Sometimes it feels as if events conspire against you. There could be no other explanation for yours truly finding himself seated at a conference table surrounded by brass, and being the first called upon to present an ad hoc brief to none other than the Commanding General of the 3rd Infantry Division. The general attributed my poor tactical decision in choosing the seat at the end of the table - and therefore the default first position in the round-robin briefing process - to my lack of military experience. Lesson learned! How I ended up in this position is truly a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and then having my command realize that keeping me in the wrong place will get them off the hook! (Okay, that may not be entirely fair. They were all in the meeting as well...)
It was quite entertaining witnessing some of the manic preparation that takes place in advance of a visit by a two star general. At one point our command received word that the General prefers Diet Coke. So, we needed a couple of six-packs for the meeting. No problem, right? Waltz over to the dining facility and snag some cans. Wrong. Our commanding officer is stopped cold by a senior NCO who says that he cannot release any Diet Coke from the stockroom without a properly signed memorandum! So, can he just go around the front and grab some from the service line? No, only two drinks per soldier are allowed to leave the dining facility. But... this is for the Commanding General! Yes. Right. Need a memorandum. But... it is only a dozen cans of Coke! Yes. Right. Need a memorandum.
We got the memorandum.
The general never got around to having a Coke.
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1 comment:
Lee,
Your blog postings are great. I think about you often and look forward to your safe return. Keep your eyes open and your head down.
Your friend,
Jim W.
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