I sure know color doesn't matter when you're being given orders. <g>
I found that out soon after joining the Navy...... Hopefully Bill won't mind if I relate this story...
In the where you have Navy electronics classes taught by civilians they'll appoint a class leader....because of my age I was the lucky one to get the job<sic>. It was up to the class leader to set the rules for the class. Even back then I had libertarian leanings so I only had one rule that took care of 2 problems, people falling asleep during class and cleanup. My standing rule was whoever was caught sleeping in class got a weeks worth of cleanup.
There was a white kid in my class that routinely fell asleep since he had previously attended a civilian electronics school and was bored to tears. He had so much cleanup that it would have extended past the duration of the school....but he took it as a running joke and faithfully completed his job every day.
At one point I had caught this black kid sleeping.... During the next break I informed him he had cleanup for a week for sleeping. He informed me in no uncertain terms that he wasn't going to do it.... I thought to myself, perhaps he wasn't there when I made the rule, so I explained it again and again he blew me off.... At that point I informed him that my only recourse besides writing his ass up was going down to the Gunnys office and talk to him about it... Evidently this didn't sink into the kids brain either so I paid a visit to the Gunny in charge of the school. After explaining my problem to the Gunny he asked to see the black kid. He was a bit irritated when I told him he was on break smoking, so he sent me out to get him. Upon finding the kid in the break area I let him know the Gunny wanted to see him, he informed me that he'd be right there as soon as he finished his cigarette (having an inkling about what was coming, it was hard for me not to laugh) ......... I think you military types can see where this is headed. When I got back to the office alone the Gunnie asked me where the hell the kid was... I told him the kid said he be here AFTER he finished his smoke break.
A few minutes later we're both standing at attention in the Gunny's office. He asked the kid if he understood the rules I had laid down, he said yes and then started to pull the race card claiming that I gave him cleanup because he was black. At that point the Gunny turned to me asking if I had given cleanup to anyone else in my class, I responded with the story about the white guy who was the cleanup king..... Well, that was about all the Gunny needed to hear. The next couple of minutes where kind of blurry,,,, I do remember the kid trying to interject something like,,,,but,,,,but,,,but. But the only thing that did was to piss of the Gunny even more. In the end I swear that kid was missing 2 feet in height and about a pound off his ass.......<ggg> First time I'd ever seen a real professional ass chewing. |
