Well, you asked for them!
First off, about my boss: GREAT guy, great personality. LOVES to drift off into funny stories completely off-topic when he conducts his endless number of briefings and meetings during the day. The joke in the office is he is exactly like those dogs from the movie "Up", who will stop in mid-sentence to shout "SQUIRREL!" (in fact, he's moving onto to be the USAFE/A3 this summer, and we're considering getting him a stuffed squirrel as one of his going-away gifts--but you usually don't go down the route of gag-gifts for a 2-star). Keeping him on-track is a challenge, all because he prefers to shoot the breeze with you.
Well, yesterday, he's telling us (2 other 2-Stars (one whose son is currently there as a 3-dig), 2 SESs, 4 O-6s, and one or two strap hangers like me) about how he's walking around the grounds at the AFA (with about 4 Majors from the Academy as an escort). Passing stories about his times there (played football at the Academy as well), and remembering "what it was like". He's planning to match his speech to the Secretary's recent one at the AFA, with the primary theme being "Accountability".
While he's walking the grounds, he sees a water bottle in the courtyard, being either ignored or (worse yet) kicked around by all the cadets as they pass by it. Finally, he bends over himself, picks up the trash, and throws it out (much to the embarrassment of the 4 majors). One of the group of cadets he saw kicking the empty bottle is made of Firsties (seniors) (he can tell because only they still wear BDUs, the rest of the class has ABUs). He calls the over and asks "what were you thinking? You guys are only months away from LEADING men and women in battle. Where's the example?" They try to explain they didn't see it. His response? "Didn't see it? You were kicking it!" 4 VERY embarrassed majors nearly had collective strokes.
Meets a small group of cadets later for a sit-down talk. I-phone for one of the cadets (another senior) goes off with a text message. The cadet proceeds to pull out the phone and REPLY in the middle of this meeting! My boss stops the entire discussion to go over and ask the cadet for his phone, and spends the next few minutes talking about "being aware of your surroundings" in a "shooting the breeze" type manner (and most likely telling another story from his "day"). I think the 4 majors were in a corner shaking uncontrollably in the fetal position by this time.
Last story: walking the grounds again. Sees a young 4-dig walking along, who innocently passes a salute to the General and his entourage. To this cadet's up-most horror, the 2-Star stops him to "shoot the breeze". Gotta feel sorry for a kid perhaps so nervous his stomach is doing back-flips, and all he gets in return for trying to pass a salute and then melt into the background is a 2-star who wants to "shoot the breeze". (By this point, I think the 4 majors are either passed out, or still awake and following him because they're at the point of "Oh well, might as well keep going, it can't get any worse.")
Now my boss, who's a HUUGE Academy sports nut, ask this young cadet if he is excited for the big game coming up. Boss says you could actually see the 4-digs thinking "WHAT big game? We're not in the NCAA b-ball tourney." Well, it seems he wasn't aware that AFA hockey was in a big hockey game this week (Mt West Tourney?). Told this poor young cadet to make sure his fellow 4-digs were aware as well. I think the 4 majors simply sighed at this point and made plans to go change their shorts.
See? Not so much "ha-ha" funny, but funny in the way of "silly cadets, I remember when I was that young and innocent". He did mention however, that after these (and a few other examples) he no longer needed his speech notes on "accountability".
But overall, he said he was VERY impressed with the cadets, had a wonderful time, and couldn't wait to do it again. I thinking at this point, there were 4 majors somewhere in Colorado thinking: "Please, for all that is holy, NO!"
Son keeps saying "I can't see how it could be hard if they didn't beat you!" (ie drop for lots of pushups, flutter kicks, etc.).
