Heh, glad I could start a thread filled with such great fun! I came from a military family. The grandfather who told me the original story was a B17 pilot in WWII, and flew in the Berlin Airlift. My dad joined the army and did three tours in Vietnam, and eventually retired as a bird Colonel. I enlisted in the army when I was 20 ... first day of basic was my 21st birthday!! Thought I'd see if I might want a career, but decided to get out after 4 years. Spent a lot of that at joint service places, where there was a lot of the good natured ribbing between the services like we've all been talking about.
One of my favorites was when a sgt in my unit went up to the desk of the marine gunny sgt who was the lead analyst at an intel shop we were working in, slammed a jar of sand down on the desk and said "Hit the beach, Gunny!!" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Those two were great friends and sparring partners, by the way (both of them boxed).
Another of my favorite stories though, and one that makes me a bit proud of my dad, was this ...
My dad was conducting some NBC (nuclear-biological-chemical) training for the officers at his reserve unit after he left active duty. A major started grumbling about having to wear all the gear and "run around like some PFC in basic." My dad (who is 6'6" and about 250) stared at him for about 30 seconds, then said "Major, as an officer you are to lead by example. If you can't perform these skills as good as or preferably BETTER than any enlisted man in your command, not only will you not survive in combat, but you're a d$#n sorry excuse for a leader, and you as a man do not in any way deserve the respect that they give that hardware on your collar."
My dad also held the belief that officers should first be required to serve two years as enlisted, so that they truly understood what it's like.
I wish I had known more officers like my dad while I was serving.
All the best,
Liam
