Um… I’m pretty sure I *built* that sucker.
Although I reckon Sharpypants has probly refined that thar filter, since them days…
Welcome home, Theo!! And thank you for all you have done.
::clucking excited at the great news::
Thank you, Theo (and Jaye)!
Dear Teho……SAAAALUUUUTE? Also thanks for your service and hope you are home with your beloved Schmoop soon.
“This is my kitteh. There are others like it, but this one is MINE! MINE! ALL MINE!” Come home safe, Theo, and thank you for your service!
Roger that. [PAWHAT]
a man in uniform and kitties… what a combination!
Welcome back. Kitties make the bestest homecoming.
THEEEEO! Pudding party for Theo!!!
are we going to throw it or eat it?
Yes.
AuntieB wins.
the former. The appropriate sound FX if I understand correctly, is spelled and pronounced as follows:
“THWOCK!!!!”
– did I get that correct, Mme la Therese???
Eat it, throw it, wear it- whatever!
So glad you are coming home, soon, Theo. Thank you for your service, and Jaye for her sacrifice as well. *salutes*
Yaaaayy theo!! There’s somethin about a man in uniform, bein’ all brave and stuff, and then add baby animals in the mix and all the women smile
Happy armistice day, all!
Yep, I’m trying to decide which photo I should urge for the Men of CO calendar. #3 has a cute kitten but doesn’t show much of Theo, so one of the others, but which?
Yay, Teho! Welcome home again
The second photo down is, by far, the most redonkulously cute! I echo everyone else’s sentiments in regard to your selflessness for your country and for keeping us safe. You deserve so much more than the appreciation I can offer. Here’s to you Theo, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones!
Thank you, Theo.
I would salute, but I have something in my eye. {sniff}
Get home safe Teho!
This is a kind of Thanksgiving, it’s a thanksgiving to Theo, for his service,and for Theo, for his wit and kindness. Welcome home. Well come, indeed, sir!
Theo and Jaye, so great that the tour is almost over! Thanks a million to both of you. Something tells me Jaye has stockpiled the mistletoe for the holidays… Safe home Theo!!
Don’t mind me…I’m just here in the Mod Lounge stocking the bar and making lemon twist garnishes for Theo’s Welcome Home Bash!
I’m with you Nikki! In anticipashuns of the Teho Homecoming COstraveganza I’m mixing up lots o’ delish puddin’s, bunches o’ can a peas and bushels of crudeatees.
Awwwww! Thanks, y’all, on Theo’s behalf and mine.
Can’t lie, it has been a long weary wait and these final weeks seem to be in slow motion. But good friends and The Power of Teh Cute sustain us.
PS–he is a Sergeant now.
Whoa, that’s me again.
)
(tried to post a reply once already, seems to have disappeared into the nether world of military-grade WWW, which isn’t actually all that good
Slow motion is right, too. aaaargh
Hey, Jaye! I’ve never been a military spouse but I was an Army Brat so I feel you about missing somebody when they are deployed. I missed my dad when he got sent away to a strange country. I was a little girl and really didn’t understand any of it…I just knew that daddy was leaving for some reason. I was happy when he came home. I’m happy for you that Theo is coming back!! Thank you! to all of our Veterans!
Former Army Brat here too, and currently several friends who are serving. It’s always a relief beyond description when our soldiers return home safely. Lots of warm, soft, kitty hugs to you Theo, and also to you Jayne for holding down the fort at home.
Whoa, I’m back.
(not HOME, but back on Teh Cute, which is still something, hehe)
Welcome back, and come home swiftly and safely!
…also, seen the new batch over at IBKC, yet?
Thank you for keeping the world safe for teh Qte, Sgt. Teho!
Welcome home, Sgt. Teho, and thank you for your service!
Being a pacifist, I have mixed feelings about the military, especially those people who get drafted/conscripted into being the sharp end of someone else’s foreign policy objectives.
That said, anyone who puts on a uniform voluntarily and risks life and limb for something he believes in should be respected for having the courage of his convictions.
Welcome home, Obersturmbahnpuddingwerger Teh-0 – nice to have you back safe and sound
And the spiders. Don’t forget the spiders. They have these HUGE spiders in that area of the planet that (I’ve heard) chase people because they want to be in their shade. I myself would have gotten a dishonorable discharge just because of those dang spiders. I’m not brave enough. I would have been all. “that’s it. I’m out of here.” So thankfully, there are men and women brave enough to endure JUST that. Not to mention everything else. Wow. Total heros.
http://www.camelspiders.net/
*giggle but NOT at her Majesty’s expense*
I’m laughing *WITH* ya, Steph, TRULY!!!
So what, exactly, do y’all have against my pet spider?
C’mere Wooldridge, wave to the nice fleshy people.
*breaks land-speed records running and screeeeeeeeeeeeeaming to the nearest frozen tundra*
If it makes you feel better, my battalion ended up being mostly support. We have howitzers which are no joke (big boom) but we’ve mostly fired illum rounds — flares — for deterrent effect. Hearts & minds, you understand.
hey keeping hearts hearts and minds operational, are all
parts of being medically alive y’know!! so every contribution is part of a tapestry of “gittin’ ‘R DUN”
Signed,
Navy Daughter Here
(and just for the record, I can’t be doing with this MARPAT nonsense – give me classic British Woodland DPM anytime. MARPAT just looks way too “8-bit” to my way of thinking.)
Saying in old timey Hee-Haw voice, “salllll-uuute!”
Thank you for your service, Teho, and welcome home soon!
Theo…
To both you and Jaye. You’ve each sacrificed so much to serve in the military. Thank you both for your service to our nation.
Welcome home Sergeant!
Camouflage kitteh! Squeee! (Oh, AND man in uniform…sigh….) Come home safe, Sir. Respect.
Awww. Those pic’s never get old. Come home safely Theo,
Yay Teho! Safe trip home and many thanks from me and Elvis!
All I can add is even more thanks and good wishes to Teho and his family–both the two-legged and four-legged members. We thank you for your bravery and sacrifice, and for loving all those furbabies! G-d bless you and keep you all safe!
Theo, I hope that someone is there to film the reunion when your puppy sees you for the first time! She is going to be wiggling like a maniac with excitement to see you.
Welcome home Teho.
Ditto, ditto, ditto all the good wishes and hope to see you here when you return.
Thank God you are coming home! Thank you for keeping me safe. You have been in my prayers, CO is not the same without you!
Leave it to Theo to be snorgling teh kittehs near AND far.
Much love, peeps. Again, tho, I’m not home YET. Can’t exactly say when that’ll be, even. But it’s the homestretch.
Also… there’s a lot more out here than just me, of course — soldiers, airmen, sailors (yes, even in this landlocked country, and plenty), Marines, and all manner of international brothers- and sisters-in-arms, civilian support contractors (loads of them), and our partnered Afghan forces, who WON’T be leaving, after we do. It’s… dynamic and complicated.
That DOES sound complicated. I work for the government and kind of know what you’re talking about. I hope that totally cool kittens will be waiting for you at home.
Theo! Thank you for your service and for keeping all of us (no matter what country) safe. Please come home safely!
It’s Teho! And kittens! And kittens! And Teho!
Yay! Teho is coming home yay!
Come home safe and soon, Sergeant Teho! I hope you receive orders like these when you get home:
Sit!
Stay!
GOOOOOD Teho!
If this DOES happen, I predict his answer to be:
“Ma’am, [smush], yes MA”AM!!!”
*smart salute*
Thanks to Theo and every single man and woman in uniform out there…those who served and are still serving. Wish I could give each of y’all a great big hug!
I second that, Gaz, to all men and women in uniform of the Canadian and American Armed Forces
TEHO! Thanks for all your good work out there, and I wish you a safe return home soon!
I 60th that!
Theo and the Kitties should do a reunion photo! May your trip home be safe!
I second that, James Fisk
Sgt. Theo!!! Kitties and peoples everywhere say huge thanks.
I’m not even American but I think what you do for the world is incredibly brave and noble. Not just the serving in the army part, but for keeping enough strength and joy in your heart despite what you must see, to impart goodness to others via this CO site, which believe it or not probably gets a lot of people through their daily battles in life. A thousand thanks and praise be upon you for the work you do.
YAY for non-’Mericuns too!!! SAAAA-LOOT, Sophia !!!
Salu-YAY!-tions, Theo!
[snkr]
Sa-Lulu-tashons, even.
Did you learn how to say “Awww, what a cute widdle kitteh!” in Pashtun? Cute Overload peeps need to know!
(and welcome back!)
Local nationals aren’t really big on the stray cats & dogs, actually. So CuteOverload isn’t part of the diplomatic toolbox. It’ll be good to be home.
So happy to hear you’ll be home soon Teho!
And Jaye–We all know that the toughest job in the Army is being a soldier’s wife!
Thank you both!
Please come home soon, Theo
We all want to see a picture of you in uniform holding your dear sweet kitties with your dear wife, Jaye, beside you 
And this should be the very first page, if not the cover, of
the men of CO calendar! Thanks Theo.
Aaahh. The animal lover in action.
Thank you for your service…and your big, fat loving heart!
ITS HERESY
those pix can’t really be the genuwine Theo cuddling kittehs!!!
TEH REAL Sgt Theo would hold out until he was handed
a stack of Ginger Rogers Drreamsicles kittehs !!!
Mmmmarmalade. Hehehehe.
Ugh, I can’t believe that I missed this awesome Teho Appreciation Moment on CO yesterday!!!! I was busy with some non-qte – but I was remembering the sacrifices of others and I thought a lot about the price of freedom. I hope you are home in time for Christmas, Teho – for Jaye’s awesome holiday cookies and a bit pot o beef bourguignon, and snow and stuff.
1: YAY Jaye & General Theo
2: YAY snow
3″ Yay all possible kittens
3: beef bourguinon YUM O RAMA
Signed,
It has been a few years since I last had the BB
of me mudder and she did it up GOOD
so “thanks for the memories”, Birdcage
…uhmmm… NOT a General Officer, here. “I work for a living.”
Thanks and godspeed Theo!!!
By the way – he should totally be the coverboy of the MOCO (Men of Cute Overload) calendar….
Totally agree! Nothing hotter than a man in uniform with a kitten. Thank you endlessly for your service to our country!!
I concur! I was wondering why it took so long for someone to suggest it! What a no-brainer!
Wishing you a safe (and soon) return, Sgt. Teho!
I did, at 4:44 AM above.
Great minds, etc., etc.
Welcome back, Teho! May I request you do a day’s moderating here at Overload Central and head over to visit Miss Charlene???? PLEASE????
my cat and i salute you!
Come home soon and safe Theo!!
Please give my love and appreciation to all your fellow service men ans women. Words cannot describe how awesome you are.
Love and appreciation to Jaye! Service families are the BEST. We appreciate the sacrifices you make to help keep us safe.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
And, oh man, those kittayns are sooo cute. Awesome military plus kittayns…nothing better!
I humbly salute both you and Jaye for your sacrifices and service. I hope you’re home before you know it and go on to live a most joyful life together. Be safe, be happy, be healthy.
Well, Sgt. Teho, I don’t do the CO thing anymore, but when I heard you were coming home, I had to get over here and add to the litany of “it’s about time” comments. You done good, sir!
Old Home Week.
very slight tangent and still within subjects mentioned by the Mods, in
this post
OMG EVERYBODY
RIGHT NOW go up to the blue text below the final pic of Teho ; the blue underlined text which says “The Dearborns”.
Put on a flak jacket, DO NOT bring ANY beverage to the computer,
get into a stable, secure chair, then click on that link and
PREPARE TO COLLAPSE INTO PILES OF GLITTERY GOO AND
to be comatose. IT”S THAT GOOD.
They all grew up, y’know.
WHY???? They’re abso. perfect as shown!!!
and now I desire a full veterinarian and emotional therapy report, written
up on each of them (& of course in the military we ALWAYS make these out in Triplicate) eg:
– how many kitty toys have their primate companions bought for them?
— are they living on cushions?
– do they have any chameleons to harass ? and
— are there enough sunbeams in which they can snooze and….(you get the idea)
And they’re purring!
TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (I don’t much comment here anymore but had to on this one!) But but but… wot, no marmies?!
see my comment that is about the same topic above, dated possibly yesterday (11th) and Teho’s reply
I have seldom ventured into the COmmunity, being one who just stays on the main page — but I had to come in to say, “Thank you for your service, Theo” and then, OMG IS THAT FIRST PIC FOR THE CALENDAR, OR WHAT?? It puts the “Cute” into Cute Overload!
Nice kitten, too.
Best wishes, Miss Kitt
Dear Teho: so glad to hear that you’re coming home soon!!!!
I think that a wonderful combination Welcome Home/Christmas Gift for you, Jaye, and your family would be for us to take up an Itty Bitty Marmie Kitteh collection;
(about 15 to 20 will do: you should receive it in time for the Holidays…. )
No, No: don’t thank me….. just happy to be of service!!!
P.S. Have a Wonderful Holiday; & Welcome back!!! We missed you tons!!
Thanks for all you’ve done for us Sargeant Theo
and congrats on coming back soon! Hope you stay safe where ever you may be 
YAY! Teho is coming home!
Theo, glad you have remained happy, healthy and in one piece while on duty and are returning home safe and sound. I imagine it’s been a very different few years for you – at least different than moderating at CO!!
Welcome home, and despite the fact I’m Canadian, thanks for all you’ve done for your country.
YAY for the Frozen North, eh??
Theo – I hardly post anymore because, well, we’re all busier it seems than we used to be, but I know Chicky and the other girls from the CO Chat miss you terribly, and I know we’re all thinking of you today. Thank you for your service – we miss the hell outta ya.
Oh I get the state of being Busy. Fortunately we’ve been less so, just lately.
(Once the new unit arrives, of course…)
Teho is coming back
Teho is coming back
Teho is coming back
Huzzah!
Whoo yes. And (knocking wood) in my battalion (knocking wood again) we’ve had no casualties. Function of being a support unit, really, as opposed to infantry, cavalry, etc. like some of our sister BNs.
at the risk of just (unimanginatively) copyin’ pyrit:
all are well?? WOW
(*knock on wood*)
http://cuteoverload.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/yay_pic.jpg
Welcome back Teho and may I say you’re looking mighty handsome in that uni.
BTW my Marine or is that GIrine friend Lars once told me that the digi camis really are harder to see. I know nothing about it but he was adamant they were better.