Temporary Archive: Suzanne Brockmann's Message Board

we had just got back from a six or seven week trip to Bolivia. We had been working with the local law enforcment units and army and marine units--teaching them how to better co-operate and share assets etc. It had been a great trip, except for that unfortunate incident with the cow--but anyway. So the Commanding Officer of Unit eight is getting ready to turn over command and wants to have a "dining in" A dining in is exclusively a wardroom affair--all officers, no enlisted and no dates or wives. It is excruciatingly formal in its pretense. All honors and traditions are observed and failure to observe them is punisheable by fines or trips to the punch bowl. Well, first off, it is really just an excuse to be pompous and get totally wrecked and second, as we were deployed all our dress uniforms where missing things and not squared away--so, anyway, not being a slave to decorum anyway, I spent a lot of time being sent to the punch bowl and paying fines (that get converted into whiskey after dinner) So, everyone is having a good time diner ends, whiskey served then port then the cigars come around--well, these things were terrible--so, because I am me, I have a few really nice cigars with me and I break them out. Well--oh, wait, did I mention the guest of honor and the president of the mess were the Commanding General of the JSOTF? OKay, well I happen to be near him and my commander when he comments in the positive about the cigars--I can't stand it (I can't stand either but) So I educate the General on what a crap cigar it is an give him one of mine and extoll its virtues, with which he agrees, and then explain many other things to him. So, that was Saturday. Monday I am in his Command Center to give a debrief on the Bolivia operation. This is before power point swept the world, so I have transpericnies and overlays and photos and etcetc. I brief for about 45 minutes and the guy does nothing but stare at me...So I end the brief and ask if there are any questions--none--no comments--so, I finally have to ask, "General, is something wrong?" He looks at me and says, "After Saturday, I was sure that you had were eithr a foreign officer or had a speech impediment--glad to see you're okay" He waited for 45 minutes for me to set myself up as the straightman---