Sleepless in the Service: 6 Tired Tales for National Napping Day

"On my first patrol in the Coast Guard, I had to shadow a few different people to learn what roles and responsibilities I would need to cover," Casey said. "This meant I had to cover multiple watches. I realized I had been awake for well over 30 hours. I was growing increasingly tired by the minute, and no amount of caffeine was helping at this point. We were underway on patrol off the coast of the Mexico-California border on a nice clear night. The ship was gently rocking back and forth, and my lack of sea legs made me walk around like a newborn calf. I was banging into things left and right and fighting to stay awake.

"I didn't want to appear weak, and I knew I would be made fun of if they found me sleeping, so I decided to take a quick power nap in the back of the engine room. It was warm and toasty in there, and I figured all I needed was 10 minutes to feel fresh and new again. With my head gently resting on a valve in the engine room, I figured I was out of the way of anyone just walking around. Sadly, I was sorely mistaken. The engine room is not a place to sleep. Apparently, it is a fire hazard and 'unsafe.' To say I was reprimanded would be an understatement. The worst part was the crew waking me up by yelling at me."

To read napping stories from other veterans, visit http://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/Sleepless-in-the-Service-6-Tired-Tales-for-National-Napping-Day.

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Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors. Read more at http://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/about-us.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project

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