Yeahhhhhh, we had a mechanic lean his M16 against a 1/4 ton (aka jeep) while he was mechanicing on it. Got done with the mechanicing, hopped in a drove away.
This is during an ARTEP with my 2nd CDR. (Basically this is school finals, a job interview, a wedding and proctologists visit all in one fun 3-4 day exercise. Sleep is optional and at best minimal. I think I average about 4 hours over the entire thing as you just keep getting pounded with missions, 24/7.)
Anywho, he gets back to the HQ and goes to work on mechanicing other things. Right around dinner time, Platoon Sergeant does sensitive item check.
Oh, *expletive deleted*it.
The world basically stops and ends at that point.
Everybody now has to PROVE that you have ALL the Serial # items issued to you.
That takes about 2 hours as we have platoons scattered all over central southeastern Germany.
LET THE SEARCH BEGIN!!!!
We were in the area from Gehlenhausen to Wurzburg to Schweinfurt to Wildflicken. (Not quite our GDP, but close.) Yep, look behind every rock and tree.
At around 8 am the next morning the search is called off. "Fritz" found it and turned it in to the Polizei the previous night. Just took the GP's sometime to find the right unit out traipsing around the countryside.
By order of the Commander, everybody then was issued dummy-cords for every serial numbered item. You who MrsSmith talked about walking into a spider web? I carried one. CEOI (w/dummy cord) NVG's (can't leave them in the case in vehicle anymore and only use them at, you know, night.) dummy-cord. M203 Dummy-cord, 1911 (well that came with a lanyard already). So there I am with four lengths of Paracord trying to lead my platoon. Yep, great fun getting tangled in everything. Good Call Ma'am. Punish everybody because some PFC lost his weapon. Thanks.