The Captain called the Sergeant in.“Sarge,I just got a telegram. Private Jones’mother died yesterday. Better go to tell him and send him in to see me.”
So the Sergeant calls for his morning formation and lines up all the troops.“Listen up,men,”says the Sergeant.“Johnson,report to the mess hall for KP. Smith,report to Personnel to sign some papers. The rest of you men report to the Motor Pool for maintenance. Oh,by the way,Jones,your mother died,report to the commander.”
Later that day the Captain called the Sergeant into his office.“Hey,Sarge,that was a pretty cold way to inform Jones his mother died. Couldn’t you be a bit more tactful,next time?”“Yes,sir,”answered the Sarge. A few months later,the Captain called the Sergeant in again with,“Sarge,I just got a telegram. Private McGrath’s mother died. You’d better go to tell him and send him in to see me. This time be more tactful.”So the Sergeant called for his morning formation.“Ok,men,fall in and listen up. Everybody with a mother,take two steps forward—NOT SO FAST,McGRATH!”
艦長(zhǎng)把軍事長(zhǎng)叫進(jìn)去,說(shuō):“軍事長(zhǎng),我剛剛收到一份電報(bào),說(shuō)列兵瓊斯的母親昨天去世了。你最好把這個(gè)消息告訴他,并讓他來(lái)見我?!?
因此軍事長(zhǎng)命令出早操,讓全體士兵排好隊(duì)?!笆勘鴤?,聽我的命令,”軍事長(zhǎng)道,“約翰森,你到食堂報(bào)到,去給他們幫廚;史密斯,你到人事處報(bào)到,去簽幾份文件。其余的都到機(jī)艙報(bào)到,去維護(hù)輪機(jī)。噢,對(duì)了,瓊斯,你母親去世了,趕緊去向司令官報(bào)到?!?
當(dāng)天晚些時(shí)候,艦長(zhǎng)把軍事長(zhǎng)叫進(jìn)了辦公室。“嗨,軍事長(zhǎng),你太沒(méi)有人情味兒了,不能就這么通知瓊斯,說(shuō)他母親去世了。下次再遇到這種情況,能說(shuō)得再婉轉(zhuǎn)些嗎?”“是,長(zhǎng)官?!避娛麻L(zhǎng)答道。幾個(gè)月后,艦長(zhǎng)又把軍事長(zhǎng)叫進(jìn)了辦公室。“軍事長(zhǎng),我剛剛收到一份電報(bào),列兵邁克格雷的母親去世了。你最好把這個(gè)消息告訴他,并讓他來(lái)見我。這次要說(shuō)得再婉轉(zhuǎn)些。”因此軍事長(zhǎng)又命令士兵出早操。“好了,士兵們,集合,聽我的命令。所有母親還健在的,往前走兩步——邁克格雷,你不用走那么快!”