(Tale of military life)

The life of a soldier is full of transfers. In each destination we are enriched by new experiences.

This story refers to a very trivial event that took place in the early years of the new century (and new millennium).

I had just arrived in a new location and I had to call a command to get information about a message with "interpretable" content. Being several hundred thousand euros, I think it is appropriate to clarify the exact terms of the problem, but I make the unpardonable mistake of making the last digit of the telephone number wrong.

I feel like answering

• Colonel Tizio ".

Obviously I did not want to disturb such a high official, especially since i rumors that always circulate on the colleagues of tunic not listed in the specific administrative sector, being a very valuable person in other more noble matters.

So I add ...

• Mr. Colonel, excuse me, I'm Major Caio. I'm calling you from Command XXX. Excuse me, I was wrong, I wanted to talk to Marshal Pinco about it ...

But he interrupts me, intimating:

• Let me talk to your Head of Service "

I add.. .

• Mr. Colonel, if you want to tell Lieutenant Colonel Sempronius that you want to talk to him; however, for the purposes of this interview, if there may have been interference on the line that did not make them hear what I have just said, I would like to apologize again for the disturbance caused to the serenissima SV reiterating, and I apologize again, that I have erroneously Enter the last digit by dialing your august number instead of the one of the humble Marshal Pinco ..... "

• Let me talk to Lieutenant Colonel Rossoverde

• Colonel, I really regret not being able to meet with the speed that you would like your request. In vain I would be baffled, since Lieutenant Colonel Rossoverde was my head of service in the previous destination. However, while now he remains there, I, from about 15 days are in this new location, as I clearly explained at the start, on my part, and I apologize, of this, if the SV allows me , pleasant conversation.

• Oh well, for this time pass.

• Colonel, glad to have offered you the daily opportunity to exercise the Christian virtue of forgiveness, greetings with unchanged esteem and, if the SV has not had the opportunity to hear the banging of my heels, please give me the order to stay on rest, so that I can lower the receiver because in the most rigid martial position, I can not put the phone without facing the risk of having to - subsequently - go to the military hospital. With my most deferential greetings, subordinate greetings.

The conversation took place "in a living voice" in front of two marshals, who felt they were beginning to believe the things I was telling about the scleroticity of certain characters who had never left the ministry after the academy, accustomed to dealing with people - provided they had less seniority and maybe risicate, as students in the first year of the course.
Between me and me I thought a maxim that I recorded in big letters in my brain "a vaffa and a damn not deny anyone".
Therefore, of that conversation, after a "shameful", I remember a nice "vaffa".