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Eighteenth Job of Bob - The all-mighty "State," Part II - yet another job interview from Hell, air base
This entry was posted on 8/21/2008 7:09 PM and is filed under Jobs of Bob, Job Interviews from Hell.
A cascade of job interviews came down upon me all at once for the State of Wisconsin. I went ahead and interviewed for them all just for the heck of it - what did I have to lose? One of the most memorable and yet most irritating of those interviews was for a job as a janitor at one of the air bases run by the state. As luck would have it, I worked the day of the interview at the farm store starting at noon. I chose an optional interview time of 8:00 a.m. in the morning so I could just head over to work after the interview, also giving myself plenty of time.
I hopped in my pickup truck - actually it was the '83 Ford Dad had left me when he died - and made the trek north from Mom's house to the air base. I was early so I headed up the road further north to a gas station and restaurant within sight of the base entrance gate. I found some coffee and a donut and headed back south to the base.
I remember sitting for a bit in an office area. It reminded me of some of the clerk areas I sat in while getting orders typed up while I was in the Army. Soon a man came out in an Air Force uniform, politely smiled, and led me back to the interview area. He was a Sergeant of some level, I can't remember exactly his grade now. As I remember there was three or four other people - male and female - in civilian cloths in the interview besides the Air Force dude. There was some chit-chat about my work experience. They all seemed interested that I had been a supervisor with the Park and Recreation Department in Dallas, Texas. The interview seemed to be going well. As usual, I found it amusing that so many people were in on an interview for a janitor job. They talked about my work managing so many people, keeping up with vandalized park restrooms and my large acreage of litter crew responsibilities I had in Dallas - not unlike an air field one of them eluded to. The Air Force dude sat quietly and grinned at me throughout the interview. Then it was his time to speak.
"You use drugs in the Army, son?" Air Force dude asked.
"No," I quickly said, and was broadsided by the quick turn of the timbre of the interview.
"A lot of drug users during 'Nam don't you think, Mr. Keith? Air Force dude continued the tract.
"Well, I could not choose the era I was born to serve in, Sargent," I said, trying to sound as positive as possible.
"Did you have any trouble finding the place today, Mr. Keith - what way did you have to drive from? Air Force dude asked.
"No problem," I said, and then I continued, "I came from Janesville from just south of you and had time to drive up and get a cup of coffee at the store up the street."
"Yeah, but, you came from the store up the street which is north of us here so you actually came from the north then," Air Force dude said, and he gave me a menacing glower.
"Well, yes it is true I made the juke up the get a cup and then came back down to your gate," I agreed and then began to realize this was a guy like so many guys I had met in the military that had gone stark raving mad at some point for what ever reason.
"So you either lied when you said you came from the south or you have no idea where you are," Air Force dude said and pointed his finger at me.
"I am rather lost now in your question," I said, and continued, "Which way do you want me to be from then? My temporary home is in Janesville just south of you. Home is my base station for directions." It now dawned on me I could give no right answer to this lunatic.
"I think I've heard enough from this lier and lost person," Air Force dude said and then he capped off his presentation with, "Most of the Army personnel during 'Nam were dope heads, it is probably why you don't know where you are.
Every one got up and the other interviewers smiled politely, thanked me, and shook my hand as if the lunatic specter on their panel had never spoken.
Wisconsin military service person of the week
Army Specialist Michelle Witmer, 20, from New Berlin, Wisconsin, died Friday, April 9, 2004 in Baghdad, Iraq. Her tour in Iraq was a few days from ending when she died. Her vehicle came under attack from enemy using a roadside bomb and small-arms fire in Baghdad. Witmer had been stationed in Baghdad since March 2003 with the 32nd Military Police Company of the Wisconsin National Guard. Michelle joined the National Guard in November 2002, going into the same military police unit her older sister Rachel, age 24, was in and who also was in Iraq. Charity Witmer, Michelle's twin sister, was a medic with Company B of the Wisconsin Guard's 118th Medical Battalion, and was likewise stationed in Iraq. According the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Michelle and Rachel helped train Iraqi police. Michelle's job was during the night shift at the local police station. The Journal Sentinel went on to mention the Witmer children were home-schooled at the k-thru-12 level and Michelle went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before being sent to Iraq. At the time of her death, Michelle Witmer was survived by her two brothers Timothy, 22, Mark, 18, her sisters Rachel, 24, and Charity, 20, and her parents John and Lori Witmer. Michelle was the 16th Wisconsin military service person to be killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
86,661 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
8,530 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,145 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
574 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
314 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
340 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
30,509 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
2,330 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
91 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
11 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
130 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
15 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
Soldier of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; and, icasualties.org.
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