Army Wife Demands Military Salute, Completely Unaware of What She's Getting Herself Into
As time passed, tension seemed to build up more and more. She sat behind the wheel while everyone stood before her. They stood there, saluting frozen in place, without even the slightest hint of emotion. They stood completely motionless, not a blink could be seen. Initially, she was surprised by their reaction, but now it was becoming uncomfortable. She regretted it, but it was already too late!
Her entitlement
At the age of 52, Margaret Willis had become accustomed to the privileges that come with being a military spouse. She wasn't just an ordinary wife, but the wife of a Colonel. Her position in his world demanded more respect.
Margaret was used to navigating daily life with the grace and dignity befitting a Colonel's wife. Unfortunately, she wasn't always aware when she crossed certain boundaries. There was still work to be done.
Life on the other end
Being a Colonel came with certain perks. One of them was the ability for family members to live on the base camp. This privilege was reserved for select military personnel.
Among the residents of the base camp were enlisted soldiers. One of them, Corporal Thomas West, was extremely ambitious and disciplined in his work. But meeting Margaret Willis revealed how far he was willing to go to follow certain orders.
Living by a code
Life at the Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) base camp in Anchorage was intense. The winters were particularly cold and could last up to 6 months. It was not an environment to show any sign of weakness.
Patrolling at the gate in freezing temperatures was not only uncomfortable but also came with special responsibilities. This duty posed challenges for Corporal West, but only when he encountered Margaret Willis for the first time.
They were a family
The soldiers at JBER were a group of brothers and sisters who had become a family through their shared commitment to their work. Margaret Willis never saw herself as an outsider. She was married to the Colonel and demanded respect.
After all, she had been part of military life with her husband even before the subordinates were in diapers. Corporal West saw this differently, believing that respect had to be earned.
He had done nothing wrong
Corporal West was assigned to guard duty at the gate for the first time in winter 2019, which he carried out with pride and discipline. Standing at 6 feet tall and built like a tank, West presented an imposing figure.
On his first day at the post, Margaret arrived at the gate. She had something completely different in mind. She came to vent her frustrations and make demands. Was this a good idea?
They chose the wrong day
West recognized the sticker on the SUV and let Margaret pass. He assumed she must be a family member. The cold had seeped deep into his bones, and West had no interest in getting into a discussion with anyone.
Instead of simply driving through, Margaret stopped and rolled down her window, fixing West with a stern gaze that he couldn't immediately understand.
They were instructed to follow orders
The woman, dressed in black with dark sunglasses, raised her voice. Margaret demanded to know why he didn't salute her as a greeting, after all, she was the Colonel's wife.
West explained that while the sticker on the car indicated her husband's rank in the military, he didn't have to salute anyone in his absence. Margaret's face turned red, and she marched with determined steps into the administration office.
The risk wasn't worth it
The next day, West and his unit were indeed called to a brief meeting. They were informed that saluting cars with officer stickers was now mandatory, regardless of whether the officer was present or not.
Tormented by this injustice, West decided that one day he would seek revenge on Margaret. He knew the risk, but he didn't care. It was about defending his own honor.
Carrying out the orders
West had to take action and decided to approach his unit. He called for an unofficial meeting, as he had a plan to finally make Margaret understand why military ranks were so important.
The revenge plan started with small disruptions in everyday life – the members would regularly leave their posts to salute cars in the parking lot for all sorts of reasons. This drew attention, and now it was time to confront Margaret.
The next step
Unsuspecting, Margaret got into her car the following week. Shortly after, she was surrounded by West and his men. All the men had frozen faces and refused to move an inch from their positions.
All the men stared intensely at Margaret, a slight spark of joy reflected in West's eyes, knowing that he had put Margaret in an uncomfortable situation. Would the men refuse to move away from the car?
Orders are orders
Margaret had felt so important, but that feeling left her now. Instead, fear spread across her face, and she jumped out of the car, rushing towards the administration office. She went back to the office and demanded answers.
They explained to Margaret that the discipline regulations required that the salute must be returned before the hand can be lowered. The men were waiting for Margaret to show them respect in return.
She didn't let it go
The expression on Margaret's face was priceless, the officer had trouble suppressing a grin. The other men were also delighted that they had followed the rules precisely.
The interpretation of the rules had been logical. Margaret didn't find it funny and once again headed to the administration office, this time with her husband in tow. Surely, he would sort out the whole situation, right?
Won?
After taking revenge on the wife who had felt so important, the unit felt pretty good about their actions. They applauded each other and shook hands to express their joy.
The soldiers were convinced that they had won the psychological war against the military wife, but then they saw someone they didn't expect. He had an angry expression on his face, which immediately intimidated the whole group.
Their superior
Although the man was still a few steps away, the entire group could already recognize who was approaching them. It was an intimidating walk with large strides that they had become familiar with.
The grins on their faces turned into serious looks. They realized that it was their superior. But that wasn't all, something much worse was about to happen to them! Would they regret their prank?
From the top
This time, Margaret had gone to the administration office and laid everything on the table. She wouldn't just complain to the office workers; she would take her complaint up to the highest rank!
She went straight to the source of power at the military base camp. In fact, she should have done this from the very beginning. It only became clear to her now that she hadn't anticipated a setback at all!
The highest-ranking officer
Normally, a civilian wouldn't just walk into the office of the highest-ranking officer. But she felt the need to counter disobedience. Once he realized what was going on, there was no turning back!
The unit had already had their fun with Margaret. Now, even the top member of the base camp had recognized that there was a problem and would have to resolve the issue once and for all.
Entering
Margaret simply walked past the reception and stood at the door of the Colonel. She didn't knock, she just opened the door. Most civilians would likely have been thrown out at this point.
The Colonel looked up from his computer and saw Margaret fuming with anger! After hearing what was going on outside, he also saw the urgent need to intervene. He couldn't allow this to happen.
Going to the parking lot
The Colonel stood up, leaving his work behind, to help Margaret. He stomped angrily out of his office and walked down to the parking lot. There was a good reason why he was giving Margaret his time. He wouldn't do this for just anyone.
The Colonel was actually Colonel Willis, Margaret's husband! She lived in the base camp with him, and now, when his own men didn't show enough respect to her, she had come to him with her problem. He couldn't believe what she had told him. How could his own men do this to his wife?
Learning a lesson
As Colonel Willis approached the parking lot, his expression was already revealing. The men saluted immediately. Now it was Margaret who had a smile on her face as the Colonel demanded an explanation.
Colonel Willis now got the whole story, not just his wife's version. After listening, he turned and his gaze erased Margaret's satisfied grin.
Embarrassing
Colonel Willis's face now turned bright red, making it embarrassing because he had heard the whole story. It was now clear that Margaret had exposed the men herself, and this time he wouldn't be on her side.
Margaret's satisfied grin turned into a look of astonishment as she noticed how red her husband's face was. He was not happy with how she had handled the situation.
No exceptions
Willis wouldn't make an exception here, even if it was his own wife. He told her to wait in the office while he talked to his men. She stomped off.
Margaret couldn't even look at him and kept her eyes fixed on the floor. West and Willis knew that she wouldn't get off easily this time. But what would happen next?
Addressing the situation
Tormented, Margaret now sat in the office and sighed. Willis spoke to his men to resolve the situation. He was tired and didn't really want to deal with it at all. His men had no idea what to expect.
Would they regret their actions against Margaret? Nobody thought anything positive could come out of the whole situation. Perhaps they would all be kicked out? Would Margaret also feel the consequences of her actions?
Uncertainty
Willis let his gaze wander over the men. He looked at them with a critical eye, and not one of them moved an inch. They were in uncertainty about what would happen next. No one could anticipate what was going on in the Colonel's mind.
The Colonel did something that nobody had expected. He looked at them and opened his mouth. He apologized! He explained that he would talk to his wife and she would never disrespect a military rank again.
New Order Issued
After apologizing to his men, he dismissed them. He returned to his office and would now talk to his wife. He explained to her exactly how things would proceed from now on. Hopefully, this would mean the end of misunderstandings.
All this had caused too much excitement in the base camp, and ultimately, the order to salute in front of cars was revoked. West could now return to his daily routine. But what happened to Margaret?
She showed understanding
Margaret Willis still lives in the base camp with her husband to this day. After the conversation, she showed understanding and would no longer force military members to salute in front of her for no reason. Meanwhile, she drives her own car, without any stickers.
To protect the privacy of all parties involved, names, location, and characters were changed and were invented by the author for entertainment purposes. Any similarities in real life are coincidental.
Note: Names, locations, and situations have been altered for entertainment purposes and any similarities to real events are coincidental.