"Coal Bin Willie," Col. Wilber Wilson, when he was the senior advisor to the Vietnamese III Corps commander back about '65 or so, told an officer on his staff who asked for emergency leave to go home and take care of his sick wife, "Major, if the army wanted you to have a wife you'd have been issued one." 

He got his nickname at Ft. Bragg when he commanded a brigade in the 82nd Airborne Division.  He insisted that the coal stored in the bins outside each barracks in his area always be clean, dusted, and neatly stacked or he'd gig the company commander responsible. He'd drive through the company areas early each morning and toss a baseball under one of the barracks buildings and if the guys didn't find it during police call, he'd ream their company commander.  He stopped that when he found out that is driver was calling the CO in question and telling him where the ball was.  I saw him once, back in '63 when he visited us at the 5th Division Advisory Team and he was wearing those ridiculous khaki shorts the army issued in those days.  He was a skinny little guy with matchstick arms and legs who strutted around like a little rooster.  He summarily relieved one of our officers because he wasn't wearing a nametag.  This was in Vietnam, mind you.  But I'll tell you this, Coal Bin treated his NCOs like real people.  I knew his sergeant major very well and he told me the story about the major's sick wife.