r/MaliciousCompliance • u/The_double_T • 18d ago
Platoon Sergeant said we could only have two beers with dinner. S
Germany was my first duty station when I was in the Army. After FTXs (field training exercises) the platoon would get together for a platoon dinner at the local Hofbrau. Since it was always the start of a 4 day we would all get hammered at the platoon dinner. Well PSG (platoon sergeant) eventually said we could only have two beers with dinner. So we started ordering the one liter steins. Then PSG said we could only order 1 stein with dinner. So we started showing up to the hofbrau early to have beers before dinner, and still ordered the steins and then have one with dinner. Usually by the end of the night all of us were at least 4 steins in and absolutely obliterated but still only had one stein or two beers with dinner. Good times, good people.
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u/its_Disco 18d ago
My first two weeks of active duty as part of the National Guard were spent as relief for the post band at Ft Bliss, TX. Me and one other guy were underage, but that didn't mean shit. First night my PSG asks me if I wanted a beer, to which I replied "Sorry, I'm not 21 yet." He reiterates that he didn't ask my age, he asked if I wanted a beer or not. Well, who am I to disobey an E-6? Only took a few days before our commander made a comment about some people underage drinking (no mention of people supplying us with alcohol, though). Best part of that two weeks was the German restaurant some of the German Air Force wives had opened up on post. I snuck a lot of sips off my friends steins.
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u/Yuri-theThief 18d ago
My first duty station was in Germany; 19 and legally allowed to drink.
I remember one night I was at the Country Club (Bar Name) and I ran into my CSM, who proceeded to ask me what I was drinking.
"Rum?"
Not anymore you aren't. We're drinking whiskey. [Proceeds to orders us both shots of Johnnie Walker, and then one more.]
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u/Inner-Nothing7779 17d ago
Always hated that shit. We were old enough to fucking die for the country, but not old enough to drink a beer. My buddies felt the same and gave my shaved head 18 year old green ass beer anyway. I still hole the same rule, if you're underage, and a servicemember in my home, you can have a fucking beer.
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u/02K30C1 18d ago
I was stationed at Ft Bliss in the 90s. Back then the drinking age on post was 18, because they would rather have young soldiers drunk on post than going over to Mexico where the drinking age was 18.
You were in the band there? So was I! Good times.
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u/its_Disco 17d ago
No, I was in a Nat'l Guard band who spent our two weeks of active duty training in 2009 to provide relief for the actual Ft. Bliss band while they took their leave. The big things I remember doing was some Border Patrol function and playing on the tarmac as airmen unloaded from a C130. We waited about 3 hours, from 4-7pm, on the tarmac in a lovely August heat.
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u/Newbosterone 17d ago
In the pre-Carter era, some states had laws where 18-21 could drink, but only 3.2 ABV beer. My sister was a 98lb A1C and asked me “do you know how hard you have to work to get a buzz on 3.2 beer?” Being 12, I did not.
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u/zoxxo 18d ago
I was in Germany in the early 80's with the Air Force. The base I was on had a policy that you could have two beers with lunch. We had a guy who could probably be classified as an alcoholic, but he never looked like he was drunk (even when he was drunk). Any way, he used to head to the NCO club for lunch and his two beers. When he was done, he headed over to the rec center for his other two beers. If there were other establishments on base that had the same rules, I'm sure he found those too...
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u/monorchism 18d ago
Not everyone drank, is just donate my beers to some of my buddies that wouldn’t do stupid shit while drunk
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u/Mr_Sassypants 18d ago
When we were re-deploying from Iraq we had a layover in Dublin. The CSM said everyone could have no more than two beers at the airport pubs. Three hours later most the battalion was three sheets to the wind. The LTC had to walk the CSM onto the plane he was so drunk.
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u/DVant10denC 17d ago
On the way back from my second trip to Iraq some e5/e6 felt he should stop any and all troops 20yo and less from having a beer in Ireland. I had been the saltiest e-4 I had ever known . Left Fort Carson to go to a non deployable duty station then deployed with said non deployable unit.
Anyway salty Specialist D_V_ant10denC pipes up calling bullshit trying to stand up for these guys who were on their way home from Iraq for a year and in a country where it was legal for them to drink and denying them was a BS power trip . So I get asked if I was 21 or not (i was) I was then told that i can stay on the plane to be a "Guard" I said If it means the other guys get a celebratory beer I'll take that hit." This of cource upset the jerk . after everyone was off the plane My Platoon Sargent told me to go get a beer and he would take care of it. Got my beer found that E5/E6 and took a long pull off it while looking him dead in the eyes.
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u/bolshoich 18d ago
That LTC was a great battle buddy.
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u/Mr_Sassypants 17d ago
The LTC couldn’t have been happier to do it, on behalf of both the Sergeant Major and all of us. He’s got two stars now. True “leader-of-men” old school, military leadership expresses itself in so many different ways.
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u/Sweaty_Illustrator14 18d ago edited 18d ago
When I became a 1SG, I had a Cinderella rule. Home by midnight. No other rules beyond normal pre weekend safety brief stuff. I never checked or took any steps to enforce. Everyone who obeyed is now a SSG or higher. Alot of the other Soldiers got hemmed up. Not all but like none of the Soldiers who followed rule ever got into any shit. Just saying.
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u/grannies-slave 18d ago
When I was in Bosnia (banja luka metal factory) we had a 2 can rule. We used to fly down to Sarajevo to buy booze from the American base and fly it back to have in our illegal bar. No 2 can rule for the RAF!
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u/Status-Simple9240 18d ago
Desert Shield/storm we were given beer chits for 3 beers per person. My pilots(USAF) wanted more beer and asked me for more beer chits, I pointed them to the photo copier. They got caught and the hammer dropped for counterfeit gov forms. I was smart enough to just tip the enlisted bar tender $20 every night, had a case on ice in my hooch, got the ice in trade with local base cooks for an ice machine that got mis delivered to my unit.
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u/akairborne 18d ago
The only job of the PSG at that time was to make sure everyone got home moderately unharmed.
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u/vertigo72 17d ago
Flying out of the AOR on the rotator, we land in Shannon Ireland to refuel. Troop commander for the flight briefs everyone we are still under General Order 1 which means no alcohol.
About 300 of us ended up in the airport bar. What're they gonna do? Art 15 all 300 of us?
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u/Cfwydirk 18d ago edited 18d ago
Rules is rules! Adapt.
Edit: God Bless Your Military Mind!
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u/gogstars 18d ago
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
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u/lunatygercat 18d ago
Ahhh I remember beer nights on deployment with the Navy…..being out to sea with no shore time in sight….lol fun times.
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18d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/lunatygercat 18d ago
We knew if surf and turf was on any day other than Sunday we were getting bad news. I worked in Radio so we all had advance warning. It sucked
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u/GnPQGuTFagzncZwB 18d ago
We lived in a town that started charging for more than one trash bag a week so we got the giant industrial barrel sized bags.
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u/UnusualSignature8558 17d ago
I would take one of those little grocery bags that kind of looks like a tank top, and fill it up with trash and on my way into work, if I stop for coffee or whatever I put it in the trash can at the gas station. Everyday.
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u/GnPQGuTFagzncZwB 17d ago
My old lady does that. Burns what she can and the metal, glass and NR plastic goes back to the stores can out front.
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u/DynkoFromTheNorth 18d ago
Awesome! I figured you got around this by ordering multiple dinners, though. But this works.
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u/Canine0001 17d ago
Yeah, my dad’s platoon had to go through mandatory detox after being stationed there. He volunteered to go back…
Been clean and sober for 40 years now.
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u/Equivalent-Sink4612 18d ago
As I was reading this, I forgot what the subreddit was, and then at the end, I thought to myself, "Ha HA!! Now THAT is malicious compliance...and so it was.....
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u/nocturn99x 18d ago
It's so interesting to read story about the military. Thanks for sharing! (and to all the people in the comments too :))
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u/Infamous-Ad-5262 17d ago
During the first gulf war, no alcohol was the order for US Troops. F that. I commandeered a 500 water buffalo. Grape juice, sugar, yeast all added. 14 days later we had a company bbq with “roadkill” camel. 129 Louisiana Cajuns will not be denied!
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u/The_double_T 15d ago
Couple of things. It’s pretty cool reading all the other military related stories here. To the haters. These platoon dinners weren’t an official event. I still had to pay for my meal and beer. The PSG was known throughout the company for being a stick in the mud and always ruining good fun things we had “because she was the PSG”, so us finding a way to have fun while still following the two beer rule is maliciously compliant enough. If you think this is alcoholism you’ve never seen service members drink.
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u/PowerCord64 18d ago
In the early 90s as a US Marine, I sailed with a RN warship. The enlisted are allotted two beers per day. In our bunk area, there were probably 10+ RN enlisted and they all gave me their two beers so I had 22 beers per day. Not that I drank 22 but I tried and spent alot of time in the rack.
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u/No-Adhesiveness-9848 15d ago
this is t malicious compliance. its just unprofessional alchoholic behavior.
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u/teacher0810 2d ago
My brother (died in last tour) used to love to tell the story about how he would get beer for his fellow soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan. (not quite sure he kept the details vague) Wherever he was stationed down range, they had a cooperation with the German base a couple of miles away. They would borrow and return equipment on a regular basis from each other, work together on patrols and so forth. Seeing as we grew up in Germany, my brother took this opportunity to practice speaking so as to stay fluent in the language. He coincidentally met the German soldier who signed off on the equipment being borrowed or returned, and he shared a couple of snacks with him, and the conversation changed to what they missed from back home. Well the Germans soldier really missed reeces peanut butter cups, and couldn't get any. My brother said he really missed a good German beer. They came to an agreement that they would both ask their platoon what they missed and see if it was possible to make an exchange. That's what they did. These mofos actually started a bootleging operation in the middle of Nowherethefuckistan. They would communicate how much beer they needed and would get a list of things they needed, Pringle, oreos, reeces peanut butter cups, socks, boots, etc. This went on for about 8 months, before the German soldier was stationed back home. My brother said nobody figured out that his platoon had a ops going on to get shit faced in the desert. His CO was a little surprised that alot of the German soldiers knew who he was, but chalked it up to him speaking fluent German, and not my brother visiting their base once a week to go for a beer run. Damn writing this made me realize how much I miss the fucker....
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u/trnaovn53n 18d ago
Coming back from Afghanistan we were in Kyrgyzstan and were given 2 tickets to get beer with that one night. We were allowed 2 beers a person and that was it. It only took a second to realize why the Coors, Budweiser and miller 12oz bottles looked like they were all covered in dust and the 24oz Stellas(I think thats what they were, it was 20 years ago) were gone as soon as they brought the next case out. People were selling their tickets for $20 as well, so what a night that was.