- Uncategorized
- January 20, 2012
- 17
We got jokes.
My “shipmate” over at the Mello Jihadi has taken a turn at telling military jokes recently. I feel obliged to return the favor. There are a number of versions of this story. This is merely the version I like to tell.
The Joint Chiefs were touring a new joint base together when the subject of courage came up.
“Gentlemen,” the Army Chief of Staff said. “It is well known that Army Soldiers possess the most courage of any service member in the armed forces.”
This was received with knowing groans and dismissive hand gestures. The other generals had heard it all before. “Prove it,” one of them demanded.
The Army Chief of Staff approached a young Army Lieutenant on duty. The Lieutenant crisply saluted and rendered the proper greeting of the day.
“Lieutenant, I want you to draw your side arm and shoot yourself in the head.”
Without batting an eye the young officer drew his weapon, placed it against his temple and pulled the trigger. BANG!
“That gentlemen, takes balls!” Beamed the Army Chief of Staff.
The other Joint Chiefs scoffed at this in derision and rolled their eyes. The word ‘weak-sauce’ was even used.
“Fellas really, “ interrupted the Air Force Chief of Staff. “Everyone knows that Air Force pilots have more courage than any two members of our sister services put together. I’ll show you.” They headed over the flight line where all the shiny new jet fighters were being polished with care.
“You there pilot, come over here.” The Air Force pilot ambled over the assembled generals with his hands in his pockets and chewing gum.
“I want to you take your aircraft, fly as fast as it can go, as high as it can go, then eject without a parachute.”
The pilot calmly climbed into the cockpit. His jet screaming off the runway into the blue, he pushed the very limits of the aircraft before ejecting into the open sky without a chute. Grimly, he plummeted to the earth without once uttering a sound before perishing upon impact.
“That boys, takes real balls!” , gloated the Air Force Chief of Staff.
The assembled generals responded with fart noises and cat calls demanding the Air Force Chief go make them sandwiches.
As they approached the pool area the Chief of Naval Operations stopped to note the Navy SEALs nearby.
“My friends, we all know the heart of a Navy SEAL contains the most courage of any war fighter on the planet.” He motioned for one of the SEALs to come join them.
The Sailor was a living Adonis with perfectly manicured eyebrows, frosted hair, and a flawlessly toned and tanned frame. His wrists and ankles were liberally adorned with friendship bracelets.
Nodding toward a pool filled with sharks the CNO gave his instructions: “I want you to dive into that pool with just your knife and kill me all three of those sharks.”
Immediately the SEAL dove into the pool with a knife clamped firmly in his teeth. He expertly opened the belly of the first shark and with a mighty heave threw its body onto the deck. The second shark was nearly decapitated as the SEAL roughly sawed his knife through its gills. Impressively, he hauled it out of the water slamming it down next to the first shark without leaving the pool. Catching his reflection in a nearby window, he paused to admire his perfectly formed triceps. That’s when the third shark ate him.
“That was a fine maritime example of balls gentlemen.” The CNO’s pronouncement was met with cat calls and obscene hand gestures. They continued to harass the CNO while they waited for the Air Force Chief of Staff to finish dry heaving.
Moving on, the Commandant of the Marine Corps noted a guard tower with a lone Marine Lance Corporal standing watch.
“Watch this.”, he said before calling out to the Marine some fifty feet above.
“Devildog! Hey Marine! Look down here!”, commanded the Commandant.
“Yes sir?”
“I want you to jump down here! Don’t use the ladderwell, just jump over the side!”
“Say again sir?”
“You heard me Leatherneck! I said jump! NOW!”
“You go to hell sir!”
Proudly, the Commandant turned to his astonished peers: “Now that, gentlemen, is balls!”
Alright. Alright.
Very funny…
Hey, no crying here! You got me at least TWICE already if I recall.
Excellent.
I always knew that the Marine Corps was the most sensible of the services!
How do ya feel now, NavyOne?
Military jokes are funnier than lawyer jokes.
When I was in NCO school, we saw a group of ROTC cadets standing around the flag pole. I asked what they were doing and they said: “Sergeant, we’re trying to figure how hight the pole is.”
Since the flag was not flying, I went over and unbloted it with my bare hands. (NCOs can do things like that) and laid it on the ground and said:”There, no you can measure it easy.”
They looked at me and said: “We needed to see how tall it was…not how long.”
I think they’re Army Generals now.
Okie, I do my best.
Erika, now, now, we mustn’t gloat.
Book, the military is more fun than law too.
CI Roller, maybe they all died horribly in an accident involving chem light batteries.
America’s 1st Sgt.:
Now I will agree that the Lance Corporal was the most intelligent of the group, however, any National Guard troop would have given the same answer.
Paul L. Quandt
Ha ha! But have you really met a SEAL like this: the Sailor was a living Adonis with perfectly manicured eyebrows, frosted hair, and a flawlessly toned and tanned frame. His wrists and ankles were liberally adorned with friendship bracelets.
Everything jives except the friendship bracelets.
America’s 1st Sgt.:
We may have to rethink our definition of courage.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/01/sled-dogs/finkel-text
Read this article and let me know what you think.
Paul L. Quandt
Paul, great story. But I would file that under ‘tough’ rather than ‘courage’. Not saying the Sirius guys don’t have loads of both though.
NavyOne, the braclets are weaved from their shaved body hair. Like you didn’t know.
By the way, I showed my mom your blog today. She absolutely adored this joke, especially the friendship bracelets part, and the ending had her cracking up, too. Thanks! Hopefully she’ll start reading your blog more, rather than that Neptunus Lex fellow that she always goes to. Tsk tsk.
Erika, don’t knock Neptunus Lex, I get more traffic from his site than any other. I suspect it has to do with the alphabetical placement of his blog roll.
Oh no, I didn’t want to knock Neptunus Lex at all! He’s a gifted and witty writer, and is an amazing pilot. My web etiquette is horrendous at times. I’m very sorry, sir.
Ha-ha! No worries Erika. As penance you may share all my posts with your friends on Facebook.
Thank you 1st Sgt.! I don’t have Facebook, but I will definitely highlight your posts on LibraryThing. I’ve already shared your zombie Christmas carol with some of my friends on that site, and they all thought it was “weird.” All the more reason for me to quote your writing!
Obviously your friends are uncultured barbarians. As far as Facebook goes, really, you aren’t missing much.