Contact. Wait out. #59. 24 Hour Guard.

Contact. Wait out. #59. 24 Hour Guard.

You've got to love 24 hour guard. Especially when you do it with the same group of lads. We all talk about shared hardships bringing us together in the military and that doesn't just mean being shot at. The gruelling experience that is 24 hour guard is one of those hardships. The format various from camp to camp. Guardrooms can be right next to the gate or a short walk away from it. Whatever the setup, it is long, it is boring, and you feel like you've done something wrong in your life when you're stagging on at half four in the morning. Stag, or guard, or whatever you want to call it, is one of military life's most depressing assignments.

The day time element is usually manageable. It is light, we're awake, and there is usually a bit to talk about. It is the night part of it that sucks. The chances are that you're going to be tired and annoyed. You've talked to the guy next to you for hours already and you just want to crawl into your pit and sleep.

I was always notoriously hard to deal with in the small hours. My patience was very thin. I have a very low BS threshold so any kind of pointless small talk or crap chat would snap me. It was always best to leave me alone until I warmed up. It wouldn't be abnormal for me to sit there for at least an hour without saying a word. I never did  it to be a dick, I just needed some me time before beginning to cope with the world.

So, the next time you see a service person manning a gate or working in a guardroom, just give them a little leeway. They're probably at their wits end. Oh, and if you're serving and you see your muckers on stag, don't forget to give them grief.