When we go in the gate at Fort Campbell I roll down the back driver’s side window of my Ford Explorer so that the guard can see that the person sitting back there without an ID is a 3-year-old, not a terrorist. The unintended result of this, however, has been that my son feels the need to not only talk to the guard every time, but absolutely insists on … wait for it …
Showing him (or her) his shoes. Case in point:
I roll down the window and Dave says “shoes!” and then shows the gate guard his shoes. And we cannot drive away until I convince the guard to comment on Dave’s shoes lest I have to deal with a crushed, broken toddler.
I have no idea why he feels the need to show everyone his shoes. It doesn’t seem to matter what pair they are, either. The guard must have a chance to see Dave’s shoes.
He calls this event “Hi, Man.” As we drive up to the gate he says “See ‘Hi, Man?’” And when we drive away he says “Bye ‘Hi Man!’”
I, at least, think it’s really cute.
If you live on or visit base regularly the guards are a regular part of your military life. You may even develop a friendship with some of them. So what’s your favorite gate guard story?
About Amy Bushatz
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That's really cute!!!
Hah. I've pulled plenty of different kinds of guard duties over the years so this story is a hit with me.
Good on you for rolling down the windows. Any guard worth half his pay is suspicious of every vehicle that rolls up, no matter who or what it is. We want to know who/what is in the vehicle. And even if we seem like your best friend we're still suspicious. Sounds like paranoia and over dramatism, right? Well it is. And that's what keeps you safe at work.
Anyways, I'm babbling. It's very very cool to have an awkward cute moment like that with a kid. It's random unexpected fun. After sucking dirt, dust, and fumes from a hundred vehicles an hour in the freezing/scorching weather and dealing with, usually, less than happy-to-see-me people, it's a Godsend to have a weird little break like that.
So good on your kid, too. That moment sticks with us for the day as, probably, the only happy moment we'll get. Thank you.
I always roll down the window, even if it's just to say a genuine "Hi!" and an equally sincere "Have a great day!" because I *love* our gate guards, no matter where we are, no matter the country. They are keeping our families and loved ones safe! Whenever I have my dog with me (Nadya), Nadya LOVES soldiers and HAS to say "Hi" to the "nice people" at the gate. Always. She will lick any guard's hand who reaches over to pet her (She's a German Shepherd so I understand the cautious ones). She knows all soldiers are "Daddy's people" and her love for him extends to each and every one of them (in uniform).
Once when my husband and I were dating we drove from where I lived in dc to Quantico. Somewhere on North Capitol St we heard a thunk and hit something but thought nothing of it. When we got to the gate the guard had a strange look on his face and his weapon out.
We were confused and showed our IDs and after looking at them thoroughly he said, “Um, you know you have a huge piece of rebar sticking out of your bumper right?”
What??
We pull over and sure enough there is a metal bar maybe half an inch in circumference and three feet long sticking out of my car like a battering ram!! Luckily it hit nothing in my engine and just left a small hole in my bumper. The guard’s face was priceless…. Like we’d try to storm the gate with a piece of rebar from the road!
It still sits in my car on my drivers side in case I ever need a last minute weapon ;) My dad grew up in NYC so I always have something per his insistence. This is perfect for the job!
My husband makes extra food when it’s his turn to and takes it to our gate guards. It came in handy one day when I couldn’t find my ID in the bottem of my purse they knew I was the wife of Anel the food guy and let me in. I told him when I got home about it and said ” I told you not to complian about being nice” the lesson learned was I needed to be nicer to people that I may come across in my daily life.
Even when I'm rushed or grumpy, when I go through the gate I make sure to smile, make eye contact, and answer "Fabulous!" when asked how my day is going. I say it in the SNL voice of Billy Crystal, and that usually gets a laugh, and sometimes, sparks a chorus of "Fabulous"'s among the guards. Makes my husband roll his eyes when he's with me, but I see him trying not to smile!!
I spent many hours guarding gates once in my life, I developed friendships with lots of people! It was a good time, of course I was young and cute back then so that helped! :) I used to get really mad when I was super friendly and people were grumpy back to me!
is this really an article?
I've had only 2 experiences with the gate guards at Sub Base New London and both were comical. The first time I went to base, I missed the pass office parking lot and pulled into the gate; when the guard walked up to me to check ID, i smiled and politely said "I'm meeting a friend here and I guess I pulled into the wrong place!" he smiled and said "Yes, you did!" and quickly told me out to get out of the gate area and back to the pass office lot. I laughed said "thanks!" and told him "I told my friend that I'd miss the lot! he said i wouldn't, but it looks like i won the bet!!" thanked him again and drove off with and caught him in my rear view mirror still laughing at my statement.
the second time, i was with my bf and i could not find my insurance card at all, the guard directed me to a small parking lot and i was tailed by one of the sailors who was on watch. After I parked, I spent the next few minutes dumping everything out of my glove box totally panicked that i could not find my insurance papers while my bf tried in vein to calm me down and the armed sailor did the same. When I finally found my paperwork, I handed it over laughing nervously (NWUs and rifles make me intimidated despite being a Navy gf) and got my day pass. I was so gracious and friendly during my panic attack that the sailor could not help but be helpful and friendly. i now have my insurance papers where they should be and i hope my next time getting onto base goes a lot more smoothly.
both incidents probably brightened up the guards' day and probably made for good stories later on.