...of a guy I knew that tattooed FTA (Fuck The Army) in the same place because he was tired of saluting every officer that walked by. He figured that was enough to get a profile to get out of it. He got his profile, but eventually had the tattoo blacked out. He said it was bad enough having to salute, but it was even worse having to stop and show that profile to each and every officer that stopped him wanting to know why he wasn't saluted.
I was walking back from the mess hall to the hangar one day and encountered a gaggle of marines. no formation, no anything. a common thing from the marine squadron on base. so I kept going. normally they were pretty easygoing guys.
ReplyDeletewell I hear out of the gaggle as I passed "GENERAL! that sailor didn't salute you! GET HIM!"
how the hell am I supposed to tell a general out of that mess of woodland camo? isn't that the point of camo and subdued ranks?
so I took a few shortcuts I knew..between two buildings, down a hallway, a dry ditch, then the hangar..those marines in earshot the whole time saying they were gonna "get me". they never caught me though.
Salute the shortcuts.
ReplyDeleteSalute the two buildings, salute the hallway, salute the ditch, salute the hangar.
Salute the earshot.
Salute the crayons in their chow.
Pay your respects!
as if the general would have died without my salute.
Deleteand stopping for a bunch of marines who want to show off? oh fuck no.
a bunch of marines say they're gonna "get you" unless you're prepared to stand and kill every one of them, you run.
In the Army Reserve one year I was in the early party at summer camp to get everything set up. I was going from one place to another deep in thought and not paying attention when I heard, "Morning sergeant". And there was a lieutenant I hadn't noticed. I apologized, he said OK and it was over. Good thing he wasn't a jerk. He probably just thought, "Stupid reservist".
ReplyDeleteI still have the personalized TX tag from 1970 that I proudly displayed on my car while stationed at Dyess AFB. It read FTAF. The squadrom commander confronted me about it, demanding I tell him what it meant in front of a group of other officers (as if he didn't know). I proudly stated "First Termer Air Force, sir! I plan to update it as soon as I re-up" He actually turned red as the other officers laughed at him. And people wonder why some of those a-holes got fragged in country.
ReplyDeleteAt Camp Geiger I snapped a left hand salute to a generals car. I'm left handed and it just happened. The brake lights came on and wild horses could not have caught me.
ReplyDeleteI've popped a few left handed salutes. The officer gets a confused look on his face. He knows somethings wrong but just can't say what.
DeleteIn Basic Training, I somehow ended up walking between work captains and saluted with both hands. They both started laughing and waved me on. Sometimes it pays to be stupid.
ReplyDeleteOh I've always said that I can be incredibly ignorant when it suits my purposes.
DeleteChristopher Buckley, son of William F., was a merchant mariner in his youth, and had a tattoo like the one in the picture. He's since had it removed.
ReplyDelete--Tennessee Budd