Sergeant O'Brien was reputed to be the toughest noncom in the Army. One night
while on pass he was whooping it up in a local San Francisco saloon. The more
he drank the noisier he got, until the bartender refused to serve him another
drink.
"What?" roared O'Brien. "Gimme whiskey or I'll rip this whole
joint to pieces!"
With this ultimatum he banged his fist down on the bar -and at that very moment
one of the worst earthquakes in California's history struck.
When the sarge regained consciousness, he was sifting in a mass of debris and
timbers. He grinned happily through broken teeth and bellowed, "Why didn't
somebody tell me I was that strong?"