On the ground

You might feel differently about this policy if you were on the ground in a war zone.

Near-synonyms: on the street, in the streets, in reality, in the real world

Evidently, senior management has no idea how things get done by those of us on the ground.

“It’s so obvious that he has no clue as to what is really happening on the ground,” she added.

I'm still surprised that I found a hundred-dollar bill just lying on the ground.