"How long was I in the army? Five foot eleven"

This quote by Spike Milligan is a funny way of saying that he was in the army for a very brief quantity of time. He is making a joke about his height, which is 5 foot eleven, suggesting that he remained in the army for the same quantity of time as his height. This is an amusing way of saying that he remained in the army for an extremely brief amount of time, and that he was not in the army for very long. This quote is a funny way of satirizing the concept of military service, and the concept that it is a long and strenuous process. It is also a method of poking fun at the idea of height, and how it can be utilized to determine time. This quote is a humorous method of revealing the idea that military service is not always a long and arduous procedure, and that it can be a short and sweet experience.