In 1981, as a young MP, we had to take turns sitting at the desk at the station. The duty was for 24 hours and you could not go to sleep. I had just come off of 24 hour CQ when I was told that I had to go to the field to help guard a downed Huey UH-1. They gave me no time to pack any proper gear. This was near Marburg, FRG and it was February. Got there and was sent out to the perimeter to walk a 2 hour shift. It was about 20 degrees that day. We were set-up in a GP meduim for the duration. I pulled 2 more shifts, the last being at 2 am.
I still had not been to sleep and was so tired while walking my post. My post, by the way, was about a 1/2 mile long path around the perimeter of the crashed helicopter. Snow was about 8-10 inches deep. I kept falling asleep while walking and falling down in the snow. I was hallucinating most of the time I was so tired...seeing things and talking to people that weren't even there. I had almost been up for 48 hours. I walked my post in Mickey Mouse boots and they made my feet sweat something awful. I wound up with imersion foot and could not walk for 2 days afterward. I almost received an Art 15 for not having a change of socks with me. They backed down when they found out the cricumstances. They didn't realize that I had just pulled CQ and had not slept. I was let off with a stern lecture by my platoon leader. Mike