This is a story from my days at Fort Lewis that popped up recently.

We’d gone to do a readiness exercise where a bunch of people verify we have dog tags, our emergency forms get updated, and shots.  I don’t recall any more how we got there but it was too far to walk.

Several of us finished early, so one of the lieutenants volunteered to take us back in his car.  I sat in the front seat, and the other soldier in the back.  Before we left though, a bunch of other soldiers got done.  So they hopped in, too.

It was like a clown car.  We were all packed in there.  I was squished in the front seat because there was a big guy jammed into the seat with me.

So we’re driving down the street and we hear the “Whoop! Whoop!” of a police siren!

The military police pulled us over because were were overcrowded in the car.

The MP walked over, took one look at the lieutenant and went, “Ah, sir!”

The result was that I ended up getting out and riding in the back of the police car, which followed the lieutenant back to the unit.

I was mortified!  Couldn’t wait to get out of the car when we arrived.

***

And how to spill the tricky word lieutenant.  It’s easy because all you have to remember is the first part of the word:

Ten + Ant.  Add the Lieu in front of that.