Mesh
My dad used to drink, and when he got lit, he liked to call people.
In 1976, my brother Mike was in the navy stationed at Homestead AFB in Florida. I was recently paroled from high school and living at my dad's and he was drinking. I was, too, but Dad was a professional.
We hadn't heard from Mike for awhile and Dad tried to call him. Got through to the CQ (Charge of Quarters) at his barracks who said he'd check if my brother was in his room. I'm using Air Force terms because I don't know what the Navy calls CQs and barracks.
He came back after a few minutes and said Mike was not there. Well, if you knew Mike, you knew he never went anywhere.
Dad tried again a little later and got the same response. Knowing Mike was probably in his room watching TV and eating pizza and the CQ was maybe just putting Dad on hold while he continued to watch his own TV, my dad decided to go over the CQ's head.
He called the White House!
As luck would have it, the officer on duty was an admiral. Dad informed the admiral that he was a retired Air Force Master Sergeant and that he couldn't reach his son, and could the admiral help him?
The officer agreed to help.
It wasn't 3 minutes before Mike was on the phone, "Dad, what's going on? Some admiral from the White House just called and told me I had better call my dad immediately!"
It was like we imagined; he had been in his room watching TV and no one ever knocked on his door.