My father, Frank Hancock, was a lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy
during World War I. When my older brother John came of age during World
War II, he applied for enlistment, also in the navy. After John
completed his physical, the examining officer handed him a pen and
said: "Congratulations, son. Sign your John Hancock here, and you're in
the navy." My brother took the pen and signed his name. The officer
glanced at the paper then glared at him. "You're starting off on the
wrong foot, kid!"


-- William L. Hancock, 1994, from Humor in Uniform