"The Ass Chewing"

         Seeing the picture of the MP compound in Da Lat it reminded me of an incident I had all but forgotten. I had to visit the MP compound once and I'm pretty sure that was it.

        After moving to Kraus compound in Da Lat I worked directly for the First Sergeant, a big, burly Italian from New Jersey named Fiori. I had a jeep assigned to me and all the responsibilities that went with it.  One evening I let a "friend" borrow it.  Big mistake!  Well after dark he came into the hooch and told me someone had stolen the jeep.  He had left it unchained at a restaurant down the road from the compound.  Oh crap!  all I could think of was how long it was going take to pay for it after I got out of jail.  Me and my buddy went straight to the 1SG and explained the situation.  He was super cool about it.  The MP's had found it unsecured and impounded it.  The next day I had to present myself at the MP compound with an officer LT Corral (an ex-surfer dude from southern California turned career officer, cool guy), and a document describing the punishment I was to receive, Article-15 etc.  When I returned with the jeep the 1SG called me into the Commanding Officers office and shut the door...........to my surprise the CO wasn't in there.  After a royal ass chewing I was told if I ever loaned government property again he would have my head mounted on the wall.  No other punishment was levied.

SP/4 Dennis Ferguson, E Company, 43rd Signal Battalion, January 1969 to October 1969.