Initials on Officer’s Briefcase Indicate “Left” and “Right”

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/smiley_anders/article_8dab3c0e-ca68-11e8-b077-dffd02f83b70.html

The Advocate [Baton Rouge, LA]

8 October 2018

Smiley: A 'lost in translation' story

Smiley Anders

[…] Lee Robert has this memory: "As a newly minted Air Force second lieutenant, I was catching a military flight to England.

"The grizzled master sergeant at McGuire Air Force Base who was checking in military passengers took one look at my briefcase that had my initials, L and R, on it and remarked that he didn’t know about the quality of the new Air Force officers.

"When I asked him to explain, he said when they had to indicate 'left' and 'right' so officers would know which was which, he had to shake his head.

"I removed my initials from my briefcase shortly thereafter." […]