“Sergeant, what’s our bearing?”

“Pardon?”

“‘Pardon, sir?’!”

“Pardon, sir?”

“What was that?”

“What did you ask, sir?”

“Our bearing!”

“246, sir.”

“No, that’s our heading. What’s our bearing?”

While the officer and the sergeant, who had both lost a lot of money in poker geames the night before, took their monetary shortage frustrations out on each other, a storm reached their horizon.

“This is the Meteorological Experiment Station Charlie Charlie Charlie. Come in, please?”

“This is Sergeant Sargent. What’s goin’ on?”

“Sarge…”

“Call me Sargent.”

“Sergeant…”

“No. Sargent.”

“Actually, I’m a leftenant…”

“You mean, lieutenant, sir?”

“Let’s dispense with the formalities, sergeant. There’s a major electrical storm headed your way, with winds kicking quite a lot of sand.”

“Lieutenant, this is General Capitane. Does the storm have any effect on our bearing?”

“You’ll have to ask the sergeant, captain.”

“No, it’s Capitane, lieutenant.”

“Pardon me. Are you saying you’re a captain leftenant?”

“What’s your name, son?”

“Leftenant Cooperal.”

“I’m not a corporal, lieutenant. I’m General Capitane.”

“And neither am I a captain, general. However, the storm is close upon your position. Sergeant, do you see the storm on your radar?”

“That’s Sargent, Lieutenant Cooperal.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with the way NATO reassigns duties. You’re a sergeant leftenant corporal?”

“No. Sergeant Sargent. You’re a lieutenant, Lieutenant Cooperal.”

“Curious how they double the titles, eh, general?”

“Perhaps. What about our bearing?”

“The storm should be bearing down upon you right now.”

BOOM!

“Sergeant, that’s what I’m talking about! Increase the speed of this land yacht. And corporal, lieutenant or whatever you are, carry on.”

“Leftenant Cooperal, captain or general. Your sergeant sergeant was quite informative.”

“Thank you, lieutenant. That’s Sergeant Sargent, though, sir. And he’s General Capitane, not a captain.”

CRUNCH!

“Sergeant, what was that?”

“I believe we got some sand in our bearings.”

“We can only have one bearing at a time.”

“Yes, sir. In that case, our bearing is stuck.”

“Then change our bearing!”

“Begging your pardon, sir, but we’re bearing a broken bearing.”

“Don’t bore me. Fix it!”

“Yes, sir. One less boring bearing change coming up. Although I may have to bore into the gear to fix it…”

“Enough! Libyan liberation waits for our clear-headed leadership and a straightforward bearing!”