What was the worst duty you ever had to pull?

[Michael Tompkins]

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

[Sean P Gilday]

Setting up a Morgue at the World Trade Center, worse than Iraq by far

[mike24d20]

Pulled a lot of 72 hr. back to back duty in korea. This was durning the Vietnam war years. 24 hr. on the tac site-24 on guard duty in the admin area below then back up to the tac site for another 24 hr. shift.

[Michaelp]

I spent most of 18 months in a border SF "A" Camp, running ops and interacting with the locals.
Great duty-I extended for more of it.
Once in a while, the "B" team would be short an I'd have to spend a week or two there filling a spot.
No ops, and most had the REMF mentality.
Bad place for me. No disrespect to REMFs.

[Art]

That's easy, the absolute worst was breakfast KP at the reception station the morning of my second day in the Army, I was 18, no sleep the night before of course so I was the walking dead by breakfast and that Ft. Puke Mess Sgt. took his mission to make our lives hell that day seriously.

Compared to that lying under a missile in the snow in 10 degree weather replacing a wiring harness at 1:00 in the morning was a piece of cake.

[Michaelp]

I had a near identical experience at Ft Puke, Nov 66 I still remember the wierd smells coming out of those messhalls at 0'dark thirty.---didn't need that memory==thanks :)

[Weasel]

Standing in the chow line at Great Lakes in the winter time 1966. Looking at thousands of green lungers in the snow banks while waiting in line for chow. Clam chowder anyone? Yummy............:eek:

[joem]

Burning honey buckets. They pulled me off that detail after I set the hillside on fire. Gee Sir, I didn't know diesel fuel expanded that much when it's on fire.

[stickhauler]

Burning honey buckets. They pulled me off that detail after I set the hillside on fire. Gee Sir, I didn't know diesel fuel expanded that much when it's on fire.

So THAT'S how you get off that "duty." I wish I'd thought of that!

[Rick]

I was in the Great Lakes October 5th until November 25th of 1965.

I know of what Mr Weasel speaks of. Really gross. Skipped a lot of suppers and got down to 120 pounds. Besides the green lungers they would exercise us after eating until people started puking. After the first one started it would just go through the ranks of 100 men. I figured it was better to not eat than to puke up after meals. Was worried that I would loose my teeth as they were all loose and bleeding from what I thought was malnutrition.

Mr. Odis our Company Commander thought this all very entertaining.

[sop2510]

I went to submarine school in New London after completing two years of nuclear training. I was a third class petty officer (NCO). While we were waiting for school to start they sent us the base's Navy Exchange grocery store to bag groceries. That's when I knew I would never make a career of the Navy.

[Oyaji]

I went to submarine school in New London after completing two years of nuclear training. I was a third class petty officer (NCO). While we were waiting for school to start they sent us the base's Navy Exchange grocery store to bag groceries. That's when I knew I would never make a career of the Navy.

Yeah but, were you able to keep the tips? Some of those Commissary baggers make some pretty good money, especially on paydays.

[Bill F]

I was an Army medic,91b20,had to work on a burn ward,1971

[Quadguy]

We burned the Sh(*&(*T house down , we forgot to pull the drum halves out of the thing before we lit them up with the diesel/gas mix . They let us only pull perimeter and convoy duty after that which is what we were there to do. Quad 50 gunner RVN attached to the 1/7 Cav.

[Dan Shapiro]

Cleaning the grease pit at Consolidated Mess #4, Ft Devens Mass, July 1967. My fatigues went into the trash can, couldn't wash the stink out of them.

[Ron James]

Deleted, not the time or place for this story Ron James

[High Plaines Doug r]

RVN 5/7th Cav 1970 Arclight BDA (bomb damage assessment) from the ground wasn't particularly pleasant, but MIA search and recovery after a couple of days sucked pretty hard.
Doug

[desert guy]

Generally, one duty station was the same as another. However, MCAS Futenma was especially demoralizing, as it lacked the basic creature-comforts for the SNCOs; four SSGT. GYSGT or MSGT sharing a room meant for one or two at most, is a prime example. Another period of time was January - December 1977 (when I retired), when Jimmy Carter was POTUS; he was bound and determined to underfund the military, much like President Truman after WWII. Semper Fi.

[Guamsst]

Grand Forks, North Dakota. POL (Base Fuels) Just doing my normal job, but doing so while it is lower than -60 degrees and you just stand with your back to the wind and wait in a trance for it to be over. They would say it was below -54 and close the flightline. Then planes would land and suddenly it would "warm up" to -54 and they would open the flightline. As soon as POL and the crew chiefs had recovered and refueled, the temp would miraculously drop back to below -54. Odd thing about the Air Force, my worst duties seem to always be stateside in peace time....lol

[Oyaji]

Not necessarily the worst but, Diego Garcia 1980....Once every couple weeks or so, each CPO had to stand duty as Assistant Command Duty Officer (ACDO).

For the most part the duty was uneventful except when it came time to close the Turner Enlisted Club. Now there wasn't a whole helluva lot of entertainment or off-duty recreation in Diego Garcia in the early years. The island was mainly inhabited by hardworking and even harder drinking Navy Seabees assigned to the various Mobile Construction Battalions. I remember one battalion was NMCB 40 aka the "Fighting Forty."

About all one could do to combat the extreme isolation and boredom was to drink copious amounts of alcohol. Every day after work secured, most of the younger Seabees would retire to said Turner Club and proceed to drink one alcoholic beverage after another until the place closed at 2300 hours.

The ACDO had the duty of ensuring the the club was vacated at closing time. Unfortunately, this was usually the time the most of the fighting occured. I used to dread having the duty and having to walk into the club, turn the lights on, and announce the the club was closed and argue with the drunks while escorting them out the door. More often than nought, fights would erupt and chairs, beer bottles, ashtrays, etc. would start flying.

I have the greatest respect for Navy Seabees. They are unique among our nation's warriors. Their motto..."We build, we fight" is one taken very seriously. Great group of fighting men, for sure.

[case42so]

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