1. Evasion

There is a movie from the 90s called Copak je to za Vojáka? Its a kind of a propaganda comedy about a recce dude. Solid actors in it, a bit on the nose but has some funny lines and scenes. The main draw to it, apart from some boobs, is the first half. In there, the main cast is set loose some kilometres away from base. If they make it back, they get time off. And then the cops and the rest of the military try to catch them.

My dad did something similar. They had their small groups spread around the base and told them to sneak back. My dads groip knew the area and they got dropped off in a good spot, so they got back just fine.

However. There was a group of dudes that did not give a fuck. So they thought screw it and walked along the main road to the base. The road was on a flat field. And the CO of the base drove by as they were marching home.

Now the CO wasn't a bastard. He still had to discipline them though. They walked up to the base looking like kids caught taking a sip of dads beer. They came to attention and the CO approached them.

He told the first guy: "You have dirty boots. 7 days in jail." The rest of them quickly wiped their boots on the back of their pants.

Then he told the second guy: "You have an unbuttoned blouse. 7 days in jail." The rest of them checked in a flash that they are indeed buttoned up.

Then he told the third guy: "You did not properly secure your canteen. 7 days in jail." The last two guys promptly ensured that yes, their canteens are indeed holstered up properly.

Then he came to the fourth guy, and he was squared away. The CO took a long look at him. Then he said "You look dumb. 7 days in jail." (Translation sidenote, look as in the facial expression the guy had. Not sure how to translate it correctly)

He then came to the last guy. And he had his eyes closed. The CO actually laughed at that and let the last guy go.

Now no worries, it wasn't like they went to actual jail. They actually did work throughout the day and just went to sleep in a cell overnight.

1. Driving

As I mentioned, my dad actually loved driving the BVP. It was just fun, roaring around in this small beast. They did not have a ton of fuel budget, but when the opportunity arose he took it every time.

In came the day where they were supposed to drive on a track. It had dips and bumps of dirt, a small pond, you name it. Of course my dad was excited to drive around. He drove the course, looking out the open hatch all the way.

Then he parked the BVP. You were supposed to get out, walk up the an officer, report finishing the course, the officer would dismiss you and the next guy goes in. Dad jumps out, is walking to the officer who he notices is going pale white. Dad is thinking "what the fuck is it now? Is my shirt unbuttoned?" He is checking himself without breaking eye contact, checking his trousers, his hat. He walks up, salutes and rattles off the report.

The officer just stares at him and says "Does it not hurt?" Dad asks: "What?" The officer just points to his shirt. Dad looks down, it is covered in blood. So he taps around to see where it is coming from, and he had a busted lip. The BVP was bumping a lot and he probably didn't notice hitting the steel of the hatch. But as he made contact with his hand, so did the dirt on his hand. It started to hurt like a motherfucker.

They sent him off to the medics. He got patched up, asked to leave, came back in a bloodied shiet. The officer was in even more shock. He asked my dad what he was doing there, since he was wounded and could get time off. Dad just said he wanted to drive.