A US Air Force C-130
was scheduled to leave Thule Air Base, 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 ops and an
airman
who was off duty is called out to take care of it.
The young man finally gets to the flight line 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 not to 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, Greenland, for 11 months
without
any leave, and reindeer's asses 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 out of an
aircraft.
Now, just exactly what form of punishment did you have in mind?'