After a weekend getaway, a sergeant returned to the military base only to find none of his soldiers had arrived on time.

Three hours passed before they began trickling in, and by then, he was ready to burst with frustration.

Deciding to hear their excuses, he summoned each soldier to his office one by one.

The first soldier entered, and the sergeant demanded, “Why were you late?”

“Sorry, sir! Here’s what happened,” the soldier began. “I missed the bus, tried hitchhiking, and an old man in a horse-drawn buggy offered me a ride. I couldn’t refuse, but it was slow-going.”

“Hmph,” the sergeant muttered, surprised. “I suppose that’s understandable,” and he let the soldier off.

This scenario repeated with each soldier presenting the exact same tale of slow horse-drawn travel as their reason for tardiness.

Finally, the last soldier walked in, and the sergeant, now visibly irritated, sarcastically asked, “Let me guess, you hitchhiked too?”

“Yes, sir!”

“And you got a ride?”

“Yes, sir!”

“On a horse and buggy?”

“No, sir!”

“No?” the sergeant questioned, taken aback.

“No, sir! It was a 2014 Mercedes, sir!”

“Then why in the world were you late?!” the sergeant demanded.

“We tried to hurry, sir,” the soldier replied apologetically, “but the road was completely blocked with horse-drawn buggies!”