Guard Duty....dedicated to all those who have pulled it in some foreign land.

[TheGreenHornet]

Bridge-Guard in the Karroo
1901

". . . and will supply details to guard the Blood River Bridge."
District Orders-Lines of Communication, South African War.
Sudden the desert changes,
The raw glare softens and clings,
Till the aching Oudtshoorn ranges
Stand up like the thrones of Kings --

Ramparts of slaughter and peril --
Blazing, amazing, aglow --
'Twixt the sky-line's belting beryl
And the wine-dark flats below.

Royal the pageant closes,
Lit by the last of the sun --
Opal and ash-of-roses,
Cinnamon, umber, and dun.

The twilight swallows the thicket,
The starlight reveals the ridge.
The whistle shrills to the picket --
We are changing guard on the bridge.

(Few, forgotten and lonely,
Where the empty metals shine --
No, not combatants-only
Details guarding the line.)

We slip through the broken panel
Of fence by the ganger's shed;
We drop to the waterless channel
And the lean track overhead;

We stumble on refuse of rations,
The beef and the biscuit-tins;
We take our appointed stations,
And the endless night begins.

We hear the Hottentot herders
As the sheep click past to the fold --
And the click of the restless girders
As the steel contracts in the cold --

Voices of jackals calling
And, loud in the hush between,
A morsel of dry earth falling
From the flanks of the scarred ravine.

And the solemn firmament marches,
And the hosts of heaven rise
Framed through the iron arches --
Banded and barred by the ties,

Till we feel the far track humming,
And we see her headlight plain,
And we gather and wait her coming --
The wonderful north-bound train.

(Few, forgotten and lonely,
Where the white car-windows shine --
No, not combatants-only
Details guarding the line.)

Quick, ere the gift escape us!
Out of the darkness we reach
For a handful of week-old papers
And a mouthful of human speech.

And the monstrous heaven rejoices,
And the earth allows again,
Meetings, greetings, and voices
Of women talking with men.

So we return to our places,
As out on the bridge she rolls;
And the darkness covers our faces,
And the darkness re-enters our souls.

More than a little lonely
Where the lessening tail-lights shine.
No - not combatants - only
Details guarding the line!

......Rudyard Kipling

 

[fncceo]

Can we include those who perform guard duty in this country?

 

[TheGreenHornet]

If you want.....this is a military forum but I have no problem with including the police who deserve everyone's recognition for holding the line on the streets....and in the upcoming summer we will very likely see a lot of turmoil in the streets.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Guard duty at the flag pole Camp Casey was not quite like Karoo, and mama-san made sure we had lots of goodies to eat.

 

[harmonica]

..4 very tough years , horrific-almost unspeakable--guard duty Oahu Hawaii Marine Barracks PH
..there were 5 Guard Companies at that time....now I think there might be 2 left--I don't know
...I got meritoriously promoted out of boot camp and ITS, so they sent the ''best'' to good stations like Hawaii
...best time was night guard duty at the Rifle Range right near the beach where you could see the lights of Waikiki ...you could hear the waves from pretty far away..but that wasn't our primary guard posts
....of course, guard/fire watch duty in Europe and South America...guard duty on the USS Inchon flight deck in Naples with Mt Vesuvius in the background

 

[whitehall]

I recall a long four hours walking a post in a military manner trying to remember the general orders in case the O.D. came by.

 

[whitehall]

Can we include those who perform guard duty in this country?

Is that a can of Coors light?

 

[ABikerSailor]

Stood guard duty on the quarterdeck as both a messenger of the watch, and Petty Officer of the watch in many different countries. But, having a chance of scenery on a regular basis made it okay. Sometimes the views across the water were stunning.

 

[fncceo]

Can we include those who perform guard duty in this country?

Is that a can of Coors light?

Vodka and Red Bull