A Real Navy Man
Five junior officers were given an assignment by the base commander to provide him with the height of the main flagpole. Knowing the dangers associated with ladders and junior officers, the Captain forbid them to climb on anything to make the measurement. The flagpole was a flurry of activity...the officers ran around with notebooks and calculators, using complicated math formulas to try and ascertain the flagpole's height using the length of its shadow and the position of the sun. But the calculations did not come out right, no matter how hard they tried. Just when they were ready to give up, a salty Chief came walking by. The Officers quickly told him of their plight, and asked him for help. The Chief grudgingly agreed to assist. Cursing under his breath, the Chief studied the situation for a moment, grabbed a measuring tape out of one of the bewildered officers hand, and quickly went to work. He calmly pulled the flag pole out of its mount, laid it down and measured it. He then stood the pole back up in its mount, shouted to the officers "15 feet" and walked off. The Officers were shaking their heads in disbelief. "Isn't it just like a Chief," one disgusted officer said. "They are always trying feed you a line. You ask him for the height, and he gives you the length."
Originally published November 14, 2002.
