Wacky Personal Items/Contraband Found at Encampent

[Spaceman3750]

As inspired by and spun off of a spinoff thread...

Unfortunately, I have nothing more to contribute than clicking "New Topic".

[HGjunkie]

I knew a cadet who brought a leatherman multi-tool to encampment one time. He couldn't figure out why it was taken away...

[Ryan]

There was a cadet at the last encampment I attended that brought a camera that had to be worth upwards of a thousand dollars. Not really contraband but we were like "Umm...No." Had to lock it up in a safe container for the whole week.

[Eclipse]

Goldbond Medicated foot powder.

About 1 kilo.

In a zip lock bag.

Looked pretty much like this ↓



((*sigh*))

[DC]

Goldbond Medicated foot powder.

About 1 kilo.

In a zip lock bag.

Looked pretty much like this ↓

((*sigh*))

I bet someone had a heart attack when they pulled it out of the cadet's bag. 

How long did it take to verify that it was foot powder and not heroin or something?

[Eclipse]

This was a staff cadet that we all knew personally, but when I saw the thing from across the room I about
had a baby right out my ear.

The "best" part was that the cadet in question (probably reading this right now), pulled it out with a big smile
and a "think this will be a problem?" look on his face.

We pointed out to him that the only thing worse than doing something dumb, is telling everyone about it...

[MICT1362]

This last summer I spent 2-3 days doing shake downs at an NCSA.  We always give the cadets an opportunity to declare any items that they know they have.  It looks better on their part if they tell us they have them as opposed to us finding something rolled up in a sock. 

First of two issues was a cadet with a butterfly knife.  After a good minute of just staring at the knife, then the cadet, back to the kinfe, etc, etc, we asked him how he got it there.  He said he had it with him when he got on the plane...  Puzzled, we asked why they didn't take it.  He said that they weren't illegal where he was from (I don't remember which state).  We were still shocked.

Second issue was another knife.  This time I almost lost the top of my finger in the process.  Cadet declared a knife.  When he handed it to me, it didn't really look like a knife, rather a small black rectangle.  Assuming (and we know what that does...) that it was like most newer pocket knifes, I figure that the little flicker on the abck pushed the blade out the side.  I had placed my finger over both ends of the knife so as to have control of the rotating blade.  Literally, milliseconds before I pushed the button, the cadet burst out with "I wouldn't do that!".  I stopped and proceeded to treat the knife like a bomb.  Ended up being a switch blade, which would have shot right throught my finger.  Again, knife was on his person while boarding a plane. 

Made for an interesting day.

-Paramedic

[JC004]

We had an interesting experience with the location of and then dealing with an item at CLS.  I was a tac officer and was locking up the barracks after the cadets had left for the morning.  As I walked down to the last door, the floor began to vibrate.  I thought to myself "that shouldn't be."  I located the source of the vibration which I discovered was also flashing.  I peaked into the compartment and there was a phone.  I grabbed it and gave it to the C/CC. 

Since phones were prohibited for students, the senior commander decided to call the cadet into his office and asked him personally if he had any contraband.  The cadet insisted that he did not - continuously.  Now, when an activity commander calls you in personally to his office as a student just to ask you AGAIN if you have any contraband, you should probably sense that something isn't right and admit it.  Not this cadet.  After the phone was produced, excuses were also produced.  FAIL.

[IceNine]

We had a cadet once that was a magician.  He came through bag check and was cleared. We had at the time a VERY thorough TAC commander so it didn't get past him.

Then all of a sudden the cadet staff was finding food wrappers all over the bay.  Then they found cookies, pudding cups, fruit, etc.  This stuff was showing up under the trash can liners, in the washers, on top of emergency lights even.

  We decided to start a random pocket check after meals sometimes walking out of the galley, sometimes right before coming back into the ship, etc.  During one of these checks a half eaten cookie (dessert was forboden) just appeared on the ground.  This was in spite of the fact that all of the TAC officers and the executive staff were eyes on the entire time.

  Turns out it was one cadet producing the entire lot.  It took the entire weekend to narrow it down, and that was with a seasoned police officer guiding the investigations and stake outs.

[ol'fido]

As I said in the other thread, the flare gun was a real head scratcher. My first year back at encampment as a senior member, I was detailed to shake down cadet staff that had already arrived and were already in the billets. Basically, shutting the barn door after the departure of the horse. But anyway....opened up one female flight commanders wall locker. There were no female seniors available to do this. Anyway, open up the locker and there are bottles and bottles of pills, powders, and I don't know what all. The CC and the MO were called. The flight commander said she was on some sort of gluten free, organic, yadda, yadda, etc. diet. The MO checked and said it was indeed all organic and not dangerous so the CC let her keep it.

Also, just as head-scratching as some of the things you find in baggage checks are some of the things you don't find. Such as going all through a cadet's bags for a WEEK long encampment and only finding one extra pair of underwear.

[addo1]

We had a cadet once that was a magician.  He came through bag check and was cleared. We had at the time a VERY thorough TAC commander so it didn't get past him.

Then all of a sudden the cadet staff was finding food wrappers all over the bay.  Then they found cookies, pudding cups, fruit, etc.  This stuff was showing up under the trash can liners, in the washers, on top of emergency lights even.

  We decided to start a random pocket check after meals sometimes walking out of the galley, sometimes right before coming back into the ship, etc.  During one of these checks a half eaten cookie (dessert was forboden) just appeared on the ground.  This was in spite of the fact that all of the TAC officers and the executive staff were eyes on the entire time.

  Turns out it was one cadet producing the entire lot.  It took the entire weekend to narrow it down, and that was with a seasoned police officer guiding the investigations and stake outs.

Wow, that sounds quite interesting. I am (actually) an illusionist and always bring a large back of tricks with me as a reward for my staff during any down time, but this is something that I would have liked to see haha... 

[Eclipse]

  Turns out it was one cadet producing the entire lot.  It took the entire weekend to narrow it down, and that was with a seasoned police officer guiding the investigations and stake outs.

Quote:  "Somebody needs to man up about these cookies!"

[davidsinn]

  Turns out it was one cadet producing the entire lot.  It took the entire weekend to narrow it down, and that was with a seasoned police officer guiding the investigations and stake outs.

Quote:  "Somebody needs to man up about these cookies!"

Gwaltney? Little odd, but good man.

[Eclipse]

No, Ron couldn't make it - gent named Long, my current CD.

[Major Lord]

My son found a Cadet with several hundred condoms in an encampment in-processing. ( You have got to admire his optimism....) Personally, the oddest thing I found came during inspection of the heads ( bathrooms) during a BCS,  where I found a brass pipe with apparent marijuana residue and several packs of cigarettes and matches weighted down in a Ziplock baggie and sunk in the water tank of an old-fashioned toilet. Other than that, just the usual assortment of knives, pornography, and foodstuffs.

Major Lord

[HGjunkie]

My son found a Cadet with several hundred condoms in an encampment in-processing. ( You have got to admire his optimism....) Personally, the oddest thing I found came during inspection of the heads ( bathrooms) during a BCS,  where I found a brass pipe with apparent marijuana residue and several packs of cigarettes and matches weighted down in a Ziplock baggie and sunk in the water tank of an old-fashioned toilet. Other than that, just the usual assortment of knives, pornography, and foodstuffs.

Major Lord

Condoms are great water holders for survival situations.....

Wait a second, that doesn't add up. 

[REDahms]

NC Encampment 2009 Camp Lejeune

I was inspecting a cadets things and found a full scale poker set. Cards and chips. When asking him why it was in his bag he stated, "My parents packed my bag."

[manfredvonrichthofen]

When I was at encampment as a first timer there was a surprise barracks inspection and they found nothing at all. Everyone was clean. Until they decided to inspect the latrines for cleanliness just as they were walking out of the latrine they spotted a thin strand of fishing line sticking out of a ceiling tile against the back wet wall behind the toilets. They went to inspect the suspicious line and found a large ziploc bag full of cigarettes and dip along with a few lighters. They didn't have any sort of idea how to prove who owned the bag and its contents so it went unpunished. They didn't even have the slightest clue as to who it was because they couldn't even smell the smoke or dip on anyone. It is too bad, I would have loved to hear what the excuse would have been for that one.

[SABRE17]

at my basic encampment one of my roommates had his shoe shine kit in a bag with a bio hazard logo on it, he said his sister worked at some clinic...

needless to say the cadet commander gave the cadet a high five for something he had never seen before, then promptly ordered that it be covered up with duct tape.   

[Dad2-4]

Had a cadet check in to wing winter encampment with a duffle bag full with 2 or 3 cases of Ensure nutrition drink. His parents were on hand and explained that the boy had severe ongoing stomach problems and needed the drinks to get proper nutrition since he often can't eat regular food. The kicker: when asked why none of this was on his medical forms the parents said they didn't want it to show up anywhere in his recoreds since he was planning on attending the USAF Academy and such information might keep him out. 

[SABRE17]

Had a cadet check in to wing winter encampment with a duffle bag full with 2 or 3 cases of Ensure nutrition drink. His parents were on hand and explained that the boy had severe ongoing stomach problems and needed the drinks to get proper nutrition since he often can't eat regular food. The kicker: when asked why none of this was on his medical forms the parents said they didn't want it to show up anywhere in his recoreds since he was planning on attending the USAF Academy and such information might keep him out. 

do believe the AFA will want to know that...

[Dad2-4]

Exactly. Our med officer asked the parents how they would be able to keep it secret, and how they could explain the "integrity" part of keeping it secret.

[nesagsar]

The problem with contraband searches after in-procesing is that the cadets may not be at fault. I remember an encampment on a military base at which the seniors had not checked the tops of the storage closets in the rooms, the cadets did because we were afraid any dust up there would count against us in inspections. My cadet flight found pornography and condoms left by the previous occupants: Air Force NCOs. We were not blamed for any of it because we were being supervised by the TACs during move in which is when we found the stuff.

[IceNine]

Of course there is always logic and reason applied during these inspections.

This is also partly why the the commander or commandant are the disciplinarians.  After more than a decade at the same activity you learn to think horses.

[JC004]

The problem with contraband searches after in-procesing is that the cadets may not be at fault. I remember an encampment on a military base at which the seniors had not checked the tops of the storage closets in the rooms, the cadets did because we were afraid any dust up there would count against us in inspections. My cadet flight found pornography and condoms left by the previous occupants: Air Force NCOs. We were not blamed for any of it because we were being supervised by the TACs during move in which is when we found the stuff.

Years ago, when I was in high school, I had a teacher pull me aside and ask me to open my backpack.  I opened all the pockets as they told me to and there was a flare.  Apparently they had decided to put a paper in my bag and saw it.  They were not satisfied with my answer of "I don't know" when they asked how it got there but apparently someone at home knew it was mine and put it in my bag in the process of some cleaning.  I grabbed the bag and left, not considering it might have something in it that might get me in trouble.  Luckily they believed me when I found out what had happened.

[ol'fido]

  Turns out it was one cadet producing the entire lot.  It took the entire weekend to narrow it down, and that was with a seasoned police officer guiding the investigations and stake outs.

Quote:  "Somebody needs to man up about these cookies!"

Gwaltney? Little odd, but good man.

GW-The official ILWG pointman for windowless bars.

[Chief2009]

During my basic encampment at Volk Field, we were in rooms that had TVs in them but did not have the coax cable to the wall outlet for the cable TV. One of the cadets in my flight apparently used the wire from his notebook to make the connection. He also left it in for the daily inspection.  I can't remember how many giggs he got for that.

DN

[IceNine]

He probably works for NASA now.  I'm not sure I could be mad about that.

[Eclipse]

Or Comcast...

[DakRadz]

He probably works for NASA now.  I'm not sure I could be mad about that.

Agreed... I was sitting here thinking, "How in the world....?"

Really though, anyone wanna help me out?

Or Comcast...

Nah, that's not interesting enough for a former CAP cadet Though he may be heading there since the space program is seeming kaput.

[Eclipse]

Really though, anyone wanna help me out?

Most cable TV comes in on coaxial cable - basically a conductor and a shield - just about anything metal could stand in.

[DakRadz]

Really though, anyone wanna help me out?

Most cable TV comes in on coaxial cable - basically a conductor and a shield - just about anything metal could stand in.

Roger that, thanks sir.

I'm still impressed

[SABRE17]

he had a notebook? like a laptop computer? or a spiral bound notebook?

[a2capt]

I'm gonna go out on a limb.. and say he had a stack of loose paper after that.

I swiped the third conductor out of a line cord for much the same thing once.. I mean, heck. They left the TV there. Taking the wire wasn't gonna stop some kids.

[Slim]

And this is why, at our site, we have services go around to the designated buildings and disconnect the cable at the entrance point into the building.

[nesagsar]

The last time I was at Volk Field (2004) they kept the cable on and my flight was allowed to watch TV anytime we weren't on duty. One day the encampment cadet commander was walking past my room with a basic flight cadet that had done something wrong and noticed that I was watching the history channel. The cadet asked why I got to watch TV and the response is "he is more important than you are". We got a good laugh out of that one.

[NIN]

It wasn't an encampment, but a weekend multi-unit (group level, maybe?) bivouac. 

As one of the senior cadets (I was a C/LtCol at the time, wearing C/CMSgt.  The sharp amongst you will note the incongruity in that statement), I was doing "shakedowns" with one of the other senior cadets (or maybe he was a newly-minted SM by then. My mind is a little fuzzy. He's a wing commander now) when I encountered one of my favorite pieces of contraband: the venerable M1911A1. 

My friend, the now-wing commander, was across the room checking out another cadet's gear when I called to him and held up the piece.  I dropped the slide into battery and squeezed the trigger.  I am still wondering why there wasn't a massive release of fecal matter. I don't think I've ever seen someone's eyes get so huge so quickly. 

It was, however, a complete put-up job. The weapon was one of those old "Collectors Armory" non-firing replicas, and the cadet who owned it had been asked to bring it with him for this expressed purpose.   Mission Accomplished!

I don't know if it was wacky, but it sure was funny.

[DakRadz]

So you knew that it was a fake, but your friend didn't?

It's either that, or you thought it would be a good idea to pull the trigger on a random gun you had found in someone's luggage... And that doesn't sound right

[IceNine]

Eclipse always say:  The bookends of bad ideas are "Hey watch this" and "It seemed like a good idea at the time"

^^This certainly seems to fit the bill.

[ol'fido]

This didn't happen at encampment, but I got woken up at about 1:30 AM(Note that is AM) and was told, "We found this clip of .45 ammo in a cadets webgear!".

"Well, does he have the .45?" was the only thing my brain could put together at that hour.

Apparently the story was that a cadet officer(who is now a funeral director) found some web gear laying in the middle of the campsite. He started looking through it to try to figure out whose it was and found the ammo, about 6 rds of 230 gr lead ball in a standard GI clip. Well the ammo was confiscated and later disposed of by the cadets squadron commander who was also there. The cadet said he didn't know how it got there except that maybe his little brother had been playing with his web gear.


"Sir, none of my guns are a .45"

[davidsinn]

This didn't happen at encampment, but I got woken up at about 1:30 AM(Note that is AM) and was told, "We found this clip of .45 ammo in a cadets webgear!".

"Well, does he have the .45?" was the only thing my brain could put together at that hour.

Apparently the story was that a cadet officer(who is now a funeral director) found some web gear laying in the middle of the campsite. He started looking through it to try to figure out whose it was and found the ammo, about 6 rds of 230 gr lead ball in a standard GI clip. Well the ammo was confiscated and later disposed of by the cadets squadron commander who was also there. The cadet said he didn't know how it got there except that maybe his little brother had been playing with his web gear.


"Sir, none of my guns are a .45"

.45's don't have clips...

[Ned]

.45's don't have clips...

Silly rabbit,

Of course they do.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

.45's don't have clips...

Silly rabbit,

Of course they do.

I'll go out on a limb and say he probably means that .45's have magazines. A "clip" is what ammunition like 5.56 or 7.62 originally comes on in the can before you put it into the magazine.

[Eclipse]

.45's don't have clips...

Silly rabbit,

Of course they do.

I'll go out on a limb and say he probably means that .45's have magazines.

Yep!  My favorite is "Guns & Ammo":  http://www.gunsandammo.com/

My favorite gun clip is probably this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX8Y5-BZLaM

[manfredvonrichthofen]

This is mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOmhAWCBa1w

[Ned]

.45's don't have clips...

Silly rabbit,

Of course they do.

I'll go out on a limb and say he probably means that .45's have magazines. A "clip" is what ammunition like 5.56 or 7.62 originally comes on in the can before you put it into the magazine.

Did you click the link?

Sometimes I am too subtle, I guess.

Thanks for ruining a perfectly good joke.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

.45's don't have clips...

Silly rabbit,

Of course they do.

I'll go out on a limb and say he probably means that .45's have magazines. A "clip" is what ammunition like 5.56 or 7.62 originally comes on in the can before you put it into the magazine.

Did you click the link?

Sometimes I am too subtle, I guess.

Thanks for ruining a perfectly good joke.

Ah, I am sorry, I didn't notice it was a link. Good one. I'm sorry I ruined it. Every time I hear or see .45 referenced, I immediately go to the mental image of a .45 ACP, not a .45 revolver. Like they say, the greatest barrier to communication is a difference in personal history. Most of my history with pistols is ACP.

[davidsinn]

.45's don't have clips...

Silly rabbit,

Of course they do.

Cute, sir. I always think the classic Browning design when I see/read .45. Of course Mr. Colt's equalizer did come first...and it was in .45

[nesagsar]

Unfortunately this .45 thread is now .32 due to being off topic.

[NIN]

So you knew that it was a fake, but your friend didn't?

It's either that, or you thought it would be a good idea to pull the trigger on a random gun you had found in someone's luggage... And that doesn't sound right

Of course I knew it was fake. Jeebus, troop, you think I'd be dumb enough to drop the hammer on some random weapon after pulling it out of a guy's duffel bag?

I'm the guy who put the cadet up to bringing the darn thing.  My friend doing the shakedown with me, I'm serious, I thought I might have given the poor guy a heart attack. Woulda sucked to die from a massive coronary at age 20.

But: even knowing this was a replica non-firing device (ie. about as inert, maybe even moreso, than a kid's cap gun), I had racked it open, inspected the chamber, it did not have a magazine in it, and when I pulled the trigger it was pointed in a safe direction. As much as I would have liked to have pointed it _at_ my buddy (for maximum gag effect), my training and indoctrination, even at that young age, wouldn't allow it.

Even when being a wise guy, I'm at least mostly safe about it.

[ol'fido]

Let me just say that I DO know the difference between a clip and a mag. I just don't worry about it in casual conversation. I forgot that this is CT, the biggest bunch of nitpickers in the world. HNY.

[DakRadz]

So you knew that it was a fake, but your friend didn't?

It's either that, or you thought it would be a good idea to pull the trigger on a random gun you had found in someone's luggage... And that doesn't sound right

Of course I knew it was fake. Jeebus, troop, you think I'd be dumb enough to drop the hammer on some random weapon after pulling it out of a guy's duffel bag?

I'm the guy who put the cadet up to bringing the darn thing.  My friend doing the shakedown with me, I'm serious, I thought I might have given the poor guy a heart attack. Woulda sucked to die from a massive coronary at age 20.

But: even knowing this was a replica non-firing device (ie. about as inert, maybe even moreso, than a kid's cap gun), I had racked it open, inspected the chamber, it did not have a magazine in it, and when I pulled the trigger it was pointed in a safe direction. As much as I would have liked to have pointed it _at_ my buddy (for maximum gag effect), my training and indoctrination, even at that young age, wouldn't allow it.

Even when being a wise guy, I'm at least mostly safe about it.

Tracking, sir!

Heh, I was just clarifying. IceNine even wondered...

[JoeTomasone]

It was, however, a complete put-up job. The weapon was one of those old "Collectors Armory" non-firing replicas, and the cadet who owned it had been asked to bring it with him for this expressed purpose.   Mission Accomplished!

Along those lines....

At the recently concluded FLWG Winter Encampment, we were doing a contraband check of the Cadet Staff.   The son of our Chief Tac was present to "bag and tag" the found contraband.    I happened to be checking his son's belongings.    Let me add at this point that they are from my home group and I know both well.    As I went through the items, I abruptly left, went up to the Chief Tac, and said, "In his bag...  I found what appears to be a controlled substance."   Dad's face dropped, he held his head in shame.   After a pregnant pause, I informed him that I was joking.  After the requisite "WHY, YOU!" moment, we all had a good laugh.    Now, the running joke with the Cadet is "DDR..." 

[Tim Medeiros]

It was, however, a complete put-up job. The weapon was one of those old "Collectors Armory" non-firing replicas, and the cadet who owned it had been asked to bring it with him for this expressed purpose.   Mission Accomplished!

Along those lines....

At the recently concluded FLWG Winter Encampment, we were doing a contraband check of the Cadet Staff.   The son of our Chief Tac was present to "bag and tag" the found contraband.    I happened to be checking his son's belongings.    Let me add at this point that they are from my home group and I know both well.    As I went through the items, I abruptly left, went up to the Chief Tac, and said, "In his bag...  I found what appears to be a controlled substance."   Dad's face dropped, he held his head in shame.   After a pregnant pause, I informed him that I was joking.  After the requisite "WHY, YOU!" moment, we all had a good laugh.    Now, the running joke with the Cadet is "DDR..." 

Now to get said cadet involved with the DDR program *cough*

[HGjunkie]

Along those lines....

At the recently concluded FLWG Winter Encampment, we were doing a contraband check of the Cadet Staff.   The son of our Chief Tac was present to "bag and tag" the found contraband.    I happened to be checking his son's belongings.    Let me add at this point that they are from my home group and I know both well.    As I went through the items, I abruptly left, went up to the Chief Tac, and said, "In his bag...  I found what appears to be a controlled substance."   Dad's face dropped, he held his head in shame.   After a pregnant pause, I informed him that I was joking.  After the requisite "WHY, YOU!" moment, we all had a good laugh.    Now, the running joke with the Cadet is "DDR..." 

Wait, that was a gag? I heard something about a guy found with some controlled substance. If it was a joke, then it was a mighty good one, lol.

[JoeTomasone]

It was a gag.  No one was actually found with anything illegal. 

[HGjunkie]

Oh LOL