Okay, after a “Missed Monday” I am able to get back on track– November has been busy with a lot of unexpected schedule changes.

So, in Europe, Joe Rock has something called “CQ Duty” or “Charge-of-Quarters” Duty. This duty is a normal part of daily life in the regular, full-time Active Duty Army, but is rare in the Reserves and National Guard. But if you ever have to call a military unit for any reason, chances are you are getting in touch with the “CQ Duty” Sergeant. It’s a kind of “temporary secretary” duty that lasts for 24 hours: a Sergeant and a junior Enlisted are assigned to be the points of contact for a full day/night cycle. They answer phones, pass messages, escort visitors as needed, and record the events of the day and evening in an ongoing log book. After 24 hours, this duty is passed on to someone else.

Unfortunately, the CQ frequently has to answer the phone with some sort of “motivational slogan” that the Commander feels befits the unit. Not all units do this, but the ones that do make calling a military unit for any reason a test of endurance and sense of humor. If you ever have to call a military unit, be prepared for some sort of “Hooah” phrase to be part of the greeting.

“CQ Duty” can be a real chore for the Sergeant, since he or she is technically allowed to nap during this duty and so is expected to report for normal duty the following day. The junior Enlisted soldier must stay awake (for the most part– many catnap in the darkest hours, so long as one or the other is awake at any given moment). The trade-off is that the younger soldier has the following day off. If you’re lucky, you can get CQ Duty on a Thursday, then have Friday off, and then the weekend. Of course, CQ Duty that perfectly coincides with your weekend (a Saturday duty/Sunday off cycle) is proof that if there is a God, said deity seems to enjoy putting out cigarettes on your flesh… spiritually speaking, of course.