Links to the previous adventures and series intro are at the bottom of the page.
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Every time you fly a mission away from your home station you and your crew are entitled to per diem money that is meant to cover any sort of incidental expenses that might arise: things like eating at a restaurant when the military dining facilities are unavailable, paying for shuttle service to and from you place of lodging, etc. Most crew members like to view this as extra pocket money and do everything they can to be entitled to per diem money without ever having to spend it.
You just got word that you are scheduled for take off at three in the morning, meaning that the chow hall won’t be open for you to grab some food for the trip. You have the option of stopping at a gas station to buy some junk food and charge it to the military’s account, thus allowing your crew to pocket all of their per diem money. You also know that you will be able to pick up in-flight meals (“Box Nasties” as they are affectionally called by all those who have had to eat them) from the flight kitchen. The rest of the crew wants to stop at the gas station and charge the bill to Uncle Sam even though the military expects you to make due with the in-flight meal. As the aircraft commander, it is is up to you whether or not to add the additional expense of the junk food stop to the military’s (and tax payer’s) bill, or to just force your crew to “suck it up” and eat the military rations.
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Do you give in to the requests of your crew to make the gas station stop…after all, who really cares about the added expense of a few candy bars and soda pops? Do you refuse to permit this minor case of “fraud, waste, and abuse” out of the principle of the matter? What is gained or lost by the decision you make?
Ethical Adventure 1: Way Too Christian
Ethical Adventure 2: Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
[…] Tex at Mere Orthodoxy with an ethical question. […]
Joe and Jim work in an office that keep their office supplies in a cabinet in the copy room. Just before school starts they get a new order of #2 pencils, pocket folders and other items, which would be a normal months supply. A couple days after receiving these supplies over half of the pencils and folders are gone. The officer manager sends a memo around telling all employees about the “missing items” and reminding them that taking office supplies for personal use is the same as stealing from the company.
Joe had never liked Jim and reported to the office manager he saw Jim walk out of the office with a box of pencils and a package of the folders. As a result of the officer managers confronting Jim he was fired to make an example of the unauthorized taking of company property. A white-collar crime that cost Jim his job.
It would only take one man of your crew to report this stop at the gas station if he for
some reason has it “in” for you or another member of your crew.
Every so often the Inspector General conducts audits of records of expenditures of
military units. This includes per diem requests and payment records. Here again depending on what kind of statement some one is trying to make, miss use of
government funds could lead to a court martial, fines, loss of rank and discharge from the service under less than honorable conditions.
What is gained or loss? Besides the above, as a Christian you know its wrong.
Deuteronomy 5:19. Again you must ask yourself who is watching you. But just as important and maybe more so is what does it do to you……….
Besides I don’t think “Box Nasties” can be any worst than the old “C Rations”
of the days past.