OK, Mac. Who won the World Series?

Back in the day I actually said that to the Divarty Sergeant Major and was treated to a Vesuvian eruption which I had expected before I even said it.

I was a sergeant of the guard and checking out my people when a Jeep came up. My guard dutifully challenged him with the password and instead of the proper reply he got "It's the Colonel and the Sergeant Major."

Now the guard was just a dopey private and probably would have replied, "Oh. OK." and let them through. That was actually the wrong thing to do. I stepped in and threw out the password and got the same thing Private Whatshisface got.

I turned to the private and told him that sometimes you have to think a bit and turned to the people in the Jeep and in a pretty aggressive tone of voice snapped, "OK, Mac. Who won the World Series?"

The Sergeant Major went off like a skyrocket. In the middle of his rant I interrupted him with "Pass, Colonel and Sergeant Major. Nobody rants like you do." He turned purple and they drove off with the Sergeant Major agape and the Colonel with a poker face. The Sergeant Major looked like a wet hen.

"Stay put," I said to the private. "I gotta go and get my ass chewed." and I headed straight for the TOC.

On the way I saw my battery commander who asked me if I had really asked the Sergeant Major who won the world series and he rolled his eyes when I said I had. He told me to go straight to the TOC.

Entering the TOC the first thing the Battalion Commander who glared at me and demanded to know why I had done what I did.

"They didn't know the password, Sir," I replied. "So I threw the hokiest John Wayne movie line I could think of so if they really were the Colonel and the Sergeant Major then the Sergeant Major would go off like a skyrocket, which he did."

The Sergeant Major looked rumpled and the Colonel spoke up. He seemed slightly amused. "Why did you pick such a dumb question as that?"

"Because it was the dumbest, hokiest line I could come up with on such short notice. It was a line designed to get a reaction and it worked. I got the expected response." I replied.

"That it did," chuckled the Colonel.

"Truth is I recognized you both and had I been the guard would have said I recognized you both and let you pass. The private on guard is a little shaky and needed a lesson on taking guard seriously," I said. "I'm a sergeant and not much of one. I'm an acting jack but I know I'm expected to be able to think on my feet and teach the privates. He'd let anyone by that said they were an officer. We gotta teach these guys."

That got the Sergeant Major's attention. "You're right. As NCOs it's our job to teach these guys." he said. I could see him start to settle down a bit which was good.

Then the Sergeant major said something to save face. "Good job, Sergeant." he said.

Then the Colonel asked me how they could get the password in the future. I saw my Battalion Commader cringe a bit. "Check with your S-2, Sir. It sounds like something up their alley."

The BnCo relaxed a bit, mainly because I had not dumped the question on his shoulders. "Makes sense," said the Colonel.

All in all I came out of it smelling like a rose.

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY