LITMIR.BIZ

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night, I took Katie, 2LT Karen Rivera, and the rest of my staff to a rifle range to learn night fighting skills. We were greeted by Major Thomas James with a salute. “Howdy, Colonel Preston.”

      “How are you doing, Tom?”

      “I’m doing great. I made the lieutenant colonels list. I should pin them on in September.”

      Katie interrupted us. “Do you know every officer in the army?”

      Tom responded, “Jim doesn’t know every officer, but every infantry officer knows Jim. Jim trained a lot of us while we served under him.”

      “I see, it’s nice to see all Jim’s friends.”

      Tom asked Katie, “So how long have you been in the army?”

      “I…um…well…”

      I interrupted “Tom, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

      “It’s just she looks so young.”

      I told Tom, “No older than one of your lieutenants.”

      Tom’s eyes got big. “And she is a lieutenant colonel?”

      “Jane approved her promotion, and I approved her promotion.”

      “Wow, I guess she is good if you approve it.”

      “This is my staff, CPT Candice Johnson, CPT Paul Gonzales, MAJ David Jones, and CPT James Barlow, and this is 2LT Karen Rivera. They need to learn how to teach night engagements skills to troopers.”

      Tom looked at me. “I take it this is for the exercise.”

      “Tom, you know about that?”

      Tom responded, “Everybody knows about it. LTC Reynolds is going to lose to you.”

      “I’m not commanding the soldiers during the exercise.”

      Tom asked, “No, then who is?”

      “Karen, one of the soldiers in the Alpha Company.”

      Tom looked at Karen. “I hope she can win. I have $200 on the exercise.”

      “That’s why we’re here. My staff needs the skills to teach the company night engagement skills.”

      “Jim, I’ll be back in ten minutes. If you all will follow me, I will brief you. Staff Sergeant Carson will give you all a safety briefing.”

      Tom returned after the briefing. “So, Jim, how did you get this assignment.”

      “I’m not sure how I was picked for this unit.”

      Tom smiled. “This assignment could be your ticket to general.”

      “It just might be my last unit. I have a feeling I might be ready to retire after this.”

      “Jim, you could be a general after this unit.”

      “Maybe, however, I just feel I’ll retire after this unit. Tom, why don’t you talk to Karen Rivera? Tell me what you think of her.”

      “I might just do that.”

      As we watched the firing range, the targets were lit up to show them where the targets were. The range sergeants had illuminated paddles. Red is for hot range, and white is for clear range. The tower announced, “Range sergeants, give me a ready paddle please.” One by one, the paddles turned red. Suddenly, the range went dark. The tower announced, “Firers, watch your lane.” The pop up targets weren’t illuminated. My staff was confused; some fired some rounds, some did nothing. After five minutes, the range sergeants cleared the firing line. MAJ James got on the loudspeaker.

      “Not so easy, is it? So what you have to do is identify your targets with your peripheral vision. You can’t see the target if you look straight at it. Once you identify the target, put your sight over the target and shoot.”

      Once again the tower announced, “Range Sergeants, give me a ready paddle please.” One by one, the paddles went red. The range went dark, and the tower announced, “Firers, watch your lane.”

      Suddenly, there were shots all over the range. I saw some targets falling over. They took a fifteen-minute break and then went back to the firing line. This time, there was more shooting. This time, the range was cleared. All rifles were cleared of all ammunition, with the bolt locked back and the rifle on safe. Tom briefed my staff on their performance.

      “Well, not too many shots on the first firing order, very few hits. The last firing order had a 41 percent hit ratio, which is outstanding. Now you can see how to train soldiers to engage the enemy at night.

      After a quick dinner, we set up for the next firing order. Tom put my troopers in charge, with his sergeants overseeing the training. Katie took charge and directed the training. I saw Tom talking to Karen. Karen seemed pretty animated as she talked. I resisted the urge join the conversation.

      As we drove back to the bachelor officer quarters, everyone was talking about the upcoming training. I was thinking of the Second Battalion becoming my Third Battalion. Training records showed no one stepping up to take command. I needed a commander for the battalion. I knew lots of officers. I just needed to find one who could let the troopers excel in their duty. I thought this would be a hard search.

      “So, Katie, what do you think of Tom?”

      “His question caught me off guard. I didn’t know how to answer.”

      “Just tell the truth. By the way, you won’t get promoted for the next ten years.”

      “Why not?”

      “The army has a hierarchy. You just passed several layers in your first year.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “Most officers start at second lieutenant. Then they’re promoted to first lieutenant, then captain, then major, and lastly, lieutenant colonel. Each promotion takes two to four years to obtain.”

      Katie’s eyes got big. “I see.”

      “Tom respects my opinion, but he sees you as inexperienced, untrained, unable to lead. My opinion changed his mind.”

      “How did you do that?”

      “I have been in the infantry my whole career. I’ve been in wars and seen leaders come from the least likely individuals. I have the experience to know who has leadership and who can learn it.”

      “So you making me a lieutenant colonel means I have the leadership to lead the regiment in your absence.”

      “Now you begin to understand. It’s not about age, it’s about leadership—the ability to inspire your troopers to succeed.”

      “Thanks for believing in me.”

      “Well, you really earned the promotion. However, I need a commander for the Third Battalion.”

      “What about the soldiers in the battalion?”

      “None of them show the leadership we need.”

      “So you have to get someone from outside the unit.”

      “Yeah, but I need the right commander. I have to keep looking for the right person.”

      “What about Tom?”

      “I don’t think he would like to be under a lieutenant colonel with more time in rank than him, but has less than a year in the army.”

      “But he seemed to take me well.”

      “Maybe. I’ll talk to him after the exercise.”

      Karen jumped in. “He tried to trip me up.”

      I asked, “What do you mean?”

      “We talked about tactics. He tried to trip me up with possible variations the enemy could use.”

      Katie asked, “So what happened?”

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