'Enjoy the wake up call!': Corporal talks back to commanding officer, gets malicious compliance during night watch

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
May 5, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

Someone's got to take the night shift, but of course, no one really wants to. 

Working overnight means that you have to force yourself to stay awake for hours, even as you start to feel loopy and exhausted. Your body is screaming at you to get some rest, but you have to keep walking around and keep busy in order to keep your eyes open. 

By the time your shift is over, you're happy to crash into bed and sleep all day. But, you know, during the day is when everyone else is awake and doing all their activities. By the time you wake up at 2 or 3 in the afternoon, you feel like you've really missed out. There are a few hours to eat or do some laundry, and then it's time to start the cycle all over again. 

This person, u/dbdemoss2, shared a story that happened while they were stationed in the Arizona desert. That's already a place that's uncomfortable to stay in long-term thanks to the triple-digit heat waves, and these soldiers had to stay outside most of the time. Everyone was already in a bad mood due to the endless heat, so when this person got into a squabble with their commanding officer, they knew it wouldn't end well. 

Check out this great story of malicious compliance. Then, read about these moments of cringe that were unfortunately very public, like the ill-fated young guy who "proposed to his girlfriend of two weeks at senior prom." 

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  • 01
    Put me on late night watch and have me wake everyone up!? Enjoy the wake up call! L Excuse the formatting, on a cell phone. Tl;dr at the bottom. This happened a few years ago out in the deserts of Arizona.
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 02
    Just to paint the picture a little, I'm a young hot Corporal in the Marine Corps. I have the bulldog mentality and am all about malicious compliance. Kind of why I love this sub so much. We just convoyed out to Yuma, AZ from the beautiful 29 Palms, CA. If you've ever been to 29 Palms you know this is not true. We take our whole Battalion, some 900 guys from one desert to another more inhospitable desert for three weeks in the
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 03
    middle of August. We're sleeping outside under Cami Nets and are using outdoor facilities the whole time. Loads of fun. One morning we're all getting up, pretty slowly I might add. There was a late night training event the night before and we were all done with. Not to mention as soon as the sun looks over the mountains it's easily 100 degrees outside. So we're hot, tired and generally pissy. We have a MSgt who we'll just call MSgt that's a little out
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 04
    there. Dude had been in for a minute and was just an all around weird guy. I liked him and disliked him at the same time. Or as a saying we use a lot in the Corps, "I like him as a person but not as a Marine." So anyway he's walking around kicking peoples racks telling them to get up and what not. Even though days prior we had setup up a night watch and this was the time those guys were supposed to be sleeping.
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 05
    Plus it was the coolest and they needed rest. So of course I opened my mouth and said something. "Uhh MSgt, why are you waking them up? They're supposed to be asleep?" "Excuse me Corporal? You're right why am I waking them up? You should be doing this as an NCO!" (Non Commissioned Officer)
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 06
    "Well MSgt the reasoning is, those guys have been awake all night. They're our night watch, you know the guys YOU said you wanted to be up to watch in case something went down?" "Who do you think you're talking to Cpl?!" This is where I should've watched my bearing but I wasn't thinking clearly. And have since then chilled out.
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 07
    "MSgt I'm talking to you... we've been having a conversation this whole time? You replied to my question?" This was a bad move, especially when others are around to hear and start laughing. So of course I chewed out. Not a get my bad chewing but enough. And as I should have received.
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 08
    After the chewing I was put on the last firewatch. Firewatch is the term we use to mean late night watch. You have shifts and someone stays awake for a few hours and ensure Marines aren't doing dumb וי or a fire doesn't start or to be there to alert someone of an emergency.. exc. exc.
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 09
    So boom this means every morning at 0400 I'm up watching everything and waking everyone up at 0530. Cool. me. Enter Malicious compliance. When you're back on base they have the reveille call every morning at 0800. It's to signify the raising of the flag. They also have a song that goes with it https://youtu.be/SGnZxcS7VKA
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 10
    Being as we're out here in the desert we don't have that. And the way our cami net castle is setup it's right next to everyone else in the battalion. So 5:30 hits, on the dot I hit the switch that turns on these huge flood lights, I scream ###REVIELLE! As loud as I can three times, which this light is right next to MSgt who's sleeping so cozily in his cot. And after screaming reveille I proceed to
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 11
    do the whole bugle call by mouth as loud as possible. I'm pretty good at it as well. Have it memorized note for note. I wasn't expecting the reactions from the Marines as I thought, all my buddies were in their cots crying from laughter and everyone else was just like Semi laughing semi I and then I look over at MSgt whose ? just staring at me. So I. He never said a word about it to me
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 12
    and told my Sgt to take me off of that firewatch after the 3rd day. I guess he didn't like being woke up like that. tl;dr made to wake up before everyone and stand watch. Decided to wake everyone up a better way. Was taken off of watch immediately and wasn't allowed to wake people up with my rendition of the bugle call.
    via u/dbdemoss2
  • 13
    penguinsophiesdad As a fellow Cpl of Marines | must say this is beautifully done. I applaud you good sir.
    via u/penguinsophiesdad
  • 14
    TheOtacon This was great! I've got some friends in all branches and they have similar stories. The crazy stuff you all think of cracks me up.
    via u/TheOtacon
  • 15
    cajuncrustacean Dude, if I had a nickle for every time my dad woke me up like that (complete with reveille) I could settle the national debt. It must be a Marine thing lol. Thanks for the trip down memory lane
    via u/cajuncrustacean
  • 16
    sleazsaurus My boyfriend is a marine and spent a couple years at 29 Palms about 9 years ago. He has that song saved as one of his alarms so I get to hear that every morning at 5:30. And then, at 5:45 when his second alarm goes off, it's the Marine's Hymn. And I'm the only one who actually wakes up to them.
    via u/sleazsaurus

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boss workplace-stories wake up jobs desert job malicious compliance bosses work coworkers malicious-compliance-reddit morning marines workplace malicious compliance reddit
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