Vigiliance in the Army

Vigilance Essay Feb 2015

1028 words

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. (Quote- Desmond Tutu)

Vigilance is defined as the action or state of being alert and watchful. It is concerned both with what is and what will be. Thus it is important to be Vigilant in the army for many reasons. Not the least of which being it could keep you and your buddies alive despite the world’s best attempts to make you otherwise. But it means more than just staying awake and alert at guard duty. It means both being mentally and physically prepared to react to changing conditions and to being aware and cognizant of the current conditions. There are three important categories to discuss here and expound upon. The First is Vigilance on Duty, the second is Vigilance to Duty and the third is Vigilance in your Duties.

They that are on their guard and appear ready to receive their adversaries are in much less danger of being attacked than the supine, secure and negligent. (Quote by - Benjamin Franklin)

As it was stated before Vigilance on Duty can mean life or death in the military. If you are on Guard and fall asleep the Enemy could sneak in and kill you and your battle buddies without even a challenge. Vigilance on Radio duty means that you don’t miss important information coming it from far off units or battle buddies calling for rescue or backup and support. In the aid station vigilance may mean the ability to save lives by reacting quickly in the first few seconds of a critically wounded casualty’s arrival. And the few tenths of a seconds advantage vigilance makes in a firefight can mean the difference between landing your rounds and shooting thin air. Vigilance on duty means that you are aware of and ready to respond to current and changing conditions with regard to your duty. Noticing and responding to changes in the weather, schedule shifts, vehicle maintenance problems, and even things like allergic reactions or choking are examples of vigilance in action. Failing to...