duty officer

they sent me to a base i’d never seen before. no familiar faces, no one who knew my name. just me, a brand new duty officer, trying not to let the panic show.

i found the duty NCO and specialists, introduced myself. then evening formation. a soldier raised his hand. “sir, i need medical attention. there’s a lesion in my mouth.” i called the duty commander, stayed composed. manageable.

then the radio crackled. water tower breach. flooding. handle it now.

everything hit at once. i pointed at the nearest soldier. “go. water tower. fix it.” sprinted for the transport vehicle, found a driver, didn’t ask questions. the hospital trip stretched longer than it should have. paperwork. waiting rooms. fluorescent time.

driving back, i spotted a corner store glowing in the dark. “stop here.” handed the driver my card. “get drinks. whatever you want. me too.” we stood in that parking lot under harsh lights, three tired men drinking coke at an hour when most people were asleep. the soldiers thanked me. it wasn’t much. just acknowledging they’d stayed late, that it mattered.

back at base, i still had patrol rounds. problem was i had no idea where the patrol points were. found someone who did. “get in. you’re navigating.” he showed me the routes, the towers, the checkpoints. at each stop i talked to the soldiers on watch. not interrogating, not inspecting. just checking in. how are you holding up? everything good?

after that shift, my phone kept buzzing. “sir, when’s your next watch?” “hope you’re assigned here more often.” they wanted me back. and honestly? i wanted to come back.

that feeling of being wanted, of doing something right, it meant more than i expected. i just hope i don’t mess it up.

e.