Midshipmen catch naps as they wait more than an hour for Bush to deliver speech

Reuters via Yahoo! ^ | 11/30/05

[dead]

Midshipmen catch naps as they wait for more than an hour for U.S. President George W.
Bush to deliver an address on the war in Iraq at the U.S. Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland November 30, 2005. Trying to counter critics of his war
strategy, Bush vowed on Wednesday that U.S. forces will not cut and run from Iraq
but said improvements in Iraqi security forces may clear the way for a reduction in
U.S. troops. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Naval Academy midshipmen sleep in their seats as they wait for President George Bush to
arrive at the Academy in Annapolis, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005. Bush is
scheduled to give a speech later in the morning. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner) Email
Photo Print Photo

[MEG33]

It's getting deep now!. ;)

[CFC__VRWC]

When I was in "A" and "C" Schools in the Navy, I'd be among the first in the class to finish quizzes and exams, and my head would go down on the desk and I'd be out within 30 seconds. I was far from the only one to catch a few minutes sleep. The only time the instructors cared was if we snored loud enough to bother people still taking the test.

[ARCADIA]

Looks like some midshipmen need their butts kicked.

The only butt that deserves that treatment is the one attached to the guy who took the picture. Reuters' propaganda rag should be stripped of their press credentials.

[Khurkris]

...and this is news?

[Unrepentant VN Vet]

"For all you Navy guys out there, that must be the future Naval Aviator's club practicing."

---

You sound like somebody else who has seen a pilot catching a catnap (strapped in and engine turning) while the rest of the squadron is getting flight clearances and preflight checkouts completed.

[ex-snook]

"If you think this is a big deal, be upset with academy leadership, for not having the midshipmen sit continuously at attention for an indefinite amount of time."

Those Mids were making the best use of their time at the moment. I am sure leadership recognized that. When it was time to listen and respond, they did that well too.

[neodad]

Typical shipboard Plan of the Day with watch rotation thrown in:

0600 Reveille

0630 Breakfast

0700 Relieve the Watch

1200 Relieve the Watch

1200-1230 Lunch

1230 Damage Control Training Team Brief - Wardroom

1300 Damage Control Drills

1500 Navigation Brief For Entering Port - Wardroom

1600 Station UNREP Detail

1700 Underway Replenishment

1900 Flight Quarters

2100 Station the Navigation Detail

2300 Station the Special Sea and Anchor Detail for Entering Port

2400 Moored - Jebail Ali, UAE

0130 Liberty Call

They need their sleep. It's only downhill from there.

[Gator101]

Cat naps are a skill you acquire quickly in the military. Good sleep is hard to come by.

Amen to that. I remember sleeping in the cattle-trucks they hauled us to the rifle ranges in basic training using our rifles to prop our heads up. The trick was waking up as soon as the truck stopped or risk a drill sergeant catching you not only sleeping but with your forehead planted firmly on the muzzle of your M-16.

[Ax]

How about barfing in formation? Every time my squadron had to pull a retirement parade at Clark AB, some guy who had just wolfed down breakfast and then had to stand in that Philippine sun for an hour would eventually lose his breakfast on the back of the guy in front of him.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

I agree, Reuters sucks. Obviously they only published the pictures as an attempt to slam Bush.

No way---this is an attempt to show how great midshipmen are. One of the first things you learn as a mid is how to catch some zees any time, any place, and in any position. This is simply a testament to USNA's superiority.

BEAT ARMY, BITCHES!

[Fielding]

I remember the cattle trucks, but I was carrying a 1903 Springfield:)

[Hemingway's Ghost]

I remember the days of sleeping while standing in formation.

I've zeed out during p-rades on Worden Field many a time.

[BluH2o]

Were they kept waiting, or were they there early?

Having spent three years of active duty in the Marine Corps I can tell you from experience they were seated at least 45 minutes before the President's speech. Hurry up and wait is the order of the day in the military, more so at the academies I'm sure.

[AmericanChef]

Well, they certainly roused themselves enough to give thundering applause during the speech. I guess Rooters didn't feeeeeel it was necessary to report that.

[marty60]

So What! Plenty of college students catch zzzzz's when they can. What a Dum story.

[bmwcyle]

Sailors can sleep anywhere.

[TomGuy]

For contrast, a screen cap I made during the speech. They seem attentive during.....

[magslinger]

I was a plane captain in an A7 squadron, our shift started 1 hour before flight quarters (usually first light) and ended 1 hour after secure from flight quarters (a couple of hours after sunset). The most highly sought work assignment was to be the inside man for checking the flash shields for light leaks. Close the flash shield and wait 15 minutes so that you eyes adjust and can see the smallest light leak. It was a two man job because a second man needed to wake up the inside man tell the inside man that the 15 minutes were up.

[Gator101]

Having spent three years of active duty in the Marine Corps I can tell you from experience they were seated at least 45 minutes before the President's speech

I can second that. In 1993 I was in the Army and was "volunteered" to go see Clinton speak at Camp Casey. I didn't really want to go, not so much for political reasons ( I wasn't too political back then) as not wanting to sit on a bus in Korean traffic for an hour but each platoon had to send 3 people and I drew one of the short straws). We sat there for about 2 hours before he arrived. The only reason we didn't sleep was because the corp commander, General Luck, was telling us we better cheer for the guy because we had to respect the office, if not the man.

[CFC__VRWC]

One of the airedales on the Saratoga told me once that he and his guys would crawl into the plane intakes to catch some winks. He said they'd pull off a boot and sleep with it under their heads, so that it would FOD the engine in case someone spooled it up while they were snoozing. Never could make up my mind if he was BS-ing me or not.