Who was the most startling visitor/s you ever had in your Unit AO?

2014-05-15T14:44:57-04:00

2nd tour in Central Highlands Vietnam 1969: I am the Company Commander and my 1st Sgt. sticks his head into my space and says "Boss, there are two gentlemen in the Orderly Room who want to speak to you". I asked "Who are they?"; Reply - "I don't know. They have jungle fatigues on but no rank. Only Name Tag and US Army.I think they might be from Saigon and are CID Investigators."

They were and they weren't after me....... It took awhile for me to stop waiting for the hammer to fall. Not that I EVER did anything illegal, immoral, or bent any rules.

Response by MAJ Steve Sheridan made May 16 at 2014 1:21 PM

2014-05-16T13:21:49-04:00

People with badges can be scary regardless of who they are investigating.

I'm not sure if it's startling, but I was at a HQs, so we would get a lot of VIP (celeberties) coming through, which was cool to see that they are people too.

Response by SGT Craig Northacker made May 16 at 2014 4:16 PM

2014-05-16T16:16:22-04:00

I had just come back from the battalion co's office and came into our AO-there was a cluster of officers in the way and I politely excused myself to get past them. My company commander turned red as a beet, and the other officers kind of gasped. Turns out the gent with his back to me that I tapped on the shoulder was a Brigadier General. The others started to apologize and bark at me, but the General smiled and told them to knock it off and let me go past, because I appeared to be the only one working that day.

Response by SGT Craig Northacker made May 16 at 2014 4:34 PM

2014-05-16T16:34:58-04:00

We were at Bragg in a mock tower exercise when some guy comes running out of the woods way off to one side, and keeps going. About 20 minutes later, two guys, in suits and leather shoes, come out of the same woods huffing and puffing, looking for the first guy who was long gone. We waited for them to pull even with us, and we asked them if they were lost? They told us to mind our own business, and we all laughed at them because they were so absurd and would never catch the first guy-who was probably in Pinehurst before they hit the next block.

Response by SGT Joseph Smith made May 16 at 2014 5:11 PM

2014-05-16T17:11:55-04:00

I was on CQ duty while stationed at HHB 2/5 FA in Neu-Ulm, Germany. We had an older gentleman walk in to the AO in civvies about 30 minutes before the Battalion payday inspection. Our Battalion CO and XO were already in the building. Imagine their shock when I jumped up and shouted "ATTENTION" and saluted this man. Turns out this gentleman was one of our living MOH recipients, who had entered through the common area door, rather than the Officer/VIP door. The CO was getting ready to ream me until he noticed the gentleman was indeed wearing his MOH around his neck.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2014 6:42 PM

2014-05-17T18:42:56-04:00

I worked protocol at JRTC, so I had a myriad of visitors. Chief of Staff, Vice Chief, Sec Army, Sergeant Major of the Army, Pakistani Chief of Staff etc... Favorite was Gary Sinise and the LT Dan band. I spent a whole week getting paid to hang out with rockstars.