Orders are orders (Part 1, long)

[Mytical]

I suspected that was coming. Turkey .. sorry full bird..of course did NOTHING wrong, and it was all the underlings fault/lack of training . Typical response to underling daring to say "NO."

[Draco]

Are you related to Satan by any chance? Teasing us like this and all...

[Jay 2K Winger]

...you do NOT want to leave me hanging for long.

Just ask my last keyboard. We had a little chat, and well, let's just say it won't be living anymore.

[Food Lady]

It's true. There was carnage.

[SongsOfDragons]

It was great fun to watch.

WHY is this lying toerag in any sort of charge of a country's armed forces again? O.o

[earl colby pottinger]

Please say yes

That all guard station are video taped?

[dalesys]

Ugh! I don't want to have to wait until tomorrow!

(I slipped a baby guppy in the glass of water he's sipping from - let's watch closely so he thinks we're following his story)

[Gizmo]

So now we get into SC-story-world. I love it when SC's realise their asses are toast and make up some shit to cover themselves. Especially when its as non-believable as all that!

[An Haddock]

Subscribed - I hate cliffhangers.


Now show me your war face.

[RealUnimportant]

Basically, without his ID originally you're just taking his word for it that he's even a colonel? Considering how bamboozled he was making you, I'm not surprised but perhaps a tiny bit disappointed that you didn't call the MPs on his ass for being without his ID... But maybe I'm a little too vindictive

[Argus]

Guard duty is taken very seriously in the Army, and a guard's orders (called General Orders) supercede just about ANY other order he may be given.

That reminds me. There is an old joke about a guard who is not supposed to let anyone onto the post without clearance and an arriving general who is not on the list. The punch line is "Sir, I'm new at this. Am I supposed to shoot you or your driver?" I've always wondered what the correct answer is.

[RealUnimportant]

I've always wondered what the correct answer is.

Whichever presents the greater threat, so probably (unfortunately) the driver as he's in charge of the vehicle which should be considered a potent weapon.

[Fudgethatkay]

The peeps here are soooo evil in their cliffhangers.

[RayvenQ]

Whichever presents the greater threat, so probably (unfortunately) the driver as he's in charge of the vehicle which should be considered a potent weapon.

Unless the officer has a map, at which point he becomes far more dangerous than a manned vehicle

[Rainman]

Part 3: Vindication. . . sort of.

*note* No video surveillance I suppose it could be done but there are dozens of motorpools on Ft. XXX, plus you would need people to actually monitor them. Not worth it in the Army's eyes.

So, my RCO has just asked me if CF's story is true. Aside from being VERY pissed at this slander to my name, I couldn't believe he would LIE so much, I mean this wasn't even close to what happened! But, as previously stated, my word wasnt worth much compared to his, just the way it is. I told RCO (as calmly and clearly as I could) that CF was mistaken (Couldnt just say LIE) and then recounted it as it had happened. RCO was understandably pissed, because now he had two completly different stories. He asked my assembled chain of command if I was a good soldier, or I was a problem soldier.

*note* This is what I meant about it getting worse before it got better. In the Army, a soldier is considered to be a reflection of those in charge of him. The mere fact that we were in this situation was very bad. Now no matter what happened my superiors were going to be under the microscope for awhile, and who likes working like that?

Admitedly, I was a bit surprised to have my entire chain of command back me up! The general consesus was that I was a hard worker, didn't complain, showed plenty of initiative, hell I had never even been late for a formation. My company commander pointed out that in less than a year of service, I had been award 2 AAM's (Army Achievement Medal, basically a pat on the back in medal form) an Army Commendation Medal (you actually have to go a bit above and beyond to get this one) and was even being considered to receive a waiver for an early promotion to Specialist (ordinarily you need 18 months service minimum) He then suggested to RCO that someone with this kind of record probably wouldn't be acting the way CF had suggested and that it seemed strange I would today decide to do a complete 180 and become the s**tbag soldier I was being described as.

CF pulls the SC favorite, lol "Are you calling me a liar!!??"

RCO looks over at CF and says something akin to "No one called you a liar CF, but now we have two completly different stories, so SOMEONE is indeed a liar, and I want to know who!"

Here's where I piped in again

I ask what time CF arrived at his office, it was about 15 minutes after he had left my motorpool. I mentioned again that CF had not had his ID on him when he was in my motorpool, and maybe he could prove his statement by showing us all he did in fact have it. At the time I thought it was gold, but in retrospect, if he had gone and gotten it, I would have been quite boned

Luckily in his rage he had not done that. He sputtered about not having to prove himself to anyone, that as an officer and a gentleman, his word was enough. RCO wasn't having that. He said if someone was going to barge into his office and demand he flay one of his own men and essentially hit the reset button on that man's career progession, he was going to be sure it was for a good reason (Thank you sir!!) He asked again if CF had his ID on him. CF said again that he didnt have to answer that. RCO just nodded and went "uh huh," sat there for another moment, then told me and my chain of command to leave the room and wait outside. We did this. Me and my Platoon SGT went outside to smoke and thats when I saw CF's driver walking up to the building! I just kind of gave him the evil eye because there is only one thing he would be doing there right now. . .

"Great" I think, this guy is gonna tell RCO what CF tells him to say and then I'm


Maybe about 20 minutes goes by and the driver comes out again, he gives me a nod and says I better do great things with my career, because without a transfer to another division he just ruined his. . .

We get called back in and CF is gone, and my RCO looks a bit red in the face, like he just got done yelling at someone. . . could it be I'm not screwed?

RCO informs me that RIGHT IN FRONT OF CF, his driver had told him what really happened. RCO tells us that he is not taking CF's recommendation and that I should report back to my guard post, and aside from this little incident, to keep doing what I was doing with myself and he was sure I would go far. Woot! I'm in the clear!!

I never did see CF again, no surprise as he was in another division entirely than I was. I still never knew what he was doing in my regiment's area in the first place, and why he would try to use one of our vehicles when I know he had one of his own? I REALLY wish I could have tracked down Driver too and bought him as much beer as he could drink, as his honesty is what probably saved me in the end, despite what CF would probably do to him when they were back on their own turf.

I wish I could say CF was court martialed for "Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer" and taken away in chains, In all reality even if that did happen it wouldn't have amounted to much, at worst it would have meant he never would have made General, which would have been enough for me. However, since his pay grade is on another planet compared to what mine was at the time, I was never going to know. So not the perfect ending but at least everything turned out ok.
The story did leave a legacy though! After everyone had heard about this and people kept saying it, it became common practice to refer to anyone being screwed over by higher ups as being "Colonol Smithed." (Not his real name, but his named became a verb is what Im getting at)

Whew, that's it! Hope you all enjoyed!