Back in the day the Junior NCO club (enlisted club) was a happening place- a little because we loved to drink, and a lot because we couldn't afford to go downtown to the bars. Most of us were young, and along with that came the inability to hold our alcohol, make good decisions, and general stupidity.

One Friday night the place was hopping and a fight broke out. It didn't take too long before the...

Slavonski Brod, Croatia, circa 1997. Know as Camp Sava North. I am the SIGO (Signal Officer for the Camp HQ known as Task Force Pershing). Oh, and I know crap about being a SIGO as I am a Chemical Officer.

I am tabbed (as SIGO) to oversee a contract regarding the words below.

The Camp was established in 1996 and when we took over, we had MSE (Mobile Subscriber Equipment) phones and internet via...

So no shit, there I was, about to bed down on the first night of a refresher exercise. I went outside to have one more smoke and brush my teeth, and noticed it was getting a bit cloudy, having been quite clear and warm all day. Not thinking much of it, I dipped back into the tent.

For some background, here in Finland, after completing your military training you may occasionally get called in for...

Something I posted on reddit six years ago. Sorry it's so long.

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They are hangin' Danny Deever, you must mark 'im to 'is place,

For 'e shot a comrade sleepin' -- you must look 'im in the face;

Nine 'undred of 'is county an' the Regiment's disgrace,

While they're hangin' Danny Deever in the mornin'.

^{Rudyard Kipling, “Danny Deever,” Barracks Room Ballads}

Cowardice

It is a rough thing to call...

Night had fallen on Camp Geiger, where the very new Marines, barely out of boot camp, were receiving our mandatory two weeks of combat training (MCT). This was required for everyone before we went on to our actual skill schools and it was one of those things that all Marines have in common. It's a miserable time of sleep deprivation, no showers, dirt, filth, and exhaustion.

As a miniature version...

Disclaimer: I’m going to paraphrase some of this because it happened 20 years ago.

So there we were in formation, about to go to work. Platoon Sergeant just finished assigning everyone to their tasks for the morning, but before he dismissed us, like always… “Any questions Marines?” Now everyone knows that this is a defining moment for how the rest of your day will go. Depending on the Platoon SGT,...

I'm not sure why I just remembered this story, butt....

Back in AIT, we had this one female drill sergeant who was maybe 100 lbs soaking wet and stood around average height. Black woman with one of those loud, from-the-diaphragm "command voices". Let's call her DS Black for the moment (I can't actually remember her name but it was something like Brown / Black anyway). Also, at various points I had...

So, no shit: there I was, standing around, waiting in formation for a training/presentation on a Blackhawk helicopter. We had three platoons in the company, all three standing At Ease in formation facing the helo. It was a relaxed, field environment and we were all shooting the shit but then…

Our third platoon guys noticed that the second platoon acting platoon sergeant had stepped away from the...

After 20+ years as a JAG, it seems my best "no shit, there I was" stories are from my time in the Trial Defense Service. I was reminded of this one today while commenting on this thread on dueling.

My Senior Defense Counsel had tried a case the week before with a client who was, let's say, a little different. I can't remember what the charge was, but it wasn't violent. But the client was on some...

*I've changed names and details to obfuscate identities. I promised to post the whole story, (although it's long AF, sorry) so here we go:

At the Defense Language Institute, the Marine Detachment had a stealthily growing problem. It came in the form of the XO (Executive Officer), a man with a stocky build that suggested brawn, decidedly not brains, was his main strength. He had dark, buzzcut hair...