In the Missile Field, the constant battle against weather, old equipment, changes in plans, and shortness of time all serve to feed what is perhaps the worst nemesis of the Missileer - fatigue. Strong storms, flooding, or system wide equipment failures can mean many sites down or on degraded status, which translates to lots of man-hours in the field. "Back-to-Back Turnarounds" where teams work 12-16 hour shifts with an 8 hour break between, for days on end, wear teams to a frazzle; this results in mishaps and mistakes, especially on the long drives between sites. Despite regulations that all occupants stay awake enroute, most nap for a while on the long drives, especially when the workload has been heavy. Often the driver is the only one NOT sleeping, and occasionally this doesn't last. There have been more than a few teams come back to base with a wrecked truck and a tale of the "herd of deer in the road" or "farm truck pulled in front of us" and describing the valiant effort the driver made not to hit the "obstacle", but unfortunately went into the ditch/farm field/swamp/tree instead. The roads between missile sites are long, barren, and have little to no traffic, so often there is no witness to refute this story. And usually all in the vehicle will back this story to the hilt. Why?
Well, its true, no one wants to risk reprimand and admit they fell asleep against regulations and so didn't see the driver fall asleep, either. But it's more than that. There is also a great deal of loyalty involved. Most maintenance team members are hand picked to work with each other, and if they don't work well together, they get swapped out quickly. This develops a sort of "war buddy" bonding, where many team members become close and trusted friends, not merely co-workers. The same is true of the Security Escort guards that accompany the trip. And since both groups rely on each other for vital functions to get in the site and back home again quickly, the security and maintenance personnel often form a bond of sorts, too.
In one example of how deep that loyalty will go, one Team Chief was well liked by the security contingent because he was quick and reliable at clearing down sites and getting home in minimum time; he even had a reputation for never RON'ing (Remain Over Nite). Additionally, he had a very high rate of clearing "Campered" sites, ones that had security posted on them 24/7 because the intrusion detection systems were inoperative. On one particular dispatch, a new security guard who had transferred in from an Aircraft Unit, was assigned as one of his 2 escorts for a trip to a missile silo. On the dispatch, the Team Chief violated several regs and policies of the type designed to keep the inept from hurting themselves; none of his actions were reckless or harmful, and all contributed in getting the site fixed and his team home, as quickly as possible. One reg, for instance, dictated the max speed on dirt roads was 25mph; the Team Chief drove the posted 50mph speed, which was both legal and safe - but violated regs. The former Aircraft guard, being from a different crowd (the kind that works 7-4, Monday thru Friday, minus lunch at Burger King or soda breaks), dutifully reported all of the violations when he returned. The Team Chief was read his Miranda rights by his superiors, and informed of possible charges. News of this traveled quickly, and on his very next dispatch, several of the "old hand" security guards had a quiet talk with the Aircraft guard; the other Escort and the maintenance team member refused to back any part of his story, even under oath, and the former aircraft guard retracted his story shortly after. It was not long after that he was transferred out to another unit. And all without the Team Chief even voicing a concern about being in trouble.