On Duty for a Reason!

We were stationed not too far from a place called South Hampton, we used to all go down to the dance hall. We’d be all fooling around, dancing carrying on raising the devil so there was this corporal, so when we went on duty, we’d go on for the weekend, you’d go on from Friday night until Monday morning. And see the army said if someone did something wrong, if they ordered you to do something that wasn’t right, you’d do it and then complain after. So three weekends right behind each other I was on weekend duty so my buddy was saying, “Hey, Cromwell, how come you are on duty, this is your third weekend? ” So I said, “Well, I was told so I’ll do the duty.” First thing Monday morning I went and the same corporal that was giving out the, he was the one that gives you the duties eh. I stopped and said, “I’d like to see the sergeant please.” “What for? ” I said, “I just want to talk to the sergeant.” “You can’t see the sergeant until you tell me what for.” And the sergeant was in back and he said, “What’s the trouble, Cromwell? ” I said, “Can I speak to you, sir? ” “Yes, come on in!” I said, “I just came off duty.” I said, “This was my third weekend.” “What? ” I said, “Yes.” “Can you prove that? ” I said, “Well,” I said, “it’s on the orders there.” He looked at it and he called the corporal in, “Can you explain to me why this man, why this soldier took three weekends in a row? ” Well, he stammered and went on and everything and he said, “Cromwell, you can go now.” And he told the corporal, “You stay here,” and I stopped to listen and he gave him the devil, up hill and down! He says, “Next time that soldier goes on duty I will say so.” I didn’t go on duty I think it was about a month afterwards. The guys were saying, “Hey, what did you do? ” “I don’t know.” So next time one of my good buddy’s was telling me, he said, the guy was mad, he said, “Remember that girl kept coming and asking you to dance and stuff like this, that was the corporal’s girlfriend.” I said, “Oh that’s why he kept me on duty.” Things like that would happen, you know, it’s just a little trouble to get into.