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Day 76, Check and Recheck.

I think it would be safe to say that when you join the Army that if you are a touch OCD, you might find yourself better off than seen as abnormal. Checking and Rechecking your daily task is completely normal.

What does this look like? Here is just a list of some of the daily questions tasks:

How many alarm clocks have you set before you go to bed? I have 3.
Before you pack to go on a trips, do you check tire pressure, oil, your safety/emergency kit,...make sure water and snacks are in reach, and a blanket is packed?  Maps, two routes, 1 extra oil qt, ...shall I continue?
Do you have 3 daily planners (phone numbers, calendars, and to do task that are updated each morning simultaneously at 0600.) When you have an event, is arriving 25-30 minutes early completely normal? while arriving 5 minutes early is late?
Do you have a routine for everything?
Do you honk the horn just a little every time you back up?
Do you check and recheck your wallet to make sure your wallet has your ID Card in it before you leave the house and drive off post?
Do you lay out your clothes every night for the next day, so that you can sleep 5 minutes longer?

Yes, its a crazy job. Yes after a deployment soldiers struggle with adjustment to 'garrison'. Soldiers even struggle with trying to understand why Civilians don't see the same 'urgency' with daily tasks. When I returned from Iraq in May last year, it took almost 2 weeks for me to stop doing my morning rituals as I did in Iraq.

Soldiers are different, but an attention to detail and routine saves our lives over and over again. It is this routine that many say is OCD, is what helps the soldier see a patch in the road or disturbed dirt laying near a trash pile as a potential threat. It is this type of muscle memory that reacts when catastrophe lands without warning.

Bottomline: I just wanted to give a little insight into the daily life of a soldier in the United States Army. Enjoy your sleep.

Comments

  1. AndrewApril 10, 2010 at 2:05 AM

    You forgot about making trackers to track different trackers

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 10, 2010 at 3:04 AM

    How often do you check and recheck your checkbook?

    Michael H.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brent HobbsApril 11, 2010 at 2:25 AM

    I remember one time you told me I should go into the army because of how I folded my t-shirts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. respectfullyApril 13, 2010 at 2:38 AM

    Hey John,

    Are you still in DC? Please send me an email, I'd like to ask you a few questions about chaplaincy in the military.

    christopher.pokorny at gmail.com

    -CP

    ReplyDelete

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