Robbery!

The day at the US weapons range was great, but things quickly took a turn for the worst for 6 of us. While we were out, our barracks was robbed. The perpetrators broke padlocks off of some of the wall lockers, and stole whatever money they could find. One person lost around $400, but it was truly poetic justice. He had been stealing food out of the DFAC (dining facility) – in particular things we’re not allowed to have like desserts, and selling it in the barracks.
For me, the ordeal turned out to be pretty interesting. The MP’s as well as civilian police responded (CSI does not handle petty theft) and conducted a full-blown investigation. That included searching the entire barracks along with each individual wall locker. The officer in charge had a peculiar sense of humor that I found quite funny. He kept teasing people to see how they react. For example, while searching one (rather gullible) private’s possessions, he came across liquid laundry soap. He told the private, in a very official sounding tone, “I need you to dump that out so I can inspect it.” The dumbfounded (and dumb) private actually began to comply, but the officer told him, grin suppressed but showing, “No, no, that’s OK. I trust you.” One of the officers is a former Psyop. He told me a bit about training at Ft. Bragg, and told me I will thoroughly love the job. In the end, the culprits were not found. However, it did make for an interesting diversion from otherwise not-so-exciting days. I just feel sorry for those who lost valuables that they actually earned.