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Discarded French Fries

Discarded French Fries

So I get off work and picked up this friend of mine who was a teletype operator at the Marine air station in Santa Ana. He’s not allowed to drive on November 10th since he accidentally brushed into another car on another November 10th driving home after salutation to the Crotch. It’s the wife’s SOP for him. We sat around and told sea stories.

I was reminded of the time I spent at Camp Pendleton being with the MP Company. This armorer wing wiper who’s on light duty was assigned as our armorer while he gets his medical discharge. I relieved him when he went home for two weeks. Being a good Marine and trained in the arts of supply admin 3041, I took stock of all the 45’s in the arms room. Lo and alas, some of the 45’s are missing! “I surely am going to jail,” says I. On the duty log book, I began to scribe all the missing arms.

Two days later, the supple gunny comes walking in and says, “I’m checking the arms room.”

This gunny had taken over the supply hut from a sergeant who rotated out and he never was privy to the arts and method of supply admin 3041. The supply room was a mess! The gunny and his two lance corporals worked 12 hours a day six days a week duty for a whole year trying to straighten out how many pillow cases and mess gear are on hand.

So he walked in and started taking rosters of the 45’s. Afterwards he steps out of my split door check in room and announced, “Corporal Batayola (coming from his mouth was Corporal Baytola), you have many 45’s missing. (and the proverbial saying) you’re going to jail boy.” I was in his crosshair of his sight picture.

Both of my knees shook knowing the proverbial jail in the brig will not help me to the next step of promotion to civilian.

I pulled out the log bog and announced to the gunny forthrightly, “No gunny, I ain’t going to jail. I’ve logged all the missing arms like a goodly trained Marines in the arts of supply admin 3041.” He looked at me, closed his book firmly, and did an about face. I think I heard his brain say, “Good supply admin 2041 Marine.” Maggie’s drawer!

On the lighter note, you knowing very well the imbibing limitation of this supply admin 3041 Filipino (and alcohol affects me the same way in the last 42 years), I had two beers. More than that and I start a fight, dance without a shirt, or sleep under the table with discarded French fries.

Cpl. Batayola of the Marines

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Comments

Sgt. Frank M. Vanacore - April 27, 2020

I guess I was lucky. I was supply Sargeant for Ist Recon Batt. and did not have to deal with weapons. Everything but. The armorer took care of that. I was short about 5 sleeping bags when I took over but was able to make that up in various ways.

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