Hurry Up and Wait — The Army’s Favourite Pastime

If there’s one phrase every Dig knows too well, it’s “hurry up and wait.” You’ll sprint to get your gear on, Form up in record time, Walk all through the night sweat dripping down your back, only to… sit there. For hours.

Staring at the back of someone’s head, wondering if this is what you signed up for.

It’s funny, but also kind of genius. The Army somehow trains you to be lightning fast when it counts, and then immediately teaches you patience — the kind of patience most civies will never understand. Because it’s not just waiting. It’s waiting while tired, wet, hungry, and sometimes carrying half your bodyweight in kit.

The thing is, “hurry up and wait” isn’t just wasted time. It’s where most of the jokes get cracked, the nicknames get born, and the best (and worst) yarns are spun. You learn that the bloke next to you can make you laugh even when you’re knee-deep in mud and cursing the chain of command. It’s a weird kind of bonding ritual — misery shared, humour found.

And when the waiting’s finally over and things kick off, you’re already switched on, geared up, and ready to go. Maybe that’s the point: the Army knows that life doesn’t happen on your schedule. Sometimes the worst thing you can do is be late. So instead, we get there early. Really early. And wait.

It might feel like a waste of time, but ask any ex-digger years later and they’ll grin: “Yep, hurry up and wait — that was the Army in a nutshell.”