A C-141 cargo plane was preparing for departure from Thule Air Base in Greenland, and they were waiting for the truck to arrive to pump out the aircraft's holding tank. The commander was in a hurry, the truck was late in arriving, and the airman performing the job was extremely slow in getting the tank pumped out.
When the commander berated the airman for his slowness and promised punishment, the man responded:
"Sir, I have no stripes, it is 20 below zero, I'm stationed in Thule, and I am pumping out airplanes. Just what are you going to do to punish me?"