Plumber`s story

I�m a plumber. Together with a coworker and an apprentice, I get sent to a military base for repairs that will take several days. On the first morning, we show our paperwork at the gate. The sergeant lets us in, handing us each a form that we�ll have to bring back, filled out and signed, when we leave.
In the afternoon, when we�re leaving, the watch has changed. The new sergeant checks our forms.
Sergeant: �There�s a signature missing at the bottom. Your officer-in-charge has to sign the forms before I can let you out.�
Me: �We�re from [Company]; our boss isn�t here on the base.�
Sergeant: �No, no, not your boss. Your officer-in-charge.�
Me: �I�m not sure who that is, sir.�
Sergeant: �Your superior! I can�t let anybody out of here without permission. You�d be AWOL.�
Me: �Sir, we�re plumbers from [Company].�
I try to show him the paperwork we already showed in the morning to get in.
Sergeant: �Someone must be in charge of you! Go and get his signature!�
We retreat around the corner of a building, where he can�t see us. Since we don�t know what else to do, I sign on my coworkers� forms and one of them signs off on mine. We go back to the gate and hand in the forms.
Sergeant: �Now that wasn�t so hard, was it?�
He let us out. We worked at the base for several more days and signed each others� forms every time. The soldiers at the gate were happy.