Story: MSGT NCOIC Driver Trainer Gets Ticketed

During the last few months of my tour at Kadena AB, while I was waiting for my discharge to finalize, I was placed as Airman In Charge of some of the 67AMU’s side activities; Apparently the military has the same policy as Big Business when it comes to people who are about to leave.

One of my “Other Duties as Assigned” was to accompany my supervisor (MSgt Hearnes) to the wash rack to wash the captain’s truck. It seemed to me to be an unethical use of aircraft wash facilities, but I wasn’t about to go questioning a guy who had 3 LOR’s with my name on them waiting to be signed (He douchebaggedly used them as a deterrent rather than a disciplinary tool). On our way back, the good sergeant decided to “cut across the flightline” rather than driving around it as we are supposed to.

The speed limit for vehicles on the flightline is 15MPH, or about 24KPH. MSgt Hearnes didn’t seem to notice that his vehicle measured speed primarily in MPH, as do most American vehicles; he was used to his POV which measures KPH. I pointed out to him he was speeding at 25MPH but he simply dismissed my point without checking. We were subsequently pulled over crossing a taxiway at 25MPH / 40KPH. The SrA from Security Forces ordered the MSgt to surrender his flightline driving license immediately pending a driving course. Trying my best to stifle an outburst of laughter, I agreed sheepishly to drive the vehicle back to our unit. The funniest part of this story is that MSgt Hearnes was the NCOIC of Flightline Driver Training for the 67 AMU.