style="font-size:15px;"> “Yes, sir.”
I watch them pull away, and then I went to bed.
“So, Karen, are you ready to take command of the Second Battalion.”
“Jamie, what do you mean by that?.”
“Karen, I’ve seen the colonel work. I know he sees a lot in you.”
“Jamie, I think you are wrong. Maybe captain, but not lieutenant colonel.”
“He got Katie promoted. I think he will promote you to be the battalion commander.”
“He was just talking of getting someone outside to command the battalion.”
“No, he doesn’t see anyone to lead the Third Battalion. He knows who will lead the Second Battalion. I think it will be you.”
“Well, I don’t know. Let’s just get through this exercise first.”
On Tuesday morning, I was in a pickle. How do I get myself into such situations? I was sitting in Bill’s office with LTC Steven Reynolds and 2LT Karen Rivera. Steven looked at me and asked, “What is she doing here?”
Bill cut him short. “Steven, I called her here.”
“Sorry, Colonel Carlisle. What’s this about.”
“Sorry I’m late, gentlemen. So let’s get down to business.”
I turned to see MG Pat Saunders enter the room, closing the door.
“It seems this has been blown all out of proportion. There seems to be a quandary about these soldiers. I’ve seen the training reports. They’re ready for graduation.”
“Sir, regulations state soldiers need six weeks of basic infantry training.”
Bill added, “Yet these troopers are way beyond basic tactics. They seem to learn faster.”
MG Saunders cut him short. “Well, it’s out of our hands now.”
Bill asked, “What do you mean?”
“Jane Minder will be here Monday morning. She will inspect some training, then be here to oversee this exercise. After the exercise, she will make a decision on the status of these soldiers.”
“Sir, she can’t do that.”
“Yes, she can do that. She’s seen the training status of these soldiers, to include discipline. In fact, I hear she promoted a soldier with less than a year in service to lieutenant colonel.”
Reynolds said, “She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
“However, she does have the authority to transfer and or promote personnel.”
MG Saunders called up a holographic map of the exercise area.
“Alpha Company will defend this area highlighted first. Bravo Company must make their attack within four hours after they arrive. There will be a break, and then Bravo will defend the area, and Alpha Company will make their attack the next day. I want to get this over in three days. Are there any questions? Then you’re dismissed. Jim, can you stay for a minute?”
“Sure, Pat”
I turned to Karen and whispered to her and she left.
“Jim, I didn’t want to make a scene, but the young soldier shouldn’t have been here.”
“Pat, she’s going to command Alpha Company.”
“No, you will. You have to be there.”
“I’ll be there, but Karen will have full command of Alpha Company. Karen has beaten Reynolds four times. She’s that far advanced.”
“You do have a stubborn streak in you, Jim. OK, she can lead the battle. You still have to be there.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for all the money in the world.”
“Jim, the exercise is set for next Tuesday, June 24.”
Wednesday night, we trucked Alpha Company to the night fighting range. I watched as the troopers got off the truck and went to the bleachers. Once everyone was seated, I walk up.
“Good evening. How is everyone doing?”
There were a lot of different responses from the troopers.
“Tonight, we will train you on night engagements. These skills will help you in your military career. LTC Katharine Wilson will start the class off.”
“Thank you, COL Preston. If you look at this chart, you can see how the eye works. Now when the light fades, the cone of the cornea goes inactive. The area around this cone becomes active. Due to low light, you may not see colors. This is normal and should not be a cause for concern. To engage targets, you can’t look directly at the target. You need to look to the left or right of the target.”
A trooper was waving his hand above the group.
“Trooper, stand up and tell me your name and then ask your question.”
“Gerald Moore, sir. Don’t these rifles have electronic sights on them?”
“Come here, trooper. Maybe you can show them how it’s done.” I handed Private Moore a rifle. “Jim, please put up the targets for lane #17.”
In a minute, all targets were up. I pointed PVT Moore in the right direction. “Jim, light up the targets for two minutes.”
All the targets gave off a soft glow as they were lit up.
“Don’t do anything yet.”
The lights went off, and the range was dark again.
“Now, PVT Moore, show us how it’s done.”
PVT Moore put the rifle to his shoulder and looked. “The sight isn’t working. I can’t see anything but a snowy static.”
“Here, try this one. Maybe you’ll have better luck.”
PVT Moore put the second rifle to his shoulder and looked. “It’s the same thing. The sight isn’t working.”
“That’s OK, PVT Moore. Return to your seat.” I watched PVT Moore return to the bleachers.
“Now you can see that electronic sights don’t work in low light. Night vision electronic sights will burn out in daylight. That is why you need the skills to fight at night.”
“Thank you, COL Preston, for the targets. Now, if there are no further questions, let’s get you all lined up for firing orders.”
Katie arranged the troopers into firing orders. 32 troopers per order. All 160 troopers were done in five firing orders. My staff made sure they learned how to engage at night, giving out pointers when needed. We watched them leave for their barracks.
