A US Air Force C-141 is 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, and an airman who was off duty is called out
to take care of it.
The young man finally gets to the air base 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 to not 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 eleven months without any leave, and reindeer 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 s— from your aircraft. Now just exactly what form of punishment did
you have in mind?
