I'm writing this on behalf of my friend, since I was never technically in the military.
So, it's the late 80s and I'm a college student at Auburn and my buddy is in the Air Guard unit in Montgomery. He's got drill down at Ft Rucker and I am going to meet up with him and his buddies for some fellowship with some of the local young ladies. Well, we strike out with the ladies and while drowning our sorrows, the E4 Mafia decides it would be cool for me to participate in drill weekend with my new friends. There is nothing special on the training calendar, so it will be a perfect time.
First order of business is to find me a uniform. There is one guy my size who they feel comfortable asking. Sgt Santiago. (I'm blonde /blue and fair complexion) Did I mention that Sgt Santiago has a Ranger tab/jump wings and an Air Assault badge? Santiago "rents" me a uniform and swears he will deny it "when you pendejos get caught."
So we fall in to morning formation with brutal hangovers and the CSM has some good news. He has secured some flight time and we're going to Ft Benning for the day. We are skids up in one hour. I'm stoked, but my buddy doesn't look so good.
So my buddy takes me to meet the Lt and the story is that I'm in a unit up in the northern part of the state and want to transfer to their unit. The Lt blows us off and says he will talk to me later. We load up on the helos and off we go. I'm feeling like LTC Kilgore on the ride up, but my buddy is realizing this might not have been such a great idea. We get there and I make myself busy cleaning up the hangar. We go to chow and come back and I make myself scare, cleaning up and being very busy.
Santiago.
Santiago!
SANTIAGO!
Oh ****, that's me. "Yes Sir, Lieutenant!"
"Come with me. The CSM wants to talk to you."
My buddy is ghastly pale.
While we're walking and shooting the bull -"You know, you don't really look like a Santiago."
"Puerto Rican on my father's side, Sir."
Well, we get to the office and it's show time. Now, my father was retired Army and I was actually born at Ft Benning. I grew up in American Legions and VFWs (another story entirely). I knock loudly and am bellowed in by the CSM, who is grizzled and exactly how you would imagine.
"At ease, Sgt. The Lt tells me you're looking to transfer into our unit."
Yes, Sergeant Major.
"I watched you this morning. You outworked every peckerwood I got in this unit. We could use a few more just like you. Be damn glad to have you. Get with the Lieutenant and he'll get you squared away with the paperwork. Dismissed."
I walk back to the hangar and my buddy is about to die. I tell him it's all good and he is in shock. We finish up the day and fly back to Rucker. Final formation and that's it. Home free. Well, I pulled off attention, at ease, parade rest. Saluted all day. But about face got me. I turned the wrong way. I was in the back, so I got a couple of weird looks. We got the hell out of there and Sgt Santiago had a family emergency and wasn't able to make it the next day and that was it.
My buddy told me that the CSM asked about me a couple of times afterwards and wanted to know when I was transferring. My buddy eventually went active duty, became a WO4 and flew dignitaries in both fixed and rotary wing. I eventually became a productive member of society.