No problem, I reckon. I have been cheesing off a few airline staffs myself, with a few beers inside me. I’m kind of proud of that, actually, because they pissed me off first, trying to stop me from being served any more beer, or smoking, and someone had to put them in their place!
Mind you, my wife didn’t agree with me and tried to shut me off as well.
But never mind, I’ll grow up eventually. Starting on my 80th year on this planet next week, perhaps (yes, I know I have been warning you all before).
That reminds of the time when I came back from France to go to Hao, which is where the 5 RE was based. My mate 5/5 pronounced
cinq sur cinq, had the great idea that we buy a bottle from the duty free. Before I go on, I should tell you why he was called 5/5. Every time someone would ask him
ça va (how's it?) he would answer
cinq sur cinq, which was the old radio message to say “all is good” or “all is clear”.
In those days the Casa ( a kind of mini Transall) would wait until the legionnaires and the few regulars who were based at Hao arrived to take us with them. I swear the pilot of the casa refused to take us. We were both completely blitzed. The rumors have it that he saw us on the tarmac and said that there was no way he was going to allow us on board. You have to be in uniform to travel on the military flight so we rushed past every and were getting changed in the toilets when the PMs came in (there was a leave centre in Papeete, hence the PMs). One pr*ck looked at me getting into my uniform and called me a disgrace to the Legion. I'd never come across this guy before, however the second PM I knew him from Calvi. Luckily he grabbed his mate and said a few words in his ear.
I won't keep you much longer as I'm going to have a
sieste and then get ready to go on leave. Did I mention that I am going on leave tonight?
Anyway we had to wait 2 days until the next flight. Straight in front of the captain, who blamed me as a
képi noir for not keeping 5/5 on the straight and narrow, who had the original idea of getting a bottle from the duty free. We were both
consigné for 10 days (not allowed to leave the barracks), which is nothing as we were both
caporaux-chefs (CCH). However... we were also forbidden to enter the
foyer or the CCH
popote.
No. I'd had a run in with the president of the CCHs who was one of the two PMs on the atoll, so I wasn't his best friend. However my boss was
Major Falco who was well known. At the time he was running the
service général. He had 35 years of service, was an ex-boxer and generally no one gave him any hassle. He was two minutes before me into the captain's office and came out like 30 seconds afterwards. After work he told me he'd be waiting for me in the CCH
popote. I said I was
consigné, so I wasn't allowed in. He didn't even acknowledge that he had heard me and off he went.
That evening I walked into the
popote and the
Major was there and ordered himself a beer and pointed at me. We were having a laugh and chatting away when the two PMs walked in. As soon as they saw me they started towards me.
Major Falco looked at them and said I was allowed in here and in the
foyer and carried on his conversation with someone. “Yea we've heard it all before, you're so good” ... blah blah.
My mate 5/5 was caught just before me in the
foyer and got 10 days in jail. Which considering he was a
garde punis at the time, didn't go down well.