Your best "oh crap" moment?

I will be reading these all evening! And I do have a few of my own to share!

Shortly after returning from Desert Storm and waiting for our vehicles/equipment to return by ship, the Command Team was sitting in the weekly Bn. Training Meeting going over training schedules. The Bn Cdr asked me (1SG) about two of my platoons who were going out for a day of Paint Ball against each other. After explaining, I informed him and the CSM that they were invited to attend. Both accepted. On the day before the event, I swung thru the Bn HQs with a RED and BLUE sweat shirt. I told them one platoon was wearing Red and the other was wearing Blue and they would be on opposite teams, and the bus would depart from the Bn Hqs parking lot at 0700. At 0655, they walked out of the Bn Hqs to get on the bus. As soon as both stepped in, I said, "Driver, Move out!" Off we went. Then it dawned on the Bn. Cdr, everyone of us was in BDUs and only he and the CSM were in bright colored RED and BLUE Sweatshirts....His words were priceless..." Oh Shit, First Sergeant I will have your ass for this when we get back!" From the back of the bus, someone, shouted, "Sir, you have to make it back first!" Needless to say they got the hell shot out of them that day, even the Cdr's driver (on same team) took pleasure out of shooting him several times when he could. I also took a few in the back, ass and headgear...from my teammates..no doubt! I took pleasure that day in shooting at everyone on both teams, CSM and the Cdr!

I was in charge of a radar unit, which had been tasked with setting up a controlled speed zone by an area SgtMjr. This particular area was a 2 lane dead end road about 3 miles long which the personnel would speed on during the commute to work. The SgtMjr did not like that his unit staff were speeding so called us in for traffic control "Speed trap". We setup early and start running our ops, and getting a good haul of speeders, when up comes the SgtMjr speeding faster than anyone else. I pull him over and start to write the ticket has he lambast's me for delaying him from an important meeting, and wasn't he the one that called me in the first place, and did I not see rank on his collar, and here is a lawful order, etc. As I am writing this ticket and getting the biggest faceful and earful of reprimand, I finish can calmly hand the ticket over which he refuses to take. I inform him, that if he has any complaints regarding the manner in which we were conducting our operation he should contact my boss the Base Commanding General. This pretty much ended the tirade, the requests for traffic control, and any other interaction. As a Cpl in charge of a my radar unit, I knew my SOP, hell I memorized it and could recite verbatim. As a Marine, my pucker factor was at level creating diamonds. All I can say is know your SOP and stand by your decisions.

Insteading having my own "Oh crap" moments, I like to help others get into their own "oh crap" moments in the performance of my duties as Military Police officer. :)

CPT (Join to see) A Colonel called and wanted information (weather) about a Met Watch Warning for high winds. He was watching the anemometer and according to him there wasn't a wind higher than 20Kts. Oh and I wasn't being flexible. I told him, "forecasting is all about potentiality and I had justification for the forecast".

He coerced the forecaster on the midshift and then disaster struck. Two C-141 Starlifters were damaged when winds reached 88 Kts. My warning was for up to 49kts. Never-the-less, my not being "flexible' saved lives. The one dreaded fear of a forecast is a plane crashing and people being killed

Then SSgt Halbiesin told to NEVER take risks. I am glad I heeded that advice. Our commander said he was proud of me and would I do a review pertaining to the event scenario? The Wing Commander was happy with me as well.

Doing the right and best thing can collide with 'THE MISSION'. 1LT Sandy Annala MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca Maj (Join to see)

While at Basic Training I told my then girlfriend (now ex) that I could not come home for the birth of our child. It was during critical training and I wasn't even going to ask for numerous reasons. I was there for Infantry OSUT.

She wrote an email to the Commander.

When my DS screamed for me to come to the office he asked "Why the f*ck does the 1SG want to see you?"
"I...I Have no idea Drill Sergeant"
"Get down there now"

I go and see him...
1SG: "Why is your fiancee writing to the Commander?!" (going through my head...uh I Have no fiancee...)
Me: "No clue 1SG" and immediately started pushing without being told
1SG: "Get up. She wants you to come home for your child's birth. You're going home on your own dime during the Family Day pass. Get out of here and go see your Drill Sergeant to schedule and pay for your flight"
Me: "Roger First Sergeant!"

I left scared but thankful. I Had a conversation with her about never doing that ever again.

WAAAAY back in 1980, I was on the graveyard shift on the flight line at Shaw AFB. I was getting ready to start my pre-flight for the day lighters to have a flight ready at 0800 so it was just before 0400 when I started. After I got finished with the cockpit I was getting ready to crawl the intake to check the engines When I took the cover off the #1 (left engine of my Phantom, I saw the arms of 2 flight suits. I figured no big deal, fighter pilots like to be a little kinky sometimes. Then I got a good look at the bare feet and then it hit me. We didn't have any female pilots at Shaw.

I was in NYC in 1968 getting ready to go to a boarding school, and realized at the last moment I did not have a US plug for my tape recorder. I ran out of the hotel and down the steps two at a time, barreling through a group of men who were very surprised and not very happy. I turned around to yell a quick sorry, and saw that I had just blown through Presidential Candidate Nixon and a host of his posse.

1. Getting off the bus at 0200 on 26 June 1990
2. As an E3 A1C working for the Wing Commander Brigadier General Walker, I came bursting through the door and he was on the other side, I knocked him on his ass, he apologized to me for getting in my way. I did not stop shaking for a week.
3. While on my mob as the Operations LPO (NCOIC for the non Navy Folk) and one of Work Center LPO called and said, "you better get here, CID is here with the PMO". I was with our Company Commander and XO, so that made notifying them easier. Needless to say, had some people do some stupid shit. We were almost done with our tour too!
4. When I saw that I had been selected for Chief Petty Officer.

While in boot camp at MCRD San Diego we where doing a combat training course. The drill instructor tells me to take point. Everything is going good until all of a sudden a grenade rolls out in front of the squad. I shout grenade right! The squad takes cover to the right. But me oh no I go left, right on the grenade. Lets just say the drill instructor made an example out of this dumb &%^. Oh but he did use very colorful words and expressions.

I've had a few of these moments, but this one was a buddy of mine on deployment.
We were on our last few weeks in Afghanistan, and one of our HE operators, LCpl Allday, was living it up because he had just been selected for meritorious promotion to corporal, and he had chipped a corner off his front tooth whilst doing clapper pushups in the flight terminal at Bastion.
We had just received a briefing from our command about military IDs; if we lost them, we would not be able to leave Afghanistan, and anyone who couldn't return home would have to stay with the next unit (which meant an additional 7 months in Afghanistan).
Well, one night, during operations, Allday misplaced his ID. It fell out of his pocket while he was walking across the cargo yard and the helicopter pens at Bastion. We looked everywhere for it, seeing as he had looked out for us and we didn't want him to get in trouble. He only notified our platoon sergeant when we spent hours looking for it.
We had been told that any misplaced IDs would not be replaced out here so fast, which meant during that additional time in Afghanistan you would probably get a new one. It also meant he would lose his new promotion to corporal. So we continued to look for it everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found.
When our platoon was called into battalion headquarters aboard Leatherneck, Allday was called into the CO's office by the battalion sergeant major. All of us were waiting in the hall and the sergeant major left the office door open on purpose, we figured because they were going to make an example of recently pinned Cpl Allday.
Instead, our lieutenant colonel asks Allday what happened to his ID; when Allday responded that he did not honestly know, it had been lost during work, the CO nodded and exchanged glances with the sergeant major. He then gets up and says, "well, we told you that if you lost your ID you would have to stay here" and Allday nods and says "Yes sir" and he opens a drawer on his desk and pulls out a small package, which turns out to be USMC rank insignia in a plastic box. Allday thought it was lance corporal rank, which would mean he had just been busted down on the spot, but instead, it was brand new corporal chevrons. The CO slapped them down on the desk and said, "Luckily we can get you a new ID today" and the sergeant major shook his hand and congratulated him on his meritorious promotion.
All of us were standing in the hall with our jaws hanging and eyes wider than dinner plates. The sergeant major came out and said "Good morning marines" and everyone stuttered and choked out "OORAH SERGEANT MAJOR" and he had this huge grin on his face.