A young Army officer was severely wounded by a blast from a grenade. The the only visible, permanent injury was that both of his ears were amputated, although his hearing was unaffected. Since this didn't affect his ability to function, he remained in the Army.
Many years later he eventually rose to the rank of Major General. He was, however, very sensitive about his appearance. One day he was interviewing three servicemen who were candidates for his headquarters staff.
The first was a Captain, a tactical helicopter pilot, and it was a great interview. At the end of the interview the General asked him, 'Do you notice anything different about me?'
The young officer answered, 'Why, yes, Sir, I couldn't help but notice that you have no ears.'
The general was displeased with his lack of tact and dismissed him.
The second interview was with a Navy Lieutenant, and he was even better. The General then asked him the same question,
'Do you notice anything different about me?' He replied sheepishly,
'Well, sir, you have no ears.' The General dismissed him also.
The third interview was with an old Sergeant Major, an Infantryman and staff-trained NCO.
He was smart, articulate, fit, looked sharp, and seemed to know more than the two officers combined.
The General liked this guy, and went ahead with the same question, 'Do you notice anything different about me?' To his surprise the Sergeant Major said; 'Yes, sir, you're wearing contact lenses.'
The General was very impressed and thought, 'What an incredibly observant NCO.' He asked, 'Sergeant Major, how did you guess I wear contacts?'
'Well, sir,' the soldier replied, 'it's pretty difficult to wear glasses with no fucking ears.'
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