“When I was in the army I killed more men than anybody. I was the cook”

“When I was in the army I killed more men than anybody. I was the cook” is a classic joke.
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“When I was in the army I killed four hundred men. I was the cook” was printed in a 1907 book. “‘When I was in the Army I killed 500 men,’ said Henny Youngman. “I was the cook’” was printed in the Knoxville (TN) News-Sentinel on March 21, 1958.
 
   
Google Books
“I’m from Texas, You Can’t Steer Me”:
Thos. W. Jackson’s Fourth Trip Slower Than Ever
By Thomas William Jackson
Chicago, IL: Thomas W. Jackson
1907
Pg. 61:
When I was in the army I killed four hundred men. I was the cook.
     
Newspapers.com
19 July 1919, The St. Tammany Farmer (Covington, LA), “Great Sayings By Nobody,” pg. 1, col. 7:
When I was in the Army I killed more men than anybody. I was the cook.
     
Newspapers.com
21 March 1958, Knoxville (TN) News-Sentinel, “Enter, Laughing” by Harriet Van Horne, pg. 15, col. 4L
“When I was in the Army I killed 500 men,” said Henny Youngman. “I was the cook.”
   
Twitter
Bob Kostic
@causticbob
I was arguing with some bloke in the pub and he squared up to me. I said, “You better watch yourself pal, when I was in the Army I killed men.”
My wife said, “But you were in the Catering Corps.”
I replied, “Yeah, but I’m not a very good cook.”
8:28 AM · Jul 22, 2018·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Kataris
@Kataris_S9
Replying to @Tactical_review
When i was in the army i killed 39 people. My commanding officer said i was the worst cook he’s ever seen.
4:54 AM · Feb 4, 2019·Twitter for iPhone
   
Twitter
G-monkey
@stoopidmonkey44
My Dad: When I was in the Army I killed hundreds of men…..
Me: Wait a sec, I thought you were a cook?
My Dad: I was, a really, really bad cook…..
6:26 PM · Mar 31, 2019·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter
Bob Kostic
@causticbob
I was arguing with some bloke in the pub and he squared up to me. I said, “You better watch yourself pal, when I was in the Army I killed men.”
My wife said, “But you were in the Catering Corps.”
I replied, “Yeah, but I’m not a very good cook.”
6:27 PM · Jul 20, 2020·Twitter Web App