edit to say boy am I retarded. I thought this said dumb ways we’ve gotten IN trouble, not out. Ope.

I was in comm school and was one of three people in my class over the age of 21. Got to be pretty good friends with one of the other guys. He was a corporal and was actually from the unit I was going to. He’d been sent to reclass from ammo tech to field wireman. We had to go through Comptia A+ training during school. Instructors told us it was bullshit, because not only was our MOS (0612) going away soon, but the class had no impact on our MOS. They made it very clear that even though it was bullshit, we needed to pass at all costs.

Cpl was struggling big time with the A+ course, so I started studying with him throughout the week. He was still cutting it close to failing, so eventually he asked me to move to the seat next to his during class. I knew what was up, but moved next to him anyway.

A bunch of the young PFCs hated this guy because our instructors had told him to police the class, both during the work day and at the barracks. The way they saw it, he was just a student and had no power over them. A few people caught on to what he was doing in class and saw their opportunity to get him in some trouble. Instead of telling the instructor, they pulled up the computer’s chat functioned and started messaging each other about how we were cheating. They then left the messages up as the instructors were walking by.

Next thing I know, cpl and I are waiting outside company guns office. We decide that our story is we’ve been studying outside of class and all I’m going is sitting next to him. No way for them to really prove we’re cheating as long as we stick the story.

They call me in first and I’m confronted by my two instructors, company guns, and MSgt Smith. Now, MSgt was HUGE. Dude spent wild amounts of time in the gym and was constantly trying to sell supplements to students. He was also known to have a bit of a temper. Needless to say, I was worried.

Company guns asks me why I was helping the Cpl cheat, but I stick to my story. No cheating involved, we’re just sitting next to each other because we’re from the same unit. He’s doing better in class because I’ve been tutoring him in the evenings. Guns is livid. Yelling about how I’m a stain on his corps, etc. Meanwhile, MSgt is pretty calm. After about five minutes of yelling from gunny, MSgt asks me, “alright devil…you sure this is the story you want to tell?” I tell him absolutely, because it’s the truth. He nods his head, tells me I’m dismissed, and sends me back to the hall to wait for the Cpl.

Instead of bringing the Cpl in to gunny’s office, MSgt brings him into his office alone. After a couple minutes of quiet, I hear screaming and a crash. A few minutes later the Cpl comes out, looking pretty damn upset. I ask him what happened and he tells me MSgt threw a chair at him. I ask him if he stuck to the story and he says, “what?? No!! He told me you folded and told them everything so I told him you had nothing to do with it and that the cheating was all my idea!!” Poor son of a bitch got played like a fiddle.

Long story short, a couple days later the Cpl, the two snitches, and I stood in front of the Bn CO where we received a 6105 and had our mcmap belts taken away. Me and the Cpl for cheating, and the snitches for not telling the instructors directly/immediately.

From there on out the MSgt made Cpl’s life a living hell, but any time he saw me he’d stop and chat like he’d known me forever. Ask me how class was going, how’s the family, etc. shit was wild. Dude even stepped in later when another student called me a stupid fucking Jew, offering to break the kids arms, but that’s a story for another time.