Mid-1990s. Atsugi Naval Air Station, Ayase City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. I’m on my way into the base’s Exchange (department store) when two men pass through the security scanners on their way out. One of them was carrying a bag of stuff he’d just bought; the other man I recognized from our unit. The scanner’s alarm went off and the man with the bag said to the security staff standing there, “Hey, I just bought this.” He’d bought it at the cash register nearest the scanner and the cashier said, “Yes, it’s my fault; I forgot to deactivate his purchase.” That would have been the end of it except the idiot from our unit said, “No; it’s me; it detected this.” And pulled out of his jacket pocket a videotape he’d just shoplifted. Honestly, though; I think he wanted to get caught kleptomaniac style. After he’d gotten punished–part of which was being banned from the Exchange–he got caught shoplifting from the 7-11 across the street from the base’s main gate. The store staff chased after him and he ran right into the arms of the base security at the gate.
Mid-1990s. Atsugi Naval Air Station, Ayase City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. I’m on my way into the base’s Exchange (department store) when two men pass through the security scanners on their way out. One of them was carrying a bag of stuff he’d just bought; the other man I recognized from our unit. The scanner’s alarm went off and the man with the bag said to the security staff standing there, “Hey, I just bought this.” He’d bought it at the cash register nearest the scanner and the cashier said, “Yes, it’s my fault; I forgot to deactivate his purchase.” That would have been the end of it except the idiot from our unit said, “No; it’s me; it detected this.” And pulled out of his jacket pocket a videotape he’d just shoplifted. Honestly, though; I think he wanted to get caught kleptomaniac style. After he’d gotten punished–part of which was being banned from the Exchange–he got caught shoplifting from the 7-11 across the street from the base’s main gate. The store staff chased after him and he ran right into the arms of the base security at the gate.