Sleep in the Military: Not Dead, Just Dead Tired

GIs in Europe used every opportunity to shut their eyes and get the sleep they needed to fight—even for just a minute.

By Kevin M. Hymel One of the most precious resources in war, and the one most often in short supply, is sleep. Physical exhaustion, combined with the strain of combat, wears even the most young, physically fit men down. Advancing or retreating, bivouacked on the front lines or a bit to the rear, sleep, with all its recuperative qualities, is scarce. During World War II, enemy snipers, artillery barrages, and the occasional “Bed Check Charlie,” single enemy aircraft which dropped bombs or