[Ads-l] officer

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Thu Jul 19 05:33:43 UTC 2018


"Yes sir", only Cruise answers, weakly.
"I can't hear you!", shouts Sgt Hulka.
"Yes Sir!" all the newly enlisted men shout.
"You don't say sir to me - I'm a sergeant. I work for a living."
"Yes sergeant!!"
"That's better."

Totally authentic, word for word. Those were the good old days! There's
also an "I hate civilians!" rant that I no longer recall.

On Wed, Jul 18, 2018 at 4:20 PM Andy Bach <afbach at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, July 17, 2018 Mark Mandel mark.a.mandel at gmail.com wrote:
> > The officer opened it and looked up
> at me, and I said, "Excuse me, officer"-- then I noticed the triple chevron
> pin on his collar-- "I beg your pardon, *sergeant*-- may I ask what's
> happening here?" He grinned as he answered me.
>
> "Yes sir", only Cruise answers, weakly.
> "I can't hear you!", shouts Sgt Hulka.
> "Yes Sir!" all the newly enlisted men shout.
> "You don't say sir to me - I'm a sergent. I work for a living."
> "Yes sargent!!"
> "That's better."
> Stripes
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 18, 2018 at 12:27 PM, Mark Mandel <mark.a.mandel at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > On Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 8:07 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > So true. But as a civvy, wouldn't you address any member of the fuzz
> > (gotta
> > > revive that word!) as "Officer"?
> > >
> >
> > Not if I see and recognize their rank insignia. Understandably, they seem
> > to appreciate proper address.  One time in NYC there was something
> > happening on the street, maybe a demonstration or a block closed off.
> There
> > was a police car standing nearby, and the officers inside looked relaxed,
> > so I knocked on the passenger window. The officer opened it and looked up
> > at me, and I said, "Excuse me, officer"-- then I noticed the triple
> chevron
> > pin on his collar-- "I beg your pardon, *sergeant*-- may I ask what's
> > happening here?" He grinned as he answered me.
> >
> > Mark Mandel
> >
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
>
> a
>
> Andy Bach,
> afbach at gmail.com
> 608 658-1890 cell
> 608 261-5738 wk
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


-- 
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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