In any large organization, there will always be a few malcontents. In that respect, the military services are no different from any other organization.<\/p>\n
Now during the days of the draft, I could understand why some would have a bad attitude towards the Army \u2013 even if I couldn\u2019t agree with it. Hell, I\u2019m not completely sure it\u2019s coincidence that \u201cdrafted\u201d and \u201cshafted\u201d rhyme. (smile)<\/p>\n
However, by the mid-1970s or so, that justification \u2013 as meager as it was – for having a bad attitude was gone. By then, virtually anyone serving was a volunteer (I think we still had a draft for selected healthcare professionals, but that was it). Everyone serving then had either raised their hand voluntarily when they first signed up \u2013 or they\u2019d stayed on voluntarily after their draftee term of service had ended. So by that point in time, well, malcontents were just that:\u00a0 malcontents.<\/p>\n
As malcontents do everywhere, sometimes in the Army they\u2019d try to \u201cget even\u201d with \u201cthe man\u201d \u2013 e.g., their chain-of-command. Usually, that didn\u2019t work out so well. Whenever \u201cJoe\u201d made such an attempt, \u201cJoe\u201d generally forgot two key points:<\/p>\n
However, every once in a while Joe managed to pull a good one. And I\u2019m about to relate one such, as told to me by an acquaintance about 30 years ago.<\/p>\n
Standard disclaimer: I didn\u2019t see this firsthand; it\u2019s a second-hand story. But the source claimed to have firsthand knowledge, and it\u2019s an individual I trust. So I believe what follows to be the truth; any errors in relating it are mine.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what happened one day . . . .<\/p>\n
. . .<\/p>\n
Place:<\/span> Germany Now, back to the story . . . .<\/p>\n An Army Brigade Commander of a combat support brigade was flying, performing an aerial inspection\/visit of his units during a field exercise. O6-level commanders could sometimes wrangle a bird for part\/all of a day to do so in those days.<\/p>\n He lands near one of his units. The Company Commander of that unit is at the site.<\/p>\n The Brigade Commander is not a happy camper. He finds the Company Commander and verbally rips into him, tearing him a new one.<\/p>\n The Company Commander doesn\u2019t seem to understand why he\u2019s getting reamed. Finally, the Brigade Commander tells the company commander, \u201cYou really don\u2019t know, Captain? Hell, get in the bird and I\u2019ll show<\/span> you.\u201d (Or words to that effect.)<\/p>\n They got in the bird, and took off. They overflew the site.<\/p>\n The Brigade Commander pointed out to the Captain one spot where a group of the unit\u2019s vehicles were clustered together.<\/p>\n This particular group was 3 vehicles with shelters that were typically deployed together. They normally were backed into a \u201cT\u201d formation, with a platform laid between the tailgates, for normal operations. I\u2019m pretty sure these were the larger shelters, the S-280s; those were normally the ones used for multiple-shelter configurations. So the roofs of those shelters were pretty big \u2013 about 12ft by 7ft each.<\/p>\n The vehicles had been parked in their normal “T” formation. But the camouflage netting wasn\u2019t yet up, so you could see the roofs of the shelters \u2013 which you can\u2019t see from the ground, and can\u2019t see too clearly when standing on the hood. And there\u2019s often no place in a unit motor pool parking lot high enough to get a clear view of the shelter roofs, either \u2013 unless you want to climb a light pole.<\/p>\n Apparently some \u201centerprising lads\u201d had taken a few liberties with the camouflage pattern on the roofs of those shelters – most likely during that 1980 or 1981 mandatory repainting. Because on those roofs, there it was – clear as day.<\/p>\n \u201cFun, Travel, Adventure.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Abbreviated to one letter per word, of course. In big honking letters 5 or more feet high.<\/span><\/p>\n They landed. A very sheepish and chagrined Company Commander got off the bird.<\/p>\n As I recall the story, the Company Commander didn\u2019t get relieved. He actually ended up having a successful tour in command.<\/p>\n But he did get the roofs of those shelters repainted again posthaste. (smile)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nTime:<\/span> between late 1977 and late 1982 (other clues say it was probably in 1980 or 1981)
\nUnit<\/span>: an Army combat support unit of company size
\nScene<\/span>: a field site during an exercise
\nBackground, for non-Army types<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n