Army Gen. Mark Milley, chief of staff of the Army, and Air Force Gen. David Goldfein, chief of staff of the Air Force, at the National Guard Association of the United States 140th General Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, Aug. 25, 2018. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jim Greenhill)

WASHINGTON – Pentagon leaders started a swear jar to defray potential losses after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to fund parts of a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and donations have far exceeded projections, sources confirmed today.

What began as a way to prevent cutting military construction projects quickly turned into a revenue stream for the Pentagon.

“We figured we would raise enough money to keep the lights on in the building or, at best, buy another fifth-generation fighter,” said acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan. “We had no idea we could fund the entire border wall, rid military housing of black mold, and pay for the two new carriers we approved last month.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley was the first to contribute to the jar. Milley was heard mumbling a stream of obscenities under his breath when he sharted after bending over to pick up a tootsie roll that fell out of his pocket. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson was quick to follow when aides heard him swearing like a sailor during a joint staff meeting after someone mentioned “Multi-Domain Operations.”

“The Navy has a proud history of cursing,” said Richardson as he slipped a twenty-dollar bill into the three-story jar. “We practically made it a fucking sport over the past 243 years.”

Perhaps the greatest contributor to the cause was Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller who eventually set up a direct allotment from his paycheck to the swear jar. Neller has not used a sentence without profanity since finding out he will not be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to sources.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein could not be reached for comment but sources confirm he put a few dollars in the jar after accidentally muttering “fiddlesticks” when he scuffed his shoes on the ice cream machine in his office.

“This is great, really GREAT,” Trump tweeted after hearing of the Pentagon’s success. “Those guys in the funny clothes in the Rectangle Building have really come through for the WALL.”

At press time, a CH-47 helicopter could be seen airlifting the full swear jar from the Pentagon courtyard to an undisclosed location.