“Come on! We can’t stay here! We might almost kill another kid!”
The reader cannot see what danger, if any, causes Sgt. Wally to order his men to retreat. But he sure is in a hurry to get outta there.
Rachel, who either is genuinely trying to help Wally over his anxiety or is deliberately trying to make him freak out again, has a “really neat” suggestion. I hope she’s taking him somewhere private; Wally looks like he’s about to blow chunks.
I gotta tread carefully here. I was born at a good time (on the same day Alaska became the 49th state, if you must know). I was too young for Nam-era military service, and was neither compelled or desirous to serve (unlike my late Dad and my two older brothers). So I can’t even suppose what it’s like to be a soldier, but I have the utmost respect and gratitude for everyone who has worn a uniform in our nation’s armed forces.
With that said: here we go again with Wally’s issues. Incredibly, that one visit with the shrink wasn’t enough to straighten him out. Wally’s having flashbacks because he “almost killed a kid”? All his flashbacks seem to involve engagement; does he have no trauma related to being held captive for years? None of this adds up for me, as in typical fashion, TB tries to spin drama from sketchy characters and their poorly imagined backstories.
No sooner do they arrive at the County Fair then the flashbacks ensue (what, no photo-album corners?) Wally starts looking around for Charlie, or Ahmed or Osama or whatever enemy haunts his nightmares. Enjoy the rides and the games of chance, kids; but as Epicus Doomus pointed out yesterday: I strongly advise you to avoid the clown-head water balloon race.
Rachel has apparently made it her mission to “cure” Wally’s anxieties by applying some tough love.
A friend of mine once commented, “With red hair, you’re either really good-looking…or really ugly.” Harsh, I know, but it was funny at the time. The thing is, Rachel manages to be both, at least the way Batiuk draws her. She’s actually one of the more attractively-drawn females in this strip. In today’s panel two, though, she looks like Ronald McDonald with no makeup.
Drive carefully, Wally. That looks like the same road where Uncle Cousin Funky totaled the Cruiser.
We go from snowbirds to lovebirds…after a day of slacking in Montoni’s kitchen, Wally trades his olive drab tee shirt and schmatte for a dentist’s smock, and Rachel dons a puke-green maternity frock, and they wait until they are about to get in the car before making plans for the evening.
Son of Stuck Funky 
