Actually I just remembered another one. This one has to do with a time change for that matter.

I was in Germany and an E-2. I'd been there a few months, couldn't have been many. Well, I'd learned quickly that I could legally drink at the ripe age of 18 there. And boy did I ever. BOY did I ever. Lot of what happened lead me to where I am today as far as being straight edge, but I digress.

On with the funny story.

In my unit (a maintenance unit) we pulled weekend duty to the tune of every weekend for a month, about three months out of the year. You had one guy on day shift 0700-1900 and one guy on night shift 1900-0700. (Come to think of it, I schedule my guys in the laboratory this way now. LOL.) This particular month of weekend duty I was working the day shift, and an E-4 was pulling up the night shift.

One Saturday I get out of there about 1915 or so and head back to the barracks ready for some AFN on the tube, or maybe read on my book, and then some Zs. That was the LAST thing that was happening that night. I'm laying in my drawers in bed, just turning on the TV when comes the knock, knock, knocking on my door. I crack the door and am greeted to a familiar face: another E-2 from the unit and my best bud there. He's not alone. He has with him 20 friends of the German bottled sort. "NO! NO F#*#$ING WAY MAN! NOT TONIGHT! I've got 'the duty!' " He laughs and gives his usual reply, in the all too comforting Texas drawl of his "It'll be alright, just a few..."

Why? WHY?? Why did I not shut the door in his face and go to bed?

We tour through the rack of beer VERY quickly and the remainder of a rack of Guiness in my fridge. We weren't done even then. We ended up with my bottle of 18 year old Single Malt and two glasses in front of us. After a couple of those, I happened to look over at the clock and it's 0430! I panic, and dive into bed. I tell him to drink whatever he wants but to be quiet. He's laughing his butt off and leaves after he finishes his drink.

I awoke the next morning at 0800 to my phone ringing. It's the E-4 working the night shift. "Hey Henderson! You coming to work today? You're an hour late!" "Did you forget to set your clock ahead? I told you not to forget!" he exhaults. "Uh, yeah, the time change. i'm really really sorry man. I just woke up. I'll be right there." He was totally calm and pretty good about the whole thing.

I drove straight to the shopette and grabbed a half gallon of orange juice and a bottle of ibuprofen. Man, I was in NO shape to drive either. I was no where near hung over. I was still as drunk as ever. When I show up at the shop, he's at the far end of the maintenance bay. Within seconds of my walking in he yells across "WHOOOO! You go drinking with Warren last night or something?!?" (Warren and I were notorious for our drinking stunts.) "Uh, yeah, that obvious huh? He made me man...I ... I'm sorry". He's howling with laughter at this point . "No problem, you just owe me one next time we get the duty." he says. "No problem man, you're awesome!" I cry. He then reminds me the flight line is all quiet due to German laws, until noon and advises me to go upstairs and sleep off the Whisky while I can. I tell you what, that three and a half hours of sleep, plus OJ and Bayer, did more for me than any therapy could have. I actually had a spring in my step the rest of the day. lol.