It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. But most of all, it was the age of two desserters. Well a deserter and a desserter. First, the deserter:

David Hemler, an American deserter living in Sweden for 28 years

In October 1984, a 21-year-old American Airman deserted and hitch-hiked from an Air Force base in Augsburg, Germany to Stockholm. He built himself a life in Sweden – never sharing his secret with anyone, while becoming one of the U.S. Air Force’s eight most wanted fugitives. Today, David A. Hemler, 49, comes forward in an exclusive interview with Dagens Nyheter (DN), Stockholm.

It’s been 28 years since David Hemler left the 6913th Electronic Security Squadron in Augsburg and found his way to Stockholm via Copenhagen.

And now the desserter. From the USS Iwo Jima during Fleet Week New York 2010:

Chef Robert Irvine, left, from the Food Network TV series Dinner Impossible, and Machinist’s Mate Fireman Lina Rojas, prepare a pear and peach crumble dessert aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) during Fleet Week 2010.

What a weasel that deserter is! Could he not squirm some more? (Watch the video.) And the faux Euro thing, it’ll go over real big in Leavenworth. . .