Remember that video of a Marine who videotaped himself throwing a puppy over a cliff while on patrol in Iraq? I felt like that puppy but that puppy made an appearance on every video networking sites and even on national news. (video link)

About a month ago, (23Jul08) we went to CATM (Combat Arms Training & Maint.) Our squadron didn’t have enough M4 so we had to borrow some from the 509th Security Forces Squadron. During our class, the instructor told us to disassemble the riffle to get familiar with its internal parts I opened mine and the lower receiver was covered with sand and the bolt carrier was soaked with greased then before I knew it my hand was also covered with oil like a scene from a scary movie.

So we went to the range and started shooting at targets then we did some of this and that, luckily we all qualified. Anyway, after the excitement and the adrenaline rush of shooting an unanimated target, we went back to the class room to clean our M4’s it took me about 1 hour and 30 mins to clean, our instructor had to check mine twice before he said that I was good to go. It was 3:45p when we left the CATM bldg.

Back in the armory of the 50th Security Forces Squadron, There were three of us had to come back to return our riffles. At the booth, a SrA (Senior Airman) inspected our weapons and he told us that we missed a spot so he gave us some cleaning materials and he told one of his guys to show us where the cleaning room is, when we got there this kid warned us about the guy in the booth.

“I’m sorry but he’s going to be a dick to you guys because you’re not from our squadron..”

What the kid said didn’t bother me at all because all I wanted is to clean my M4 so I could go home. …… We cleaned the M4 using the proper procedures……….

30 mins later, we came back to the booth to turn in our riffles but for some reason he wasn’t happy about it so he told us to clean it again so we did. To make the story short we started back to square one and went back to the booth for at least 10 times and it was already 8:45p when he finally accepted our riffles.

This guy was not nice at all, he reminded me an ex girlfriend who is very hard to impress. At the end of the night our M4’s were dry because we wiped them all night from 4p - 9p. What pisses me of the most is the riffles weren’t even clean when we first got them. Three M4s and three Airmen for 5 hours, we also had our Lieutenant and their Lieutenant helped us clean but for some reason we kept missing a spot.

At the end of the night, we turned in the cleanest M4’s in the Air Force Inventory.

I wanted to scream in front of everybody but thank God and Tom Cruise for stopping me and also I didn’t want embarrass our LT. I felt like we were being punished for borrowing their M4, there were some NCO’s (non-commissioned officers) going in and out of the cleaning room wondering why we were there. I wanted to refuse to clean it again but I didn’t because I didn’t want to make him mad.

Seriously, 5 hours for three M4’s

I felt violated, offended, discriminated, and I was hungry too. One team one fight? That is [REDACTED] I was going to file charges or file a law suit for cruelty and maltreatment since I’m on active duty, I can’t do it according to the UCMJ so I used my chain of command I told my supervisor about the incident he wasn’t happy about it and he brought it up to the chain. I still haven’t heard anything about it.

I know that the Military is not fair especially if you’re one of the lowest ranking and I accept that I know I have to work my way up but the way they treated me at the 509th Security Forces Squadron was unacceptable, demeaning, and I felt like I was being punished. I should have told them to arrest me instead. My boss don’t even treat me like that, but a SrA from a different squadron apparently was bored enough to keep us busy for 5 hours.

This post has been edited to protect my ass, for questions please use the contact form

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