I was suppose to be cleaning up our trash around the building, picked up all the crap but was getting chewed out for not picking up the million of cigg butts. I admit I was young and probably being a little bitch for not picking up the butts, but I was just tired of touching used ciggs. He asked me why I skipped em, I was honest told him they were suppose to put the butts in the can but the idiot smokers never listen and I dont smoke so i know there is no way possible its my trash. (he didn't like this cause he smoked)  Anywho the E7 (who was really anti smoking cause he didn't think it was good for PT) heard this and said, "yeah as a matter of fact that was put out, what the fuck is up with all these butts here"

Then he made all the smokers get their lazy asses out there and actually pick up after themselves. That one corporal didn't like me for a little while but it was ok because most of the other NCO's thought I was Squared away.

I was sooo suprised that I actually got out of the cigg duty,

flame away!

I know I would have enjoyed the army a lot more if I had been able to only obey the parts of my orders that I liked

cigg butts have always been a pet peeve of mine, its just nasty.

Tell me to clean the can after burritto night, no problem. But pick up Butts, YUCK

Quoted: cigg butts have always been a pet peeve of mine, its just nasty. Tell me to clean the can after burritto night, no problem. But pick up Butts, YUCK

I hear ya - I remember having to do exactly the same kind of clean-up, and finding TONS of cigarette buts because assholes would throw them out of the windows of the barracks.  It was particularly frustrating because most of them were from the company that were housed on the floor above us - and not my company - but we got stuck cleaning it up.

I'm just picking on ya because I'm jealous - because none of us DARED to question an order when we were recruits

Quoted: I'm just picking on ya because I'm jealous - because none of us DARED to question an order when we were recruits

It wasn't in basic or Ait because that would have been a automatic smoke session, this was out with a unit were some logic applied.

Yes, after I became an MP doing law enforcement work orders became a concept rather than concrete.

I don't have a lot of experience with army bases, but at Camp Pendelton when I'd be around the barracks (picking up and dropping off Marine friends of mine or some such thing) I don't think I EVER saw a butt outside of the fire can.  Hell, some of those guys would even ash in it.

Cigarette butts were always my pet peeve too since I didn't smoke. Us shift workers got out of all the crappy details.

As an A1C, I have a LTC get pissy and refuse to submit to a random vehicle inspection after being pulled over at the main gate ("I'm too busy for this", "I have an important meeting", etc.)  Long story short, the Wing King pulled his base driving privileges for six months.

There were several times I got my way as a junior enlisted person, but I was in the Air Force and working on computers so orders generally didn't have the same level of enforcement as they do under other circumstances.

Quoted: I don't have a lot of experience with army bases, but at Camp Pendelton when I'd be around the barracks (picking up and dropping off Marine friends of mine or some such thing) I don't think I EVER saw a butt outside of the fire can.  Hell, some of those guys would even ash in it.

That's because many of us Marines "field strip" the butt and put it in our pocket.
You spend so much time out in the filed you just get used to doing it. Come back on the base and you just don't think about there being a butt can for it.

I used to get back to the barracks everyday and dump my pockets in the trash can. All the butts from the day were in my pocket. I actually catch myself doing it every once in a while now and I've been out for 4 years.

Probably not the cleanest thing to do, but no one else has to clean up after you either.
All of us at one time or another had Police Call duty so we sympathize with everyone else who was going to have to clean up after us if we were messy.

I was the Medic in a Mortor Plt. I always got my way!

I smoked off and on when I was in and NEVER saw cigarette butts scattered anywhere on a Navy base.  Smokers were too afraid to do something that asanine - I can't believe anyone would get away with that anywhere.  Even when I smoked I always blew my smoke up and away and would put the butts (extinguished, of course) in my shoe before I would throw it on the ground.  I would've picked them up in your situtation, but I love that the E-7 busted their asses.

I've refused to pick up cig butts as well.  I told them I will pick up anything else, even the old cardboard boxes bums sleep in out in our parking lot when we are not at drill, but cig butts no way.

Our platoon leader in Iraq wanted to check out an IED we found  (looked to be some plastic explosives in a coffee can)  He didn't think it was real, so he wanted to go look at it from arms length away, and wanted my team to drive down with him in the Humvee.  We refused saying it was the dumbest idea we have ever heard (and it still is) and we got into a big screaming match right there on the side of the highway.  We got on the radio, and our company commander starts screaming at him along with us on the radio.  Finally, since the captain said no, he shut up about it but got all  moody about it, like a little kid.  
EOD arrived, and it was two pounds of C4 in a coffee can, with detonator and wire attached.  We followed the wire but there was no one on the other end.

Back in my younger days (E-nothing) I too was assigned to a working party to "field day" the parking lot and the road leading up to the squadron, which meant picking trash up.

We had a Chief who was in charge and a Second Class who was supervising.

After I had skipped 20 or so cigg butts the Second Class got on my ass.

I told him I refused to pick up the butts as I didn't smoke, that the nasty, inconsiderate motherfuckers who smoked and littered could pick them up. I told him I would scrub shitters before I picked up cigg butts.

So he sent me to see the Chief.

I figured that I was going to be in deep shit.
I told the Chief what I did and why I did it, and that I offered to clean the shitters.

The Chief laughed and told me to get back out to the parking lot and continue picking up trash with the exception of the cigg butts.  

Quoted: We had a Chief who was in charge and a Second Class who was supervising.

I love that a chief supervising parking lot detail!

Well first of all I would have probably smoked your ass on the spot.

Afterwords I might have gotton you some latex gloves so your percious hands didnt get dirty.

Man im such a softy!!

Seriously you brought up a good point and according how you presented it to me, I might had made the smokers(E-4 and below) help.
FREE

I was on patrol as a Security Policeman when I received a report of a vehicle driving erratically through base housing.  Upon arrival, I saw someone driving his car on the sidewalk, so I turned on my lights and ordered him to stop.  It turned out that he was a captain with one of the fighter squadrons and was drunk as a skunk.  When I told him that he was under apprehension, he gave me a direct order to let him go.  I replied, "Sir, with all due respect, don't confuse your rank with my authority.  Now turn around and put your hands behind your back."  It was real nice working for a Wing King who backed his cops.