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Is it right pulling a 24 hour duty along as junior enlisted? Some of us are rotating on this shift at a tent that no longer serves an actual purpose and doing nothing at all (which is understandable because big army) but I don’t understand why I’m alone.
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Duty
Duty
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
No one should pull 24 hour duty alone. Too much room for error. Too much opportunity for something to get missed, like messages not received or messages not sent/relayed. For example, every time I had CQ duty or BN/SQDN Staff Duty on the weekends, it was 24 hours but there was ALWAYS two of us.
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Okay as usual there is tons of information missing here. Missing information is a problem with making a fair assessment of the situation. If you do not have more information or even if you do i would say you need to ask your Chain of Command.
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There should be another person there with you for backup and to relieve you for a chance to get some sleep.
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SFC (Join to see)
Although I have been in a unit that said after midnight the runner and NCO could take turns sleeping but between midnight and 5 am.
One time I let my runner go first he slept 2 hours. I got like barely an hour and didn't sleep much of it.
I had it the other night I let my runner go to her room and sleep for an hour-ish.
One time I let my runner go first he slept 2 hours. I got like barely an hour and didn't sleep much of it.
I had it the other night I let my runner go to her room and sleep for an hour-ish.
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
I have been on many more than my share of 24 hour shifts, and usually there was a rest plan. If it's not mentioned one way or the other in the CQ book, then it's up to the senior Soldier to take charge and make that decision.
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SSG(P) (Join to see)
The original purpose of CQ (Charge of Quarters) was to pick-up newly assigned Soldiers from the airport and then assign him/her a barracks room. That's why there was always at least two personnel; one to be the driver and one to stay at the CQ Desk. That means that the driver had to be rested. You didn't want a sleepy driver out on the roads late at night.
Of course we don't do any of that anymore, so having a CQ other than as access control to the barracks is useless. It's one more of those "this is the way we've always done it" things the Army loves, without thinking that (my response is) "If you keep doing things the way you've always done it, you're going to keep getting what you've always gotten." So at best, low morale, sleepy distracted Soldiers, and a "check the block" mentality. At worst you get Soldiers having vehicle accidents on the way home from CQ duty because they've been awake for 24+ hours. Yes, they happen.
While in Korea, I got paired with a few very reasonable and cool Warrant Officers while on Staff Duty. The WO would suggest that we split the shift; I would go back to my barracks room for 4 hours, get some sleep, and come back. Then he would do the same, and we would both be there for the last four hours. Both of us had no problems staying awake, and everything worked out well.
Of course we don't do any of that anymore, so having a CQ other than as access control to the barracks is useless. It's one more of those "this is the way we've always done it" things the Army loves, without thinking that (my response is) "If you keep doing things the way you've always done it, you're going to keep getting what you've always gotten." So at best, low morale, sleepy distracted Soldiers, and a "check the block" mentality. At worst you get Soldiers having vehicle accidents on the way home from CQ duty because they've been awake for 24+ hours. Yes, they happen.
While in Korea, I got paired with a few very reasonable and cool Warrant Officers while on Staff Duty. The WO would suggest that we split the shift; I would go back to my barracks room for 4 hours, get some sleep, and come back. Then he would do the same, and we would both be there for the last four hours. Both of us had no problems staying awake, and everything worked out well.
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