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uncle phil · 02-06-2004, 05:42 PM

A US Air Force C-141 is scheduled to leave Thule, Greenland at midnight.
During the pilot's preflight check, he discovers that the latrine holding
tank is still full from the last flight, so a message is sent to the base,
and an airman who was off duty is called out to take care of it. The young
man finally gets to the air base and makes his way to the aircraft, only to
find that the latrine pump truck has been left outdoors and is frozen solid,
so he must find another one in the hangar, which takes even more time. He
returns to the aircraft and is less than enthusiastic about what he has to
do. Nevertheless, he goes about the pumping job deliberately and carefully
(and slowly) so as to not risk criticism later. As he's leaving the plane,
the pilot stops him and says, "Son, your attitude and performance has caused
this flight to be late, and I'm going to
personally see to it that you are not just reprimanded, but punished."
Shivering in the cold, his task finished, he takes a deep breath, stands up
tall and says, "Sir, with all due respect, I'm not your son; I'm an Airman
in the United States Air Force. I've been in Thule for 11 months without any
leave, and reindeer are beginning to look pretty good to me. I have one
stripe, it's two-thirty in the morning, the temperature is 40 degrees below
zero, and my job here is to pump shit from your aircraft. Now just exactly
what form of punishment did you have in mind?"

02-06-2004, 05:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
uncle phil comfortably numb... Super Moderator Location: upstate	Air Force Play... A US Air Force C-141 is scheduled to leave Thule, Greenland at midnight. During the pilot's preflight check, he discovers that the latrine holding tank is still full from the last flight, so a message is sent to the base, and an airman who was off duty is called out to take care of it. The young man finally gets to the air base and makes his way to the aircraft, only to find that the latrine pump truck has been left outdoors and is frozen solid, so he must find another one in the hangar, which takes even more time. He returns to the aircraft and is less than enthusiastic about what he has to do. Nevertheless, he goes about the pumping job deliberately and carefully (and slowly) so as to not risk criticism later. As he's leaving the plane, the pilot stops him and says, "Son, your attitude and performance has caused this flight to be late, and I'm going to personally see to it that you are not just reprimanded, but punished." Shivering in the cold, his task finished, he takes a deep breath, stands up tall and says, "Sir, with all due respect, I'm not your son; I'm an Airman in the United States Air Force. I've been in Thule for 11 months without any leave, and reindeer are beginning to look pretty good to me. I have one stripe, it's two-thirty in the morning, the temperature is 40 degrees below zero, and my job here is to pump shit from your aircraft. Now just exactly what form of punishment did you have in mind?" __________________ "We were wrong, terribly wrong. (We) should not have tried to fight a guerrilla war with conventional military tactics against a foe willing to absorb enormous casualties...in a country lacking the fundamental political stability necessary to conduct effective military and pacification operations. It could not be done and it was not done." - Robert S. McNamara ----------------------------------------- "We will take our napalm and flame throwers out of the land that scarcely knows the use of matches... We will leave you your small joys and smaller troubles." - Eugene McCarthy in "Vietnam Message" ----------------------------------------- never wrestle with a pig. you both get dirty; the pig likes it.