Tom shows up late?

Tom retired in his early 50's and started a second career. However, even though he loved his new job, he just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day, he was 5, 10, sometimes 15 minutes late.

But he was a good worker and really sharp, so his boss was in a quandary about how to deal with it. Finally, one day, his boss called him into the office for a talk.

'Tom, I must tell you, I truly like your work ethic; you do a bang-up job. But your being late for work nearly every day is quite annoying to me as well as to your fellow workers.'

'Yes, sir,' Tom replied, 'I know. I'm truly sorry, and I am working on it.'

'That's what I like to hear,' his boss said. 'However, the fact that you consistently come to work late does puzzle me, because I understand that you retired from the United States Air Force, and they have some pretty rigid rules about tardiness. Isn't that correct?'

'Yes, sir, I did retire from the Air Force, and I'm mighty proud of it,' said Tom.

'Well, what did they say when you came in late?' asked his boss.

'They said, 'Good morning, General'