Policy

New policy handed down from the commanding general (paraphrased):

Battle fatigue and stress from working and living in a combat environment is an issue for all leaders. In order to reduce the risk of fatigue, directors of each section will now implement a plan to give each individual a minimum of a half day off (from noon until the next morning). The ultimate goal is to give every member of the command two half days or one full day off, but this will be dependent on mission requirements. Individuals need to take advantage of the various MWR opportunities available on the base. It is my intent to make each director develop a plan to reduce stress by giving more free time to their subordinates through the parameters of my guidance.

I learned of this new policy a few days ago and was looking forward to seeing it in action instead of just on paper. Little did I know that in the 6 days it took to get from the big man to our sections that it would turn into something totally different. Instead of getting our normal 1 half day off each week (we don’t have to be in until noon) and some leeway for church, now some of us ONLY get one half day off a week. Period. No more sleeping in. No more splitting the week up with a morning (or two) to yourself. So, effectively, in order to reduce fatigue, they are giving us LESS free time to do things like read a book, wash some laundry, go to the crappy PX to buy hygiene items, watch a movie or write letters home. I don’t understand that. Now I understand that we are in a combat zone and it’s not suppose to be a picnic. Bad guys don’t have banker’s hours which is why we work from 6 or 7 in the morning to 9 or 10 at night (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, most of the time longer). Plus, our job might not be as physically demanding every day as those out doing patrols and kicking in doors, but even those guys get down time to recuperate from the daily grind (and it’s more than a half day a week).

I know I’m just complaining. Sometimes I wonder what I would actually do with a full day off. The thought of it is so monumental that my little brain can’t quite grasp the concept. It reminds me of a T-shirt I saw in Mackinac City, MI when I was visiting some friends last summer. It was a black shirt with a skull and crossbones on it and it stated in big white letters: