A Hymn Before Battle

21 Camp McCall, NC Sol III 0917 July 25th, 2002 ad

“Afternoon, Gunny, siddown.” Like many of the buildings springing up to support the expanding war effort, the company commander’s combined office and quarters was a sixty-six-foot trailer. The office occupied one end, with the living quarters on the other. Among other things, this arrangement meant one less piece of housing that had to be allocated for the burgeoning officer corps. The company commander was a recycled second lieutenant and the only officer in the training company.

With the new-old disciplinary techniques and the paucity of officers on the training base, the gaps that had been closing between officer and enlisted corps in the past decade were beginning to widen again. Despite the fact that their CO was a basically nice if stupid second john, the recruits looked upon him as sitting at the right hand of God; the battalion commander was, of course, God.

Gunnery Sergeant Pappas and the other NCOs encouraged this attitude; keeping the trainees in line was becoming more and more difficult. Not only was it necessary to learn radically new technologies, but the threat bearing down on Earth was causing ripples of disruption at every level. Although the prestige of being Strike Troopers was high, the stress of not knowing your eventual duty assignment, not knowing, as the Guard troops did, that you would be directly defending home and family, was causing a rise in desertions among the Strike training companies.

Desertions were a problem that the United States military had not had to deal with in years. Pappas had heard rumor that it was even worse among the formed units. Soldiers there would desert, taking their weapons and equipment, and return home to defend their families. The families would in turn hide them and their stolen equipment from the authorities. What the long-term solution would be no one knew.

Thus, creating a solemn figurehead out of this amiable cretin became a necessity. Sometimes, as a miracle of that strange art called leadership, a simple pat on the back or stern look from the briefly-glimpsed company commander would keep a recruit from bolting. Once they graduated they became somebody else’s responsibility.

“Gunny,” the lieutenant continued as the gigantic Pappas settled carefully into the rickety swivel chair, “there’s been another change in midstream. Now all the units, as they complete basic training, are to be shipped as units to their permanent posting. They will complete individual training and unit training there. And that is where the suits will be going.”

“Okay, sir. I’ll tell the troops.” Pappas waited patiently. Sometimes the commander would have to think for some time to remember what the next item was. This time he seemed to have made notes.

“Yes, well, further,” the lieutenant continued, looking at his notes with a sniff, “we are being levied to provide cadre. You are, personally, being levied as a first sergeant to a former Airborne unit that is to be converted to an Armored Combat Suit unit.

“You will be taking your platoon to Indiantown Gap to ramp up to readiness. That will be your permanent post, of course. I guess you’ll be joined by other troops there.”

Shit. This platoon? thought Pappas, mentally categorizing the characters he had just become “Top” to. “Yes, sir. Are you continuing as CO?” No, no, no, no, no, no!

“No, I’ve been designated as critical here, dammit. God knows when I’ll get a combat command,” said the portly officer, tugging at his uniform nervously.

Never if the battalion commander has his way. “Will that be all?”

“Not quite. Ground Forces training command has decided to cut short the training cycle, so the cycle will be ending in two weeks instead of four and final testing has been canceled. The unit will start clearing post next week and you will join them. Transportation is being arranged but they don’t know when you’ll receive the rest of your NCO cadre. Of course, your officers should be waiting for you.”

“Yes, sir, I understand,” Pappas said, thinking ominously of the phrases “should” and “of course.” “Will there be movement orders soon?”

“Well, right now I’m passing on verbal orders to prepare your platoon and the company as a whole to ship out. Get with the first sergeant to arrange the details.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Dismissed.”