While I was at Palermo AFS in 1969 and 1970, I worked in the 6 Shop. We worked two 4 – 12 shifts -- short changeover, two day shifts -- short changeover, then two midnight’s. Then 80 hours off and more of the same [the rest of the day after the midnight’s, 2 full days, then the beginning of the day till the 4-12 shift]. Great schedule.

Of course, our uncle [Sam] provided us a meal at midnight, before or after our shift. We had a cook from Evanston Illinois named Greg Bent, a Sergeant I think. He had a difficult time staying awake or waking in time to get ready for this midnight meal, so someone almost always had to go to the barracks and “GET BENT.” I never heard this expression before this and I’ve heard it everywhere since. Maybe I lived a sheltered life, but I think the expression may have originated at Palermo.