During the Gulf War at a port in Saudi Arabia, tensions were high after a credible witness reported seeing suspicious divers exiting the water, then suddenly re-enter when spotted. Coast Guard Port Security Unit patrol boats were in the area at the time and aggressively searched for divers, bubbles, suspicious items left, anything to confirm or deny the divers existence. Nothing was found. Word of this sighting spread like wildfire throughout the military units at the port.
Needless to say, pucker factors were even higher afterwards, and the following evening, an Army sentry walking the pier had opened fire on a pod of dolphins that had entered the mouth of the harbor to feed, as they did every evening.
Again pucker factors were cranked up a notch.
The next evening, about the same time, a pod again entered the mouth of the harbor to feed. On a Coast Guard Raider Boat patrolling the area was a Reservist who happened to be a rather laid-back deputy sheriff from Wisconsin.
Deputy Dan got on the radio, called the EOC, and reported in a slow drawl, “EOC, EOC…(pause) this is Raider Sammy. (Long pause) We’ve got a pod of dolphins entering the small boat basin…(pause) they appear friendly…”
After several moments of no response (my crew was laughing so hard, we probably wouldn’t have heard it), the radioman at the EOC, laughing himself (along with the rest of the EOC watch staff in the background) “roger-ed” Deputy Dan.
Needless to say, the dolphins ate in peace that night.
by JerryG