One time, I was pulling Front Gate Duty at night. About 2 a.m. I had a hard time staying awake. Sleeping on guard duty is a no-no in the Army so I was desperate for something to help keep me awake. I got out my 45 caliber pistol and accidentally shot a hole in the guard house floor. At that time of the night, we kept the gate closed. About a minute after Is not a hold in the floor, I heard the sergeant of the Guard approaching in his Jeep. I went out to meet him, expecting to get in trouble for firing my gun. I didn’t say anything. I expected he would have a lot to say to m;e. Well, evidently he hadn’t heard the shot and was just wanting to take the Jeep out for a drive. Finally he said, “Well, are you going to open that (blank blank) gate or what?” ha!
When I was relieved of duty to get packed to go back to the USA, after packing, etc., I decide to go up to the court room and watch the proceedings one more time. This time, from the Press section (I was usually standing behind the accused) after about 15 or 20 minutes, I started back down to my room. On the way to my room, I passed the Orderly Room. The first Sergeant was there by himself and he had just gotten a call to be in the court room immediately because the soldier who was taking my place had just passed out, and I was to be in charge of the Orderly Room while he was gone. I hadn’t been at the desk long, before the pone rant. It was the Medic in the dispensary. They wanted blankets from our company supply room clerk “on-the-double” to cover the guy that had passed out. I conveyed the order to the supply room clerk and went back to the desk. Later I noticed the supply room clerk had not left yet with the blankets. Evidentially I had not conveyed to him the urgency in getting the blankets to where they were needed. I went back in the supply room and raised my voice this time, to encourage a sense of urgency. When I got back to the desk, the phone rang, and I hadn’t yet calmed down sufficiently to use a proper “hello” on answering the phone. This time I got chewed out.
Aunt Lolly says
Thank you Vernon for serving our country with Honor. We are proud to call you our brother,father,uncle, grampa,cousin.
Cleopha says
Yes to what lolly said and also,thanks for the memories big brother.