Yesterday my 4 year old son asked about helping me paint something. When I let him help a little, he soon got distracted and started painting rocks (gravel) outside my workshop. That got me wondering...
As a military brat I heard, oh, too often, about the poor lower enlisted having to paint rocks on military bases.
When I was with the US Army Field Artillery (King of Battle and those that brought down the Berlin Wall, but that's another story) I only had one occasion when my soldiers were subjugated to this most menial of tasks. I hadn't directed it, nor had my platoon sergeant. My guys hadn't done anything to deserve such a crappy task⦠Turned out that the battalion sergeant major just randomly picked a platoon in the casern to paint rocks around the motor pool. I was outraged and immediately (I mean immediately) called a training exercise and ran my guys to the field where we dined on victuals from the local metzgerie and bakerie. Then I brought them in on Friday morning to clean the vehicles and enjoy the weekend.
I just couldn't stand the thought of them in such mind numbing tasks. Better a night in the field training to kill soviets that an hour painting rocks.
So...
Did anyone else ever actually paint rocks while in the military? I understand its use as a remedial / punishment duty, and I'm all for hearing why you had to paint pebbles.
As a military brat I heard, oh, too often, about the poor lower enlisted having to paint rocks on military bases.
When I was with the US Army Field Artillery (King of Battle and those that brought down the Berlin Wall, but that's another story) I only had one occasion when my soldiers were subjugated to this most menial of tasks. I hadn't directed it, nor had my platoon sergeant. My guys hadn't done anything to deserve such a crappy task⦠Turned out that the battalion sergeant major just randomly picked a platoon in the casern to paint rocks around the motor pool. I was outraged and immediately (I mean immediately) called a training exercise and ran my guys to the field where we dined on victuals from the local metzgerie and bakerie. Then I brought them in on Friday morning to clean the vehicles and enjoy the weekend.
I just couldn't stand the thought of them in such mind numbing tasks. Better a night in the field training to kill soviets that an hour painting rocks.
So...
Did anyone else ever actually paint rocks while in the military? I understand its use as a remedial / punishment duty, and I'm all for hearing why you had to paint pebbles.
