Sunday, July 16, 2006
Statue Of Limitations
Change of pace here folks. Figured you needed a tale with a happy ending.
A long time ago, in a place far, far away, there was a matter of justice served. But first, an interlude in which I shall set up the tale itself.
One of the things that I enjoyed during my time in service was the trust I felt from the troops. Even those not under my direct command. For those who have been there, you know from where I am coming from. For those not familiar with the concept, this is a sweet spot which you have really missed out on.
Which brings me to a hard knock on my door one morning at about 0100 hours. Standing on my doorstep, in an inebriated condition, was one of the finest mortar gunners it has been my pleasure to know. He was romantically involved with a local girl and they had just one hell of a fight from what he could depart to me in his condition.
I poured coffee down his gullet until he was sober enough to explain that the fight generated from a complete misunderstanding and he didn’t know how to tell her how sorry he was. He was sure if he could just talk to her, he could straighten things out. So off we go, through the woods, to her parents house. Here I should mention, she was also a senior at the local high school. Relax folks, he was only 20 at the time.
Nearly an hour later, I am setting on the hood of my Malibu SS, drinking coffee from my thermos while Paulson, (no Lucy, that is not his real name), followed her around the front yard, (she was in her nightgown), while her parents watched from the porch. After half a thermos, he marched her over to the porch, hand in hand, and kneeled down in front of her and her parents, proposed to her. Yeah, I know it sounds a tad corny, but he was still tight, and as he told me later, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
She said yes, Mom started crying, and Dad just shook his head and went back into the house.
The date of the wedding was set for after she graduated in three months. Which also put him into the timeframe for leave.
Move forward nearly three months.
Senior Prom is important to those graduating. Prom dates are equally important. Here begins the tale of woe.
Paulson wanted to go to the prom with his honey. Plus, by this time, we had two other troops involved with girls from that class. Guess who the girls wanted as their dates, and in dress uniform? You got it. Under normal circumstances this would have been a no brainer. Except the morning of the prom, we were supposed to move into the field for a live fire exercise. Ninety Six hours of gunpowder, high explosives, and major fun.
Now Captain Shitforbrains, our Company Commander, (hey, I had to give him a name equal to his abilities, didn’t I?), was not keen on letting these young men out in public with respectable young ladies. Besides being a bit of a control freak, does this last give you any idea what part of fantasy land he often dwelled in? So, he forbid anyone from being absent from the movement too the field, without medical reason.
So, someone called the Chaplin, who talked to the General, who talked to the Regimental Commander, who talked to the Battalion Commander, who called Captain Shitforbrains into his office and from reports, gave him a detailed description of his command abilities (or lack thereof) and instructed him to insure that his people would be in the proper uniform, squared away and present to act as escorts for the young ladies described in previous paragraphs.
Things start going downhill from here. Captain Shitforbrains followed his orders, and issued some of his own. The critical parts are as follows. Sgt Brownnose, our Supply Sergeant, would collect all the escorts and have them at the Company Command Post by no later then 0630 hours the morning after or there would be hell to pay.
Follow me here as I fill in some gray areas. Our First Sergeant fell off his bicycle 3 days before the Exercise. So as Gunny, I became First Sergeant while he was in the hospital with a concussion. Who would have thought his head was soft enough to suffer a concussion? Go figure.
As we were loading out for the exercise at 0400 that morning, Sergeant Black, Paulson’s Squad Leader took a header out the back of the Weapon’s Carrier and fractured his wrist. I told him if the Doc’s released him to limited duty, he could hitch a ride with Brownnose the next morning and I’d find something constructive for him to do. We left for the boonies without the First Sergeant, Sgt Black, Paulson and 2 others. This does not account for the other sick or lame that were stay behinds yet had missions in the garrison area. I forget the exact number this late in my life.
Notice I have made no mention of Paulson’s Platoon Sergeant yet. That is because he was not worth mentioning. He was a Road Warrior. Retired On Active Duty. And he was only months away from actual retirement and was not about to do anything which might bring notice to himself. He only did what he had to do cause he was terrified of the First Sergeant, (with good reason), and scared of me.
Now, here is where the best laid plans begins to fall completely apart. I look back at the situation and tell myself I should have known better. Don’t get me wrong, but I had plenty of faith in the young Marines going to the prom, it was Sgt Brownnose I had no faith in. Anyway, Paulson had moved out into a cheap shack out in town. Wasn’t big enough to call a house, but he was happy cause his bride to be shared it with him. Relax folks, she was 18, and legal. Paulson asked Sgt Brownnose, in my presence, if he could swing out and pick him up instead of having to drive back onto base, cause he wanted Rita ( needed to name her something, didn’t I?), to keep his car so she could go out to her folks place and pick some of her stuff up while he was in the field.
Brownnose looked at me, I kind of shrugged my shoulders like, It’s ok with me, and the deal was done. I should have known better!
Brownnose arranged his pickup times accordingly to give him time to be at the CP on or before schedule.
The next morning, Brownnose pulls into the CP location at 0615. Sgt Black bails out of the truck and he is in a hostile mood. It seems Paulson was left behind, by Brownnose, cause Brownnose was more worried about being late then insuring Paulson was in attendance. As Black told me, they showed up maybe a minute or so at Paulson’s shack before the scheduled time. Brownnose waited maybe 3 minutes, without Paulson appearing at the door, before deciding he had to leave to meet the CO’s timeframe.
Black said he was nearly out of the truck, to go bang on the door, when Brownnose ordered him back in and they were leaving. Being that this shack was facing an alley, (old, converted 2 car garage), Brownnose wisely choose not to hit the horns of the truck. Air horns at that hour are not conducive to good public relations.
Statements from the others in the truck followed what Paulson said later. He turned the porch light on, turned back to grab his gear and when he stepped out, the truck was leaving. Black was trying to get Brownnose to stop and let someone get Paulson up and out, while the Marines in the back were hollering to stop so Paulson could catch up and get in. Paulson was left standing in the middle of the alley while the truck turned the corner and left. It seems the only thing that Brownnose was concerned about was that Paulson was not standing outside, waiting for them, therefore he was considered UA. For those not familiar with the term, it is the proper term for AWOL. UA means Unauthorized Absence.
Doing double duty required me to return to garrison later in the morning to insure the morning reports were filed and check the Duty Log. When I arrived at approximately 0745, Paulson was setting in the Orderly Room with all his gear and a look of distress. Corporal Remington, our Company Clerk, had everything ready and it was just a matter of review and sign off. The Duty Log showed Paulson reporting for duty at 0558. Note: Battalion Policy required that all Brown Baggers, (non-barracks residing personal) to be at their units barracks no later then 0600 hours each Duty Day.
Sgt Brownnose had returned to the barracks about 30 minutes before me. And there was an entry in the Duty Log where Sgt Brownnose had sustained a bruised cheek when Cpl Remington had opened the door to the Head as Sgt Brownnose was attempting to exit. This action caused Sgt Brownnose to be struck in the face by the edge of the door. PFC Smith, the Assistant Duty, was in the Head cleaning it and witnessed the incident.
FYI: Head is a Naval Term for Latrine which is an Army term for Bathroom.
FYI: The Duty NCO is same as the Army’s Charge of Quarters. This period it was Corporal Gray who was on light duty as was PFC Gray, his assistant/runner.
When I asked Cpl Remington about it, he just grinned and said it happened just as the Duty Log stated. I then asked for the truth, and in doing so, Paulson started to speak. Cpl Gray told him to stay quiet, then told the tale. Seems when Brownnose returned, he saw Paulson and popped off about how deep the shit pile was he had fallen into. Paulson it seems then gave a detailed description of the character of Brownnose, then Brownnose made a critical mistake. He made a disparaging comment about Rita. As I understood the tale, Brownnose had a meeting engagement with the floor while his words still echoed in the room. Remington stuffed Paulson into a chair and stayed between him and Brownnose.
Contrary to popular belief, not all clerks are mousy, little folks. Remington was about 6’2” and weighted in at a solid 220 pounds. He spent 2 hours every night pumping iron and was as solid as a rock.
While Brownnose was describing in detail what was going to happen to Paulson for striking an NCO, Cpl Gray was writing in the Duty Log. He showed the log to Remington who initialed off the entry and then PFC Smith, who also initialed it. When they showed it to Brownnose, it seems he grew irate and went to his Supply Room to write his own statement.
All three individuals stated before me that if it went to Court Martial, that was the story they were going to tell.
Honestly, I wish I’d had hit the bastard.
I went into the Supply Room to advise Brownnose that he would be required to submit a statement concerning the Absence of Paulson from field activities. He tried to hand me a statement concerning his bruised and swelling cheek instead. I told him that I’d accept the statement, but he had best consider that there were 3 witnesses saying otherwise.
I returned to the field with Paulson in tow.
Fast Forward: Later, after retuning to the barracks, SFB (hey, I got tired of typing Shitforbrains!), instructed me to have Remington to type up Reduction Orders on Paulson. I advised SFB to remember that Remington had done a tour as a Legal Clerk with 1st Marine Air and that was a bad idea. And that proper format must be followed just in case there were extenuating circumstances. SFB had no choice but to give in.
When I gave Remington his instructions, I also told him that I felt that regardless of circumstances, SFB was going to bust Paulson and told him about the first set of instructions. This did not make for a happy clerk. He wanted to have Paulson request a Court Martial, which would create a situation which took SFB out of the loop. I countered with several facts. One: Paulson would have been restricted to the barracks until the Court Martial, which means he’d miss his own wedding. Two: There was always the possibility that Paulson would be convicted, which could mean Brig time. Again, prolonging the wedding date. Three: Sgt Browning could introduce into evidence his bruised cheek. Then not only would Paulson be in a world of hurt, so would himself, Gray and Smith.
I told him to process the charges and if he was to type Reduction Orders, to hold off as long as possible. I had a plan.
Paulson stood before SFB and took his punishment like a man. SFB kept it short and sweet. He did ask Paulson for a verbal statement in his defense, which Paulson pretty much repeated what we already know happened. Paulson was told that if he was ever late again, he’d restrict him to the barracks for no less then 30 days and remove another stripe.
Remington then did as instructed. He processed Reduction Orders. Then after the unit shut down for the evening, he did as I instructed him to do.
After he made sure every piece of paper was properly filed concerning Paulson’s reduction, he handed over to me the copies, along with the letters of transmittal, that had to go forward to Payroll and such. Those I shredded. Other then our files and Paulson’s Service Record Book, Paulson was never reduced in rank. But at this time…only myself and Remington was aware of the situation.
Paulson got married. Dad even cried.
About 2 months later, Remington set Paulson to me over a problem with pay. Seems he was still drawing Lance Corporal Pay as a PFC. He was worried that Dispersing (Pay Master) would come back on him in full for the money he lost in the bust. I told him to keep his mouth shut and just cash the checks. I had him covered.
SFB got transferred to Regimental Staff a few months later. We got a good CO in exchange. Former enlisted man who had got out, went to college on his GI Bill and came back in as an officer.
Paulson got promoted back to Lance Corporal a month later.
The First Sergeant made SgtMajor and was transferred to 2nd Battalion. About 6 weeks later I was also transferred to the 2nd as Operations Sergeant.
Remington stopped by one day in civilian clothing. He had his Discharge in his pocket and was heading for the Main Gate. He handed me a large manila envelope containing every scrap of paper pertaining to Paulson’s reduction in rank. The record of this action was now totally in my hands. Remington never said a word about the contents and left.
I shredded the evidence.
Paulson made Corporal on schedule and received orders to 3rd MarDiv. Found out later he reenlisted for a second hitch.
By all definition, We defrauded the government of the money paid to Paulson at a higher rank. But think on this. It is very possible those actions saved a very talented individual who might have gotten out after his first hitch. It really wasn’t all that much money either.
SFB proved how big an idiot he was at Regiment. Was shown the Main Gate and asked to resign his commission.
The new Commander saw through Brownnose’s bull shit and later gave him a Fitness Report (Evaluation) which effectively destroyed his chances for further promotion and killed his ability to reenlist.
So there is the tale. And the Statue of Limitations expired years ago.
17 Jul 2006
Remembering Those We Lost.
A long time ago, in a place far, far away, there was a matter of justice served. But first, an interlude in which I shall set up the tale itself.
One of the things that I enjoyed during my time in service was the trust I felt from the troops. Even those not under my direct command. For those who have been there, you know from where I am coming from. For those not familiar with the concept, this is a sweet spot which you have really missed out on.
Which brings me to a hard knock on my door one morning at about 0100 hours. Standing on my doorstep, in an inebriated condition, was one of the finest mortar gunners it has been my pleasure to know. He was romantically involved with a local girl and they had just one hell of a fight from what he could depart to me in his condition.
I poured coffee down his gullet until he was sober enough to explain that the fight generated from a complete misunderstanding and he didn’t know how to tell her how sorry he was. He was sure if he could just talk to her, he could straighten things out. So off we go, through the woods, to her parents house. Here I should mention, she was also a senior at the local high school. Relax folks, he was only 20 at the time.
Nearly an hour later, I am setting on the hood of my Malibu SS, drinking coffee from my thermos while Paulson, (no Lucy, that is not his real name), followed her around the front yard, (she was in her nightgown), while her parents watched from the porch. After half a thermos, he marched her over to the porch, hand in hand, and kneeled down in front of her and her parents, proposed to her. Yeah, I know it sounds a tad corny, but he was still tight, and as he told me later, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
She said yes, Mom started crying, and Dad just shook his head and went back into the house.
The date of the wedding was set for after she graduated in three months. Which also put him into the timeframe for leave.
Move forward nearly three months.
Senior Prom is important to those graduating. Prom dates are equally important. Here begins the tale of woe.
Paulson wanted to go to the prom with his honey. Plus, by this time, we had two other troops involved with girls from that class. Guess who the girls wanted as their dates, and in dress uniform? You got it. Under normal circumstances this would have been a no brainer. Except the morning of the prom, we were supposed to move into the field for a live fire exercise. Ninety Six hours of gunpowder, high explosives, and major fun.
Now Captain Shitforbrains, our Company Commander, (hey, I had to give him a name equal to his abilities, didn’t I?), was not keen on letting these young men out in public with respectable young ladies. Besides being a bit of a control freak, does this last give you any idea what part of fantasy land he often dwelled in? So, he forbid anyone from being absent from the movement too the field, without medical reason.
So, someone called the Chaplin, who talked to the General, who talked to the Regimental Commander, who talked to the Battalion Commander, who called Captain Shitforbrains into his office and from reports, gave him a detailed description of his command abilities (or lack thereof) and instructed him to insure that his people would be in the proper uniform, squared away and present to act as escorts for the young ladies described in previous paragraphs.
Things start going downhill from here. Captain Shitforbrains followed his orders, and issued some of his own. The critical parts are as follows. Sgt Brownnose, our Supply Sergeant, would collect all the escorts and have them at the Company Command Post by no later then 0630 hours the morning after or there would be hell to pay.
Follow me here as I fill in some gray areas. Our First Sergeant fell off his bicycle 3 days before the Exercise. So as Gunny, I became First Sergeant while he was in the hospital with a concussion. Who would have thought his head was soft enough to suffer a concussion? Go figure.
As we were loading out for the exercise at 0400 that morning, Sergeant Black, Paulson’s Squad Leader took a header out the back of the Weapon’s Carrier and fractured his wrist. I told him if the Doc’s released him to limited duty, he could hitch a ride with Brownnose the next morning and I’d find something constructive for him to do. We left for the boonies without the First Sergeant, Sgt Black, Paulson and 2 others. This does not account for the other sick or lame that were stay behinds yet had missions in the garrison area. I forget the exact number this late in my life.
Notice I have made no mention of Paulson’s Platoon Sergeant yet. That is because he was not worth mentioning. He was a Road Warrior. Retired On Active Duty. And he was only months away from actual retirement and was not about to do anything which might bring notice to himself. He only did what he had to do cause he was terrified of the First Sergeant, (with good reason), and scared of me.
Now, here is where the best laid plans begins to fall completely apart. I look back at the situation and tell myself I should have known better. Don’t get me wrong, but I had plenty of faith in the young Marines going to the prom, it was Sgt Brownnose I had no faith in. Anyway, Paulson had moved out into a cheap shack out in town. Wasn’t big enough to call a house, but he was happy cause his bride to be shared it with him. Relax folks, she was 18, and legal. Paulson asked Sgt Brownnose, in my presence, if he could swing out and pick him up instead of having to drive back onto base, cause he wanted Rita ( needed to name her something, didn’t I?), to keep his car so she could go out to her folks place and pick some of her stuff up while he was in the field.
Brownnose looked at me, I kind of shrugged my shoulders like, It’s ok with me, and the deal was done. I should have known better!
Brownnose arranged his pickup times accordingly to give him time to be at the CP on or before schedule.
The next morning, Brownnose pulls into the CP location at 0615. Sgt Black bails out of the truck and he is in a hostile mood. It seems Paulson was left behind, by Brownnose, cause Brownnose was more worried about being late then insuring Paulson was in attendance. As Black told me, they showed up maybe a minute or so at Paulson’s shack before the scheduled time. Brownnose waited maybe 3 minutes, without Paulson appearing at the door, before deciding he had to leave to meet the CO’s timeframe.
Black said he was nearly out of the truck, to go bang on the door, when Brownnose ordered him back in and they were leaving. Being that this shack was facing an alley, (old, converted 2 car garage), Brownnose wisely choose not to hit the horns of the truck. Air horns at that hour are not conducive to good public relations.
Statements from the others in the truck followed what Paulson said later. He turned the porch light on, turned back to grab his gear and when he stepped out, the truck was leaving. Black was trying to get Brownnose to stop and let someone get Paulson up and out, while the Marines in the back were hollering to stop so Paulson could catch up and get in. Paulson was left standing in the middle of the alley while the truck turned the corner and left. It seems the only thing that Brownnose was concerned about was that Paulson was not standing outside, waiting for them, therefore he was considered UA. For those not familiar with the term, it is the proper term for AWOL. UA means Unauthorized Absence.
Doing double duty required me to return to garrison later in the morning to insure the morning reports were filed and check the Duty Log. When I arrived at approximately 0745, Paulson was setting in the Orderly Room with all his gear and a look of distress. Corporal Remington, our Company Clerk, had everything ready and it was just a matter of review and sign off. The Duty Log showed Paulson reporting for duty at 0558. Note: Battalion Policy required that all Brown Baggers, (non-barracks residing personal) to be at their units barracks no later then 0600 hours each Duty Day.
Sgt Brownnose had returned to the barracks about 30 minutes before me. And there was an entry in the Duty Log where Sgt Brownnose had sustained a bruised cheek when Cpl Remington had opened the door to the Head as Sgt Brownnose was attempting to exit. This action caused Sgt Brownnose to be struck in the face by the edge of the door. PFC Smith, the Assistant Duty, was in the Head cleaning it and witnessed the incident.
FYI: Head is a Naval Term for Latrine which is an Army term for Bathroom.
FYI: The Duty NCO is same as the Army’s Charge of Quarters. This period it was Corporal Gray who was on light duty as was PFC Gray, his assistant/runner.
When I asked Cpl Remington about it, he just grinned and said it happened just as the Duty Log stated. I then asked for the truth, and in doing so, Paulson started to speak. Cpl Gray told him to stay quiet, then told the tale. Seems when Brownnose returned, he saw Paulson and popped off about how deep the shit pile was he had fallen into. Paulson it seems then gave a detailed description of the character of Brownnose, then Brownnose made a critical mistake. He made a disparaging comment about Rita. As I understood the tale, Brownnose had a meeting engagement with the floor while his words still echoed in the room. Remington stuffed Paulson into a chair and stayed between him and Brownnose.
Contrary to popular belief, not all clerks are mousy, little folks. Remington was about 6’2” and weighted in at a solid 220 pounds. He spent 2 hours every night pumping iron and was as solid as a rock.
While Brownnose was describing in detail what was going to happen to Paulson for striking an NCO, Cpl Gray was writing in the Duty Log. He showed the log to Remington who initialed off the entry and then PFC Smith, who also initialed it. When they showed it to Brownnose, it seems he grew irate and went to his Supply Room to write his own statement.
All three individuals stated before me that if it went to Court Martial, that was the story they were going to tell.
Honestly, I wish I’d had hit the bastard.
I went into the Supply Room to advise Brownnose that he would be required to submit a statement concerning the Absence of Paulson from field activities. He tried to hand me a statement concerning his bruised and swelling cheek instead. I told him that I’d accept the statement, but he had best consider that there were 3 witnesses saying otherwise.
I returned to the field with Paulson in tow.
Fast Forward: Later, after retuning to the barracks, SFB (hey, I got tired of typing Shitforbrains!), instructed me to have Remington to type up Reduction Orders on Paulson. I advised SFB to remember that Remington had done a tour as a Legal Clerk with 1st Marine Air and that was a bad idea. And that proper format must be followed just in case there were extenuating circumstances. SFB had no choice but to give in.
When I gave Remington his instructions, I also told him that I felt that regardless of circumstances, SFB was going to bust Paulson and told him about the first set of instructions. This did not make for a happy clerk. He wanted to have Paulson request a Court Martial, which would create a situation which took SFB out of the loop. I countered with several facts. One: Paulson would have been restricted to the barracks until the Court Martial, which means he’d miss his own wedding. Two: There was always the possibility that Paulson would be convicted, which could mean Brig time. Again, prolonging the wedding date. Three: Sgt Browning could introduce into evidence his bruised cheek. Then not only would Paulson be in a world of hurt, so would himself, Gray and Smith.
I told him to process the charges and if he was to type Reduction Orders, to hold off as long as possible. I had a plan.
Paulson stood before SFB and took his punishment like a man. SFB kept it short and sweet. He did ask Paulson for a verbal statement in his defense, which Paulson pretty much repeated what we already know happened. Paulson was told that if he was ever late again, he’d restrict him to the barracks for no less then 30 days and remove another stripe.
Remington then did as instructed. He processed Reduction Orders. Then after the unit shut down for the evening, he did as I instructed him to do.
After he made sure every piece of paper was properly filed concerning Paulson’s reduction, he handed over to me the copies, along with the letters of transmittal, that had to go forward to Payroll and such. Those I shredded. Other then our files and Paulson’s Service Record Book, Paulson was never reduced in rank. But at this time…only myself and Remington was aware of the situation.
Paulson got married. Dad even cried.
About 2 months later, Remington set Paulson to me over a problem with pay. Seems he was still drawing Lance Corporal Pay as a PFC. He was worried that Dispersing (Pay Master) would come back on him in full for the money he lost in the bust. I told him to keep his mouth shut and just cash the checks. I had him covered.
SFB got transferred to Regimental Staff a few months later. We got a good CO in exchange. Former enlisted man who had got out, went to college on his GI Bill and came back in as an officer.
Paulson got promoted back to Lance Corporal a month later.
The First Sergeant made SgtMajor and was transferred to 2nd Battalion. About 6 weeks later I was also transferred to the 2nd as Operations Sergeant.
Remington stopped by one day in civilian clothing. He had his Discharge in his pocket and was heading for the Main Gate. He handed me a large manila envelope containing every scrap of paper pertaining to Paulson’s reduction in rank. The record of this action was now totally in my hands. Remington never said a word about the contents and left.
I shredded the evidence.
Paulson made Corporal on schedule and received orders to 3rd MarDiv. Found out later he reenlisted for a second hitch.
By all definition, We defrauded the government of the money paid to Paulson at a higher rank. But think on this. It is very possible those actions saved a very talented individual who might have gotten out after his first hitch. It really wasn’t all that much money either.
SFB proved how big an idiot he was at Regiment. Was shown the Main Gate and asked to resign his commission.
The new Commander saw through Brownnose’s bull shit and later gave him a Fitness Report (Evaluation) which effectively destroyed his chances for further promotion and killed his ability to reenlist.
So there is the tale. And the Statue of Limitations expired years ago.
17 Jul 2006
Remembering Those We Lost.
