Outstanding story.
I was a Company Gunny and the Company Commander took off with the officers for a night in town on a field exercise. Great officer, mustang, heart of gold when it came to putting the Marines first. He’d get a little excited when he’d made his mind up, and he had an Edward G. Robinson cadence when he talked, and he’d lay down the law and then off he went before you could raise a fuss.
He told the assembled sergeants that there would be a beer mess for the Marines while the Zeros went in town, but Goddamit, there was a two beer minimum and he meant it, see?
I replied, like the Roman Centurion surely did to Caeser, “But, Sir...”
“None of your funny shit, Gunny, I said two beer minimum and that’s all there is to it, see?” and off he stomps.
“Aye, aye, sir”
There were Marines all over the place in the morning, but I had several witnesses that affirmed that I had, as ordered, made sure every one of them had at least two beers.
:)
We have the same two beer event happen. Rifle company was on a very long bus trip cross-country. At a truck-stop they pass the word everybody could purchase two beers. Every damn Marine can strutting out carrying two 32 oz beers with a big smile. Company gunny almost popped a critical vessel, but then caught himself and said “damn it, this is my fault not yours. I failed to say two 12 oz beers”.
Do you think that maybe, because he was a Mustang, he actually meant two beers MINIMUM? He got the officers out of the way and with your supervision you could let the troops rip.
Great story! Reminded me of an event in my Navy days when we were on a Med Cruise and the Div. Off. loaded up liberty boats with beer and h.c. sandwiches and took us to a small island where we ate and drank beer while playing baseball most of the day. We were sunburned & drunk but the next day was a Sunday routine, so we slept.