Centurio senex
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 16, 2021, at 16:12, Wayne Zieschang <waynez1122@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Stu,
That reminds me of January 1977. In early February, the Navy side had their
mandatory semi-annual PT test for the record.
I was never a fast runner, but I could run forever. The Navy PT test was
sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups and a 1-1/5 mile run, which had to be completed
in under 28 minutes. This is a relatively slow speed but I never made it in
less than 24 minutes. I mean a 16 minute mile is pathetic, but when it came
to running for speed, I WAS pathetic.
Well, come time for the PT test, I woke up with a 103ºF fever and felt like
crap. On top of that, the day before I had had my 19 rabies shot. I had not
been running in nearly 2 months, what with spending 27 days in the Yucatan
jungle catching bats, rats, mice, snakes, lizards for a Field
Mammalogy/Herpetology class, followed by the rabies shots due to being bitten
by a bat 2x while in the Yucatan. No running was allowed down there due to
the fer-de-lances, rebels and banditos. (Forgot to mention we were being
guarded by Federales over half the time we were down there due to the latter
2).
Well, at the PT test, I did my typical max-out of the situps, pushups and
pullups. Then I proceeded to run a miserable 29 minute 1-1/5 mile, drag
myself to the Quack Shack where I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory
infection and spent 3 days there.
After release, I got back into my running routine as I knew I was going to
have to pass the make-up test or be up shit creek. My routine was to run 2
or 3 laps around the golf course and a steady pace.
About 3 weeks after the failed test, I got called before a review board where
a full Commander, who was as big as a whale and had donut crumbs on his
shirt, chewed my ass out for being out of shape. Didn't care about the note
from the doctor explaining my medical condition on the day of the failed
exam. Just said to go see
Captain XXXX (USMC Captain).
So I went to see the Marine, who then proceeded to chew me out as well. When
he got through chewing and asked what I had to say, I just spewed the 4th
fish answer to him, replacing the rank with "very dumb almost Ensign".
That shocked the shit out of him and he looked at me with that "Huh??
What???" look.
"What do you mean?"
"Why try to explain? CDR YYY didn't give a shit about the reasons behind my
failure, so why should I expect you to care?"
"Try me."
"Well, no one seems to have noticed I never failed a prior PT in the 4 years
I've been here. No one seems to have read the letter I wrote the board
explaining the conditions that lead to my failure, or give credence to the
letter from my doctor describing the medical condition I was in the day of
the test. So why should I give a rat's ass about anything anyone in the
Trigon thinks about me? Why do you think I never come to the building except
for classes or when required due to a summons such I received for
today?,................ Sir."
"Uh, well, you're going to have to pass the next one or be kicked out.
Here's a recommended schedule for getting into shape." And handed me a piece
of paper with a list reading something on the order of -
Run 1/4 mile a day for 3 days. Then add 1/4 mile every 3 days.........
I looked at the paper, said "Thank you, Sir." crumpled it up and threw it in
the trash can.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Sir, A - I already memorized it. And B I'm already running way more than
that every day."
"Bull shit." was his reply.
"Sir, I'll bet you right now 2 cases of Dr Pepper to a case of beer that 1)
I'll pass the test when it's run in April and that 2) I can run further than
you right now."
"What?"
"Meet me on the south steps of the Band Hall at 22:00 for my nightly run."
"OK, you're on."
At 22:00 he and a Marine SGT showed up to run with me.
I explained my route and said "Let's go."
The CPT asked "Aren't you going to stretch?"
"Why? If it's a flight or fight situation, the bad guy isn't gonna let me
stretch before chasing me." And took off at my typical "herd of turtles"
pace.
Both of them soon caught up and left me in their dust. Got back around to
the Band Hall and they were waiting on me. As I passed the CPT asked "You're
not done?"
"No sir." and kept going. They followed me, and again caught up and passed
me. About half way around the golf course I caught them and passed them.
When I got back to the Band Hall, they were on the steps, having cut through
the Navasota parking lot while I continued around the AF drill field, When I
just kept going, they stayed there.
When I was back after my 3rd lap, we had a short conversation. Essentially,
he said don't worry about the test if this is how you run all the time. Then
he looked at the SGT and said "We've been on desk duty too long, just
training for the PT test. We need to fix this."
Come test time, I again maxed everything and this time, I pushed a bit and
actually broke 21 minutes for the first (and last time). I just grabbed my
book pack and kept running to my 0800 class for an exam. In grassy PT gear.
On Tue, Mar 16, 2021 at 2:04 PM Stu McLennan <sgmclennan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Lieutenant (then Captain) Holzman was Army, but fortunately we never
interacted. Major Carothers, Captains Laidig and Orr, and MSG Petty had
“lock and tone” on me because I spent 7 of my first 8 semesters on
scholastic probation. I was then summoned multiple times each semester by
all three officers for an “attitude adjustment”. Carothers was Infantry and
did his Airborne Ranger shtick. Laidig was Field Artillery and tried reason
because he knew that, like my father, it was my branch of choice. Orr was
Ordnance and just nuked me. How fitting. One time he saw my reflection in
his office mirror, as I stood at attention, lip-syncing his tongue-lashing.
The fallout from that was epic; I ended up in Colonel Parson’s office. The
essence of each rant however was the same; the Army is going to yank your
scholarship and send you to Fort Benning as a PFC if you don’t straighten
up. MSG Petty always batted clean-up. He’d pick me up and dust me off, in a
combat vet, Special Forces kinda way. Years later I discovered it was all an
empty threat. Seems 4-year US Army ROTC scholarship awardees, even from
California, were coveted by colleges and universities and tracked by HQDA.
Who knew.
Fast forward to 1991. Major McLennan met Colonel Ira D. Orr at a Command and
General Staff Officers Course function at Fort Leavenworth. It was the first
time we’d met since 1976 and he introduced me to his wife. “So you’re Fish
McLennan”, she said sweetly as she held my hand, “We didn’t think you were
going to make it.” It was funny by then, and we all laughed. Truth is,
sometimes neither did I. Thank God for Kay and Dr. Roy Gilbert, Econometrics
463. That is a story for another time.
Stu
From: <fighting_texas_aggie_band_class_of_1977-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on
behalf of Edward Retta <eretta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: <fighting_texas_aggie_band_class_of_1977@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 1:12 PM
To: <fighting_texas_aggie_band_class_of_1977@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [fighting_texas_aggie_band_class_of_1977] Re: Female AFROTC
instructor
Our zip year, when the high school ROTC groups visited for a football game
weekend, those kids saluted me. I guess cause I was wearing boots, who
knows? I just looked at them like they were stupid. The second group tried
the same, so I just saluted back. They seemed pleased. Nowadays young people
hold doors open for me. That's nice. I always salute them.
Edward Retta
On Mar 16, 2021 11:36, Michael Brown <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Well, the trip down memory lane was fun, but the guy finally admitted his
mom was getting a grad degree in meteorology, and was not part of the cadre.
I figure his mom was telling him some big stories that may or may not have
been based in facts. I doubt that she spent much, if any time on campus in
uniform, if she was a grad student. Therefore, unlikely that a cadet
refused to salute her.
Even if one did fail to salute, it could have been a confused fish. I
believe I saw some fish try to salute one of the janitors who was wearing
the janitor “uniform”.