God, Steely Dan and the Swiffer: Gettin’ your mind right.

Here in Iraq the missions run 24-7. Our Squadron’s mission, escorting logistics convoys, runs every day no matter what the day of the week, holiday, or if the weather sucks. Come hell or high water (usually it’s the former) somebody is always on the road somewhere.

But from time-to-time everybody needs a break or he’ll go nuts. Notice I said break, not day off. Staff Officers don’t get days off and we don’t post a schedule anywhere that lists a ‘day off.’ That’s a great way to get stomped by the Sergeant Major. ‘So Captain, you don’t have enough to do? Well, let me find something to keep you busy.’ Nope, I’m not taunting that man. Smart leaders and managers work downtime or ‘minimum manning’ days into the schedule. We call that Fighter Management (no kidding, the Army actually has a bureaucratic name for a day off).

I give the guys in my section a real day off every other week or so when we can swing it. My intent for them is to not come in at all. Go do laundry, watch TV, go to the gym, listen to music…whatever they want but don’t come into work. Sometimes mission tempo doesn’t allow for them to be gone but we try. The mission always comes first. I work a half day off every week or so. I never take a whole day off. I can’t. I don’t. However my day ‘not off’ is Sunday. That’s the day when most non-essential soldiers lay low to sleep in and go to church. We don’t have a morning meeting that day so it’s the only day I can swing it.

On my typical Sunday I get up, check some email, maybe catch up on some news. Its a typical lazy Sunday like back home. Mood setting music is a must. Usually its something jazzy or more laid back like Steely Dan or Pink Floyd. Something like that. It’s ‘get your mind right’ music.
A big event for me is cleaning the room. It doesn’t take long. I live in a 10’x10’ room with no carpet. All I can do is sweep the floor and push my little Swiffer Sweeper around. Those things are really popular for a deployment. Mopping without a mop bucket…a soldier must have invented that.

And finally I end my morning with what you should do on a Sunday…go to church. Our chapel has several services during the day..all religions and styles. That’s one thing they do well here at COB Adder. They give everyone an opportunity to worship and there are about a dozen chaplains or more to assist. The Lord is definitely represented in ACUs here.

After church I head across the street, eat a really good Sunday meal then I go to work. It will be about 1230 or 1300 by the time I get in to the office. Then the break is over. I’ll put in 5 or 6 hours after that.

That’s a Sunday for me here on COB Adder. It’s a break. Not a total escape. Darn sure not a ‘day off’ (did you catch that Sergeant Major?). It’s a time to take care of a few things and do like Strother Martin says in Cool Hand Luke* ‘Get my mind right.’

SABER 02,
out.

*Cool Hand Luke, (1967). Prison movie with Paul Newman and George Kennedy. One of the greatest movies ever!!! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061512/