My title is taken from old military jargon which is used, to this day, in my beloved Maine Corps to mean you are being transferred or your tour in Afghanistan will soon be up - as an example - making you a 'short timer'.
Happily, most short timers are counting the hours, sometimes even minutes, until that 'wake up' day comes, as they prepare to board that plane for their flight home, home to their family, home to safety, just away from here and going home.