Stories of the Highway Patrol

THE OFFICER

by Harry C. Wallace, CMSgt [Ret.]

One night, as we patrolled a section known to be a bit rowdy and where the local beer joints were off limits, I notice a parked vehicle bearing GI license plates.  I entered the establishment and immediately noticed a First Lieutenant, SAF-type sitting at the bar making time with a couple of German women.  He was wearing WWII ribbons.  Way too young for those, I thought, plus he wasn't acting the way an officer should.  I asked him to leave ASAP.  He complied.  Before he drove off, I took his license plate number down for future reference along with the name on his nametag.

Upon returning to the station that night, I called a couple of the Air Bases to see if they had such a First Lieutenant  All replied in the negative except for one who replied that they had an Airman First Class with the same name [he had been stupid enough to wear his real name tag] who was AWOL.  I immediately placed an APB out on the fellow and looked for him long and wide for about a week.  Lo and behold, one day I got a call from the gas station next to our station house.  The attendant said the fellow we had a wanted poster out for had stopped for gas and presently was in the latrine.  You can imagine how fast I ran to that latrine!  There he was without either his bars or his superior attitude.  I turned him over to the Air Force and was satisfied to learn that he received a special court martial for posing as an officer and being AWOL.