Following orders in the military is non-negotiable, but following them too well can also get you into hot water.

One overly diligent trooper found himself face-to-face with a furious general after stopping his car at the gate.

What happened next left the entire platoon stunned.

Keep reading for the full story!

Yes, General, No, General

When I was a trooper, many, many years ago, when you were on guard duty at the camp’s main gate, every person had to be challenged and show their ID.

Every one.

In fact, this meant that field officers and generals would drive up and expect the pole to be raised so they didn’t even have to slow down.

But not all troopers operated this way.

One guy in our platoon was Trooper Koos Coetzee (care to guess which country?). Koos took life in the army very seriously indeed and followed orders to the letter.

Which meant that sensible sergeants never put him on watchhouse duty — until the new guy showed up, demanding Koos do his share on the day the big passing out parade was held.

You can see where this is going, can’t you?

But the top man had a very different reaction.

However, as the Brigadier-General swept up to the post and Koos stopped him, demanding to see his papers, he shocked us all — complimenting Koos on his strict attention to detail and calling him a “conscientious chap.”

Luckiest soldier I ever met, Koos.

What could’ve been a disciplinary nightmare turned into a story for the ages.

What did Reddit think?

This commenter seems to know a thing or two about military hierarchies.

This commenter had a similar story.

Some higher-ups like seeing that their subordinates take their duties seriously.

The platoon held its breath waiting for a blow-up, but it never came.

And that’s the day a legend was born.

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