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this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2023
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So, how do I imagine this. Does this mean everything already packed up and ready to go, with everyone relieved from any regular duty, ready to put on boots and walk to the planes at any moment?
Without additional details on where those troops are (US or already on board ships in the Mediterranean?), it could mean a few things, but speaking from my own experience it would involve having all required equipment packed up and staged on a military base, personnel would have a bag packed and easily accessible, and any scheduled training exercises would likely be cancelled, especially if they were multi-day exercises. Normal daily routine would be the same. Any leave would be cancelled. 24 hours was how long we had to report to an assembly area for deployment, not necessarily actually leave the country, much less arrive at the destination.
Thank you. So, you can calmly finish your current task and even get a whiff of sleep and a meal to be fit for the deployment. Or do people tend to sleep/dooze in the deployment area?
With the US having soldiers in the area in closer areas and the situation being very volatile, one would think that the soldiers aren't coming from the US.
Hurry up and wait.
If you're a specialist that's needed for a specific task you might have to travel a long way.
You probably already have bags packed. You probably already have a limited power of attorney or will. You might write some checks out for rent/bills. You might make sure your gf/wife/dependa has some condoms ready for Jody. You might want to make sure you have childcare someone to watch your dog, someone to start or charge your car while gone or you might arrange for someone to put the car on parked status for cheaper insurance and just jump it or buy a new battery when you get back.
You prolly make sure all your CBTs are done and maybe if you don't already have it done you get a checklist of shit to do on base. That quickly turns into a series of quests just like that video game you hate.
Then if you do deploy you get a call and possibly have to call some else on a phone tree and go HURRY UP AND WAIT.
Hell yeah we slept in the deployment area. We were deploying to Afghanistan by air, and after showing up on base with the hand-carry gear that would go on the plane with us (other gear was a combination of cargo flight and stuff already there) we jumped on the passenger buses to take us to the nearby air base we would fly out of. It was still early when we got there, both early in the morning and early for the flight. You always build in plenty of extra time; “hurry up and wait” is the mantra. So we spent a few hours before the plane even showed up just waiting in the passenger terminal, which was just a big hangar with a snack bar on one end and unlimited coffee. Most of us slept for a bit. And before you ask where, the answer is always “on the floor”.