Max and I are not enlisted men. Not yet. But as fate would have it, we found ourselves in Camp Aguinaldo doing our respective “jobs.” Max, 29, is a clerk by day. Although he is a parlorista on the side, he looks like a straight guy, muscle-bound and all.

Max is luckier than I am, if only for the fact that he is always surrounded by thousands of deliciously fit, copper-skinned young men donning camouflage gear. And he has had sexual encounters with most of them, or so he claims with a naughty grin.

In his typical swishy fashion, Max tells me about how good soldiers are in bed. I am not shocked. A soldier’s masculinity is not a sham, he says, with his eyebrows raised to 11th heaven. After all, he has proven it in so many splendid ways.

That soldiers are receptive to both gay and straight men is an indisputable fact. Max has countless naughty, homoerotic stories to attest to that. Gay writer Steven Zeeland says it best when he opines that there is “the strong undercurrent rippling among men who exalt the masculine over the feminine and work in a Spartan environment.”

– Zeeland also says that dismissing that homoerotic tension within the military as “mere situational homosexuality devoid of deeper emotional meaning” misses the point that all sexuality is, to some extent, situational and that “Marines famously risk and sacrifice their lives for the love of their brother marines.”

Max admits that he is a chaser of soldiers, particularly Marines. “They’re central to my pursuit,” as he would put it.

For this issue, Max bares himself and the cult of the men-in-uniform he has slept with.

Manila Times: So, you’re messing with the military. Aren’t you afraid?

Max: Why should I be afraid? They’re nice. At saka, gusto rin nila ako because I’m not baklang-bakla. I’ve chased a sailor across the ocean, an army detailed in a province, a colonel in Camp Aguinaldo. I could even write a book about it.

MT: I dare you to give their names.

Max: That’s impossible dahhliiing! I have to protect myself. But, I’m not lying. Not my style. You know me naman. Kasama pa kita eh.

MT: Where did this fascination with the military start?

Max: When I was in UP (University of the Philippines), I had a classmate who wanted to go to the PMA (Philippine Military Academy). I was lusting after him. But I could never get an opportunity to you-know-what. So since that time, I told myself that I would work in military camps so I could live out my suppressed fantasies.

Then, one day, I found myself involved with this soldier. He looked exactly like my first crush. So my decision proved true and my dream came true.

MT: You are what gays call a “chaser”. There’s no doubt about that.

Max: I am. Soon, you will be.

MT: What is it about a soldier that makes gays go gaga?

Max: Simply because they’re authentically masculine. Bona fide na lalaki. But it’s complex, eh. As a civilian, we’re just attracted to a certain boyish vulnerability in servicemen. Gay men are also excited by the idea of large numbers of men in uniform.

MT: What’s the most unique thing about being a military-chaser?

Max: I’ve found out that most military chasers are yearning for camaraderie or buddy love that they feel exists among men-in-uniform. Most soldiers, on the other hand, feel that they have been cheated by the straight world. That’s why they resort to loving gays whom they think are more loyal and would actually focus on them.

MT: Explain why sex is different with a military man than with a civilian?

Max: Mas may thrill.

MT: Is this already a fetish?

Max: Yeah. Having sex with a military man is nirvana. Nothing compares.

MT: Why do you think some military men would want to make it out with gays?

Max: Wala kasing inhibitions sa sex ang mga bading. Also, with gays, these officers can live out their fantasies on women, at the expense of gays.

MT: Baka naman you also go after the sons of these officers?

Max: Sometimes. With them, it’s also a different experience.

MT: Where do you do it? I mean, these are busy men. How do they find time?

Max: If you feel the urge, there’s no such thing as having no time. Anywhere and everywhere, you’ll be surprised.

MT: Do you use protection?

Max: No, that’s just a hassle. Besides, a lot of them don’t like it.

MT: How often do you do this?

Max: Depende kung sino ang gusto. Modesty aside, hindi ako nababakante dahil ang daming sundalo sa Aguinaldo. Isama mo na ang Bonifacio at Crame. Gaga ka lang kung mapapag-iwanan ka pa.

MT: So what’s your advise to future military chasers? Max: Ubusin natin silang lahat. Lipulin natin hanggang sa matuyot.

Max then makes his exit, claiming that he is going to meet his colonel-boyfriend somewhere in Camp Aguinaldo.

True Confessions: The Lure of Men in Uniform by Manny B. Marinay