Supply Wagon

I worked in Supply in the Marine Corps for nine years. We enjoyed playing practical jokes on each other. We had a big, heavy duty wagon that we used to push the big crates around the warehouse. During the lunch hour, Marines would go into the warehouse to catch a quick nap.

One day I walked into the warehouse during lunch hour. There were Marines sleeping everywhere: in boxes, on top of the boxes, stretched out on the floor, and there was even one poor Marine who happened to fall asleep on the wagon. Just a few feet from the wagon was the garage door, which happened to be open. Just outside the door was a long paved road heading down hill to the parking lot.

I had an idea. I started to push the wagon. I pushed very slowly so that he wouldn't wake up. The wagon got closer and closer until, away he went. The wagon bounced as it started to pick up speed. He woke up about half way down the hill. I could guess what he was thinking. He looked up at the push handle as if to see who was pushing him around the warehouse. No one was there.

By this time he was already in the parking lot with parked cars rushing past. I never imagined that the wagon could go that fast. I'm sure he was more surprised than I was. He managed to stop the wagon and started pushing it back up the long hill.

I continued to watch, but now I was hiding at a safe distance because I didn't know what mood he was going to be when he got back. He pushed the wagon up the hill, stopped just inside the garage door, lied down on the wagon and went back to sleep.

Just then, the warrant officer in charge of supply walked in. He looked at his watch (still lunch time), then around the warehouse. He saw Marines sleeping everywhere: in boxes, on top of the boxes, stretched out on the floor, and there was even one poor Marine who happened to fall asleep on the wagon, close to the door, door is open, long hill...

He had the same idea I had. He walked up to the wagon and gave it a stiff push. It wasn't hard enough to get the wagon out the door but it was sure enough to wake up that Marine, who still didn't know who pushed him the first time. This time the sleeping Marine bounced right up with cuss words flying. He had a second surprise of a lifetime when he noticed that the Marine to whom he was cussing, was the officer in charge.

I never did tell him that I pushed him the first time.

Eric W Johnson
Marine, 1983-1992