# Case Study:  Sun Tzu, III/31



## Marauder06 (Jul 26, 2012)

This is the start of a new case study. For those of you unfamiliar with how this works, I start a story loosely based on personal experiences and develop it based on your responses. This is a complete work of fiction and unless specified otherwise, none of the units, situations, or people mentioned are real.

The purpose of these case studies is to provide an entertaining venue to discuss military leadership. You should feel free to chime in with your suggestions, comments, observations and questions; that’s what really makes these fun for everyone. At the end of the case study, I’ll wrap it all up and talk briefly about how the case study compared to what happened (or didn’t happen) in real life.

These cases take time (in some instances, “a lot” of time:-/ ) so no promises on when it will get wrapped up. Part of the equation in how long it takes is how many responses there are, to help drive the plot.

The working title of this case study is “Sun Tzu III/31.” The events in this case study take place immediately after those* in the case study “Karma.”* Here is a rundown of some of the characters you are likely to encounter in this case study:

CPT Scott Faith: intel officer, former commander of the Military Intelligence Detachment (MID), now in the process of taking over as Group S2 from MAJ Dudley. Main character of the story.

MSG Will Reynolds: intel noncommissioned officer, first sergeant of the MID, good friend of CPT Faith. He is on the promotion list for E9 and will probably be moving on to another unit shortly.

MAJ Dudley: marginally-competent Group S2. Known as “The Dud.” He and Faith have a volatile relationship, in part because The Dud believes that Faith “stole” command of the MID from him, and because Faith believes that The Dud is a complete idiot.

CW2 Amanda Rollins: female counter-intel warrant officer; young, fit, attractive, highly intelligent and very good at her job. Also, ShadowSpear’s favorite case study character. (I don’t remember if I gave her a first name previously, so her name now is “Amanda.”)

MSG Paul Walden: Special Forces team sergeant, first encountered during the “Soul Plane incident.” Probably ShadowSpear’s most-hated character because he is dating Chief Rollins. ;)

CPT Mackenzie “Mac” Marshal: Young Special Forces team leader (Paul and Marshall are on the same team) first encountered in the “Soul Plane incident.”

The Group Commander: overall head of the Group. He is about to change command as part of a regular command turnover.

The DCO: the Group’s deputy commanding officer. Long-time SF officer, he was wounded in Afghanistan and is missing part of his right index finger. Complete hardass, but fair. Officers are as scared of the DCO as the enlisted and NCOs are of the Group command sergeant major. Currently slated to take another job outside of the Group.

The CSM: the Group command sergeant major. 24+ years of experience in SF. The Group commander’s right-hand man.

CPT Simon Criss: formerly the Group support detachment commander, he is now heading “across the airfield” to become part of the 16th SAVE, a special mission unit (SMU).

CPT Li Chen: Group surgeon.

CW5 Randy Michaels: CW5, one of the two senior SF warrant officers in Group, assigned to the Group S2 shop but works in the S3 shop.


MAJ Quintin Roberts: was CPT Faith’s battalion XO in a previous assignment. CPT Faith has a particular loathing for MAJ Roberts, for reasons which as yet are not clear. MAJ Roberts previously served in a number of different SOF units, including 2nd Group, before CPT Faith met him in Korea.

…more characters as I come up with/remember them. 

All of the above individuals are assigned to the 2nd Special Forces Group (2nd Group) at an unspecified Army base located somewhere in the United States. Other units at this unnamed base nclude the 16th Special Aviation Element (16th SAVE) and a conventional Army unit, known only as “The Division.”

Before we get started, I wanted to try something. As many of you are aware, the names of some of the characters in these cases are based on ShadowSpear site members. I want to work a couple more into this upcoming case study. So, I will take nominations; post the username of a member, why he or she would be an interesting character in the story, and how he or she should be worked into the plot. (this should be interesting… ;) ). No self-nominations, please.


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## Chopstick (Jul 26, 2012)

0699 because every good story should involve a pyromaniac.


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## x SF med (Jul 26, 2012)

well... Viper and I are already there....   so I nominate E-Type (just because), Teufel (another real-life hero and infantry to intel stud), and Cback (since he teaches at the schoolhouse)....


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## x SF med (Jul 26, 2012)

did I forget RB?  ... we have to have RB, just so Chubbs gets a cameo.


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## x SF med (Jul 26, 2012)

...  and Lindy...  SOTA needs to represent.


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## Chopstick (Jul 26, 2012)

LOL everyone on the site gets a turn!


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## x SF med (Jul 26, 2012)

all of my choices are germane to the Special Operations community and 2nd Grp as a unit...

We do not need a witch in the peanut gallery...  you can still be banned, y'know...


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## Chopstick (Jul 26, 2012)

We have Germans too?


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## Marauder06 (Jul 26, 2012)

Even though the deaths of MAJ Ripley and CPT James now weigh heavily of the minds of many in 2nd Group, life continues. The Group is continuing to make preparations for their next major deployment to Iraq, where they will relieve 9th Group, a sister unit from out west. While a bit of a rivalry exists between 2nd Group and 9th Group, both units tend to work together well at the tactical level. That cohesion will be tested during this deployment, however, because the headquarters of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSTOF) will be moving from a palace in Baghdad to a dusty, austere airfield in Balad. 9th Group has been tasked with constructing the new CJSOTF facilities, which 2nd Group will then occupy.

But the construction of a new headquarters in Iraq is a distant concern for many of the commanders and staff in 2nd Group. More short-term, and therefore more pressing, is the upcoming annual inspection. The inspection was already postponed once, and the rescheduled date is in two weeks. All staff sections will be inspected by a team from US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC). Far from being a typical, low-consequence “paper drill” inspection, a poor showing on this kind of inspection can have real consequences. The results of these inspections are shared throughout the SOF community and are presented (as part of a larger briefing) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Commanders have been relieved, and staff officers fired, for extremely poor performance on these evaluations in the past.

As the incoming Group S2 for 2nd Group, CPT Faith’s primary concern is the part of the inspection that covers intel responsibilities. Key among these are physical security, intel oversight, and handling of classified information. Faith is due to take over as Group S2 immediately after the inspection is over, so the responsibility for the intel portion of the annual inspection falls on the current S2, MAJ Dudley. Or, as he is known, “The Dud.” It is not a term of affection.

CPT Faith and The Dud are not friends, and the issues between them go back a long time. When Faith first arrived at 2nd Group, approximately two years ago, he was briefly assigned as one of The Dud’s assistant S2s. After a few weeks of mindless drudgery working for someone who was at best only marginally competent, and who was certainly universally reviled by the entire Group, the initial enchantment of actually being assigned to a Special Forces unit wore off, and Faith began looking for a way out. 

At the time, Faith was also greatly annoyed that he had not been deployed yet, and because he worked for a complete clown, no one was particularly interested in getting Faith out on a deployment. The Dud’s reputation colored the reputation of the entire Group S2 shop, and the battalions felt that they would rather go it alone than have “help” from The Dud. The deployment issue was particularly irksome to Faith, who was convinced that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would be over any minute, and that he would be the “only kid on his block” without a combat patch. Even from the short time he had spent at Group, Faith realized that the Group S2, his entire shop, and by extension the entire intel operation in 2nd Group was completely marginalized, and that he would likely not get to do anything more meaningful than inspecting arms rooms and handing out maps as long as The Dud was the face (and annoying, stuttering voice) of the intel effort in 2nd Group.

One night shortly after he arrived at Group, after a long day of doing… well… a bunch of needless busy-work for The Dud, Faith picked up the phone and called a friend of his over in Division.

“Mike, hi, it’s Scott,” Faith said when the phone connection was made.

“Scott!” his friend said excitedly, “I heard you were in town. How are you liking 2nd Group?”

“Actually,” Faith replied, “it kind of blows. I was hoping you could find me a job in Division.”

“Seriously?” Mike said in genuine amazement. “You’ve only been over there what, like a week?”

“Two weeks,” Faith corrected, “two LONG weeks.” Faith then went on to explain the problems in the Group S2 shop, and why he wanted a transfer.

“Damn, that sucks,” Mike conceded, once Faith was done. “Yeah, I think we can work something out, I’ll talk to the Division G2 tomorrow, and we’ll see where we can slot you. But just so you know, if you come to Division, it’s a guaranteed ticket to the two-way range.”

“That’s exactly what I want,” Faith replied, confidently.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 26, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> At the time, Faith was also greatly annoyed that he had not been deployed yet, and because he worked for a complete clown, no one was particularly interested in getting Faith out on a deployment. The Dud’s reputation colored the reputation of the entire Group S2 shop, and the battalions felt that they would rather go it alone than have “help” from The Dud. The deployment issue was particularly irksome to Faith, who was convinced that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would be over any minute, and that he would be the “only kid on his block” without a combat patch. Even from the short time he had spent at Group, Faith realized that the Group S2, his entire shop, and by extension the entire intel operation in 2nd Group was complete (completely?) marginalized, and that he would likely not get to do anything more meaningful than inspecting arms rooms and handing out maps as long as The Dud was the face (and annoying, stuttering voice) of the intel effort in 2nd Group.


 
Sorry, it's the grammar nazi in me, Sir.


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## Mac_NZ (Jul 26, 2012)

No Kiwi!

I'm going to go write my own case study that involves a handsome NZer with sharp wit, chief Rollins and a waitress from the Blackhorse.  

I may be some time.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 26, 2012)

Mac_NZ said:


> No Kiwi!
> 
> I'm going to go write my own case study that involves a handsome NZer with sharp wit, chief Rollins and a waitress from the Blackhorse.
> 
> I may be some time.


What about your role in your story?


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## Mac_NZ (Jul 26, 2012)

Arsehole


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## x SF med (Jul 27, 2012)

Mac_NZ said:


> No Kiwi!
> 
> I'm going to go write my own case study that involves a handsome NZer with sharp wit, chief Rollins and a waitress from the Blackhorse.
> 
> I may be some time.


 
At least Mara's case studies have some basis in truth, not the delusional babblings of a deranged flightless bird....  now back to Mara's fictionalized account of the truth.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

Does everyone understand that my last post was a bit of a flashback?  I'm not sure I did a good job of making that clear.


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## CDG (Jul 27, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Does everyone understand that my last post was a bit of a flashback? I'm not sure I did a good job of making that clear.


 
I understood that part.  Seemed clear to me.


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## Gypsy (Jul 27, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Does everyone understand that my last post was a bit of a flashback? I'm not sure I did a good job of making that clear.


 
Yes.

Now get on with it.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

Gypsy said:


> Yes.
> 
> Now get on with it.


 
lol

"Faith woke up and realized it was all a dream.  But turning towards his dresser, he saw something that hadn't been there before- a tan baseball cap with a subdued US flag sewn onto it.  Was it real?  Was it imagined?  Was he ever even in the military to begin with?  The world will never know..."

THE END 

;)


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## LimaOscarSierraTango (Jul 27, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> lol
> 
> "Faith woke up and realized it was all a dream. But turning towards his dresser, he saw something that hadn't been there before- a tan baseball cap with a subdued US flag sewn onto it. Was it real? Was it imagined? Was he ever even in the military to begin with? The world will never know..."
> 
> ...


 
Sewn?  I thought it was supposed to be hook and loop?  Oh wait, my bad.  Facts are skewered to protect the innocent... or guilty. LOL


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

After he hung up the phone, Faith heard a voice in the hall.

“Hey, S2!” someone shouted, condescendingly.

Faith, realizing that at this time of day he was probably the only officer from the S2 shop still at work, replied, “In here!”
A face soon appeared at his door. “Hey,” said an overweight civilian that Faith hadn’t met yet, but recognized as one of the civilians who worked in the Group S3 shop, “Scampi’s out.”

Annoyed by the man’s tone and manner, and not having the slightest idea what the man was talking about, Faith raised his hands in a “So…” gesture.

“Hey, I told you,” the man shrugged, and then disappeared before Faith could find out what he meant.

What was it that he said was out? Scampi? That’s some kind of shrimp dish, right? Maybe there was a spread of food somewhere, some units would have chow delivered if they were working late. After he gathered his things to go home, Faith looked in the break room and in the Group S3 office, but the doors were all locked and no one seemed to be around. Maybe that’s what the guy meant by the “scampi is out,” the food is gone. Which was a pity, because Faith was pretty hungry. Faith made sure the doors to the building were secure, and then he went home.

Because he was in no hurry to get to a job he was slowly coming to hate, Faith spent extra time doing PT the next day. Coming in to work, he made a mental note about all the things he didn’t like about 2nd Group. To begin with, the buildings were old; paint peeled from the exterior walls, and brown stains, looking like rust, emerged from the paint and spread like bloodstains down the walls. The grass needed to be mowed. The trees needed to be trimmed. Bits of trash blew across the compound. Uniforms were shoddy; headgear, and military courtesy, appeared to be optional.

Faith sighed as he entered the barracks that doubled as the offices of the Group staff. He went to his office, tossed his maroon beret onto the desk, and turned on his computer. Leaving his office door open, he walked down to The Dud’s office, only to find the door locked and the light off. Faint checked his watch. Five after nine; The Dud was late for work again, figures. 

Faith stopped off at the water fountain to get a drink. He saw a man, who he recognized as the “scampi guy” from last night, coming storming past the water fountain and into Faith’s empty office. Seeing no one inside, he exited the office and rushed back the way he came, passing Faith in the hallway. While Faith recognized Scampi Man, it was clear that he did not recognize Faith.
Faith decided to kill the time he was spending on waiting for The Dud by reading the policy letters outside The Dud’s office. Faith absently wondered why, if the purpose of an Army was to fight and win a nation’s wars, that the first couple of policy letters of just about any commander were 1) open door policy, 2) equal employment/equal opportunity and 3) sexual harassment. You had to get out of the top ten in order to get to anything warfighting-related. Interesting.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Sorry, it's the grammar nazi in me, Sir.


 
Change made, thank you.


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## Chopstick (Jul 27, 2012)

Im just so darn excited I had to tell you, Mara!  Keep goingggggggggggggggggg!


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

Chopstick said:


> Im just so darn excited I had to tell you, Mara! Keep goingggggggggggggggggg!


 
Since you asked so nicely ;)

Here's tomorrow's post, today:



A minute or so later, Scampi Man came back, this time with two Soldiers that Faith didn’t know but since they were SF-qualified, were probably from the Group S3 shop. They passed Faith without a word, and proceeded down toward Faith’s office.
“Chief, this is where he was. I told him that the SCAMPI was down, he acknowledged it, and then he didn’t do anything about it. Now the whole classified network is down. We can’t talk with our teams in the field, and the Group commander is supposed to have a videoconference with the commander of SOCOM this afternoon. The DCO is PISSED.”

“Sounds kind of typical of the S2 shop,” one of the Soldiers standing with Scampi Man said.

Faith had had enough.

“Excuse me,” he said, attempting to interrupt the conversation. But Scampi Man continued to talk excitedly.

“Hey,” said an obviously-irate Faith. “I’m the guy who you talked to last night. I’ve been here a grand total of,” he said, pausing and holding up two fingers, “ two weeks. You stuck your head into my office, without introduction or preamble, shouted, “Scampi’s out!” and then hauled ass.”

Bob gave Faith a stunned look, but said nothing. That merely angered Faith further.

“You know what “Scampi’s out!” means to a guy like me? It means ‘dinner is served!’ it doesn’t mean, ‘oh shit, all of our access to classified information systems is cut off, you better call someone to get in here and fix it quick, because God help us if the S3 guys have to take time out of their day to gossip about how bad the S2 shop is!’ If this was something that was important to you, and the only guy around you can tell about it is someone you have never even met before, and don’t even recognize when you pass him in the hallway, maybe you should bother to make sure he understands what the problem is, before you pop smoke and bail on the entire issue.”

Bob opened his mouth to respond, but Faith cut him off.

“What?” Faith challenged, “say something.”

Embarrassed and angry, Bob again opened his mouth to say something, and Faith again cut him off.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

At this point, Bob was clearly as infuriated as Faith, and the situation was about to spiral out of control. Then one of the Soldiers with Scampi Man started laughing.

“Hey, sir,” the man said, “It’s all good. Just let the S2 know that the SCAMPI is out when he gets to work, he’ll know what to do.”
Faith turned and looked at the man who spoke and was about to give him some choice words as well, when something about the man caused Faith to stop short. This man was very clearly older than the “usual” SF guy; grey hair, deeply tanned and wrinkled skin, and a hint of a receding hairline. Faith also noticed the man was “tabbed out,” sporting both an SF and a Ranger tab above his unit patch. But what caught Faith’s attention most (other than the man’s epic moustache) was his rank: on his collar, the man was sporting a black bar with a dark line running down the middle; the mark of a CW5. 








The man was smiling broadly as Faith considered what to say and do next. In the back of his mind, Faith heard the words of wisdom that he had heard so often from First Sergeant Reynolds, “Sir, never miss a good opportunity to STFU.” Unlike all the other times he had heard it, though, this time Faith heeded that sage advice.

“Roger, Chief,” was all Faith said, and went into his office. As Scampi Man and the two Soldiers walked away, Faith heard one of them say, “At least _someone_ in the S2 shop has some balls.”


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 27, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> lol
> 
> "Faith woke up and realized it was all a dream. But turning towards his dresser, he saw something that hadn't been there before- a tan baseball cap with a subdued US flag sewn onto it. Was it real? Was it imagined? Was he ever even in the military to begin with? The world will never know..."
> 
> ...





LimaOscarSierraTango said:


> Sewn? I thought it was supposed to be hook and loop? Oh wait, my bad. Facts are skewered to protect the innocent... or guilty. LOL


WooHoo, my story made it in the story!!  
I'll send you the address where my royalty checks can be mailed.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 27, 2012)

Poor SA on the Cpt's part.  It sucks when you notice that kind of thing (usually mid-tirade) after your foot is in position to be inserted not-so-gently into your mouth.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

When The Dud got in a few minutes later, Faith filled him in on what happened. The Dud seemed to panic immediately, and seemed to be trying to blame Faith for what happened.

“Sir,” said Faith, in between The Dud’s panicked stammering, “I have been here two weeks and you have yet to tell me anything, about anything, other than to read up on arms rooms inspections. There are no continuity books and no SOPs. How did you expect me to know anything about a Scampi? Osmosis? Telepathy? …?” The Dud glared at Faith but said nothing.

The Dud hurriedly left to go talk to the DCO, whoever that was, and Faith went back to his office. Logging on to his computer, he did a search and figured out what a Scampi was. Technically, it’s not “a” Scampi, SCAMPI is an acronym. And, judging from the explanation of what it is and what it can do, then yeah, having it down is a pretty big deal.
The phone on Faith’s desk rang; it was Faith’s friend Mike from The Division. “Hey Mike, I’ll have to call you back,” said Faith when he noticed a visitor at his door.

CW5 Randy Michaels was short and wiry, with rough hands but an easy smile, and as Faith found out later, a quick wit and great sense of humor. “Hey, sir,” he said, “Mind if I come in?” he said after the two shook hands. It was more a statement than a question. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled a chair over to Faith’s desk, and gestured for Faith to have a seat. Being invited to take a seat at his own desk would normally be enormously irksome to Faith, but the way Chief Michaels did it, it seemed totally natural and inoffensive.

“So, sir, tell me a little about yourself,” Michaels said to Faith after the two were both seated comfortably.

“Not much to tell, really,” Faith began, nervous after what had transpired with Scampi Man earlier in the day. I just came out of the intel advanced course at Fort Huachuca. Before that I was with 2ID in Korea for two years, and then before that I was here, in The Division.”

“Oh, so this is your second time at this duty station?”

“Yes, it’s close to where my parents live, so it’s a good place for us.”

“Us? You’re married?” Michaels inquired.

“Yes, my wife is over at Division.”

“Is she intel too? “

“Yes, she works in the Division G2 shop.”

“Nice, it’s always good to have a connection at Division,” Michaels said, smiling.

“Indeed,” Faith replied. Chief Michaels had an engaging personality, and Faith felt naturally drawn to him.

“So what did you do in Korea?” Michaels asked.

“Well, I started off on the division staff, but a spot opened up and the needed a company commander, so I got to be in charge of a SIGINT company for a year.”

“This was before you went to the advanced course?” Michaels inquired, confused.

“Yes,” Faith replied.

“Isn’t that a little backwards? Don’t you normally go to the advanced course first, and then go to a command?”

“Normally,” Faith clarified, “but to be honest, no one else wanted the job.”

“I see,” said Michaels. “What did you do in the Division?”

“I came in under the branch detail program,” Faith explained, “so I was an infantry platoon leader in 1st Brigade for almost two years, and then I was a battalion S1. About the time I was supposed to pin on captain, it was time for me to head out west and earn my squashed bug,” he added, referring to the way that the military intelligence branch insignia looked on the BDU uniform. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




“So you were an infantry battalion S1 as a lieutenant, and you commanded a company before you went to the advanced course. You must be a fast burner.”

“Not really,” Faith said with all sincerity, “I honestly happened to be in the right place at the right time, and to have worked for the right people. And I had some super NCOs to keep me from stepping on my crank too badly.”

“I see,” said Michaels, his eyes narrowing in thought. “So, what do you think about 2nd Group?”

“Well Chief, I’ll tell it to you straight. I was excited as hell to be here… at first. This is a great gig for an MI guy, and I was really looking forward to it. Plus, my father was in 2nd Group-”

“B/2/2?” Michaels interrupted.

“Yes, actually,” Faith replied. “How did you know that?” 

“So, what do you think about the Group S2 shop? Michaels inquired.

“Well, I haven’t been here that long, so it’s kind of hard to have an opinion formed.”

“First impressions, then,” Michaels prodded, smiling again.

“Well, like in most units, there are good things and bad things,” Faith responded, cautiously; his mental guard was now up.

“I see,” said Michaels. “What do you think about the Group S2?”

“He’s my boss, Chief, and I’m not going to talk bad about him.”

“Good answer,” Michaels replied. “Nice talking to you sir, and good job sticking up for yourself and your section this morning.” Rising from his chair, he added, “Don’t get up.” And with that, he was gone. It wasn’t until Chief Michaels was gone that Faith realized that almost the entire discussion had consisted of Michaels getting Faith to talk about himself. And how did Chief Michaels know that Faith’s father had once been in B/2/2?

2nd Group really was a bizarre place, Faith thought, as he picked up the phone and dialed Mike over at Division.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

“Mike, it’s Scott again. What have you got for me?”

“Hey Scott, I’m glad you called. 1st Brigade needs a battalion S2, are you in?”

“Tell me it’s not first battalion…” Faith groaned.

“Yep; first of the first,” Mike replied cheerily, meaning first battalion, first brigade of The Division. “Are you in?”

“Do you not remember what happened to me the last time I was in that battalion?” Faith inquired.

“With as much as you used to bitch and moan about it, how could I forget? Look, that was a looong time ago, anyone who would even remember what happened is long gone, on to other units or out of the Army. And that’s what we’ve got for you. They’re leaving in two weeks for a year in Iraq. It’s out of 2nd Group and gets you your combat patch. Are you in or out? I need to know by 1400 today.”

“OK. Look, Mike, I appreciate you looking out, let me talk to my wife about it and I’ll get back to you.”

“By 1400!” Mike admonished.

“OK, ok,” Faith assured him.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

OK, let's talk for a minute about what is going on in this case, and what Faith might be doing right or wrong.  So we know that Faith is taking over as the Group S2 from The Dud, and we know that there is a bit of bad blood between the two of them.  Right now Faith is reminiscing about the history between the two of them, going back to when Faith first joined the unit a few years back.  Faith is becoming increasingly disillusioned with Group; the buildings are falling apart, there appears to be little discipline, Faith has a job and boss he hates, and Faith is sure that the wars are going to be over any minute, and he won't be able to get into the fight before the shooting stops (a la Gulf War I).

Faith has a friend at Division, "Mike," (I haven't come up with a last name for him yet), who can get Faith a job as a Battalion S2 for a battalion from The Division that is deploying to Iraq in two weeks.  A battalion S2 gig is a good, "branch qualifying" job for a young MI captain, and would get him the experience and the combat credit he seems to crave.  But (of course there is a "but,") apparently Faith was in 1/1 of The Division as some point earlier in his career, and from what we know so far, something happened there that makes him now reluctant to go back.  We don't know what that is yet, but Mike seems to think that everyone who might know about whatever it is that happened is out of the unit now, so Faith would be starting with a blank slate.

Then, we have the situation that happened this morning, with Faith going off on someone... we don't know who that someone was, what his job is, who he's connected with... etc.  But we do know that one of the two CW5s in the Group saw the whole thing, and then came by later to basically interrogate Faith.  And that whole thing about him knowing that Faith's father was at one time in the unit, something that Faith hasn't told anyone... yeah that's kind of strange.

So, what has Faith done right and wrong so far, and what should he do now?  Tough it out in a job he hates, or bail and head down the street to Division and then downrange to Iraq?


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## SpitfireV (Jul 27, 2012)

I would say that arranging a transfer after such a short time would not endear him to the SOF side of the army and might result in him not getting any further assignments there but I say that not knowing how all that works in actuality.

The pic of the "squashed bug" was quite helpful too, so thanks for that. I don't understand why the sudden cut off at seeing a CW5? That's a  bit confusing to a civvie like me.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> I would say that arranging a transfer after such a short time would not endear him to the SOF side of the army and might result in him not getting any further assignments there but I say that not knowing how all that works in actuality.
> 
> The pic of the "squashed bug" was quite helpful too, so thanks for that. I don't understand why the sudden cut off at seeing a CW5? That's a bit confusing to a civvie like me.


 
Good question.  The short answer is, there was just something about this W5 that gave Faith pause.

A W5 is a pretty rare rank in the Army.  In an SF Group (18-series guys, please correct me if I'm wrong on this) you actually have two; one is usually focused on ops and works in the S3 shop, one focuses on intel and is (nominally) in the S2 shop.  A W5 has been in the Army for a very long period of time, and is usually regarded as "the" technical subject matter expert in whatever his area of expertise is.  As a consequence of his long years of service, his technical expertise, and his general bad-assitude, W5s are normally pretty tight with the Group chain of command.  SF warrants usually sport an astonishing array of "scare badges" on their uniforms and tend to be grizzled, mean-looking dudes. In short, generally speaking no one fucks with a W5.  Especially an SF W5.


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## x SF med (Jul 27, 2012)

Mike's last name should be "Irons" it's an Infantry/Division joke that would work well... if you know what I mean....

We always referred to the 'squashed bug' as the 'Battlestar Gallactica Badge', because, well, that's what they used in the show.

Faith has a lot of issues in this scenario...  bailing after a 2 week rough start in an SF tasking as an MI guy will color the rest of his career, and he's letting a single individual color his perception of the efficiency and professionalism of the Group.  CW5, who apparently served with his father, and took the time to softly interrogate him about his background, goals and strength of character...  took time, he sees something worthwhile in the young CPT before knowing his backstory.  Using a friend to help bail from a tough situation just to get a combat patch, instead of taking time to learn and search for solutions if needed is failure of the strong character needed to accomplish what he's already done, and an insight into the 'career chasing' that can ruin the integrity of an individual just to get rank...

moo, from what was written so far...  for I believe Sun Tzu wrote somewhere about character in the face of adversity being one of the marks of the tru warrior, and the true man...  and that may be where this case study is leading.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

Iron Mike.  I like it.


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## x SF med (Jul 27, 2012)

W5's scare Generals, SF W5's are one step below God himself.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

x SF med said:


> W5's scare Generals, SF W5's are one step below God himself.


 
Hm, I think I have clipart for that.

edit: found it; it wasn't exactly what I remembered it to be, but here it is (attached)

Also, there is this guide to the different ranks/functions in the US military.


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## x SF med (Jul 27, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Hm, I think I have clipart for that.


 
So an NCO found your clip art for you?  Cool.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

x SF med said:


> So an NCO found your clip art for you? Cool.


 
Most NCOs try to keep my clip art *from* me...


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## policemedic (Jul 27, 2012)

The issues in the S2 shop aside, it seems Faith is experiencing a bit of culture shock coming into an unconventional unit.  He should tough it out.

I don't view the fireside chat with the W5 as a bad thing.  I'm not surprised he took the time to check Faith out, or that he took the time to sit down with him.  

The ass-chewing he handed out wasn't overboard and will probably help to separate him from The Dud's poor reputation and the one the S2 shop enjoys under his command.


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## x SF med (Jul 27, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Most NCOs try to keep my clip art *from* me...


 
Some NCO's miss you having your clip art...  it's like a 5 year old with a coloring book and a Crayola 64 color crayon box... or Bullwinkle with his magic hat...  you never know what will appear.


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## Chopstick (Jul 27, 2012)

I think Faith should tough it out and stay.  More opportunity for big drama.  And perhaps he can order someone to paint and spruce the place up if he hangs on.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

policemedic said:


> The issues in the S2 shop aside, it seems Faith is experiencing a bit of culture shock coming into an unconventional unit. He should tough it out.
> 
> I don't view the fireside chat with the W5 as a bad thing. I'm not surprised he took the time to check Faith out, or that he took the time to sit down with him.
> 
> The ass-chewing he handed out wasn't overboard and will probably help to separate him from The Dud's poor reputation and the one the S2 shop enjoys under his command.


 




Chopstick said:


> I think Faith should tough it out and stay. More opportunity for big drama. And perhaps he can order someone to paint and spruce the place up if he hangs on.


 

Great observations.  I guess we'll just have to see what Faith decides.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 27, 2012)

Gonna go back and read some more, but why would Mike's last name be anything other than _Hawk_?


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Gonna go back and read some more, but why would Mike's last name be anything other than _Hawk_?


 
Excellent necro-crossthreading.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 27, 2012)

I'm asking because I don't know, but which would build more character for him?  Bailing and going down range or toughing it out where he is?  
Or does it come down to X could make him a better leader with Y sacrifice Vs. A could further his career more quickly while making B sacrifice?


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

I think at this point in his life, Faith is probably more concerned with "career building" than "character building."   The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been going on for a couple of years at this point; using all of the prior conflicts that Faith has seen either while he was growing up (Panama, Grenada and Gulf War I), both conflicts are likely to be over shortly, leaving Faith "out in the cold" in terms of combat experience.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 27, 2012)

Promptly at noon, Faith closed down his computer, grabbed his beret, and went looking for The Dud to tell him that he was going to lunch.  The Dud wan’t in his office (figures), so Faith went down the rusty staircase, past the peeling leadbased paint, into the asbestos-infested basement.  A health safety placard on the door to the SCIF, the secure compartmented information facility, warned of “high levels of radiation in this area.” 

Despite repeated requests, The Dud still hadn’t done up the paperwork to grant Faith access to the SCIF, so he had to knock on the door.  As he waited, he couldn’t help but notice the massive safe that was just outside the SCIF door.  Faith was a tall man, almost six and a half feet, and this safe came up to just under his armpits.  Judging from the dust, it had been there for quite a while.  Whatever its original use, it was now serving as a hat rack for the Soldiers who worked in the SCIF; a dozen or more maroon berets were tossed haphazardly on the safe’s top.

Eventually, a Soldier exited the SCIF, allowing Faith to enter.  As the exiting Soldier reached for his beret, Faith asked him, “What is this safe doing out in the hallway?”

“I don’t know sir, it has been out there the whole time I’ve been in Group.”

“How long has that been?”

“About a year, sir,” the Soldier answered.

“What’s in it?”

“Nothing?” the Soldier said with a shrug.  Faith didn’t find him very convincing.

The Dud was nowhere to be found, so Faith met his wife for lunch.  Over a couple of slices of Anthony’s Pizza at the post’s PX food court, Faith filled in his wife about what had happened that day, including the news from Mike.  Understandably, Faith’s wife was less than pleased with Faith 1) going back to Division, and 2) the probability that he would go to Iraq.

“Look,” she said finally, “Division wasn’t good for you the first time you were here. I see the kinds of MI officers they have here in Division every day, and I don’t think that there has been much improvement since you were here the last time.  Knowing you like I do, I think you’re much-better suited for an assignment in SOF than you are back in Division.  But I know how miserable you are right now, and like you said, the wars could be over any day now.  So, if you want to come back to Division, that’s fine with me.  At least we could carpool to work then.”


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## Salt USMC (Jul 28, 2012)

Looks like there are security issues along with the aforementioned discipline issues. The former is something that Faith can directly affect, but not without incurring the wrath of the Dud. Seems like he isn't concerned with much, security issues notwithstanding. He also doesn't seem like the kind of officer who will respond well to a junior captain saying, "Sir, everything here is all fucked up and we need to fix it". Hell, he would probably blow you off if you said, "Sir, everything here is all fucked up and here's *how* we fix it."  There has to be some way to show the Dud that the security situation is all messed up. Get him writing some policy letters and SOPs. At least then Faith can enforce them and prevent safes with who-knows-what from hanging out outside the SCIF.

Question: Does group have an EKMS or CMCC manager?

At least right now, taking the job over at Brigade is the easy fix, and in all honesty would solve all of his problems with the quickness. However, like someone mentioned before, it would probably prevent him from ever getting a SOF job again (If thats what interests him).


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## Salt USMC (Jul 28, 2012)

RE: CWO5 Michaels. It's hard to make heads or tails of this fellow. On one hand, he works in the S-3 and has a good working knowledge of Intel issues (As evidenced by the fact that he knew a good bit about MI officer career progression). However at the time Faith met him, he was ostensibly listening to this IT nerd bitch about the deuce not caring about this "SCAMPI" system. Why does this concern him? And why is he so interested in Faith's opinion on the Dud? It seems like he was trying a bit of rapport-building with Faith before getting to his real question, about Maj. Dudley, and seemed satisfied with Faith's non-answer. Why does he care? In your intro bit it says that he's assigned to the Group S2 but works in the 3.  You mentioned that the Dud is universally reviled, could the 3 be trying to burn him after this latest incident?


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## Marauder06 (Jul 28, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> Looks like there are security issues along with the aforementioned discipline issues. The former is something that Faith can directly affect, but not without incurring the wrath of the Dud. Seems like he isn't concerned with much, security issues notwithstanding. He also doesn't seem like the kind of officer who will respond well to a junior captain saying, "Sir, everything here is all fucked up and we need to fix it". Hell, he would probably blow you off if you said, "Sir, everything here is all fucked up and here's *how* we fix it." There has to be some way to show the Dud that the security situation is all messed up. Get him writing some policy letters and SOPs. At least then Faith can enforce them and *prevent safes with who-knows-what from hanging out outside the SCIF*.


This part actually happened in real life.  :-/



Deathy McDeath said:


> Question: Does group have an EKMS or CMCC manager?


Since I don't know what those are, I'm going to have to say... no.   ;)



Deathy McDeath said:


> At least right now, taking the job over at Brigade is the easy fix, and in all honesty would solve all of his problems with the quickness. However, like someone mentioned before, it would probably prevent him from ever getting a SOF job again (If thats what interests him).


Roger.  As you and others have said, sometimes the most obvious solution, isn't the best solution.



Deathy McDeath said:


> RE: CWO5 Michaels. It's hard to make heads or tails of this fellow. On one hand, he works in the S-3 and has a good working knowledge of Intel issues (As evidenced by the fact that he knew a good bit about MI officer career progression). However at the time Faith met him, he was ostensibly listening to this IT nerd bitch about the deuce not caring about this "SCAMPI" system. Why does this concern him? And why is he so interested in Faith's opinion on the Dud? It seems like he was trying a bit of rapport-building with Faith before getting to his real question, about Maj. Dudley, and seemed satisfied with Faith's non-answer. Why does he care? In your intro bit it says that he's assigned to the Group S2 but works in the 3. You mentioned that the Dud is universally reviled, could the 3 be trying to burn him after this latest incident?


 
These are all good questions that will be answered shortly.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 28, 2012)

On the drive back over to his office, Faith mulled over his options. Walking back across the parking lot, he passed an SF Soldier going the other way. The Soldier had not bothered to put his beret back on his head, even though Faith could see it peeking out of the Soldier’s cargo pocket. The Soldier looked Faith straight in the eye as they passed each other; it was almost as if the Soldier were daring Faith to say something to him, either about not wearing his headgear outdoors, or about the fact that he didn’t salute. Faith, stunned by this kind of unprofessional display from someone in SF, didn’t react at first. Then, embarrassed by the disrespect and by the fact that he didn’t do anything about it, Faith made up his mind.

“That’s it, I’m out of this clown factory,” Faith said out loud, although there was no one there to hear him.

Walking down the hallway back to his office, Faith noticed that the door to his office was ajar. This was strange, because Faith distinctly remembered closing it before he left. Emanating from the room was a strange yet vaguely familiar sound. As he got closer, he recognized the noise as a small ball being bounced against the floor and then a wall.

When Faith entered his office, he was surprised to see someone sitting behind his desk, in his chair, bouncing a racquetball absently against the floor, and then catching it as it rebounded against the far wall. Noticing Faith, the stranger caught the racquetball and turned to face Faith.

“Captain Faith,” the stranger said, “Good to meet you. Have a seat.”

More than a little annoyed at having been invited, for the second time in the same day, to have a seat in his own office, Faith nonetheless did as he was instructed. 

The stranger was dressed in workout gear, so Faith was not able to determine his rank or name. But he was older than Faith, probably middle-aged, and looked “officerly.” Faith decided to err on the side of caution and treat the stranger as if he were a superior officer.

“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t get your name?” Faith said.

“So, I hear that you’re not really happy here in 2nd Group,” the stranger said, ignoring Faith’s earlier comment.

“I never said that to anyone,” Faith responded, caught off guard.

“But is it true?”

Faith carefully considered his response. “There are some things I don’t like about the unit so far, but I’ve only been here two weeks, so it’s kind of hard to make a truly informed decision.”

“Do you like working for Major Dudley?”

Again, Faith thought about his words before he answered.

“There are things about the way that MAJ Dudley does business that differ from the way that I would do them, but he’s the Group S2 and my boss, so I give him my full support.”

“Did you know his nickname in the Group is “The Dud?”

“I have referred to him as such, yes sir,” Faith answered.

“Do you know why they call him that?” the stranger inquired.

“I think so, sir.”

“So I understand that you’re prior infantry, and that you commanded a company in Korea?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“How did you do? In command, I mean.”

“I like to think I did pretty well, sir.”

“Who were your battalion commander and XO over there?”

Faith named them.

“Your battalion XO, Major Roberts, what did you think of him?”

This time, Faith did not hesitate. “Sir, I thought he was a blight on the officers’ corps, an oxygen thief, and a complete waste of skin. He was the single worst thing in an entire battalion full of badness.”

At this, the stranger smiled, and began bouncing the racquetball off the floor and wall again.

“I see. Did you know that MAJ Roberts used to work here in 2nd Group?”

“Yes sir, he talked about that quite frequently. Pretty much all the time, in fact.”

The stranger continued to bounce the ball. It was beginning to annoy Faith.

“Your father was Ray Faith, from B/2/2?” 

“Roger, sir,” Faith responded.

At this, the stranger caught the racquetball and placed it firmly down on the desk. Releasing the ball, the stranger adopted a 
pensive, distant look, as if he was carefully considering something. Faith noticed that the stranger was absentmindedly rubbing his hands together. Actually, Faith noticed, he was rubbing his right index finger with his left hand. Faith observed that the stranger was missing the last two joints of that digit. For some reason, it made Faith extremely uncomfortable.

“You know who was in B/2/2/?” the stranger asked, rhetorically. “Chief Michaels.”


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## CDG (Jul 28, 2012)

Ah, CPT Faith's first meeting with the DCO. I think Chief Michaels and CPT Faith's father have some kind of bonding history, perhaps like the DCO and Al James later on. I think the Chief was interviewing Faith to see what kind of guy he was. He knew Faith was pissed about a lot of things with the S2 shop and wanted to see how he would handle the opportunity to either go on a rant bashing everyone and everything in 2nd Group, or do what he did which is downplay it and acknowledge he hasn't been there all that long and it's not really his place. I'm guessing this initial conversation with the DCO is going to lead to the offer of command. The DCO may even know about Faith's contemplation of leaving for Division and wants to try and persuade him to stay. I would guess the DCO is well aware of how fucked up the S2 shop is, but without good officers like Faith around to start to change things, change will never happen.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 28, 2012)

Agree with what CDG said.  As a leader, if you realize your shop (or whatever else) is fucked up you also have to realize it might take someone who's willing to come in and SAY, "hey this is fucked up" to start cleaning house.  While it might be a jab at your shop by a new guy, that might also be what it takes to start seeing some of the much needed changes.


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## Chopstick (Jul 28, 2012)

Stuff is going to get painted.  I JUST know it.  Its like HGTV in the Army!


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## x SF med (Jul 28, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> RE: CWO5 Michaels. It's hard to make heads or tails of this fellow. On one hand, he works in the S-3 and has a good working knowledge of Intel issues (As evidenced by the fact that he knew a good bit about MI officer career progression). However at the time Faith met him, he was ostensibly listening to this IT nerd bitch about the deuce not caring about this "SCAMPI" system. Why does this concern him? And why is he so interested in Faith's opinion on the Dud? It seems like he was trying a bit of rapport-building with Faith before getting to his real question, about Maj. Dudley, and seemed satisfied with Faith's non-answer. Why does he care? In your intro bit it says that he's assigned to the Group S2 but works in the 3. You mentioned that the Dud is universally reviled, could the 3 be trying to burn him after this latest incident?


 
I hope Warchief doesn't kill me or correct me too badly for this.... I'll try to be as clear as I can...

An SF WO is an odder beast than any you will meet, a fine soldier initially he then volunteered to be Airborne, then SF, probably Ranger School, Scuba, MFF, a few dozen courses not on paper, has deployed a few times, got to be an E-7 with O&I and some staff Intel time... THEN he goes to SFWOC, that nebulous land where he is magically placed between the NCO and O ranks, with great influence, little perceived power (a lie), more knowledge (book, practical, street and 'oh shit do you remember when LT/CPT/SP4/SGT xxxx did.... in [name the place]) than is good for those around him, more training in intel, ops, and logistics than is good for any one person... and then let him loose under the nominal control of those on a team to truly hone those skills for a few years.... next stop Bn HQ to learn the ins and outs of the middle steps... then Group, more knowledge, then into the vaporous land that only SF CW5's know... then back to a Bn/Grp Intel or Plans section.... they know everybody, everything and have the power to read minds... (and in the case of Warchief, who I knew as a stellar NCO and medic) and are personable because of the fluidity of their rank... but do not be fooled, they can kill you with a look.... Generals listen to SF CW5's because they have done it, have been there, and probaly know what that General did as a stupid 2LT....

If this SF CW5 is in the INTEL/COMMS/S3 area... he knows it all, and probably helped plan and build the damn stuff, and is watching to see the guys who let it fail either well and truly fuck themselves, or gladly watch them unfuck themselves... to him it doesn't matter, if it were crucial, it would have been fixed in 3 minutes.


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## Dame (Jul 28, 2012)

Captain Faith is definitely being interviewed in his own office by people he doesn't know for a job which he didn't apply.


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## Salt USMC (Jul 28, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> :-/
> Since I don't know what those are, I'm going to have to say... no. ;)


 
Sorry. EKMS is electronic key management system. From what I understand, they handle SIPR/JWICS networking equipment for a particular unit and the associated crypto. Like CIK keys and such.

Classified Material Control Center (CMCC) accounts for the unit's classified material (outside of crypto gear, I believe).

Okay, the senior command is well aware of how shitty the Dud is. They were aware of it years ago, as evidenced by this flashback. But we all know that he still has the -2 job in the present day (at least, in the fictional story's present day setting). How in the hell does he keep it? This sounds like the story of Faith becoming the super rockstar officer that single-handedly turns 2nd Group around from the clown factory that it currently is. Im betting this is accomplished by getting a bunch of female officers and CWOs to work in the deuce!


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## Marauder06 (Jul 28, 2012)

Almost on cue, Chief Michaels appeared at the door.  “Ah, CPT Faith, I see you have met the Group DCO,” he said, indicating the stranger in Faith’s office.  “Sir, are you ready to go?”  he asked, holding up two racquetball rackets.

“Yep,” the DCO said, taking one of the rackets.

“So, what do you think?” Michaels asked of the DCO.  

“He’ll do,” the DCO growled as he exited the office.

“So, CPT Faith,” Michaels said with one of his trademark smiles, “How long have you wanted to be in command of a Special Forces Group MI detachment?”  He was gone before a stunned Faith could respond.

Faith sat down behind his desk and mulled over what had just happened.  Then he picked up the phone and dialed Mike at Division.

“So, Mike,” Faith began, “You know that job I asked you for?...”




/////
OK, so Faith has been offered the Group MID job for 2nd Group.  Maybe.  He can't really be sure what just happened.  But let's assume for a minute that the job is his if he wants it.  Should he take it?  It's a chance to get out from under The Dud, and it's a second command, which is something almost unheard-of for an intel guy.  But, it still means he's stuck in a decaying, ill-disciplined Group, with no immediate deployment on the horizon.  The Dud is still there, as are all the rest of the people and problems that the Group has.  Should he accept the new job, or head down the street to Division?


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## Salt USMC (Jul 28, 2012)

What kind of sway does the MID commander have? Does he finally have a seat at the big staff table? If so, this could be just the venue Faith needs to start suggesting improvements to the people who will actually listen.

The other question is how does the MID deploy?  Would this be his chance to get to the fight sooner rather than later?  Even if it doesnt get him to the box in a timely fashion, I imagine that it would still help his promotion chances (since that seems to be his thing).  Therefore, he ought to take it.


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## TB1077 (Jul 28, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> OK, so Faith has been offered the Group MID job for 2nd Group. Maybe. He can't really be sure what just happened. But let's assume for a minute that the job is his if he wants it. Should he take it? It's a chance to get out from under The Dud, and it's a second command, which is something almost unheard-of for an intel guy. But, it still means he's stuck in a decaying, ill-disciplined Group, with no immediate deployment on the horizon. The Dud is still there, as are all the rest of the people and problems that the Group has. Should he accept the new job, or head down the street to Division?


 
Sounds to me as though there was not a lot of coincidence in this situation.  Capt. Faith appears to have been hand picked for this position by Chief Michaels (be it based on previous merits or the relationship of Michaels and Faith's father).  I don't see Faith leaving the opportunity as he appears to be a "can-do" kind of officer that wants to do the right thing.  I also get the feeling that The Dud is working himself into a transfer out of his position due to his lack of true leadership.  Group appears to be a blank canvas that Capt. Faith can use to prove his value to the higher ups.  I have a feeling the family ties will lead Faith to take the task on personally as to not let down the family name.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 28, 2012)

Sounds like he's on the verge of being _volun-told_ to take the job...


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## Marauder06 (Jul 28, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> What kind of sway does the MID commander have? Does he finally have a seat at the big staff table? If so, this could be just the venue Faith needs to start suggesting improvements to the people who will actually listen.
> 
> The other question is how does the MID deploy? Would this be his chance to get to the fight sooner rather than later? Even if it doesnt get him to the box in a timely fashion, I imagine that it would still help his promotion chances (since that seems to be his thing). Therefore, he ought to take it.


 
My experience in SOF has been that "influence" is largely a matter of individual personality. However, as a support guy in an SF Group, Faith's influence is likely to be marginal in terms of what he can affect in the Group overall. But, he will likely have near-complete autonomy in the MID, so where he takes it is largely up to him. Faith doesn't know yet what the deployment situation is like for the MID... but at least he won't be hanging out with The Dud any longer.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 28, 2012)

“So, Mike,” Faith began, “You know that job I asked you for?...”

“Yeah, look,” Mike stated, “I’m really sorry man, but the 1st of the 1st thing isn’t going to work out.  Apparently you were right; there must be some residual bad blood down there because they said they’d rather have someone else.”
Faith laughed, this certainly made his decision-making easier.  “It’s all good brother, it looks like something else may have fallen into my lap here at Group.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear that,” Mike said, sounding relieved.  

Later that evening, Faith recounted the day’s events to his wife.  The story of what happened sounded even more bizarre than it did when it first happened.

“You guys have a strange way of doing things in Group,” Faith’s wife observed.

“Tell me about it!” Faith agreed.

“So, are you going to take the job?”

“Yes; the more I think about it, the more excited I am.  I’ll be out from under The Dud, I’ll still be in Group, and since I’ll be in command again, it’s more likely that I’ll be able to change some of the jacked up things I see in the intel community within Group.  I think I’ll start with some really basic things:  come to work on time, wear your uniform, salute when you’re supposed to, don’t leave big-ass safes standing in the hallways outside the SCIF, simple stuff like that.”

“You have a safe outside your SCIF?” Faith’s wife asked, concerned.

“Yeah, but it’s empty,” he replied, reassuringly.

“Well, we need another safe, if you’re not using that one in the hallway, do you think we could have it?”

“I don’t think it would be a problem, but no one knows the combo.”

“A lot of times, no one changes those combos from the default settings,” Faith’s wife informed him, “Have you tried the default?”

“I didn’t know there was one.”

Faith’s wife rolled her eyes.  “And you call yourself an intel officer?” she asked, incredulously.  She asked him to describe the safe, and then gave her husband the likely default combination for that make and model.

“Want me to send my NCOIC and a couple of guys over tomorrow morning with a hand truck?” his wife asked.

“No, let me find out who owns it first,” Faith replied, “and let me see if I can get it open.  Supposedly it’s empty, but for all I know, there’s someone’s ear necklace left over from Viet Nam in that safe.  Besides, if we can’t get it open, it’s of no use to you.  I’ll give you a call tomorrow and if I can get the safe open, and no one wants to claim it or what’s in it, your guys can come get it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” his wife said.

The next morning, for the first time Faith felt good about going in to work.  He hardly even noticed when he passed the same Soldier just outside the office, and again the Soldier didn’t salute.  Faith was beginning to assume that SF NCOs simply didn’t have to salute non-SF officers.  Or wear their headgear outdoors, either.  Faith absently wondered why SF Soldiers went though so much trouble to earn the green beret, only to shun the opportunity to wear it.  Maybe that was the point, though.

“Hey, YOU!” a voice thundered.  It was so unexpected, that Faith stopped in his tracks.  “Yes, YOU!”

Faith turned in the direction of the voice and saw Chief Michaels standing in the building’s loading dock, smoking a cigarette.  He was looking in the direction of the Soldier who had just passed CPT Faith.

“Get over here!” Michaels shouted at the other Soldier.  “You, don’t go anywhere,” Michaels said to Faith.  Not knowing what else to do, Faith stood in place.  

The loading dock where Michaels was standing was far enough away that Faith couldn’t make out everything that was being said, but it was obvious enough.  When the Soldier first reached Michaels, he stood casually at first, and then snapped to a rigid position of parade rest 









http://www.squidoo.com/preparing-for-basic-training-army-rank-structureutm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster

After a few words from Michaels, the Soldier snatched his green beret from his cargo pocket and jerked it into place on his head.  A few more harsh words from Michaels, and the Soldier was nodding vigorously.  A few pokes in the chest later, the conversation was over.  The Soldier turned in Faith’s direction, snapped to attention, and rendered a picture-perfect hand salute.  Faith returned the salute, and the Soldier hurriedly left the area.  As he walked away, Michaels pointed at Faith and then to the ground beside Michaels in what was clearly a “get your ass over here” gesture.

“Sir,” Michaels began, “when you walk past a violation of the standards, you create a new standard.  Your whole life people are going to test you; that’s especially true when you’re a red hat living in a green hat world.  When you, as an officer, allow Soldiers to choose what rules they are and are not allowed to follow, you risk the integrity of the entire organization.  And I know that your old man would never have put up with what just happened.”

“More importantly,” he continued, “When you don’t uphold the basics, you make more work for people like me.  And if there is one thing that warrant officers hate more than anything,” he added, grinning again, “it is work.”

“I understand, Chief,” Faith responded.

Chief Michaels shifted his cigarette from his right hand to his left, snapped to attention and saluted smartly.  “Have a good day sir.”
“You too, Chief,” Faith responded, returning the salute.

Faith knew that that he had just been on the receiving end of some “tough love,” but he found himself admiring Chief Michaels the more for it.  He resolved right then that he would never walk past something that needed to be corrected ever again.

Entering his office, he saw a piece of paper on his desk that hadn’t been there when he left the day before.  “I really need to start locking this place up,” he said to himself, irritated that someone had again entered his office without permission.  Looking at the paper, he saw it was official orders appointing him as the commander, military intelligence detachment, 2nd Special Forces Group.

“Well, I guess it’s official,” Faith said, out loud.


----------



## CDG (Jul 28, 2012)

The confirmation from Chief Michaels should be a big confidence booster for CPT Faith.  It's somewhat understandable that he, as a non-SF guy and new to the command, may be a little hesitant to rip into an SF NCO for not saluting.  Especially considering the reputation of the S2 shop as a whole.  Now that he has basically been given the ok to crack down from God himself, I think we'll start to see a more aggressive command-style from CPT Faith.  Couple this with the fact that he has legitimate authority now, and I think things are going to start to change for the better in 2nd Group.  The Dud is not going to like this, and will probably try to undermine, if not outright sabotage, CPT Faith's efforts once he finds out what happened.  I'm very interested to learn the history between CPT Faith's father and Chief Michaels as well.  I can't remember if it was mentioned what Ray Faith did, but I would not be surprised to find out he had had been an 18A with now Chief Michaels as his 18Z.


----------



## Dame (Jul 28, 2012)

Definitely the right way to go. 2nd needs a good scrubbing. It's like choosing to clean the bathroom over the living room.

The living room is already fairly clean since the dogs and the kids aren't allowed in there anyway. It has the best furniture and the best art and is nice to be in even while you are dusting and vacuuming and fluffing pillows. But when you're done, it still looks like a nice room that's been tidied up.

The bathroom on the other hand can be a disaster. But all you have to do is clean the porcelain and wipe the mirror before it starts looking like Mr. Clean was just there. A little of the basics applied in that environment makes a huge difference.

On another note, I think I'm in love with Chief Michaels.

(Just need to get rid of the cigarettes.)


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Jul 28, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> “Sir,” Michaels began, “*when you walk past a violation of the standards, you create a new standard*. Your whole life people are going to test you; that’s especially true when you’re a red hat living in a green hat world. When you, as an officer, allow Soldiers to choose what rules they are and are not allowed to follow, you risk the integrity of the entire organization. And I know that your old man would never have put up with what just happened.”


Universally good advice in any line of business!!!


----------



## Salt USMC (Jul 29, 2012)

Sounds like some NCO business needs to get conducted!


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## Marauder06 (Jul 29, 2012)

Faith knew next to nothing about a Group MID, and intended to spend the rest of the morning researching the job he was about to go into. But a short time later, The Dud appeared at the door.

“I just got a call,” he said excitedly. “Th-th-th-the DCO is o-o-o-on his way down here for a surprise inspection!” and then he was gone.

Faith did not know what a surprise inspection entailed, but he had always made it a point to run the organizations he was in charge of in such a way that they would pass any inspection, from anyone, at any time. From the flurry of activity in the S2 office, Faith guessed that The Dud didn’t employ the same leadership strategy. Since Faith’s orders did not have him assuming command of the MID for another two weeks, Faith decided that meant he was still assigned to the Group S2 shop for now, so he should help out with the frantic preparations that were now ongoing. Faith might not like The Dud, but for better or worse The Dud was the face of intel in the Group, and Faith did not want to see him fail.

The DCO arrived about 20 minutes later. With him were two individuals who identified themselves as intel reps from SOCOM, the Special Operations Command. “We’d like to start with your SCIF,” the lead inspector said, after introductions had been made.

“S-s-sure,” The Dud stammered. He didn’t talk like that normally; Faith guessed that the stammering was nervous reaction.

The Dude led the group, consisting of the DCO, the two SOCOM inspectors, Faith, and the Group S2 NCOIC down the stairwell into the anteway immediately outside the SCIF.

“Right this way,” The Dud said enthusiastically, punching in a code and opening the SCIF door.

“Just a minute,” said the lead inspector, “what is this?” he asked, indicating the safe.

“J-j-just an old safe,” replied The Dud.

“Why do you have a safe OUTSIDE your SCIF?” the other inspector asked.

“It’s, um, you know, just until, ah, we can get it turned in.”

The inspector leaned down and tried the safe door. It was locked.

“Can you open it up for us?” he inquired.

“No one has, uh, you know, opened that safe in y-y-years,” The Dud answered.

“Well, sir, how do you know it’s empty, then?” the inspector asked, incredulously. The Dud said nothing.

“Look, sir,” the lead inspector said, “you’re going to need to get this safe open, or we’re going to have to fail you right now.”

The Dud merely stood there, with a panicked look on his face. The silence was awkward.

“Sir,” said Faith to The Dud, “are you sure it’s empty?”

“Yes, of, of, of course it’s empty,” he snapped in irritation.

“OK then, there is one thing that might work,” Faith mused as he squatted down in front of the safe. He spun the dial, inputting the default combination that his wife had mentioned the night before. When he was finished, he turned the handle and was rewarded with a loud “clank!” as the lock released. Holding onto the handle, Faith looked back over his shoulder at The Dud, who seemed enormously relieved. Feeling pretty pleased with himself for being able to contribute something to the unit, and silently thanking his wife, Faith jerked the safe door open.

As he did so, a torrent of documents, disks, maps, and other detritus came spilling out of the safe and pooled on the ground around Faith’s feet. Some of the items clearly bore the unmistakable orange sticker that marked Top Secret information. Faith and the DCO uttered an explicative. The Dud, shocked, said nothing. Raising their clipboards, the two inspectors began writing.


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## 0699 (Jul 29, 2012)

Oh shit.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 29, 2012)

0699 said:


> Oh shit.


 
Yeah, that's pretty much what the DCO and Faith both said.


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## Salt USMC (Jul 29, 2012)

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh goddamn 


EDIT: It's going to be an entire safe full of cover sheets and classification stickers


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 29, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Yeah, that's pretty much what the DCO and Faith both said.


I'm assuming the sad face means this might closely resemble something that happened to a certain someone around here...


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## CDG (Jul 29, 2012)

Holy fuck.  This is bad juju.


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## Dame (Jul 29, 2012)

Hahaha. I figured. Richard Feynman used to pull this same stunt during the Manhattan Project. He was trying to get them to lock the safes behind office doors and change the combinations.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 29, 2012)

So, if you're the DCO, what do you do now? An inspection team from your higher headquarters (actually, SOCOM is your higher headquarters' higher headquarters) showed up for a surprise inspection, and the S2 shop not only presumably just failed said inspection spectacularly, but did so in an incredibly embarrassing fashion. Two people seem to be on the blame line here, the marginally-competent Group S2, and the spring-butt newby captain who just so happened to know the combination to this safe, and just had to open it in front of the inspection team. From a leadership standpoint, what do you think should be done?


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## Dame (Jul 29, 2012)

Exit interviews and reassignments. The Dud needs to be put somewhere he won't be responsible for anything of intel value.
As much as the Captain had nothing to do with this, he's still going to have to explain why he didn't use the info he had to determine the contents as soon as he walked in the building the next day.


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## policemedic (Jul 29, 2012)

Fuck. Me.

Never ask a question you don't already know the answer to; never do anything the result of which you can't guarantee-especially when you're being graded.

Opening that safe will be interpreted by The Dud as Faith deliberately cutting his cock and balls off.  The DCO may view it as reckless, not a good quality in a commander, particularly one who by virtue of professional training should act in a deliberate, contemplative manner.

Neither of those things will be affected by what the contents of the safe actually turn out to be.


----------



## Chopstick (Jul 29, 2012)

I just want to know what the inspection team thought about the paint colors for the curb appeal redo.  ;)


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## 104TN (Jul 29, 2012)

The DCO is as much to blame as The Dud and El Capt. are. Throwing them under the bus won't alter the reality that HE has fostered an environment of complacence/incompetence by failing to hold his lower leadership accountable. If he gets to keep his job he needs to put his foot squarely in The Dud's "A" and then provide some defined milestones and suspense dates to deliver change by.

As an aside, there is no imaginary line which after crossing a leader is no longer responsible for the actions of their subordinates. A failure by the lowest man on the totem pole is a direction reflection on the man at the top. The DCO needs to spend less time playing racquetball and more time un-f***ing his unit.


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## Marauder06 (Jul 29, 2012)

Chopstick said:


> I just want to know what the inspection team thought about the paint colors for the curb appeal redo. ;)


 
What is this, "Enabler Eye for the SF Guy?" ;)


----------



## x SF med (Jul 29, 2012)

Every opportunity for failure is an opportunity to excel, being given the former... strive for the latter and at worst you achieve mediocrity which although damning and demeaning can be overcome more easily if it is not the normal steady state of your affairs.


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## CDG (Jul 29, 2012)

I agree with rick.  The Dud is a known incompetent.  The fact that the DCO has seemingly done nothing about it means he can't just sit back and point the finger at his officers.  Commands go bad from the top down, not the bottom up.  A shitbag soldier or officer can only do as much damage as superiors allow him to do.  The DCO should have held the S2 shop accountable for that safe a long time ago.  Two fucking years of that shit being out there? Come on man....


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## Marauder06 (Jul 30, 2012)

With the grade I got on that Spanish test I took today, I should have just spent all last night writing updates to this thread instead of studying, the results would have been about the same.  

So, I'm thinking that for now it's probably smart for me to only incorporate site members I've actually met.  It's more difficult to write what so-and-so would do in a situation when I've never even met the individual that upon whom the character is based. That's fine, because I've only met a handful of people from the site anyway, so I'm thinking over time I'll be able to work everyone in, even those not in the SOF or .mil communities.  I'll PM people when "their" character makes his or her first appearance, and if you decide you don't like the character or whatever, you can let me know and I'll change it to something else.

Now I've got to go decide what happens after the safe incident...  MTF.


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## Dame (Jul 30, 2012)

Pobrecito.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 30, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> With the grade I got on that Spanish test I took today, I should have just spent all last night writing updates to this thread instead of studying, the results would have been about the same.
> 
> Now I've got to go decide what happens after the safe incident... MTF.


Uhh...studying your spanish, Sir?


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## Marauder06 (Jul 30, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Uhh...studying your spanish, Sir?


 
Here are the frustrating things about Spanish and me.

1) I suck at Spanish (well, it's not just Spanish, it's any foreign language, apparently)
2) This is a summer session class, so it's basically a whole semester of Spanish crammed into 4.5 weeks.
3) I can't get grad school credit for summer session classes. So basically this is just very expensive tutoring three hours a day, every day.
4) I suck at Spanish.

But this thread isn't about me.  It's about 2nd SF Group, where men are men and no one has any problem with their DLPTs.  So...

/////

A short time later, Faith, The Dud, and the DCO were back upstairs in The Dud’s office.  Faith had received some good ass chewings before, heck he had even given one or two out himself.  But he had never been present for an ass chewing that he felt was truly epic.  Well, until today.  

Despite the fact that he was on the receiving end of at least part of it, Faith had to admire the way that the DCO could administer a chewing out.  Faith tried to inject one comment into the conversation, actually in defense of The Dud, only to have the full attention (and the full wrath) of the DCO turned towards him.  It was at that point he realized that responses to the DCO’s questions and comments were neither expected nor wanted.

Towards what turned out to be the end of the one-way conversation between the three men, there was a knock at the door. “WHAT!!!” the DCO shouted.  The door opened, and Chief Michaels entered the room and slid into a chair beside the door.  If the DCO cared at all about this intrusion, he didn’t show it.

“Not only was this an epic intel FAIL, it reflects extraordinarily poorly on 2nd Group.  If anything like this happens again, I’ll have BOTH your asses,” he concluded.  “Now, get the hell out of my office.”

Faith and The Dud looked at each other in confusion; this wasn’t the DCO’s office, it was The Dud’s office.  Or, it had been The Dud’s office before the incident with the safe.  Faith wasn’t so sure if the S2 was going to keep his job after this. Or if Faith himself would keep his.  

Seeing their confusion, Chief Michaels reached over from his seat and opened the door.  Faith and The Dud made a quick exit and Chief Michaels closed the door behind them.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 30, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Here are the frustrating things about Spanish and me.
> 
> 1) I suck at Spanish (well, it's not just Spanish, it's any foreign language, apparently)
> 2) This is a summer session class, so it's basically a whole semester of Spanish crammed into 4.5 weeks.
> ...


So, you're taking a class that is using the fire hose method (due to time constraints) and you won't be getting credit for your sucktitude in it?  Sounds like a shitty deal.  Is it a pre-req for something else, gen-ed class?  

























Who would have thought Yale would be difficult...


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## Marauder06 (Jul 30, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> So, you're taking a class that is using the fire hose method (due to time constraints) and you won't be getting credit for your sucktitude in it? Sounds like a shitty deal. Is it a pre-req for something else, gen-ed class?
> 
> Who would have thought Yale would be difficult...


 
lol

Yes, it's a program requirement. I have to have four semesters of foreign language (it has to be "four semesters of the same foreign language," or trust me it would be 1 semester of Spanish, followed by 1 semester of French, followed by 1 semester of Italian, and finally one semester of Indonesian ;) ). I took Korean my first semester and dropped it, so I was a semester behind in terms of language. So taking Spanish 2 this summer catches me back up. I don't get a grade per se but it checks the block to allow me to take Spanish 3 in the Fall. It's all good. It's just frustrating to me that I'm not better at it, given the time I'm dedicating to it. But at the end of the day it's still just school, and "Oh noes, I might get a "C" in a class" is a hell of a lot less to worry about then what I was doing previously, and what people like Pardus and Freefalling and dozens of other of our fellow members have to deal with every day. I try to keep that in mind when I start complaining.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 30, 2012)

Agreed, Sir.  I wish more people had that perspective when they go on ranting about the dumb shit that goes on in their life.  I tend to do the same thing some times as well, but this site (and its members) and the fact that my brother is headed back to the sand box in 3 weeks helps me keep my head about me.


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## Chopstick (Jul 30, 2012)

I would help you but my Espanol es muy mal.   However I can ask "donde esta el bano"?   Now since it is established we both suck at Spanglish hurry up and keep writing the story!


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## Marauder06 (Jul 30, 2012)

“Hey, sir,” Faith said to the Dud once the door closed behind them, “We can go down to my office if you like.”  The Dud said nothing but walked briskly down the hall to Faith’s office.  His body language indicated he was angry.  Faith had barely entered the office when The Dud slammed the door shut.  Startled by the unexpectedness of the act, Faith jumped.

“I can’t believe you did that to me!” The Dud stated angrily.

“What are you talking about?” Faith inquired, genuinely confused.

“That thing with the safe, you did that on purpose!”

“Um, no I didn’t,” Faith countered, “I was trying to help you out.  The inspectors said that we would fail if the safe wasn’t opened.  You said the safe was empty.  I tried the default combo and the safe popped open.  I had no idea any of that stuff was in there.”

“I know why you did it,” The Dud said, his voice dropping ominously, “You want my job.”

“What?” Faith responded, incredulous.

“You think if you can get me fired, they’ll make YOU the Group S2.  Well let me tell you, that’s just not gonna happen.”

“Look sir,” Faith sighed, “I don’t want your job.  In fact, I have already been offered another job.  You couldn’t PAY me to take your job.  I’ve never seen a more jacked up shop in my entire life.”

“What job?” The Dud asked hurriedly.

“What do you mean?” Faith responded.

“What job were you offered?” he demanded.

“The Group MID.”

The Dud looked at Faith in stunned silence.

“That was supposed to be MY job!” he insisted.  “My reward for two years of sucking it up in this crap assignment.  You stole my job from me!”

“Hate to break it to you,” Faith said condescendingly, “but you were never going to have that job.”

The Dud looked at Faith in stunned silence for a moment, then without a word, turned and left the room.

After he was gone, Faith collapsed into his chair, wondering if he should have pressed harder for the job at Division.  As he went over what he might have done better, the phone rang.  He considered ignoring it, then picked it up.

“Tell me that the safe you told me about last night didn’t turn out to be full of classified,” the caller said, without preamble.

“Hi honey,” Faith responded, recognizing his wife’s voice.  “It’s true, I’m afraid.  But how do you know about this already?”

“The whole post knows about it!” she answered.  “The SOCOM team had to notify the installation about the security breach, and the haters here at Division are just pleased as punch that something has gone wrong at 2nd Group.”

“Figures,” Faith said.

“Look,” his wife added, “there’s going to be an investigation.  Division has CI responsibility for the installation, so they are sending a team over this afternoon.  The lead CI warrant is squared away, she works down the hallway from me, she’ll be tough but fair.”

“Good to know,” Faith replied.

After he and his wife said their goodbyes, Faith settled back in his chair and began to mentally map out a course of action.  He figured he should probably let both The Dud and the DCO know about the investigation team coming from Division right away, but at the same time he felt he probably needed to let them cool off a bit first.  He probably also needed to secure the site downstairs in advance of the investigating team arriving.  He would like to assume that had already happened, but then assumptions were got them into this mess in the first place.

He was about to get up and head down to the SCIF when Chief Michaels appeared at the door.  

“Hey sir,” he said, sliding into the office and gently closing the door behind him.  “While you and Major Dudley were getting that little OPD* from the DCO, one of the guys in the SCIF came and got me.  I checked through the contents of the safe, and I don’t think it’s going to be as big a problem for us as we originally feared.”

“That’s really good news, Chief,” Faith said with relief.

“Well, we’re not completely out of it, but I think we’re going to be OK.”  He looked at Faith closely.  “Look, sir, here’s some advice for you, you can take it or leave it.  One, in a situation like this inspection, you should never ask a question you don’t know the answer to.  Two, in a situation like this, you should never do anything for which the outcome is not guaranteed.**  I understand why you did what you did, but we could have handled it in a much different way.  We could have told the inspectors to continue on their inspections in the SCIF while we got the safe open, for example.  Just something to think about for the future.”

“Thanks Chief,” Faith said, “That makes a lot of sense.”

“That’s what I’m here for, sir,” Chief Michaels replied.  

“Did they teach you that in Warrant Officer School?” Faith joked.

“Actually, your father taught me that,” Michaels said before leaving Faith’s office.

/////
*OPD = Officer Professional Development
**thanks policemedic!


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Jul 30, 2012)

Oh snap!!  
CWOs know everything.


----------



## SpitfireV (Jul 30, 2012)

Faith is being a bit of an arrogant dick to someone who might have friends.


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## Mac_NZ (Jul 31, 2012)

OMFG policemedic is Capt Faith's Father!!!!!!!!!!!

I did not see that coming in all honesty.


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## SpitfireV (Jul 31, 2012)

Poor, poor bastard.


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## Dame (Jul 31, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> Poor, poor bastard.


Are you talking about Capt Faith or his mother?


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## SpitfireV (Jul 31, 2012)

Why not both!


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## policemedic (Jul 31, 2012)

Mac_NZ said:


> OMFG policemedic is Capt Faith's Father!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> I did not see that coming in all honesty.


 
It's all in the details, my good man, all in the details. 

Or perhaps the highly regarded Faith Sr. was mentored by a wise, wily warrior who wore a shiny silver and gold badge.

Then again, there are a few nights I don't remember very clearly...

In any case, I'll never tell.


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## Crusader74 (Jul 31, 2012)

I would feel slightly sorry for Maj Dud with the safe incident.. Knowing that there is no love lost between Capt Faith & Maj Dud, how  "coincidently " Capt Faith was able to open the safe when an inspection was being carried out.. If I was Maj Dud, I would strongly feel Capt Faith did that to undermine and make him look incompetent. In saying that #1 Maj Dud should have known the state of the safe #2 should have moved the safe knowing an inspection could be called at any moment.

I would be looking for a log book for the safe to find out who was last at the safe and why they hadn't passed on that the safe was still used as a "safe" ..


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 31, 2012)

Which would have reflected more poorly on 1) the shop 2) the Dud?  What actually transpired or not being able to open the safe?  Faith could have played dumb and approached the Dud (vis-a-vis the default combo) once the inspectors were gone.

"Hey Sir, now that they're gone, I'd like to try something with this safe."  27-L, 45-R, 18-L...Voila...and with no higher brass around to see all the shit fall on the floor.


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## Crusader74 (Jul 31, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Which would have reflected more poorly on 1) the shop 2) the Dud? What actually transpired or not being able to open the safe? Faith could have played dumb and approached the Dud (vis-a-vis the default combo) once the inspectors were gone.
> 
> "Hey Sir, now that they're gone, I'd like to try something with this safe." 27-L, 45-R, 18-L...Voila...and with no higher brass around to see all the shit fall on the floor.


 

I think Capt Faith was caught between a rock and a hard place, if you recall, the inspection team told Maj Dud that he would fail the inspection if it wasn't opened immediately....


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## SkrewzLoose (Jul 31, 2012)

Irish said:


> I think Capt Faith was caught between a rock and a hard place, if you recall, the inspection team told Maj Dud that he would fail the inspection if it wasn't opened immediately....


You're right!  Good call.


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## Crusader74 (Jul 31, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> You're right! Good call.


 
I think everyone assumed the safe was empty hence Capt Faith opening the safe in front of the inspection team, as I don't think Capt Faith deliberately looked to undermine Maj Dud.. and why an entry log book for the safe would get the DTG it was last accessed and by whom...


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## x SF med (Jul 31, 2012)

...and the safe incident is why we held 'burn parties' on the 1st and 16th every month...  gasoline, diesel, paper and a 55 gallon drum in a secure location with access to a water hose...  all documentation that had reached its use by date was bye-bye if 'destroy on or after' or sent to the designated secure storage if it was 'keep indefinite'...   oh and if anybody had lost the combo to the safe at the office or SCIF ...  there would have been a bunch of MSG, SGM, CSM, MAJ, LTC, COL's having that person for lunch with some fava beans and a nice chianti....   Now if an unnamed CPT had opened an old safe with CU using a default combo, and said safe with CU had been just sitting there for years, and nobody in an intel position had attempted that fix during a SOCOM inspection...  well, young CPT would have been congratulated then summarily shot and his command would have had to schedule a massive number of Hails and Farewells concurrent with many many GOLRs and a few deeper CI/other department and agency investigations...

the whole safe thing was a fail of such proportion that it approaches that realm of infinite stupidity that cannot even be expressed in quantum physics nor mechanics...

How did that safe just sit there for so long?  And how did it skate through other IntSec inspections?  I am confused at this...  If anything even looks like it is from or belongs in a SCIF...  it must be secured or burned.

:ehh:


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Jul 31, 2012)

x SF med said:


> ...and the safe incident is why we held 'burn parties' on the 1st and 16th every month... gasoline, diesel, paper and a 55 gallon drum in a secure location with access to a water hose... all documentation that had reached its use by date was bye-bye if 'destroy on or after' or sent to the designated secure storage if it was 'keep indefinite'... oh and if anybody had lost the combo to the safe at the office or SCIF ... there would have been a bunch of MSG, SGM, CSM, MAJ, LTC, COL's having that person for lunch *with some fava beans and a nice chianti*.... Now if an unnamed CPT had opened an old safe with CU using a default combo, and said safe with CU had been just sitting there for years, and nobody in an intel position had attempted that fix during a SOCOM inspection... well, young CPT would have been congratulated then summarily shot and his command would have had to schedule a massive number of Hails and Farewells concurrent with many many GOLRs and a few deeper CI/other department and agency investigations...
> 
> the whole safe thing was a fail of such proportion that it approaches that realm of infinite stupidity that cannot even be expressed in quantum physics nor mechanics...
> 
> ...


 
Great movie!!


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## x SF med (Jul 31, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Great movie!!


 
the movie borrowed it from the informal SF military justice system after somebody lost or misused classified material....  just so you know


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## Ranger Psych (Jul 31, 2012)

x SF med said:


> ...and the safe incident is why we held 'burn parties' on the 1st and 16th every month... gasoline, diesel, paper and a 55 gallon drum in a secure location with access to a water hose... all documentation that had reached its use by date was bye-bye if 'destroy on or after' or sent to the designated secure storage if it was 'keep indefinite'... oh and if anybody had lost the combo to the safe at the office or SCIF ... there would have been a bunch of MSG, SGM, CSM, MAJ, LTC, COL's having that person for lunch with some fava beans and a nice chianti.... Now if an unnamed CPT had opened an old safe with CU using a default combo, and said safe with CU had been just sitting there for years, and nobody in an intel position had attempted that fix during a SOCOM inspection... well, young CPT would have been congratulated then summarily shot and his command would have had to schedule a massive number of Hails and Farewells concurrent with many many GOLRs and a few deeper CI/other department and agency investigations...
> 
> the whole safe thing was a fail of such proportion that it approaches that realm of infinite stupidity that cannot even be expressed in quantum physics nor mechanics...
> 
> ...


 
I'd usually just take me, another private, and a 12 pack out to the burn site. That's if the super-shredder was down (or it was an oh-shit we need to clear out the classified trash prior to block leave HEY PSYCH YOU KNOW HOW grab a buddy and take care of this for me... here's all the keystone out of my fridge.... Roger that 1SG!)

Stir Stir Stir...


----------



## Marauder06 (Jul 31, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> Faith is being a bit of an arrogant dick to someone who might have friends.


 
Yep.  I have found that it's usually good to only be a dick to other people when you absolutely have to, no sense in generating more ill will if you can avoid it.


----------



## SpitfireV (Jul 31, 2012)

I agree. Honey, flies, etc.


----------



## CDG (Jul 31, 2012)

I think CPT Faith has started to feel a little too full of himself after being offered the MID job and finding out his old man was a close friend of Chief Michaels.  He needs to remember that he is still a new guy.  

The safe incident was just fucked all the way around.  Maybe CPT Faith could have handled it differently, but the far larger issue is why the safe hadn't been dealt with long before this inspection.


----------



## Chopstick (Jul 31, 2012)

As bad as it all seems at least there wasnt a dead body in the safe.  ;)


----------



## Marauder06 (Jul 31, 2012)

Chopstick said:


> As bad as it all seems at least there wasnt a dead body in the safe. ;)


 
...or, was there?  

I wonder who Division is going to send down to do the inspection.  Hmmmm....


----------



## TB1077 (Jul 31, 2012)

I think that after the tough love from Chief, Cpt Faith felt obligated to set the standard of doing the right thing.  The Dud had every opportunity to deal with the safe yet did nothing about it.  Sure Faith could have played the buddy by saying nothing, but he made the decision to try and open the safe trying to save the inspection after the Dud said it was empty.  Why defend someone that doesn't deserve the responsibility that they have?

And something tells me that Chief Michaels will not let ego issues slide.


----------



## CDG (Jul 31, 2012)

TB1077 said:


> I think that after the tough love from Chief, Cpt Faith felt obligated to set the standard of doing the right thing. The Dud had every opportunity to deal with the safe yet did nothing about it. Sure Faith could have played the buddy by saying nothing, but he made the decision to try and open the safe trying to save the inspection after the Dud said it was empty. Why defend someone that doesn't deserve the responsibility that they have?
> 
> And something tells me that Chief Michaels will not let ego issues slide.


 
I agree to a point.  As was recently mentioned in another thread, tact is a big part of things.  Doing the right thing the wrong way is not the solution.


----------



## TB1077 (Jul 31, 2012)

CDG said:


> I agree to a point.  As was recently mentioned in another thread, tact is a big part of things.  Doing the right thing the wrong way is not the solution.



Totally agree with that.  My conclusion was based on my interpretation of Faith truly not doing it based on his feelings about the Dud.  Now had our great author alluded to Faith thinking it would reflect badly on someone else, then that would be a dick move that would probably come back and bite him.


----------



## Salt USMC (Aug 1, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I wonder who Division is going to send down to do the inspection. Hmmmm....


 
“Look,” his wife added, “there’s going to be an investigation. Division has CI responsibility for the installation, so they are sending a team over this afternoon. The lead CI warrant is squared away, she works down the hallway from me, she’ll be tough but fair.”
How many female CI warrant officers do we know from previous stories?  Hmmmmmm indeed!


----------



## x SF med (Aug 1, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> ...or, was there?
> 
> I wonder who Division is going to send down to do the inspection. Hmmmm....


 
CPT Mrs CPT Faith?   or..................................................

Chief Rollins?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 3, 2012)

Faith figured that the DCO and the S2 needed to know immediately about the upcoming investigation. Given the circumstances, Faith decided it would be best to deliver the news to The Dud in person, and let him pass it along to the DCO.

Faith found The Dud in his office, furiously pecking away at his keyboard. Faith knocked on the open door, and The Dud glanced up at him before continuing to type. After a couple of seconds of being ignored in this fashion, Faith cleared his throat. “Hey sir, I just heard that Division is sending down a CI investigation team,” he announced. “They should be here after lunch.”

The Dud stopped typing and looked contemptuously towards Faith. “How do you know that?” he demanded.

“I have a point of contact up at Division,” Faith replied, unsure why he didn’t just be up front with The Dud and just say, “My wife told me.”

“Well, isn’t that convenient,” The Dud said by way of reply.

“Look, sir, if you want I’ll meet the investigating team and take charge of our end of things,” Faith offered, “It’s the least I can do.”

The Dud considered Faith’s offer carefully. “Yes, why don’t you do that,” he said, his eyes narrowing.

“OK then, when the investigation team gets here, if you want to just let me know or send them down to my office or whatever, I’ll take it from there,” Faith said, a little uneasy about the way The Dud responded to Faith’s offer.

The Dud nodded and went back to his typing.


----------



## CDG (Aug 3, 2012)

I wonder what the Dud is going to do in order to get back at Faith.....


----------



## 0699 (Aug 3, 2012)

CDG said:


> I wonder what the Dud is going to do in order to get back at Faith.....


 
Sounds like he's typing up Capt Faith's GOLOR...


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 3, 2012)

After leaving The Dud’s office, Faith went straight downstairs to the SCIF, which was approximately a 20-second walk from The Dud’s office.  With the investigators from Division coming, the last thing the Group needed was for them to find something else amiss.  So, Faith had intended to find the NCOIC and have him start tidying, cleaning, and clearing everything inside the SCIF before the inspectors arrived.  But he was surprised to see a flurry of activity already in progress when he reached the bottom of the stairs.  The safe, still outside the doors of the SCIF, had been shut and Soldiers were coming and going from the SCIF, bringing cleaning supplies in and large bags of shredded materials back out.  Faith stopped one of them, a young man with curly blonde hair who was wearing the “sham shield” of an Army E4.







((Army Specialist (E4) insignia, AKA "The Sham Shield"))

“Hey, Specialist,” Faith said, “What are all of you guys doing?”

“Oh, hi sir,” replied the Soldier, “Major Dudley called down about 20 minutes ago, he said someone from the MID screwed us over this safe,” he tapped the safe with his boot “so we needed to get the SCIF all cleaned up.”

“I see,” said Faith, a bit confused.

“Well this place was a dump, it needed to be cleaned up anyway,” the Soldier replied without being prompted.   “Was that all you needed sir?” he inquired, clearly desiring to be done with the conversation so he could take out the large, clear plastic bags full of shredded documents that he was holding in each hand.

Faith considered the Soldier briefly.  The specialist had a “surfer dude” look and manner of speaking, but Faith found himself liking the man.  “Of course, carry on.  Nice to meet you…” he paused, looking at the name on the Soldier’s uniform, “Specialist Bradley.”
Bradley smiled.  “My friends call me Billie, sir, see you around.”

After Bradley trudged up the stairs with his load of shredded documents, Faith considered what had just happened.  He had informed The Dud about the upcoming inspection about a minute ago, there was no way that all of this prep work had happened in the time that it took to exit The Dud’s office and walk down two flights of stairs.

“That means he knew about the inspection before I told him,” Faith said out loud to himself.  But then why didn’t The Dud mention that when Faith told him about the inspection?  Why would he act like he didn’t already know?

 Faith chalked it all up to the weird way things worked here in Group, and followed a Soldier into the SCIF (since he STILL hadn’t received his access badge from the Group S2 shop yet) to see where he could help out with the preparations and cleanup.


----------



## SpitfireV (Aug 3, 2012)

If he doesn't have an access badge he shouldn't be going in there at all?


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Aug 3, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> If he doesn't have an access badge he shouldn't be going in there at all?


Foreshadowing for the upcoming inspection?


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 3, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> If he doesn't have an access badge he shouldn't be going in there at all?





SkrewzLoose said:


> Foreshadowing for the upcoming inspection?


 
I think I'm making my story lines too predictable ;)


----------



## Ranger Psych (Aug 3, 2012)

Provided he's authorized and escorted,  it don't matter.


----------



## alibi (Aug 3, 2012)

Maybe it's just because I like prequels, but I'm enjoying this a good deal. 

On another note, most of these case studies have a Greek tragedy type ending, so I'm just waiting for the moment the other shoe drops.


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 3, 2012)

alibi said:


> Maybe it's just because I like prequels, but I'm enjoying this a good deal.
> 
> On another note, most of these case studies have a Greek tragedy type ending, so I'm just waiting for the moment the other shoe drops.


 
Good; I'm glad you like it.  I didn't plan on writing it this way, but there are too many loose ends unless I provide some backstory.

But I don't think anyone is going to die in this one.  ;)


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Aug 3, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I think I'm making my story lines too predictable ;)


Or maybe we are just becoming smarter...  :nerd:


----------



## SpitfireV (Aug 4, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Or maybe we are just becoming smarter... :nerd:


 
Or maybe we just appear smarter because the writer is from Intel


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Aug 4, 2012)

Is that the same as an _enabler_?


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 4, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Is that the same as an _enabler_?


 
I don't know, what is an "enabler?"  ;)


----------



## Salt USMC (Aug 4, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I don't know, what is an "enabler?" ;)


The guy who keeps feeding tequila shots to the alcoholic!


----------



## CDG (Aug 4, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I don't know, what is an "enabler?" ;)


 
Enabler is a term typically used to denote....... Oh, I see what you did there.


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 4, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Or maybe we are just becoming smarter... :nerd:


 
Must be the hat...


----------



## Crusader74 (Aug 4, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Must be the hat...


 

You got me addicted to this thread, whens the next installment?


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 4, 2012)

Irish said:


> You got me addicted to this thread, whens the next installment?


 


Faith found himself actually enjoying cleaning up the SCIF.  It felt good to actually be “doing something” after two weeks of sitting around.  This was Faith’s first time in the SCIF, and it was interesting to see what things looked like “behind the green door.”  One of the things that he found interesting was that most of the Soldiers who worked in the SCIF were assigned to the MID, not to the Group S2 shop.  With everyone stripped down to their t-shirts so as not to dirty their uniform , no one knew Faith’s name or rank, so the conversation was very candid, and Faith felt like he learned a lot about the inner workings of both the Group S2 shop and the MID.

For example, it appeared that while the Group S2 shop had responsibility for the overall intel effort in the Group, the equipment and personnel necessary to perform that mission were actually assigned to the Group MID, which was in turn, Faith learned, subordinate to the Group Support Company.  In contrast, the Group S2 shop reported to the Group Headquarters Company.  The only place that those two chains of command met was at the Group commander’s level.  Therefore, any problems that couldn’t be sorted out between the MID commander and the Group S2 had the potential to quickly escalate to Group commander visibility.  That’s not good.

Faith also got a sense that there were some very good troops in both the Group S2 shop and the MID, but that the leaders, especially the warrant officers and senior NCOs, were lazy.  Or, Faith considered, maybe they were under-led.  Whatever the cause, the warrant officers and master sergeants inside the SCIF seemed completely unconcerned about the inspection, and were content allowing their junior NCOs and enlisted personnel to not only do all the work, but to decide what work needed to be done in the first place.  It was also interesting that no one seemed to know or care that Faith was “new” to the SCIF, either the personnel working in the SCIF didn’t know each other very well, or it was very common to get new people in.

Faith worked with the troops in the SCIF until lunchtime, and he had to admit that the SCIF cleaned up pretty well.  Of course, if they had kept up with things like they should have in the first place, none of this would have ever been necessary.  The safe remained outside the SCIF, but with a Soldier on guard at all times since it contained classified.  One of the NCOs wanted to move the safe back in, but Faith knew it would be important that everything remained in place for when the inspection team came on the scene.  After ensuring everything was the way it was supposed to be, Faith went back upstairs to ensure he would be available when the team from Division arrived.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Aug 4, 2012)

It's easier to keep up vice catch up!


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Aug 4, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Must be the hat...


I hate you even more, Sir.


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 5, 2012)

The inspection team arrived shortly after lunch. Faith saw them filing into The Dud’s office and followed them in. There were several things that Faith noticed right away. The first thing was that there were a LOT more people than he expected to be on the team. Faith had done one or two investigations himself, and they usually never involved more than two or three people, tops. For this investigation, Division sent seven. 

The team was headed by an intel major that Faith didn’t recognize. “Hi, sir, nice to meet you!” Faith said cheerily during introductions made in The Dud’s office. Ignoring both the greeting and Faith’s proffered hand, the major stated merely, “Where is the SCIF? I want to get started on this right away.” Faith felt his face redden at the snub but said nothing. Faith saw that this man’s name was Major Teller. Although he was intel himself, Faith felt a particular loathing towards most majors in the intelligence field, having been soured by his experiences in an intelligence battalion in Korea. In the main, Faith found them to be stuffy, unintelligent, and overly career-fixated. This one was certainly living up to the stereotype.

“Right this way, sir,” Faith said, and led the group down the stairwell to the SCIF. A Soldier that Faith did not recognize was standing outside the SCIF, guarding the safe. Faith asked him to go back inside the SCIF and let everyone know that the inspection team was here. Faith noticed that The Dud was nowhere to be found.
“Where would you like to start, sir?” Faith asked of Major Teller as the inspection team crowded into the space outside the SCIF door.

Teller said nothing, but looked to a Soldier on his right.

“Well sir,” said the Soldier, “maybe we should just start from the beginning. Can you tell me what happened?” The speaker was a female, young-looking, and fairly attractive, Faith thought, “for an Army chick.” As evidenced by her collar insignia, she was also a warrant officer, in military jargon a W1 or “wobbly one.” 







Faith explained everything to her, making sure to stick only to the facts and to not cast any blame, but otherwise omitting nothing. The warrant officer listened intently, writing down notes and politely interrupting from time to time to ask a clarifying question. While Faith and the warrant officer talked, most of the rest of the Division’s investigation team filed into the SCIF, leaving Faith, MAJ Teller, and the female warrant officer, whose name, Faith noticed, was WO1 Rollins, outside near the safe. MAJ Teller wore a bored expression on his face, and seemed totally content to have WO1 Rollins do all the “heavy lifting” for this investigation. In that regard, Teller seemed very similar to The Dud.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Aug 5, 2012)

So it wasn't policemedic ??


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 5, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> So it wasn't policemedic ??


 
Sorry, but when I envision what Chief Rollins looks like, Policemedic is not the image I have in mind. ;)


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Aug 5, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Sorry, but when I envision fantasize about what Chief Rollins looks like, Policemedic is not the image I have in mind. ;)


Fixed it for you, Sir.


----------



## policemedic (Aug 5, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Sorry, but when I envision what Chief Rollins looks like, Policemedic is not the image I have in mind. ;)


 
Thank God.


----------



## policemedic (Aug 5, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> So it wasn't policemedic ??


 
Lost your hat, did you?


----------



## x SF med (Aug 7, 2012)

so.......... CPT Mrs CPT Faith didn't get to make the trip across post?        bummer, dude.


----------



## Salt USMC (Aug 8, 2012)

I'm still wondering when we'll get around to the "III/31" portion of the thread title.


----------



## x SF med (Aug 8, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> I'm still wondering when we'll get around to the "III/31" portion of the thread title.


 
I believe it is part of the below exerpts from the treatise in question, based on the translation/ingerpretation, the below pieces from chapter III are all believed to be point 31 in the art of warfare. Based on the case presented, all of them fit for the author's point so far...




> *Chapter III, Planning the Attack*
> 
> Master Sun said:
> 
> ...


 

Does this help everybody?

Mara, am I at least close? (I believe the chapter conclusion ids the biggest point being made)


I am using the Robert Ames translation from my collection...  it was the closest at hand, and has great commentary, but a good clean section that is just the text of the treatise.


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 10, 2012)

x SF med said:


> ...
> 
> _He who knows the enemy and himself_
> _Will never in a hundred battles be at risk;_
> ...


 


Of course you are, people like you are the reason I put stuff like that in the case studies, because I know you'll get it.  

But I wonder what that passage portends for young CPT Faith?   Hmmm.....


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 10, 2012)

“OK,” said Rollins when she was done taking notes, “I think that’s all I needed from you, sir, can we open up the safe?” Faith nodded and crouched down to dial in the default combination.

“Hold it,” MAJ Teller said suddenly, “I want to get all of this documented.” He pulled out a camera and took a couple of pictures of Faith inputting the safe combination. As had happened the last time it was opened, some of the safe’s contents spilled out onto the floor at Faith’s feet. Teller continued to snap away with his camera.

“Sir, I don’t think you should be doing that,” Rollins said to Teller, as the latter got into position for a better shot of the safe’s contents.

“All of this needs to be documented, Chief,” Teller snapped irritably.

“Roger,” Rollins countered, “but that’s what this,” she held up a clipboard with a blank inventory worksheet attached, “is for. If you take a picture of anything classified, then your camera will become the same level of classification of whatever it is you just photographed. So unless you want your fancy camera to become a permanent resident of the Division SCIF, you might want to knock it off.”

Teller scowled but put his camera away.

Working together, Faith and Rollins sorted through the contents of the safe. As Faith extracted each item, he handed it over to Chief Rollins, who inspected it and made a notation on the form attached to her clipboard. This enabled Faith to get an in-depth look at all the material in the safe for the first time. He was very relieved to find that, apart from a handful of disks that had “Top Secret” stickers on them but appeared to have never been used, there didn’t appear to be any actual classified material inside the safe. The things that had spilled onto the floor the first time the safe was opened, and had caused to much alarm, had proven to be insignificant. Several folders with conspicuous yellow or orange stickers on the outside were completely empty on the inside. While the safe contained numerous SECRET and TOP SECRET classified cover sheets ,








the sheets covered no actual classified information. There were also dozens of classified stickers for marking classified print and digital media,








but these stickers themselves were not at all classified.

When the inventory of the contents of the safe was completed, Faith felt greatly relieved. He had the sense that Rollins felt the same way.
“Well sir,” she said after she made her last entry into the inventory log, “unless there is something on these disks, I really don’t think that this safe is going to be a problem for anyone.” She produced a courier bag




 and scooped the disks into it. “I’ll check these out when I get back over to Division, and if they’re clean, I think we can close this investigation out.”

Although Faith and Rollins were both pleased that a security compromise appeared to not have occurred, Major Teller did not seem happy at all. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Chief,” he said, “there are all kinds of things wrong here. It’s a pretty big deal.” Rollins looked annoyed but said nothing. Rollins helped Faith put the rest of the material back into the safe, and Faith closed the safe door.

As Faith and Rollins were wrapping things up, an NCO who was part of the inspection team emerged from the SCIF. 

“Hey sir,” the NCO said to MAJ Teller, “We’re all done inside. About the only thing we found wrong were some issues with the access roster.”

“Let me see what you’ve got,” Teller said curtly. The NCO handed over a clipboard, and Teller scanned the attached document. Then he appeared to smile ever so slightly.
“Captain Faith, will you please let me see your SCIF access badge?” he asked, almost condescendingly.

Faith hesitated before responding, “Sir, I don’t have one.”

“I see,” Teller said. “But you’ve been inside the SCIF before, correct?”

“Yes sir, once, to help get the SCIF in order.”

“When was that?”
“Earlier this morning.”

“Did you sign in?”

Faith took a moment to recall whether he had or not.

“No sir, I don’t think so.”

“I see. It looks like disregarding security protocols is a bit of a habit with you, captain,”
 Teller said. Faith felt like Teller was trying to goad him, and Faith was having none of it.

“I don’t see it that way,” Faith responded.

“But first the thing with the SCAMPI, and then the safe, and now this violation in the SCIF. I’m not sure someone that careless should even have a clearance, much less be in a position of authority around here.”

Faith felt a familiar warmth creep into his face.

“Sir,” Rollins said, injecting herself into the conversation, “this safe thing is most likely a non-issue, and not signing into the SCIF? Really, we’re going to start worrying about that now?”

“Rules are rules, Chief, now get the rest of the team together and meet me upstairs in Major Dudley’s office in five minutes,” Teller snapped.

“Yes, sir,” Rollins replied meekly.

Teller looked at Faith closely. “Do you have something to say, captain?”

Actually, Faith had something he wanted to say. Quite a few things to say, actually, none of them good. The one that immediately sprang to mind was offering Major Teller a suggestion as to what orifice he could cram his crummy attitude and his “investigation.” But for once, Faith didn’t let his temper get the better of him. By now, the inspection team from Division was filing out of the SCIF, as were a handful of the intel types that worked in 2nd Group. No sense in going ballistic on a superior officer in front of more than a dozen witnesses.

“Thanks for coming by sir, have a nice day,” was the best Faith could manage. Teller turned and started back up the stairs without replying. The rest of the inspection team streamed by as well. Chief Rollins mouthed something that looked like “Sorry!” as she passed Faith. And then, the team was gone.


----------



## DA SWO (Aug 10, 2012)

Teller is a friend of the dud and is trying to screw Faith.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Aug 10, 2012)

Does the level of "cut the bull shit" that Chief Rollins displays actually exist somewhere in the "big military"?

x2 to what SOWT said.  He's keeping score for a reason.


----------



## SpitfireV (Aug 10, 2012)

I agree the access thing is a big-ish issue, though. There have been cases in the past (Walker was one IIRC) where unfettered access resulted in lost documents and such.


----------



## Salt USMC (Aug 11, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh goddamn
> 
> 
> EDIT: It's going to be an entire safe full of cover sheets and classification stickers


 
Quoting myself from 2 weeks ago to say *"I CALLED IT!!!"*


----------



## SpitfireV (Aug 11, 2012)

Ah that time honoured intel battle cry


----------



## policemedic (Aug 11, 2012)

The access isn't a big deal, since the good CPT was escorted.  Signing the access log may be a bit of a blip, though.


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 11, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> Quoting myself from 2 weeks ago to say *"I CALLED IT!!!"*


 
You get full credit for the idea, it was actually going to be full of classified (like it was in real life :-/) before your suggestion.


----------



## CDG (Aug 11, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> You get full credit for the idea, it was actually going to be full of classified (like it was in real life :-/) before your suggestion.


 
Oh shit!


----------



## Salt USMC (Aug 11, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> Ah that time honoured intel battle cry


I know!  We don't get to use it very often, but when we do it is so, so sweet


----------



## Chopstick (Aug 11, 2012)

SOWT said:


> Teller is a friend of the dud and is trying to screw Faith.


Teller is gay??  Is the before or after DADT???


----------



## Salt USMC (Aug 11, 2012)

Hmm, looks like the dud has a personal vendetta against Faith and is going to use a veritable army of personal contacts to screw him over somehow. The guy has it in his head that this new Captain is trying to take his jerb and screw him over in a multitude of ways, so he's going to fight to protect himself. But really, I think that the Maj is going to find himself in a real pickle at some point, and it'll be Faith that pulls him out of the fire.


----------



## x SF med (Aug 11, 2012)

Young CPT Faith needs to fall back, reset his perimeter and gather info on the not so stellar career of 'the Dud' as armor against further attacks.  This battle is lost for failure to know your enemy.  Next major fail will be a loss due to failure to know oneself.  From which all further battles in this campaign will be lost.   Recovery must be swift, sure and silent to your opponent.  Bring in the other ' rulers' with whom you have a less belligerent relationship, but who have a belligerent relationship with your oppent and open future battles on multiple fronts in a concerted attack...  (Chapters 2, 5, 9, 13) ....  and choose the terrain carefully... (ch. 10,11)...

Dud got to choose the terrain this time, one of the major reasons he has gained shih to this point....   carefully advance young commander.


----------



## Salt USMC (Aug 13, 2012)

The Captain needs to update his fire-plan sketch...


----------



## Marauder06 (Aug 14, 2012)

After the inspection team had filed out, Faith let out a loud sigh and leaned against the safe. “Everything OK, sir?” someone asked. Faith looked up and saw the speaker was Specialist Bradley, the same Soldier who had made such a good impression on Faith the day before.

“Just this damn safe,” Faith replied, tapping the offending item with the toe of his boot.

“I know, sir, it has been a pain in the ass for a long time. The guys in the Group S2 shop insist it’s not theirs, and the MID didn’t put it there, no one wanted to take responsibility for it so it just sat there. And now it has turned into this.”

“Do things like this happen a lot?” Faith asked, curious.

“Actually, yes sir they do. The S2 shop and the MID are under different leaders, and they have overlapping but slightly different missions. The Group S2 and the MID commander don’t like each other much, and it trickles down throughout the two organizations. Since none of the officers ever come down here, they don’t have the slightest clue about what goes on. Many of the warrants and senior NCOs are ROAD (retired on active duty) and spend their time playing Solitaire or surfing hotornot.com. There are some good people down here, they just need something to do. And some accountability,” he added.

Based on his experiences at Group thusfar, Faith was inclined to agree with Bradley’s assessment. Faith also thought that this was pretty good insight from a young E4. It reminded Faith of what his first platoon sergeant said to him once- “Joe sees everything, sir.” It also reminded him of part of a poem Faith had heard once in school, by Rudyard Kipling:

http://www.web-books.com/Classics/Poetry/Anthology/Kipling/Tommy.htm
​


> *Tommy*​ I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'beer,
> The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
> The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
> I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
> ...


 

As Faith and Bradley talked, a handful of other Soldiers made their way out of the SCIF and up the steps. “Hurry up Billy,” one said as he passed, “we’re waiting on you, now.”

“We skipped lunch so we could finish the preparations for the inspection,” Bradley explained.

“Well, you guys did a good job in there getting ready, and with the inspection,” Faith replied.

“You too, sir.”

“So I know who the Group S2 is, who is the MID commander?” Faith asked. It just occurred to him that he was supposed to take over the organization in two weeks, and didn’t even know the name of the person he would be taking the guidon from.

“That would be Captain Lost,” Bradley answered, “but he’s not really around much.”

“BRADLEY!” someone shouted from the top of the steps before Faith could ask what Bradley meant by “not really around much.”

“Are you good, sir?” Bradley asked, clearly wishing to be on his way to lunch.

In a flash of clarity, Faith realized what the path forward would need to entail. “Yes, actually,” he replied, “I think everything is going to be just fine. Listen, who do I need to talk to in order to get all of the NCOs and warrant officers from both the Group S2 shop and the MID together in the same place at the same time?”

Bradley looked pensive. “Sir, outside of something like a change of command or a Group run, I don’t think that has ever happened.”

“Well, it’s going to happen today,” Faith said firmly. “Don’t let me keep you, thanks for the chat. Have a good lunch.”


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## DA SWO (Aug 14, 2012)

Capt F needs to wait before getting too creative.  He is the Dep2, and the 2 aint gonna be happy.  The outgoing MID Cdr will be pissed and he now has two people gunning for him.  Waiting 2 weeks won't cause the Intel world to stop analyzing.


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## Marauder06 (Aug 14, 2012)

So, we know that the Division staff seems to be at odds a bit about the investigation.  It seems like the NCOs and the warrant officer who actually conducted the investigation seem to think that the whole thing is no big deal (assuming, of course, that the disks with the Top Secret stickers on them don’t actually have any Top Secret material stored on them).  The whole, “you didn’t sign into the SCIF” thing is also a bit of a non-issue.  Faith has the requisite clearances to be in the SCIF, he simply hasn’t been issued an access badge.  Most of the time, no one would even bring something like this up, since it is mostly an administrative matter than a security issue.  However, MAJ Teller seems to maybe be making more out of the whole situation than it needs to be, for some reason.  I wonder what that’s all about.


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## CDG (Aug 14, 2012)

I think someone already said this, but it would seem MAJ Teller is one of the Dud's "boys" and has likely gotten word from the Dud to make life difficult for CPT Faith.  Faith needs to watch it here.  I doubt the DCO is going to give a shit that he felt picked on if he blows up at a senior officer.  Everybody has to work with people they don't like at some point.  That's no excuse to lose your objectivity or your professionalism.


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## x SF med (Aug 15, 2012)

Mara, huge props for getting Kipling into the story, especially "Tommy".   

How are you going to work "Kim" into mission planning for the next deployment?


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## Marauder06 (Aug 15, 2012)

x SF med said:


> Mara, huge props for getting Kipling into the story, especially "Tommy".
> 
> *How are you going to work "Kim" into mission planning* for the next deployment?


 
Well, we do have pardus, and he is in Afghanistan right now, that's probably about as close as I can get for this one ;)


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## x SF med (Aug 15, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Well, we do have pardus, and he is in Afghanistan right now, that's probably about as close as I can get for this one ;)


 
Ah, so the great game is afoot....  but is pardus sitting at the foot of the great Zam-Zammir, in mufti?  And wouldn't Irish be a better candidate for the role... to follow the original characterizations in the book?


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## Marauder06 (Aug 15, 2012)

x SF med said:


> Ah, so the great game is afoot.... but is pardus sitting at the foot of the great Zam-Zammir, in mufti? And wouldn't Irish be a better candidate for the role... to follow the original characterizations in the book?


 
I think Pardus called the mufti a "wanker" and is no longer welcome in that part of the world ;)

As Bradley moved up the steps to join his friends, Faith called out, “Hey, Specialist Bradley, when you guys get back from lunch, do you think you could get this safe moved back inside the SCIF?”

Bradley stopped and looked back at Faith.  “Sure thing, sir, do you want us to do it now?”
Faith considered the offer for a moment.  “No, I don’t think that’s really necessary at this point.  Just sometime today before close of business.  And who are the two highest-ranking NCOs in both the MID and the S2 shop who work here in the SCIF?”  After Bradley named them, Faith thanked him and sent him on his way.

Faith leaned back against the safe for a moment, and considered the way ahead. 
 Although he had not been in the unit very long, he had been in the Army long enough to recognize the symptoms of a very sick organization.  There were going to be limits on what he was going to be able to accomplish, but having seen firsthand the fallout from an organization with weak or absentee leadership.  Faith felt that there were some people in 2nd Group with real potential, and with backing from people like Chief Michaels and the DCO, the right leader could have a very positive impact.  Faith resolved at that moment to be that leader.

Faith was in a bit of a unique position.  He was technically still in the Group S2 shop, and as the Assistant S2 (well, one of several assistant S2s, he reminded himself), he was the second-highest ranking person in the shop.  He was also about to be the commander of the Group MID, a fact he suspected was not widely known at the moment.  Coming from the Group S2 shop, and going to the Group MID, Faith had a foot in both camps, and felt like me might be able to use that to get the two disparate and apparently mutually hostile groups of individuals to start working together.

What Faith needed most right now was a plan.  Fortunately, he was pretty good at planning.  He regretted not having someone like his first sergeant from Korea, or better yet his first platoon sergeant, Edward Ellery, from his days in Division.  But then again, if either one of them were here, there wouldn’t be these kinds of issues in the first place.  He also regretted not having what he considered a sufficient amount of information.  Who were the major players in the MID and the Group S2 shop?  What are the major differences in their missions, and where was the overlap?  What kinds of things can be done in the short term that could get things straightened out?  Who were the people he could count on, and who should he cut loose?  Most importantly, who could he trust?


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## SkrewzLoose (Aug 15, 2012)

Sounds like the young Captain might be on the verge of biting off more than he can chew.  Small bites are required (without micro managing) with big messes like this.  The old "how do you eat an elephant" adage.  The last paragraph makes it sound like proper delegation skills are within his wheel house.  I just hope he finds the right people to trust...


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## x SF med (Aug 15, 2012)

one young CPT cannot be the point,flank, mainbody and tail end charlie of the patrol and the entire planning team, and the support element...  it may work in the movies, but not in real life....

Good luck with that, sir.  Where are your strong NCOs?


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## CDG (Aug 15, 2012)

For an organization to fall as far as this Group has, the people in it have to become accepting and then comfortable with the fucked-uppedness.  There may be some good guys, but it sounds like much of the senior leadership, both enlisted and commissioned, is not all that concerned about things.  The FNG, Captain and soon to be MID CO he may be, coming in and trying to play the fiery reformer role will likely not play well with the exact people he needs on his side in order to affect the changes the Group needs.  He needs to tread carefully, and be sure he has done contingency planning on any move he makes to ensure both the efficacy of his plan, and the longevity of his position as a leader.


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## Salt USMC (Aug 15, 2012)

Who is the security manager for the group?  Why hasn't he been fired like 6 times over?

Could it be.....the group S2?


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## Marauder06 (Aug 20, 2012)

Faith knew he needed a plan. At just about any other time in his career, he always had people around him that he could trust, and who could be relied on to help craft a plan and see it through to completion. Taking mental stock, Faith realized that his list of friends in 2nd Group was very, very thin. In fact, it had only one name on it: Chief Michaels. Fortunately, it was a very, very good friend to have in the “friends” column. On the other side, in the “not friends” column, the list appeared to be growing. At the top of that list was of course The Dud, who not only appeared to blame Faith for the safe debacle, but thinks that Faith “stole” the MID job from him. Faith considered him a loser and not much of a threat. There was also the inspection team from Division, which did not appear very friendly. At a minimum, MAJ Teller would not be getting a Christmas card from Faith this year.

Regrettably, Faith knew that the “not friends” list was likely to grow even more by the end of the day. Faith sensed that what the NCOs and Soldiers down in the SCIF needed was a jolt, a shock of reality to get them working together as a team and doing the things that good NCOs and Soldiers do… like, not leaving a safe potentially full of classified outside the SCIF for months on end. Morale seemed low and apathy was high, but having been down in the SCIF during the pre-inspection prep, Faith also saw that the desire was there to “do something,” and when everyone worked together, things seemed to work out OK, as witnessed today during the inspection. 

Faith felt that the best way to get their attention was to challenge their professionalism; to lay it all out on the table and call them on their shortcomings. Then, with their input, craft a plan to remedy the situation. Permanently. Faith knew that there would be resistance; without senior leaders in the SCIF being at least accepting of the situation, things would never have gotten to this point in the first place. Putting all of the NCOs and warrant officers from both the S2 shop and the MID together at the same place, at the same time, would get everyone’s cards out on the table jumpstart the teambuilding process. Or, at least that was the plan.

“Not a very good plan,” Faith mused to himself as he pushed off the safe and went up to report to The Dud what had happened during the inspection. Not for the first time, Faith deeply missed the presence of a strong NCO to help him come up with a plan to fix something broken in his unit.


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## CDG (Aug 20, 2012)

Perhaps this is where the relationship between CPT Faith and MSG Reynolds begins?  CPT Faith lays into the shop and MSG Reynolds is the only one thinking, "It's about damn time!".


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## x SF med (Aug 20, 2012)

Leadership requires respect and trust...  the current plan could backfire and coat the young CPT in boiling oil from the NCO/Warrant management structure (apparently leadership is not what they are, except for Chief Michaels)...  there has to be a way to lead them to the desired result instead of shaming them into the desired result....  and then let non-O team take credit for reforming the enlisted men at the SCIF into a cohesive team.   Screw the Dud, let him absorb the shame of not having accomplished this during his tenure.  MOO, YMMV.


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## DA SWO (Aug 21, 2012)

Don't have an "all-hands" meeting, Warrents Sr NCO's and let them implement the changes.


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## Marauder06 (Aug 26, 2012)

Faith trudged up the stairs to the Dud’s office to fill him in on what transpired during the inspection. While Faith felt everything went well for the most part, and was pleased that there did not appear to be any compromise of classified information (unless something showed up on the disks that Warrant Officer Rollins took with her, the Group was in good shape. The entire incident was still a bit embarrassing, but it wouldn’t end up being fatal for anyone’s career.

MAJ Teller’s behavior, however, was a bit suspect. Faith figured that Teller might be an SF “hater,” which was why he was being such a hardass about the inspection. Faith paused at the first landing. If he was going to make intel work in the Group, he was going to have to get along with The Dud. There was no reason for the two of them to hate each other; Faith had worked with people he disliked MUCH worse in Korea and when Faith was in Division. If Faith was going to expect the NCOs, warrant officers, and Soldiers in the Group S2 shop and the MID to work together, then he needed to step up and set the example by finding a way to work with The Dud. 

“A fundamental aspect of leadership is never asking your troops to do something you’re unwilling to do yourself,” Faith mused. He steeled himself to do what it takes, correction, whatever it takes, to mend the broken relationship between himself and The Dud, and between the Group S2 shop and the MID. He marched resolutely up the steps and into the hallway outside of The Dud’s office.


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## SpitfireV (Aug 26, 2012)

She?


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## Marauder06 (Aug 26, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> She?


 
D'oh!!

Fixed.:-/


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## Marauder06 (Aug 29, 2012)

When he reached The Dud’s office, Faith saw that the door was slightly ajar.  He raised his hand to knock, and heard voices coming from inside.  Not wanting to interrupt, Faith turned to leave but heard a somewhat-familiar voice speaking with The Dud.
“Yeah, we got him, between what was in the safe, and with his violation of the SCIF, there’s no way he’s going to be sticking around,” MAJ Teller said.  “We really nailed that little prick.”

Faith knew immediately who MAJ Teller meant by “that little prick.”  He felt the color rush to his face.

“Great!”  replied The Dud, “When he’s gone, they’ll have to make me the Group MID commander…” he began

“And that will clear the way for me to come over from Division to be the Group S2,” MAJ Teller finished.

Faith was stunned.  He couldn’t believe, first of all, that this kind of conversation was even taking place.  And second of all, that it was taking place in a manner in which it might be overheard.  And finally, he couldn’t believe that he had wanted to try to patch things up with a scheming, malignant, two-faced, sorry-ass excuse for an officer as The Dud.  It was “game on” now.  

Faith felt a familiar rage creep over his body.  He stood outside the door to The Dud’s office, the anger welling up inside him until it was boiling over.  Faith decided he was going to kick open the door to The Dud’s office and do… something.  What that “something” was he didn’t know;  he hadn’t thought that far ahead, and usually didn’t when he got this angry.  Just before “something” was about to happen, a voice interrupted his plan.

“Hey sir, how’s it going?”  Chief Michaels asked, in his low, gravelly voice.  Faith, with one leg in the air, was so focused that he didn’t hear Michaels’ approach, and so surprised by his unexpected appearance that he staggered sideways.

“Oh, hi Chief,” Faith stammered, “I was…”

“We’re you just going down to your office so we could all have a little chat?”  Michaels suggested, gesturing over his shoulder to the men standing in the hallway behind him.  Faith saw four men with long hair and beards, dressed in non-descript civilian clothes, standing behind Chief Michaels.

“Um, yeah, sure,” was all Faith could say.  Faith didn’t recognize the men with Chief Michaels, but he could tell that, despite their dress and appearance, they were most likely Special Forces Soldiers.  They just had “that look,” and it wasn’t just from the way they stood there with their hands in their pockets.

The conversation between Michaels and Faith wasn’t loud, but it had to be overheard by The Dud and MAJ Teller, Faith mused as he walked the short distance back down to his office.  Sure enough, just before he went in, he saw The Dud’s head poke out from behind his office door.  Eyes wide, The Dud had a very concerned look on his face.
  Faith looked back and made eye contact with The Dud, and slowly nodded his head up and down one time.  “Yes, I heard everything you said,” Faith intended that nod to convey.  Then he walked into his office, and invited Chief Michaels and his companions to come along as well.


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## SkrewzLoose (Aug 29, 2012)

Hands in pockets, LOL!  
Doing things like this "in the moment" don't often turn out well.  I've never read Sun Tzu, but I'd imagine it would be a better idea to cool off, collect your thoughts and construct a "battle plan" that keep emotions out of the picture/allow for more calculated moves.  
It's like taking a step back, removing yourself from the situation and thinking before hitting "reply"...or in the case the kick-the-shit-out-of-the-door button.


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## Marauder06 (Aug 29, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> ... I've never read Sun Tzu,...


 
 Scandalous!

Well, guess what you're getting this year from your Surreptitious Santa (in lieu of the American flag velcro cap)?


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## SpitfireV (Aug 30, 2012)

I thought he already had a number of those hats?

But I agree. Best plans are made without a rush of blood to the head, usually.


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## Dame (Aug 30, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Faith was stunned. He couldn't believe, first of all, that this kind of conversation was even taking place. And second of all, that it was taking place in a manner in which it might be overheard. And finally, he couldn't believe that he had wanted to try to patch things up with a scheming, malignant, two-faced, sorry-ass excuse for an officer as The Dud. It was “game on” now.


 
How old is this guy? Conversations like this happen all the time in the private sector and I have a hard time believing it's so uncommon in the military that he'd be stunned to hear it.


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## Chopstick (Aug 30, 2012)

I almost had to "dislike" the latest installment, Mara.  I think it would have been much more exciting if Faith had kicked in the door and all those guys rushed in behind him and kicked the bejeezus out of those two..then just as quickly..disappeared..into the night....


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## SkrewzLoose (Aug 30, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Scandalous!
> 
> Well, guess what you're getting this year from your Surreptitious Santa (in lieu of the American flag velcro cap)?


Dammit!



SpitfireV said:


> I thought he already had a number of those hats?
> 
> But I agree. Best plans are made without a rush of blood to the head, usually.


Dammit!
And thank you.


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## 0699 (Aug 30, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Hands in pockets, LOL!
> *Doing things like this "in the moment" don't often turn out well*. I've never read Sun Tzu, but I'd imagine it would be a better idea to cool off, collect your thoughts and construct a "battle plan" that keep emotions out of the picture/allow for more calculated moves.
> It's like taking a step back, removing yourself from the situation and thinking before hitting "reply"...or in the case the kick-the-shit-out-of-the-door button.


 
Gets me everytime...

I need to learn to be more laconic.


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## CDG (Aug 30, 2012)

I foresee a very interesting offer from Chief Michaels.  Not sure exactly what though.... Either he already knows about the plan being hatched between the Dud and MAJ Teller and is going to let Faith know to chill out and let him handle it, or he is going to give Faith an offer that he won't be able to refuse.  After completing whatever assignment Chief Michaels has, Faith will be a sure bet for the MID CO slot.


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## Marauder06 (Aug 30, 2012)

Chief Michaels was the last man in the room, and closed the door behind him.  Faith made his way to the far side of his office and slid in behind his desk. Michaels sat down in the chair immediately in front of the desk, but Faith noticed that the other men waited until they were invited to sit down before they pulled chairs and a footlocker across the floor and took a seat.

“Captain Faith, I wanted to introduce you to some friends of mine,” Michaels began, “these men are from ODA 2225.  They have something they want to say to you.”
“Nice to meet all of you,” Faith said, shaking their hands.  Based on the numeric designation of the ODA, Faith knew that these men were in the same company his father had been in.  The first digit of the ODA designation was the Group, in this case 2nd Group.  The second digit was the battalion, the third the company, and the fourth and final digit was the specific ODA within the company.  So, these men happened to be from B/2/2, the same company to which Faith’s father had been assigned, although they were all far too young to have served with him.

The introductions completed, the men with Chief Michaels seemed a bit uncomfortable, and no one seemed to be in a hurry to say whatever it was they had to tell to Faith.  “You men are B/2/2?  My father was in that unit, back in the day,” Faith offered as a means of starting the conversation.

“So we heard,” one of the men replied, “that’s pretty cool, that you’re keeping it in the family.  So when are you going to go to the Q Course and come join his old battalion?”

Faith laughed.  “I’m happy being an intel guy, thank you very much.  Is there something I can help you gentlemen with?”

The man Faith was speaking to shifted uncomfortably in his chair.  “Hey sir,” said another man, who Faith recalled introduced himself as “Drew,” “I’m the team sergeant for 2225.  That big-ass safe that is downstairs, outside the SCIF?  It’s ours.  When we got back from our last trip to Afghanistan four months ago, we told our junior 18E he had to get it turned in before he went on leave.  He said he took care of it, and we never go down to the SCIF so we didn’t know he just dropped it off and dumped it on you guys.”  Drew paused for a moment before continuing.  “Chief Michaels explained to us what happened, and that you got a little hemmed up over it.  I wanted to say we’re sorry about that, our 18E was a bit of a problem child, always taking shortcuts and whatnot, he ended up getting a DUI during block leave right after that deployment, so we put his rucksack in the hall and DX’d him for someone a little more competent,” he added, jerking his thumb in the direction of one of his teammates, a much younger-looking man whose name Faith couldn’t recall at the moment. 

“Well, not that much more competent,” Drew added, clearly meaning it as a joke.  “At any rate,” he continued, “We came by to offer our apologies, and if you want, we’ll carry that safe back over to our team room and get it out of your hair.”

Faith considered what Drew had just said.  Slightly confused, Faith turned towards Chief Michaels.  “Chief,” Faith enquired, “How did you know that the safe belonged to 2225?”

“There was a classified control cover sheet in the safe, it had the appropriate identifying information on it,” Michaels replied.

“But there weren’t any of those sheets in the safe when the inspection team went through the safe,” Faith said, now even more confused.

“No sir, there wasn’t anything in that safe when the inspection team got here, that didn’t need to be in that safe when the inspection team got here.”

“I… see,” Faith said, although he wasn’t sure that he actually did see.

“So, about that safe,” Drew interjected. “Want me to have my guys go get it?  We have a dolly out in the truck.”

Faith considered the offer.  “Well, do you guys need a safe like that?”

“No sir,” Drew answered, “That’s why I wanted our former 18E to turn it in.”

“Well, if it’s just going to sit around taking up space somewhere, we might as well keep it.  I already asked one of my guys to get it moved into the SCIF, don’t worry about it, we’ll get it taken care of.”

“Great,” said Drew.

“And yeah this whole thing was a bit of a pain in the ass,” Faith continued, “Well, actually it’s a bit of an ongoing pain in the ass, but ultimately my guys should have noticed an enormous freakin’ safe outside the SCIF for six months, and done something else about it other than use it as a hat rack.  So as far as I’m concerned, this is an intel problem and it’s going to get sorted out by intel people.”

“Roger, sir,” said Drew, standing up to leave.  Faith walked them to the door, noticing that Chief Michaels was still seated, and apparently was sticking around.  

“Hey, sir, thanks for being cool about this,” Drew said as he shook Faith’s hand on the way out.  “If you need something from B/2/2, or 2nd Battalion for that matter, ask for “Razor,” I’ll get you taken care of.”

“Why do they call you “Razor?” Faith asked.

“Probably because he’s in desperate need of a shave,” Chief Michaels chimed in from across the room.  Drew/Razor smiled as he walked out of Faith’s office.  The other men from ODA 2225 filed out after him.  As the last man walked out, he turned to Faith and said, “Hey sir, I’m Paul.  I’m new to the Group but I’m pretty sure I’ll be sticking around for a while.  Thanks for helping us out with this safe thing, maybe I’ll be able to do something to help you out one day.”

 “Thanks Paul, I look forward to working with you,” Faith replied.


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## Dame (Aug 31, 2012)

I'm liking this ODA and its guys.


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## Rabbit (Aug 31, 2012)

Afte reading the rules, still not sure if I'm supposed to be posting here, but I'll hazard it.  Besides, it has made for really interesting reading.  It seems that Chief Michaels has been saving the good Captain's bacon in a great many ways.  Thank god for small mercies.


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## SkrewzLoose (Aug 31, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> *The first digit of the ODA designation was the Group, in this case 2nd Group. The second digit was the battalion, the third the company, and the fourth and final digit was the specific ODA within the company.* So, these men happened to be from B/2/2, the same company to which Faith’s father had been assigned, although they were all far too young to have served with him.


 
Learn something new every day! 
It's good that it seems the ODA and Chief Michaels seem to have Captain Faith's back.  Looks like they've already helped him save face on a couple of occasions, unbenknownst to him.


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## Marauder06 (Aug 31, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Learn something new every day!
> ....


 
That's the way the ODA designations work in this story, I think it's close to how it works in real life but I'm not SF and I don't recall the naming convention exactly.


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## SkrewzLoose (Aug 31, 2012)

Ah, understood Sir. 
I was a bit saddened that there was no mention of any baseball caps.  I understand they were inside, but still.  :-/


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## Warchief (Aug 31, 2012)

Rabbit said:


> It seems that Chief Michaels has been saving the good Captain's bacon in a great many ways. Thank god for small mercies.


 
It's not a small mercy.  Saving and protecting young Captains from themselves are just one of the things Chief's are susposed to do with their spare time.


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## Marauder06 (Aug 31, 2012)

After the representatives from ODA 2225 left, Faith returned to his seat behind his desk.

“So,” said Chief Michaels without preamble, “How did the investigation go this morning?”

“OK I guess,” Faith responded. “It all kind of depends on what their warrant officer finds on those disks she took with her.”

“Who, Miss Rollins?” Michaels inquired, “She’ll do the right thing.”

“Maybe,” Faith responded, unconvinced. “But that major she was with, Teller, he and The Dud are up to no good.”

“So I hear,” said Michaels. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

“Well, I have half a mind to go down there and choke the shit out of The Dud,” Faith answered, truthfully.

Chief Michaels laughed. “I believe you would. But I don’t think that is necessary, or even wise.” Michaels paused and looked at Faith or a moment.

“Sir, did they study Sun Tzu in that fancy military school you went to?”

Now it was Faith’s turn to laugh. “Georgia Military College? Well, I would hardly consider that “fancy,” but yeah, we studied Sun Tzu.”

“Do you remember Section III/31?” Faith’s blank look told Michaels he didn’t. “The part about ‘know your enemy and know yourself, and you do not have to fear the results of a thousand battles?”

Recognition flashed across Faith’s face. “Yeah, Chief, I remember that passage.”

“The apply it,” Michaels said, forcefully. You are operating in the blind here. You don’t know yourself because you’re new to the unit, you have no wasta worked up with anyone in authority, you don’t have a cadre of NCOs and Soldiers to back your plays, hell even the other officers don’t like you because they all wanted the MID commander gig.”

“You don’t know your enemy. You don’t know who is after you, or why; you don’t know who you can trust, or who trusts you. Hell, you didn’t even know that The Dud and MAJ Teller went to college together, and that Teller is married to The Dud’s sister.”
Faith’s eyes grew large.

“Now you know. Now you know that even complete assclowns have friends. That even though you have complete contempt from someone, you underestimate him at your peril. You know that you don’t have any trump cards, and that until you do, the deck is stacked against you. The question is, what are you going to do with that knowledge?”

“Well, I do have you, Chief,” Faith said. It almost came out as a question.

Michaels considered what Faith said for a moment. “Yes, sir, you do have me. And that’s a pretty good trump card.” 

“Look, Scott,” he said, referring to Faith by his first name for the first time, “I’m here for you. But I can’t be everywhere all the time. The is the big leagues, Big Boy Rules are in effect. You’re going to have to start making better decisions. Get your temper in check. Stop pissing everyone off, unless it’s for a good reason. You’re an intelligence officer; gather all the intelligence you can before you make a decision, or before you make an enemy you don’t have to. And do not, ever, underestimate your opponent, especially The Dud. He didn’t get to where he is today totally by blind luck and leader apathy.”

Faith considered what Chief Michaels had just said for a moment. “Thank you Chief, I appreciate everything you have done for me, especially with talking me down from going after The Dud.”

“No worries, sir, protecting young captains from themselves is just one of the things that Chief Warrant Officers are expected to do in their free time.” He smiled broadly at his own joke.  //thanks, Warchief !

“So,” Faith said, “this thing about the document control roster. It was in the safe before the investigation, but during the investigation it wasn’t?”

“That’s right,” said Michaels.

Faith considered this for a moment. “Was there anything else in the safe that was there before the investigation, but wasn’t when the investigators arrived?”

Almost as if he had anticipated the question, Michaels dropped a small paper bag on Faith’s desk. “What’s this?” Faith inquired as he emptied the bag’s contents onto his desk. A handful of 3.4” disks and CDs spilled out of the bag.

“What is on all of these disks, Chief?” Faith inquired, concerned because all of the disks had Top Secret stickers on them.

“I don’t know, sir, but they had yellow stickers on them and they looked like they were used. I felt, therefore, that they should be secured in the safe in my office in the S3 shop and not left in an safe in an unsecured hallway, protected only by the default combo that I heard opened it up in the first place.”

“I… see,” said Faith. “What do I do with these now?”

“That’s up to you, sir,” Michaels answered. He glanced down at his watch. “I have an appointment to go to,” he said, “is there anything else we need to talk about right now?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Faith replied. “I’ll walk you out.”

After Michaels left, Faith walked back over to the desk and sat down. He looked at the pile of disks for a long time. The right thing to do would be to go down into the SCIF, find a Top Secret computer, and find out what was on them all. Actually, Faith corrected himself, he’d have to go down to the SCIF, ring the doorbell, ask someone who actually had a badge to take the disks, check them out, and then report back to him what was on the disks. And if there was in fact anything on the disks, he’d have to let The Dud and MAJ Teller know. And then there would be questions about how the disks got out of the safe, and where they were during the inspection, and that… well that would just be bad for everyone. But that was the “right” thing to do.

“The right thing to do,” Faith thought as he opened his desk drawers and took a pair of heavy-duty scissors out of one drawer, and a burn bag out of another.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Sep 1, 2012)

Learned a new word: 

*Wasta* or *Wasata* (Arabic: واسْطة) is an Arabic word that loosely translates into Nepotism or 'clout' or 'who you know'. It refers to using one’s connections and/or influence to get things done, including government transactions such as the quick renewal of a passport, waiving of traffic fines, and getting hired for or promoted in a job.

As for the case study itself, I'm not really sure what to expect next...  It's interesting that Faith was hell bent on setting everyone else straight, but he's the one who got set straight.  I suppose that's another one of those "it's what we do in our spare time" things that CWO do.  Having 2 CWO on his side is going to help, but as Chief Michaels said Faith is going to have to adjust his own azimuth to really get a good foundation, get others on his side, learn about himself and his enemies and move forward in his new position.  The last paragraph makes me wonder if there's some small chance that Dud or Teller also know about the TS disks...


----------



## x SF med (Sep 1, 2012)

Warchief said:


> It's not a small mercy. Saving and protecting young Captains from themselves are just one of the things Chief's are susposed to do with their spare time.


 
...  and prior to becoming a big juju SF Warrant...  as an outstanding Sr NCO, the job is to take young SF NCOs and teach them to apply the lessons they learned in the SFQC...  which is easier than doing anything with officers...  SF NCOs are smarter and more teachable.

Thanks Doc, your lessons are still used to this day...  even if you did go Warrant.  :-"


----------



## Crusader74 (Sep 1, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Learned a new word:
> 
> *Wasta* or *Wasata* (Arabic: واسْطة) is an Arabic word that loosely translates into Nepotism or 'clout' or 'who you know'. It refers to using one’s connections and/or influence to get things done, including government transactions such as the quick renewal of a passport, waiving of traffic fines, and getting hired for or promoted in a job.
> 
> As for the case study itself, I'm not really sure what to expect next... It's interesting that Faith was hell bent on setting everyone else straight, but he's the one who got set straight. I suppose that's another one of those "it's what we do in our spare time" things that CWO do. Having 2 CWO on his side is going to help, but as Chief Michaels said Faith is going to have to adjust his own azimuth to really get a good foundation, get others on his side, learn about himself and his enemies and move forward in his new position. The last paragraph makes me wonder if there's some small chance that Dud or Teller also know about the TS disks...


 

It's WasTa. ;)


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## SkrewzLoose (Sep 1, 2012)

Irish said:


> It's WasTa. ;)


You lost me...  :-/


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## Crusader74 (Sep 1, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> You lost me... :-/


 
The pronunciation of the Arabic word is WasTa..


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## SkrewzLoose (Sep 1, 2012)

Ahhh...gotcha.  I thought I had misquoted Wiki or something.  Thanks!


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## Salt USMC (Sep 5, 2012)

Irish said:


> The pronunciation of the Arabic word is WasTa..


 
Speaking of Arabic, does your location say "Dublin" by chance?


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## Crusader74 (Sep 5, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> Speaking of Arabic, does your location say "Dublin" by chance?


 

;) نَعَمْ


----------



## SpitfireV (Sep 5, 2012)

Maj. Faith is going to retire before all this plays out...

*cough*


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Sep 5, 2012)




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## CDG (Sep 5, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> Maj. Faith is going to retire before all this plays out...


 
And immediately publish a tell-all book to "honor and remember" his brothers and the brotherhood.


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## x SF med (Sep 6, 2012)

Yoo-hoo, Mara...  more writing, less lollygagging around, please.


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## Salt USMC (Sep 6, 2012)

x SF med said:


> Yoo-hoo, Mara... more writing, less lollygagging around, please.


 
I bet he's out attending campaign fundraisers for the moderator election


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## SkrewzLoose (Sep 6, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> I bet he's out attending campaign fundraisers for the moderator election


If that's the case, then there's no excuse.  His NCOs are out from under his iron fist for a bit and they should be hard at work on this case study!


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## Salt USMC (Sep 6, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> If that's the case, then there's no excuse. His NCOs are out from under his iron fist for a bit and they should be hard at work on this case study!


 
I think his clipart NCO is on leave, though


----------



## SpitfireV (Sep 11, 2012)

Major Faith has died, I'm afraid to tell you all. He died with his feet on the desk while plotting.

Cause of death appears to be extreme old age.


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## x SF med (Sep 11, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> Major Faith has died, I'm afraid to tell you all. He died with his feet on the desk while plotting.
> 
> Cause of death appears to be extreme old age.


 
No, he was jailed for shooting the Dud in the face.


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## Marauder06 (Sep 11, 2012)

Thank you for the gentle prodding, gentlemen. I have it on good authority that the good CPT Faith is alive and well, and ready to reveal his latest activities in the near future.


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## x SF med (Sep 11, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Thank you for the gentle prodding, gentlemen. I have it on good authority that the good MAJ Faith is alive and well, and ready to reveal his latest activities in the near future.


 
So he did shoot the Dud in the face....  called it!


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## policemedic (Sep 12, 2012)

MAJ Faith in the SCIF with an old school M1911A1.  Mozambique, 'natch.


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## DA SWO (Sep 12, 2012)

CPT Faith is gay.


----------



## Chopstick (Sep 12, 2012)

SOWT said:


> CPT Faith is gay.


I wonder if his wife knows.


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## x SF med (Sep 12, 2012)

Is this Clue or Fashion eye for the gay MI guy?   Clue is better.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 9, 2012)

When he was finished with the scissors, Faith taped up the burn bag and made a mental note to run it down to the SCIF before he went home for the evening. He then paused for a moment to consider his next move. The Dud was clearly gunning for him, and was in league with the inspector from Division. That was a problem. While Faith knew that the inspection failed to uncover any serious shortcomings (probably thanks in no small measure to Chief Michaels), it was still possible that The Dud would try to use whatever was included in the upcoming report to blow everything out of proportion. The best thing to do in this situation was probably a pre-emptive strike, to reach out to the Group leadership before The Dud had a chance to. Feeling very Sun Tzu-like, he picked up the phone and dialed the DCO’s number.


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## Salt USMC (Oct 10, 2012)

ITS ABOUT TIME


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## DA SWO (Oct 10, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> When he was finished with the scissors, Faith taped up the burn bag and made a mental note to run it down to the SCIF before he went home for the evening. He then paused for a moment to consider his next move. The Dud was clearly gunning for him, and was in league with the inspector from Division. That was a problem. While Faith knew that the inspection failed to uncover any serious shortcomings (probably thanks in no small measure to Chief Michaels), it was still possible that The Dud would try to use whatever was included in the upcoming report to blow everything out of proportion. The best thing to do in this situation was probably a pre-emptive strike, to reach out to the Group leadership before The Dud had a chance to. Feeling very Sun Tzu-like, he picked up the phone and dialed the DCO’s number.


Does the DCO act as the unit IG?

He needs to walk very carefully as the DCO may not like him going past the 2.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Oct 10, 2012)

I was thinking the same thing as the above.  Could he be getting in over his head/rank by contacting the DCO directly?


----------



## SpitfireV (Oct 11, 2012)

He would be better off writing comprehensive contemperanous notes about each and all interactions with him and then using those if and when Division or whoever came knocking.


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## dirtmover (Oct 15, 2012)

Ok Mara Ihave read every one of your case studies....and I will lead the lynching party if you don't soon give us an update...or a fate worse than death.....we will free all you NCOs and you will have to do your own damn work.  lol


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## Marauder06 (Oct 15, 2012)

Without all my NCOs, who will supervise all of the Spec-4s that I count on to do all the "real" work around here?  I need my clipart NCO, my "sage advice" NCO... and of course my "funny and witty" NCO, although he hasn't been doing such a good job around here lately and may have to be replaced .


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## Mac_NZ (Oct 15, 2012)

I still say Faith and the Dud should have a knife fight.  Maybe have a unit combatives day where Faith rages out and takes to the Dud.


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## SpitfireV (Oct 15, 2012)

Mac's adjustment to civilian life goes well I see.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 16, 2012)

After two rings, Faith heard the DCO’s voicemail message.  After the beep, Faith said, “Hey sir, Scott Faith here, I just wanted to give you a rundown on how the inspection went.  Bottom line, I don’t think there are any real systematic errors or egregious violations that are going to blow back on the unit.  Clearly, there are things that need to get tightened up, and I bear some of that responsibility directly, but overall I think things came out OK.  There are a couple of other things directed related to the investigation that I think you need to know about, but I think they would be better related in person than over the phone.  I’ll call again later to make an appointment to come brief you on them.”


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## Marauder06 (Oct 16, 2012)

After hanging up the phone, Faith mentally prepared himself for his next Herculean labor:  straightening out the SCIF.  Faith knew that the physical disorder of the SCIF was merely a reflection of leader apathy.  That should be easy enough to fix, once he was actually in charge of the MID.  Right now he was kind of in a leadership no-man’s-land; he wasn’t in charge of the MID yet, and with The Dud constantly gunning for him, Faith wasn’t going to be able to make the kinds of changes necessary on that side of the house, either.  What to do, what to do… Well, his first platoon sergeant, SFC Elliot, used to say:  “A decision is better than a late decision.”  Remembering those words, Faith called down to the SCIF.  “Give me the senior person down there” he ordered the Specialist who answered the phone.  “Roger sir, one moment please,” the other man responded.


----------



## dirtmover (Oct 16, 2012)

Yyyeeeeaaahhhhh!!!!  Ok so w shall suspend the freeing of slaves.....I mean NCOs......but if you do not post the following segments in a timely manner you will force our hand....if you follow our terms we won't send Myke Hawk after you.  Lol


----------



## Marauder06 (Oct 16, 2012)

Must... not... make... Myke Hawke comments...

*whew* Self control, I finally found some.


----------



## Marauder06 (Oct 16, 2012)

OK for this next bit, I'm going to need some names for some dirtbag warrant officers and NCOs.  Suggestions welcome.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Oct 16, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> OK for this next bit, I'm going to need some names for some dirtbag warrant officers and NCOs. Suggestions welcome.


 
Go through all the recently banned users. Will Brink should definitely be one of them! 
Also, CWO# Laconic would be fun!


----------



## Marauder06 (Oct 16, 2012)

“Sergeant Slacker,” an annoyed voice said into the phone.  Faith quickly consulted the unit roster.  Slacker is a master sergeant assigned to the MID.
“Master Sergeant Slacker,” Faith began, “I’m Captain Faith, I’m the new Group assistant S2.

“Um, roger,” Slacker replied.

“Listen,” Faith said, “We have to have a meeting to discuss the whole SCIF inspection thing, I need some help getting everyone together and it looks like you’re the senior man from the MID down there in the SCIF.  Could you have all of the leadership from the MID, E6 and above, in my office today at say… 1600?”

“Yeah,” replied Slacker, “about that.  We normally head on out of here right at 1600, so we can avoid the rush.  Maybe we could have a meeting tomorrow, or next week or something.”

Faith felt his face flush.  “You normally leave the SCIF by 1600?” Faith asked, for clarification.  

“Yes sir,” Slacker answered, a bit defensively.  “We get here early, you know.”
Faith kind of doubted that.  He was here every morning at 0600, and not once could he recall seeing anyone who worked in the SCIF and was above the rank of E6 trickle in before 0900.

“Yeah, Ok,” Faith responded.  “If you normally leave here by 1600, then today is going to be an abnormal day.  Please have the MID leaders from the SCIF up here in my office by 1600.  What I have to say shouldn’t take long and then you’ll be on your way.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, and Faith knew that Slacker was contemplating his next move.

“Well sir, since you’re Group S2 and I’m MID, I think I’m going to have to decline.”


----------



## Marauder06 (Oct 16, 2012)

Faith almost totally lost it at that point.  “Decline,” an order from a superior officer?  Faith took a deep breath and just… let go.  A second later the anger passed completely, and all that was left was cold cunning.

“Master Sergeant Slacker, I’m giving you a direct order to be in my office, this afternoon, at 1600 hours with all of the leaders in the MID who work in the SCIF, E6 and up.  If you feel that this order is illegal, immoral, or unethical, then by all means please feel free to take it up with the commander of the MID, the commander of the GSC, or the DCO.  Or if you want, I can call the Group CSM and explain what’s going on here, and ask him if he wants to get you and your crew up here, since a commissioned officer can’t seem to do it.

“That won’t be necessary, sir,” Slacker responded quickly.

“That’s what I fucking thought,” Faith thought but didn’t say.

“Great, thanks Master Sergeant, I appreciate the assistance and look forward to meeting you later this afternoon,” Faith said, as if everything that just transpired never even happened.  “Let me talk to…” he paused to look at the unit roster once again, “CW3 Dodgy.”  According to the unit roster, Dodgy was a signals intelligence (SIGINT) warrant, and was the highest-ranking warrant officer down in the SCIF.

“Um, sir, Chief Dodgy is ACAP-ing,” Slacker replied evenly.

“ACAP-ing, what does that mean?”

“It means he checks in once a week or if we have something we need help with,
 otherwise he’s clearing and looking for a job.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“Well, we normally give people who are retiring 6 months to ACAP, he’s retiring in like two months, so it has been four months or so.”

Faith was incredulous.  Six months of basically free leave before retirement?  That was something that could be addressed later.  “Ok, then call him.  Tell him that unless he has a signed leave form or a note from the Group medics, I want him here in my office, today, at 1600.”

Slacker started to respond but Faith cut him off.

 “Thanks, Master Sergeant, I knew I could count on you.  See you this afternoon,” and then Faith hung up the phone.

"I've got something you can 'decline,'" Faith muttered as he turned away from the phone and turned his attention to the computer monitor, where he saw he had several messages waiting to be read.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Oct 16, 2012)

Kill them with kindness!  Kinda...  
Faith might be a bit green, but he's pretty quick on his feet.


----------



## x SF med (Oct 17, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Without all my NCOs, who will supervise all of the Spec-4s that I count on to do all the "real" work around here? I need my clipart NCO, my "sage advice" NCO... and of course my "funny and witty" NCO, although he hasn't been doing such a good job around here lately and may have to be replaced .


 
All you NCO are belong to us.


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## SpitfireV (Oct 17, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> OK for this next bit, I'm going to need some names for some dirtbag warrant officers and NCOs. Suggestions welcome.


 
Mike Hunt

Wayne Kerr.


----------



## 0699 (Oct 17, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> OK for this next bit, I'm going to need some names for some dirtbag warrant officers and NCOs. Suggestions welcome.


 
Phil McCracken
Amanda Huginkiss


----------



## Marauder06 (Oct 17, 2012)

The first email was from his wife.  “CALL ME!!!” the subject line shouted at him.  The all-caps and exclamation points was uncharacteristic of her.  But maybe she found a good deal on that crib she had been looking for.  Or she’s ready for lunch.  Faith picked up the receiver and was about to dial his wife’s number when another email caught his attention.  The subject line read “READ THIS NOW” and was from the DCO.  “What’s with everyone using the all-caps?” Faith mused to himself as he hung up the handset and used his mouse to place the cursor over the DCO’s message.  Taking a deep breath, and not entirely sure what to expect, he double-clicked the message, opening the message.  It read:


----------



## 104TN (Oct 18, 2012)

"I just want to be with you."


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## Crusader74 (Oct 18, 2012)

Dick johnson.. ...

Dick hymen..

Harry Baals..

Lou  Zer...

Pat Hiscock...

Richard Cox..


----------



## DA SWO (Oct 18, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> The first email was from his wife. “CALL ME!!!” the subject line shouted at him. The all-caps and exclamation points was uncharacteristic of her. But maybe she found a good deal on that crib she had been looking for. Or she’s ready for lunch. Faith picked up the receiver and was about to dial his wife’s number when another email caught his attention. The subject line read “READ THIS NOW” and was from the DCO. “What’s with everyone using the all-caps?” Faith mused to himself as he hung up the handset and used his mouse to place the cursor over the DCO’s message. Taking a deep breath, and not entirely sure what to expect, he double-clicked the message, opening the message. It read:


m6 SUCKS, AND IS HEADED TO DIVISION.


----------



## x SF med (Oct 18, 2012)

> ...used his mouse to place the cursor over the DCO’s message. Taking a deep breath, and not entirely sure what to expect, he double-clicked the message, opening the message. It read:


 
Mara is lazy and won't write more than a paragraph at a time, he needs to be shot in the foot by his NCOs, OH, yeah, he ain't got none....


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## Marauder06 (Oct 18, 2012)

> CPT Faith-
> I received your message about the investigation results. Chief Michaels came by earlier and filled me in on the details. I’m on my way over to talk to the Division G2 actual, we’ll talk more when I get back. In the meantime, I want you to make note of the following:
> 
> -You are commander of the MID, effective today at 1600 hours.
> ...


----------



## Chopstick (Oct 18, 2012)

Richard Cranium.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Oct 18, 2012)

Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it Captain.


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## Dame (Oct 19, 2012)

Never, ever, ignore your wife's all-cap subject line e-mail. _Always_ read them first. Convincing yourself that she wants to tell you about the sales that day is a death wish.

Confucius say, "Man who ignore wife during day get no piece at night."


----------



## x SF med (Oct 19, 2012)

CPT Mrs CPT Faith is an Intel Goddess and knower of things arcane in her own right.... and may have good raw data on things transpired at levels above or lateral to the young CPT Mr CPT Faith and might be germane to the dealings into which he is about to wander so semi blindly, or wholly blindly should he not heed the warnings of she who must be listened to...

(Wow, I should have been an Intel guy, that's as clear as most of the Intel briefings I've ever gotten, and mostly in the English subjunctive...  SWEET!  Mara, got a job for me?)


----------



## DA SWO (Oct 19, 2012)

The 2 is being fired, moved to Division.

Cpt F needs to make shit happen or he will be in Division working for the dud.

S2/Mid needs to see a rash of PCS/PCA/ETS/Retirements.


----------



## x SF med (Oct 19, 2012)

Chopstick said:


> Richard Cranium.


 
Riccardo Capitus   is much less overt...   but subtlety is not your forte is it?


----------



## digrar (Oct 19, 2012)

So I've stopped myself from opening this thread for months now, thinking I'll get it all done in one hit and here we are and it looks like we're still in the first act... Bugger.


----------



## x SF med (Oct 20, 2012)

digrar said:


> So I've stopped myself from opening this thread for months now, thinking I'll get it all done in one hit and here we are and it looks like we're still in the first act... Bugger.


 
Mara's writing it sans NCO 'help'...  'nuff said...  except you is lucky that he done got through Act I in 3 months alone and intelligencenessed and non NCO'd n ossiferlike studentness an all....


----------



## Marauder06 (Oct 20, 2012)

Faith leaned back in his chair.  This unexpected twist came at just the right time, and really strengthened his hand in terms of both doing what needed to be done down in the SCIF, and fending off The Dud.  The question was how best to make use of it.


----------



## Marauder06 (Oct 20, 2012)

Faith had no sooner finished this thought than The Dud himself walked into the room.  His arrival coincided with an email alert that Faith had received yet another message from his wife.  That one would have to wait, too.

Still leaning back in his chair, Faith looked at The Dud.  “What can I do for you, sir?” he inquired casually.

The Dud was all business.  “First of all, you can get to your feet and stand at the position of attention when addressing a field grade officer,” he snapped.  Faith signed inwardly and mentally rolled his eyes, but complied.  He took his time doing so, however, which clearly irked The Dud.

“Sign this,” The Dud demanded, shoving a document towards Faith.

Faith looked at it.  “What is this?” he asked, almost rhetorically.  Faith knew what it was.  He had seen dozens, scores probably, since his platoon leader days and more recently his time as a company commander.  It was a DA Form 4856, more commonly known as a “counseling statement.”  The statement had one short paragraph that had been handwritten, and another, longer paragraph that had been typed.  There were places highlighted where Faith was expected to initial or sign.


----------



## Marauder06 (Oct 20, 2012)

The first paragraph was clumsily written in what Faith recognized immediately as The Dud’s chickenscratch handwriting.  Faith could barely make out what it said, but it was clear that The Dud was trying to pin the whole safe debacle on Faith.  It also characterized Faith’s time inside the SCIF as a “security breach” and took Faith to task for “playing fast and loose with security regulations,” “jeopardizing national security,” insubordination, and “acting in a manner inconsistent with his status as an officer and a gentleman.”  Faith felt his face turn red, and that familiar rage creep through his body.  He welcomed it.  He felt a surge of adrenalin tingle its way down his arms and legs.  His eyes glanced inadvertently at the “industrial-sized” scissors he had earlier used to destroy the classified CDs and disks.

Then the phone on Faith’s desk rang, startling both men.  It rang again, and Faith noticed that it was his wife’s office number.  “Not now,” he thought as he irritably jabbed a button that sent the call straight to his voicemail.


----------



## Marauder06 (Oct 20, 2012)

The interruption of the phone call shook Faith out of his rage. He felt immediately and completely calm, without knowing completely why. The situation was so absurd that he actually laughed out loud. I mean, what was he about to do, stab The Dud in the eye with those scissors? “Hm, they might actually give me a medal for that,” he mused. The thought made him laugh again. Without waiting for permission from The Dud, Faith sat down in his chair, leaned back and continued to read.

The second paragraph of the counseling statement was clearly “stock footage” for counseling statements issued in the Group S2 shop. Faith recognized it as what his first platoon sergeant called the “magic bullet” UCMJ statement. Basically, this paragraph was a catch-all, “screw up anything at all and you’re out of here” statement. Faith had used a similar, albeit much more concise, paragraph himself when giving his troops negative counseling statements. The “magic bullet” read thus:



> I am counseling you for the conduct noted above. If this conduct continues, action up to and including trial by courts-martial may be initiated to separate you from the Army IAW AR 635-200. If you are involuntary separated, you could receive an Honorable Discharge, a General (Under Honorable Conditions) Discharge, or Under Other Than Honorable Conditions Discharge.
> 
> An Honorable Discharge is a separation with honor based on the quality of service, which meets the standards of acceptable conduct and performance of duty. A General Discharge is a separation under honorable conditions, based on a military record being satisfactory but not sufficiently meritorious to warrant an Honorable Discharge. A discharge Under Other Than Honorable Conditions is based upon a pattern of behavior of one or more acts or omissions that constitutes a significant departure from the conduct expected of a soldier.
> 
> ...


 
/////

link to blank DA 4856 so you know what one looks like


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## Marauder06 (Oct 20, 2012)

Faith had to admit that he was impressed.  The statement was well-done; for anyone who didn’t know the true facts of the case, this counseling statement was a slam-dunk.  There was just enough truth in the allegations that they were not outright lies.  But at the same time, they were not true enough that they would stand up to close scrutiny, either.  Faith posited that The Dud probably just wanted to have enough on paper to keep Faith in line, and to use against him later if the opportunity arose.  Faith looked at his watch.  This whole counseling statement thing was going to be moot in about… 12 minutes anyway, because at 1600 Faith is going to be the MID commander, and out of The Dud’s organization chart.  Faith knew he was going to have to make a decision about how to handle this situation.


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## DA SWO (Oct 21, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Faith had to admit that he was impressed. The statement was well-done; for anyone who didn’t know the true facts of the case, this counseling statement was a slam-dunk. There was just enough truth in the allegations that they were not outright lies. But at the same time, they were not true enough that they would stand up to close scrutiny, either. Faith posited that The Dud probably just wanted to have enough on paper to keep Faith in line, and to use against him later if the opportunity arose. Faith looked at his watch. This whole counseling statement thing was going to be moot in about… 12 minutes anyway, because at 1600 Faith is going to be the MID commander, and out of The Dud’s organization chart. Faith knew he was going to have to make a decision about how to handle this situation.


Don't sign, he gets to see a Lawyer and also gets a chance to provide written rebuttal.


----------



## 104TN (Oct 21, 2012)

Faith should brain him with a stapler and then assert his dominance over the corpse.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 21, 2012)

Faith knew what he had to do.  “I’m not signing this,” he decleared as he tossed the counseling statement onto the desk.  “Y-y-y-you have t-t-t-to,” The Dud countered, looking shocked.  

“No, I really don’t think I do,” Faith stated evenly.  Now it was The Dud’s turn to turn red.  “This is all bullshit,” Faith continued, waving his hand in the direction of the counseling statement.  “I don’t agree with a word of it.”

“Your s-s-s-signature only means that you r-r-r-read the form, not that you a-a-a-agree with it,” The Dud countered.

Faith considered that for a moment.  He thought The Dud might be right.

“OK, fine,” Faith said, reconsidering.  Let me see it.”  He pulled out a pen and flipped the counseling statement over.  On the back page of the statement there was a box titled, “SESSION CLOSING,” where Faith was expected to X a box and sign his name.  Faith put a bold X in the box marked, “disagree with the information above” and began furiously writing in the space below the marked box.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 21, 2012)

When he was done, Faith signed the counseling statement with a flourish and spun the document around to face The Dud.  “All done sir,” he said, “Your turn.”  Faith held the pen up.
The Dud took the pen and glanced suspiciously down at what Faith had written.  “If there is anything in there you can’t read because of my handwriting, I’ll be glad to clarify it for you,” Faith offered helpfully.

The Dud read what Faith had written, and then looked up at Faith.  “If you want to go ahead and sign your part, I’ll make a copy and return the original to you,” Faith said, calmly.  The Dud did not reply, nor did he bend over to sign the document himself.  Instead, without a word, he turned and left the room, taking the counseling statement with him.  A few seconds later, Faith heard something he expected:  the sound of The Dud’s paper shredder.  “Bastard stole my pen, too,” Faith muttered, content with the thought that he had foiled yet another of The Dud’s schemes.  And it was almost 1600 hours, too.


----------



## x SF med (Oct 21, 2012)

and.... what Faith wrote on the counseling statement..."Dud owned the SCIF at the time of the incident, and now the DCO has informed me that all Dud's MID and SCIF and NCO are belong to me as of 1600..." 


Mara, um, CPT Faith...  Your wife called and emailed multiple times, you are in deep deep derka doo....


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## Totentanz (Oct 21, 2012)

x SF med said:


> Your wife called and emailed multiple times, you are in deep deep derka doo....



No kidding.  Is he going to call his wife, or just face the music when he gets home?


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## Marauder06 (Oct 21, 2012)

Nah, wives never know anything, and never call about anything important, right?


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## SkrewzLoose (Oct 21, 2012)

This particular wife might have been trying to relay some important intel...


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## SpitfireV (Oct 21, 2012)

Maybe she just really really wanted him to pick up some milk on the way home.


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## 0699 (Oct 21, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> Maybe she just really really wanted him to pick up some milk on the way home.


 
Really really need milk...


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## x SF med (Oct 21, 2012)

Totentanz...  that's not music, it's the firing squad, it just sounds like a drumroll at band camp from a distance.



0699 said:


> Really really need milk...


 
How can the kids have cookies and milk without milk? Preposterous! Cruel and unusal treatment of children, or adults... no milk with the cookies... Faith is such a bastige for not thinking of his abused children.


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## Totentanz (Oct 21, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Nah, wives never know anything, and never call about anything important, right?


The consequences of inaction likely outweigh the content of the conversation.




x SF med said:


> Totentanz...  that's not music, it's the firing squad, it just sounds like a drumroll at band camp from a distance.



Touche, just don't hate the band geeks...


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## Chopstick (Oct 21, 2012)

Can we get another installment before I go to bed..can we??


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## Marauder06 (Oct 21, 2012)

After been awarded the Group MID job and having gotten the better of The Dud, Faith should have been in a good mood. But he wasn’t. He felt… disappointment. While he was thrilled to have been offered a second command, in an SF Group no less, he was less than thrilled by the circumstances that led to this arrangement. The way this SHOULD have worked, in his opinion was that he should have come into the Group, worked as an assistant for the Group S2 (“for a competent Group S2,” he mentally corrected himself), and moved down to be a Battalion S2 after he demonstrated competence at that Group level. Then, the best out of the three Battalion S2s should have been selected to be the Group MID commander. The MID gig was a plum assignment for an intel guy, but Faith walked into the job, kind of by default. He absently wondered if he would take never having been offered the MID job, to have competent intel types to work alongside in the Group. “That’s a tough call…” he thought to himself as he reached for the phone to call his wife.


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## Gypsy (Oct 22, 2012)

x SF med said:


> How can the kids have cookies and milk without milk? Preposterous! Cruel and unusal treatment of children, or adults... no milk with the cookies... Faith is such a bastige for not thinking of his abused children.


 
What _kind _of cookies?  I hope they are Oreos.


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## DA SWO (Oct 22, 2012)

0699 said:


> Really really need milk...


MILK< crap, I thought you said MILF and had hopes for this thread.


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## reed11b (Oct 22, 2012)

My experience states that Faith made the wrong choice when he signed the counseling statement. My guidance in the past has been to not sign and seek JAG or IG councel prior to signing if the counseling statement was pure BS. I was also told that once it was signed, it was part of the record, and most leaders don't care that you disagree. Faith got lucky that the Dud blinked.
Reed


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## dirtmover (Oct 23, 2012)

Mara I am a little upset with you right now....you have left me...us hanging for way too long.  We must know what the wife has to say and how this ends.   I would like the story to finish before I get Alzheimer or deploy.  We will call Household 6 if you force or hand anymore.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 23, 2012)

:) Tuve una gran prueba de espanol esta manana, fue necesario que yo estudiar mucho durante los dias pasado, y por eso no tuve tiempo para escribir mucho.  Lo siento.  Y, ahora, mi mama esta aqui... pero no te preocupes, voy a escribir mas para ti manana.


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## Chopstick (Oct 23, 2012)

Stop blaming this lack of posting on your mom.  No bueno.


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## SkrewzLoose (Oct 23, 2012)

You have pubes in your spanish?  It's necessary to study your pasta's tempo while writing?  You have a dog and a porcupine with man hands?


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## Marauder06 (Oct 23, 2012)

I  need the stall time anyway, I haven't entirely figured out what Faith's wife wanted to talk to him about.


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## Chopstick (Oct 23, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I need the stall time anyway, I haven't entirely figured out what Faith's wife wanted to talk to him about.


Whatever it was, I am willing to bet it was waaaaaaaay more fun than talking to the Dud!


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## dirtmover (Oct 23, 2012)

Me alegro de que una está finalmente haciendo bien en su clase, a veces me olvido de que otras personas tengan vidas. Ir disfrutar de su familia y nos esperan con impaciencia su atención.


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## x SF med (Oct 23, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I need the stall time anyway, I haven't entirely figured out what Faith's wife wanted to talk to him about.


 
The rabbbit died.
Her mom is going to be staying with you for 6 months, and she is deploying, you're not.
You're out of milk.

Choose one, and run with it....  an NCO has spoken, Sir.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 23, 2012)

> Me alegro de que una está finalmente haciendo bien en su clase, a veces me olvido de que otras personas tengan vidas. Ir disfrutar de su familia y nos esperan con impaciencia su atención.


 
wow accent marks and everything, well done


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## x SF med (Oct 23, 2012)

and quit using a test as an excuse.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 23, 2012)

x SF med said:


> The rabbbit died.
> Her mom is going to be staying with you for 6 months, and she is deploying, you're not.
> You're out of milk.
> 
> Choose one, and run with it.... an NCO has spoken, Sir.


 
The second one in particular would make an interesting plot twist, lol

Well, I know that only bad things happen when I don't listen to my NCOs so I guess I better get on this.  ;)

I'll post it up tomorrow*.

Good night, all.











*-ish


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## Mac_NZ (Oct 23, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> The second one in particular would make an interesting plot twist, lol
> 
> Well, I know that only bad things happen when I don't listen to my NCOs so I guess I better get on this. ;)
> 
> ...


 
OI!  Less replying to posts and more writing of story.


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## SpitfireV (Oct 23, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Tuve una gran prueba de espanol esta manana, fue necesario que yo estudiar mucho durante los dias pasado, y por eso no tuve tiempo para escribir mucho. Lo siento. Y, ahora, mi mama esta aqui... pero no te preocupes, voy a escribir mas para ti manana.


 

Dammit Baxter, you know I don't speak Finnish.


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## dirtmover (Oct 24, 2012)

Mara I had to check it with google translator


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## Marauder06 (Oct 24, 2012)

Faith had dialed the first five digits of his wife’s number when he heard a light rap at the door.  He looked up and saw MSG Slacker surrounded by a small crowd of NCOs from the SCIF.  Faith reluctantly hung up the phone.  “Gentlemen, please come in,” he invited.  Faith was pleased to see so many people came to the meeting, he was a bit concerned after the conversation with MSG Slacker that there might be some considerable pushback about this meeting.  Faith was seated behind his desk, and there was only one empty chair in the room, and Faith noticed that none of the NCOs made a move to sit in it.  Faith stood up from his own chair and greeted the assembled group.  “Where is Chief  Dodger?”  Faith inquired. “I wanted him to be here too.”

A few people looked around nervously but no one said anything.  MSG Slacker cleared his throat.

“Um, sir, I don’t think Chief Dodger is going to make it,” he said.

“Oh?  Is he on leave that I don’t know about?” Faith asked rhetorically.

“He’s ACAP-ing,” another NCO said in a manner that was more question than statement.
Faith tried to retain his temper.  “MSG Slacker, please go call Chief Dodger and inform him that his place of duty right now is my office, and if he is not standing here in 30 minutes, I’m going to proffer charges of AWOL under the UCMJ.  The rest of you, come in and shut the door.  We need to talk.”


----------



## Mac_NZ (Oct 24, 2012)

That reads like someone attempting to appease the angry mob gathering outside his house with pitchforks and flaming torches Mara...


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## dirtmover (Oct 25, 2012)

Really sir......REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm trying to channel my inner Bruce Banner........All in favor of storming Mara's house and forcing him to write our case studies in a prompt manner (what we deem as prompt) say, "Aye".


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## DA SWO (Oct 25, 2012)

He is setting the tone that everyone is in the Army.  The loudest bitchers will be the ones who complain that Officers get treated differently.

They will shit their collective pants when they hear who the new Cdr is.


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## x SF med (Oct 25, 2012)

dirtmover said:


> Really sir......REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm trying to channel my inner Bruce Banner........All in favor of storming Mara's house and forcing him to write our case studies in a prompt manner (what we deem as prompt) say, "Aye".


 
Dirt...  deal with it...  this is the way Mara rolls, you can't force him to write any more than he wants to...  remember he's wearing his Angus Young pants right now... the schoolboy outfit... and throws tantrums if the adults yell at him... he even cries a little and pouts and stomps his feet....  AND he's still pissed that he has no NCOs to guide him and steal ideas from.


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## SkrewzLoose (Oct 25, 2012)

Nay.


----------



## Mac_NZ (Oct 25, 2012)




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## Marauder06 (Oct 30, 2012)

OK, so about the counseling statement.  It appears that the consensus is that when confronted with an egregiously unfactual counseling statement, that the person receiving it should refuse to sign.  I'm not sure that's good advice.  I have always been told that signing a counseling statement simply means that the counseling happened; it doesn't make a judgment as to its veracity.  There is a space on the form to provide a short statement of your own.

Personally, I think it is more appropriate to sign the counseling statement, and write something along the lines of, "By my signature, I verify that this counseling took place.  However, I strongly disagree with the presentation of the facts contained herein, and will be submitting a written rebuttal via a memorandum for the record after I have consulted with legal counsel" or words to that effect.

I think refusing to sign is a petty act that reflects poorly on the individual being counseled.  "See sir, this guy is such a dirtbag that he wouldn't even sign the counseling statement."

Your thoughts?


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## Dame (Oct 30, 2012)

_Never_ sign _anything_ that is patently false. I had a boss who tried this on me. Even going so far as to tell me I wasn't allowed to read the review before signing. It was full of lies that were designed to protect himself from investigation. He was fired soon after.
I've seen comment sections "disappear" from the bottom of pages when copies were made in order to hide the supervisors liability for something. If  you've worked with people who simply don't do this, then I'd say you've been pretty lucky.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 30, 2012)

After MSG Slacker left to go find Chief Dodger, Faith came out from behind his desk and approached the group of junior NCOs.  “Good afternoon everyone,” Faith said in what he hoped was his “friendly” voice.  “My name is Scott Faith, and as of 1600 today, all of you work for me.  I’m very much looking forward to working with all of you and earning your respect and trust as we work together in support of this Group.”  

Faith then went from person to person, shaking hands and asking each man or woman what he or she did in the SCIF.  When he was done, he sat down on the corner of his desk, facing the assembled group.  They looked sufficiently relaxed, and he hoped that there would be time for some candid discussion before MSG Slacker came back with Chief Dodger.

“Now,” Faith said, spreading his arms wide, “Let’s talk.”


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## HoosierAnnie (Oct 30, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Your thoughts?


 That's exactly what I did when the "mad arab" altered the eval my immediate superior had done on my work. When I walked into her office her first words were, "I want you to know that I did not write this"


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## reed11b (Oct 30, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> OK, so about the counseling statement. It appears that the consensus is that when confronted with an egregiously unfactual counseling statement, that the person receiving it should refuse to sign. I'm not sure that's good advice. I have always been told that signing a counseling statement simply means that the counseling happened; it doesn't make a judgment as to its veracity. There is a space on the form to provide a short statement of your own.
> 
> Personally, I think it is more appropriate to sign the counseling statement, and write something along the lines of, "By my signature, I verify that this counseling took place. However, I strongly disagree with the presentation of the facts contained herein, and will be submitting a written rebuttal via a memorandum for the record after I have consulted with legal counsel" or words to that effect.
> 
> ...


If they are a big enough dirt bag to write blatantly false counseling statements, then NO, it does not reflect poorly on the individual refusing to sign. It once cost me dearly to sign a false counseling statement, even though I wrote that it was untrue in the block below, and saved my bacon later, when I refused to sign a different false counseling statement. It would reflect poorly if the individual refused to sign a counseling statement that was not untrue.


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## 0699 (Oct 31, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> OK, so about the counseling statement. It appears that the consensus is that when confronted with an egregiously unfactual counseling statement, that the person receiving it should refuse to sign. I'm not sure that's good advice. I have always been told that signing a counseling statement simply means that the counseling happened; it doesn't make a judgment as to its veracity. There is a space on the form to provide a short statement of your own.
> 
> Personally, I think it is more appropriate to sign the counseling statement, and write something along the lines of, "By my signature, I verify that this counseling took place. However, I strongly disagree with the presentation of the facts contained herein, and will be submitting a written rebuttal via a memorandum for the record after I have consulted with legal counsel" or words to that effect.
> 
> ...


 
The AFSPs were pretty pissed at me when they made me write a statement, read me my rights, then told me to sign.  Above my signature I wrote "I was not read my rights prior to making this statement". 



Marauder06 said:


> After MSG Slacker left to go find Chief Dodger, Faith came out from behind his desk and approached the group of junior NCOs. “Good afternoon everyone,” Faith said in what he hoped was his “friendly” voice. “My name is Scott Faith, and as of 1600 today, all of you work for me. I’m very much looking forward to working with all of you and earning your respect and trust as we work together in support of this Group.”
> 
> Faith then went from person to person, shaking hands and asking each man or woman what he or she did in the SCIF. When he was done, he sat down on the corner of his desk, facing the assembled group. They looked sufficiently relaxed, and he hoped that there would be time for some candid discussion before MSG Slacker came back with Chief Dodger.
> 
> “Now,” Faith said, spreading his arms wide, “Let’s talk.”


 
Just to make sure I'm not an idiot, by "Chief" you mean "Chief Warrant Officer", right?


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## Marauder06 (Oct 31, 2012)

0699 said:


> Just to make sure I'm not an idiot, by "Chief" you mean "Chief Warrant Officer", right?


 
:) Roger, in the Army "Chief" is the proper abbreviated rank title for chief warrant officers (i.e. W2 and above).


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## Dame (Oct 31, 2012)

0699 said:


> The AFSPs were pretty pissed at me when they made me write a statement, read me my rights, then told me to sign. Above my signature I wrote "I was not read my rights prior to making this statement".


LOL. This was another thing I used to do. The whack jobs in HR would come up with a new policy overnight that directly contradicted some other policy and then walk the paper around to everyone and make them sign that they read and agreed to the new policy.

I would cross stuff out like, "I have read and understand..." and write in things like, "I was given 10 minutes to read this and forced to sign or lose my job." Or, "I asked if I could have a copy for my attorney to review and was refused."


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## Karoshi (Oct 31, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Roger, in the Army "Chief" is the proper abbreviated rank title for chief warrant officers (i.e. W2 and above).


 
I had my ass handed to me by a Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 2 from the EOD Company on my first day in theater, because the team we were conducting changeover with failed to disclose the customs and courtesies for the term "Chief" regarding Marines Corps and Naval personnel. Needless to say, a CWO is always a "Warrant Officer/Chief Warrant Officer" regardless of service branch now.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 31, 2012)

Interesting, maybe they do it differently in the sea services.  My experience in the Army has been that warrant officers are almost indifferent to being called "Chief" or "Mister" (which is the correct form of address for a WO1).  I've never heard of, seen, or experienced any blowback from an Army warrant officer in the grade of W2 or above when addressed as "Chief."  But I also know we have a site member who is a CW5, maybe he can chime in on the subject.  I hate to think I've been doing it wrong all these years.  :)


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## Karoshi (Oct 31, 2012)

From what I learned that day, "Chief" refers to Navy Senior Enlisted while Marine Corps Warrant Officers are referred to with full title of "Warrant Officer/Chief Warrant Officer". Same logic behind why a Marine Staff Sergeant isn't referred to as a Sergeant. So in order to avoid repeating that debacle, I got into the habit of using "Warrant Officer/Chief Warrant Officer" for every member of the Warrant Officer Corps until told otherwise.


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## Marauder06 (Oct 31, 2012)

That makes a lot of sense, I can see why there would be confusion.


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## Chopstick (Oct 31, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> That makes a lot of sense, I can see why there would be confusion.


Can you see my confusion as to WHY YOU ARE SEEING CONFUSION INSTEAD OF POSTING THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF THIS CASE STUDY?  oh darn..did my caps lock stick? :-"


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## 0699 (Oct 31, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> That makes a lot of sense, I can see why there would be confusion.


 
When I was growing up...

Chief: Navy CPO
Warrant Officer: Warrant Officer
Gunner: Marine Gunner or Warrant Officer you knew well


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## Marauder06 (Nov 1, 2012)

Faith and the junior NCOs from the SCIF had a great chat for about 40 minutes before MSG Slacker and a very petulant-looking Chief Dodger entered the room.  Actually, Faith only assumed it was Chief Dodger; the other man was dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt, and had a three-day-growth of beard.  Faith also noticed he was wearing an earring in his left ear.  When he came in the room, the junior NCOs stopped talking immediately.  The tension was palpable.

“Chief Dodger, I presume?” Faith inquired “Glad to finally meet you.  I’m Captain Faith, and I’m now…”

“This better be good, to take me away from ACAPing,” Dodger interrupted,  glowering at Faith.  Faith hadn’t expected this type of direct challenge.  To act this conspicuously disrespectful in front of all of these troops, Chief Dodger had to have some kind of “get out of jail free” card up his sleeve.  Or, Faith mused, he was bluffing.  Time to find out which it actually was.

“Well, I was going to ask to speak to you and MSG Slacker about that later, but since you brought it up, I did some checking and all ACAP means is that I allow you to go to two formal ACAP briefings, and I cut you some slack for interviews and end-of-career-related issues like interviews.  It does NOT mean “free leave for six months.”  Also, I’m fairly certain that even when you’re on leave, the Group has a policy about no earrings for men.”  Faith paused for a moment, but Dodger didn’t immediately respond.  “So, unless you’re signed out on leave, I expect everyone to be at their place of duty, in the proper uniform, on every duty day.  Starting now, that means 0630, PT formation.  EVERYONE.”  Faith added emphatically.  “Even profiles.  After accountability formation, profiles and anyone else who needs to can fall out, the rest can do PT with me.  MSG Slacker, before the end of the day today I want to see an outline of the PT plan for the next ten days.”

“Roger, sir,” MSG Slacker said, unhesitatingly.

“Why am I going to come to PT?” Chief Dodger challenged, “Am I going to be doing pushups and a two-mile run in my retirement?”

Faith was stunned for a second, he didn’t expect to hear something like this from a chief warrant officer.

“No, you’re going to do PT because it’s expected of you as a Soldier in the United States Army, and because that is your designated place of duty for tomorrow at 0630,” Faith said rationally.

“I don’t have time for this,” Chief Dodger said irritably.  “Look, Captain Fake or whatever your name is, I don’t work for you.  If you have a problem with me, you can take it up with my company commander.  Otherwise, I’m ACAP-ing.  Bye,” he said waving a hand dismissively towards Faith and turning towards the door.

“Hold on a second, Chief,” Faith said in a manner that was neither pleading nor imperative.  “There are a couple of things you ought to know first.”

With a hand on the door, Chief Dodger paused and looked at Faith.

“What you missed by being late for my meeting, was me explaining to all of these nice people here,” Faith began, gesturing towards the assembled junior NCOs, “That as of 1600 today, I am the commander of the Group MID, and I am also in charge of everyone who works in the SCIF, by order of the DCO.”  Faith paused for a moment and placed his fingers together in front of his face pensively, as he considered what to say next.

“You also missed me explaining to everyone how we’re going to need to make some changes and some major decisions around here.  And, my first major decision is… to tell you that you’re right, Chief Dodger.”  Faith paused dramatically.  “You don’t work for me.  You are a sorry excuse for an officer, and I will not have your toxic leadership contaminating my company and degrading the support we provide this Group.  You’re welcome to leave my office now, and go on downstairs and clean out your desk.  You can turn in your SCIF badge to MSG Slacker, and tomorrow morning, when you’re not “ACAP-in,” Faith made air quotes around “ACAP-ing,” “then you can report to the Group HHC first sergeant.  I’ve got no further use for you.”

Then Chief Dodger did something that Faith didn’t expect.  He laughed.  Not a jovial, mirthful laugh but a deep, malicious growl of a laugh.

“You’re a joke,” he said to Faith.  “I was here long before you got here, and I’ll be here long after.   You think you’re getting rid of me, but before it’s over, I’m going to be getting rid of you.”

“That’s great Chief,” Faith retorted, “Now please don’t let the door to the MID hit you on the ass on the way out.  If you’ll excuse us, the rest of us have some work to do.”
“Fuck you,” Chief Dodger said.  “Sir,” he added as he walked out and slammed the door to Faith’s office.

“Stay classy, Chief,” Faith said, not really meaning to.  But he noticed that the comment caused some of the NCOs present to smile.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Faith said, “there have been a lot of things very wrong in our unit for a long time.  Things are not going to get better overnight, but with all of us working together, they *will* get better.  I look forward to working with you and earning your trust and respect over the next several months.  The one thing I need you to do is, get with the program,” he said, “or get the fuck out.  I can’t make it any plainer than that.  I have a number of friends over in Division who would LOVE to have more bodies to feed into conventional infantry battalions heading to Iraq or Afghanistan for 18 months.  So if you’d rather do that than do your FUCKING JOBS AS LEADERS here, all you have to do is say the word.  I hope you will stay and help make the 2nd Group MID the best MID in USASOC.  But if you don’t what to do what it takes to make it that way, then all you have to do is say so.”

"Look," Faith continued, "All I'm expecting of you at this point is basic Army standards.  Come to PT.  Do your jobs.  Put in a full day of work for a full day of pay.  Don't tell your company commander to fuck off."  This comment brought a couple of nervous laughs.  "You know, things like that."

No one responded.  Several individuals looked at each other nervously, but the majority, Faith noticed, seemed to be… beaming.  That was encouraging. 

“OK, I think we’re all done here,” Faith concluded.  You ladies and gentlemen have a nice day, I’ll see all of you at PT tomorrow morning, 0630.  You’re dismissed.  Oh, and MSG Slacker, please make sure you get Chief Dodger’s badge and that his desk is cleaned out before you go home today.  I’ll be here in my office when you’re done with that PT plan.  Thanks.”

Now, Faith thought, I can finally call my wife.


----------



## Mac_NZ (Nov 1, 2012)

Faith really should have made a call to a CWO that has looked after him up until now to get the skinny on Chief Dodger before this meeting.

However, behavior like that!  I don't know about you blokes but that would get anyone here placed under close arrest 30 seconds ago.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Nov 1, 2012)




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## SpitfireV (Nov 1, 2012)

That bit with Dodger should have been in private with a witness.


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## Crusader74 (Nov 1, 2012)

Capt Faith's authority was undermined by CWO Dodger in front  of the entire Unit. NCO's watching this exchange might look at Capt Faith as a soft touch..

I would look to see who signed off on his Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP) if any and which program he was engaged in.. If there was no signature I would have the CWO up on orders for AWOL and insubordination..

http://www.armystudyguide.com/conte...my_programs/army-career-and-alumni-pr-2.shtml


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## 0699 (Nov 1, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> That bit with Dodger should have been in private with a witness.


 
And knowing Capt Faith as well as I do, it probably would have been.  But as soon as the CWO pulled out the punk card, Capt Faith HAD to smack him down.  If the CWO was stupid enough to take it down an ugly road, he left the skipper with no choice.


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## DA SWO (Nov 1, 2012)

Cpt Faith needs to call the HHC Cdr and let him know the CWO was just fired.

I assume his SCI access gets pulled and annotated into the system.

All the retirement awards head into the trash can, etc.


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## x SF med (Nov 1, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> That bit with Dodger should have been in private with a witness.


 
Well....  no problem with witnesses....  privacy, well, notsomuch.


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## Karoshi (Nov 1, 2012)

I would get witness statements from the personnel in attendance, just in case CPT Faith chooses to take the matter into UCMJ territory.


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## SkrewzLoose (Nov 1, 2012)

You guys have it all wrong, this is just a distractor.  All this BS is going to PALE in comparison to the shit storm he's going to walk into vis-a-vis his wife and the unreturned phone call.


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## SpitfireV (Nov 2, 2012)

Irish said:


> Capt Faith's authority was undermined by CWO Dodger in front of the entire Unit. NCO's watching this exchange might look at Capt Faith as a soft touch..
> 
> I would look to see who signed off on his Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP) if any and which program he was engaged in.. If there was no signature I would have the CWO up on orders for AWOL and insubordination..
> 
> http://www.armystudyguide.com/conte...my_programs/army-career-and-alumni-pr-2.shtml


 


0699 said:


> And knowing Capt Faith as well as I do, it probably would have been. But as soon as the CWO pulled out the punk card, Capt Faith HAD to smack him down. If the CWO was stupid enough to take it down an ugly road, he left the skipper with no choice.


 
I think those are actually two really good points.


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## Chopstick (Nov 2, 2012)

Question.  In the Army are you free to flog an individual that drops the "f" bomb on you in front of others?  Or is that only the Navy?


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## policemedic (Nov 2, 2012)

The Army prefers to draw and quarter those individuals, preferably during pay day activities.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 2, 2012)

OK, a couple of "this is what happened in real life" vignettes to carry you over until the next installment of the story. When I took over as commander of the Group MID (which happened much less dramatically than reflected in this case study, lol) there was a HUGE problem with people "ACAP"-ing for protracted periods of time. Basically, the ROAD warrants and senior NCOs were milking the system for all it was worth, in fact one of them had already started another job, which was in my opinion defrauding the government. They were able to get away with this for so long for a number of reasons, beginning with the expectation of Big Boy Rules, a lack of understanding of the ACAP program by the senior leadership, the chaos that comes with having a unit in which people are constantly coming and going, and most importantly, a general sense of apathy in the unit.

For the most part, the troops in the MID were solid, there were just some bad apples in the warrant officer and senior NCO ranks. The det sergeant, who you guys haven't "met" yet (there was a different MID det sergeant prior to the one you have already read about in past case studies) was absolutely outstanding. The fact that MID was functioning at all is, IMO, a testament to his abilities.

When I took over the MID, I decided I needed to focus on the basics. A lot of really basic stuff that was supposed to be getting done, simply wasn't. There were a number of reasons for this, some of them semi-legit, but something as simple as "the Group requires all of us to be at PT @ 0630 every duty day when we're in garrison, so we're going to be at PT @ 0630 every duty day when we're in garrison" got pushback. One of the warrants actually did confront me at PT formation with something similar to the "what, am I going to be doing two-mile runs in my retirement?" situation above. He didn't use profanity nor was he particularly disrespectful (he was lazy, but not stupid!) but it really showed his character. He was all in for himself, not for the unit or the mission.

Well, I had been a company commander prior to getting the MID gig, and I had also been an infantry platoon leader in the 101st for a couple of months short of two years, so I was VERY familiar with the ACAP program, and knew with certainty that it did NOT involve 6+ months of free leave on the Army dime. That shit came to a screeching halt, and some of the soon-to-be retirees did not appreciate it. I got that warrant out of my unit as soon as possible, and his replacement was outstanding.

While the incident between CPT Faith and Chief Dodger as related previously is a total fabrication, those situations do come up from time to time. Our Army is dependent upon discipline and deference to authority; without discipline everything comes apart. When there are breaches of discipline as severe as the fictional one that just occurred, the reaction has to be swift, decisive, and commensurate with the nature of the offense. Getting booted from the job was the least that should have happened to the warrant in this story, and maybe even a referral for UCMJ.

Anytime you're dealing with discipline issues, though, you have to be sure that you don't exceed your authority. If you're an NCO, don't say you're going to give Joe an Art. 15; you don't have that authority (some exceptions apply but this is usually the case). Also, the way things "should" be are not always the way things "are."   And if you are a young captain in a new unit, and you already have a long list of enemies and a very short list of friends, you might ought to have thought twice before you fire someone who has been in the unit (and the Army) a lot longer than you, and who might have a way to thwart his termination. I guess we'll have to see how this all works out for CPT Faith.


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## x SF med (Nov 2, 2012)

^^^^^^  Mara hired a freelance NCO to write that post for him, it's obvious since it is germane, accurate and timely.

(gotcha last, Sir)


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## Chopstick (Nov 2, 2012)

There are Germans?  I missed that post.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 3, 2012)

x SF med said:


> ^^^^^^ Mara hired a freelance NCO to write that post for him, it's obvious since it is germane, accurate and timely.
> 
> (gotcha last, Sir)


 
Those NCOs need to get busy writing my term papers for this semester... :)


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## SkrewzLoose (Nov 3, 2012)

Chopstick said:


> Question. In the Army are you free to flog an individual that drops the "f" bomb on you in front of others? Or is that only the Navy?


There's no flogging in the Navy any longer.  That's considered hazing...


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## 0699 (Nov 4, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> There's no flogging in the Navy any longer. That's considered hazing...


 
I call BS.  There's still tons of flogging going on in The Navy.  It's not hazing if you're doing it to yourself... :ehh:


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## Chopstick (Nov 4, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> There's no flogging in the Navy any longer. That's considered hazing...


Sooooo..help me out here.  Is hazing now workplace violence or terrorism.  Im really confused.  Doesnt someone have a chart or graph or something?:-"


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## digrar (Nov 4, 2012)

Or some clipart. I'm not googling for navy self flogging, I'm on a work computer and we have an IT code of conduct...


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## SkrewzLoose (Nov 5, 2012)

Chopstick said:


> Sooooo..help me out here. Is hazing now workplace violence or terrorism. Im really confused. Doesnt someone have a chart or graph or something?:-"


Well, in order to be considered _workplace violence_ there would probably have to be some work actually going on, sooooo...


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## walra107 (Nov 5, 2012)

0699 said:


> I call BS. There's still tons of flogging going on in The Navy. It's not hazing if you're doing it to yourself... :ehh:


 
All those months at sea will drive a man to do anything I hear.:-"


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## x SF med (Nov 5, 2012)

Ok....  had to do it....  I have a song for this... the band for the digression, the song for the entirety of the thread:


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## Karoshi (Nov 8, 2012)

Are we there yet?


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## x SF med (Nov 8, 2012)

Karoshi said:


> Are we there yet?


 
You ARE kidding....  well, you haven't really done one of these case studies in patience yet...  they take a while...  and Mara is at a larger disadvantage than usual...  Hurricanes, Nor'easters, college, no NCO's, the holidays coming up, lack of TGL18 due to Wx, riding his bike in the snow...  a myriad of issues that detract from his ability to focus on a case study that may or may not have any basis in fact...

Did I mention the alien zombie killer bunnies with rabies and halitosis that are plaguing him too...  those are a real buzzkill for the case studies...


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## Totentanz (Nov 8, 2012)

Karoshi said:


> Are we there yet?


 
He hasn't even called his wife back... that shitstorm alone could double the length of this case study.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 8, 2012)

That's kind of why I haven't posted up again recently, I kind of built up the whole phone call bit and now everything I've written is... anti-climatic.


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## Crusader74 (Nov 8, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> That's kind of why I haven't posted up again recently, I kind of built up the whole phone call bit and now everything I've written is... anti-climatic.


 
Get them NCO's in the SCIF to get writing Sir! :-";)


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## x SF med (Nov 8, 2012)

Totentanz said:


> He hasn't even called his wife back... that shitstorm alone could double the length of this case study.


 
totentanz, you really have to do something stupid before you get promoted...  just to prove you really were a LT...  these on spot posts are a bit frightening...  ah, but you have access to NCO's.... Mara doesn't...  that must be the key...  (... is this considered officer bashing?)


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## Marauder06 (Nov 11, 2012)

The last man out of the room closed the door behind him, and Faith was alone in the room.  He let out a deep sigh as he reached for the phone, wondering if he had done the right thing by firing Chief Dodger.  He was sure it was the right thing to do, but he was equally sure that there would be fallout of some kind over it.  “I’m running out of friends fast in this unit,” Faith thought as he dialed his wife’s number.

Faith’s wife answered on the first ring.  “What did you do!” she demanded without preamble.  “Um…,” Faith stammered, taken aback, “you’ll have to be a bit more specific…”

“The inspection!”  his wife said excitedly, “what happened?”

“Wow, it seems like that was such a long time ago,” Faith thought to himself.  With everything that had happened since this morning, he had actually almost forgotten all about it. 

“Well?” His wife prompted when Faith didn’t immediately respond.

“Nothing much really, the major that Division sent over to do the inspection was a friend of The Dud’s and was kind of a hard ass, but the warrant officer they sent seemed to be on the level,” Faith responded

“Scott,” his wife said evenly, “from the Division standpoint, the inspection was a disaster.  One of the recommendations was that the Division close down the Group’s SCIF.”

“Can they even do that?”

“Your SCIF is authorized under our umbrella document from DIA.  You can’t have a SCIF unless we clear you for it.  It’s done on USASOC’s direction but ultimately we’re responsible, and ultimately we certify or de-certify.  So yeah, we can pull your creds.”

Faith didn’t entirely understand what his wife just said, but he learned a long time ago not to question here when it came to intel policy or procedure.  Besides, “yeah we can pull your creds” was pretty clear.  Faith let out a sigh.

“Scott, there’s more,” Faith’s wife continued, in almost a conspiratorial whisper.  “And it’s worse.  One of the investigators recommended that CCA pull your clearance!”

Faith knew that the CCA was the “consolidated clearance authority,” the nameless, faceless, soul-less entity that controlled whether or not people obtained or retained security clearances.  Without a clearance, Faith couldn’t even be an intel officer anymore, much less the commander of a military intelligence detachment in a Special Forces group.  This was serious.

“Which inspector?  Teller?” Faith enquired of his wife.


“Yeah, that’s him, how did you know?”
“He’s buddies with The Dud.”

“Oh,” his wife exclaimed.  “I didn’t know that.”  She paused for a second, thinking.  “Did you meet Warrant Officer One Rollins today too?”

“Yeah, she was here; she was tough but fair.  She seemed on the level,” Faith answered.

“Well, something happened today with her too, because she got fired this afternoon.”

That surprised Faith, even more than the earlier revelations.

“How do you know all of this?” he asked his wife.

“Well, the Rollins thing is all RUMINT, she is one of the best workers in the G2 shop, everyone loves her.  All we know is that she went to do your inspection with Major Teller and crew, they came back and were working on the investigation inside the vault, and then Rollins came out, all upset, grabbed her hat and her keys and left.  She stopped by our office and turned in her badge on the way out, and asked if we could have someone put her personal stuff from her desk in a box and she’d come back and get it,” Faith’s wife gushed.

“Damn!” Faith exclaimed.

“I know, right?” his wife asked rhetorically.  So an hour or two after she left, Teller sent out an email detailing the investigation details, only he sent it to “@G2” instead of just “G2.”  So everyone on the G2 distro got it.”

“Including you…” Faith mused.

“Yes, including me.  Scott, this is serious, what are we going to do about it?”

“I don’t know quite yet,” he responded, “but I’m not that worried about it.”

“How can you not be worried?  This could be your job!”

“The investigation is BS.  It’s tainted through and through.  That’s all going to come out in the wash.  I’ve got some people here I can count on, and I’m on the right side of all of this.  It’s going to be OK.”

“OK…,” his wife said, unconvinced.

“Let’s do this.  Send me the email you received.  I’ll get some things together, put some thought into it, and I’ll see the DCO tomorrow morning and we’ll get this sorted out.”

“What about that warrant officer you told me about?” his wife inquired.

“Chief Michaels?  Yeah, great idea, I’ll call him,” Faith responded.  He looked at the clock, it was after 6PM.  “I’ll chat with him real quick, and I’ll see you at home?”

“Take your time, I have to do read-ons at 1830,” she replied.  “I’ll be home late.”

“OK, love you.”

“Love you too.”

Faith hung up the handset and then picked it back up.  Dialing Chief Michaels’ number, he was surprised when an unfamiliar voice picked up.

“Um, Chief Michaels please, this is Captain Faith calling.”

“Hey sir,” the other voice said, “Chief got called away on a flash TDY, he’s out of comms and won’t be back for two or three days.”

“Thanks,” Faith said as he hung up the phone.

As Faith packed up to leave, there was a knock at the door.  It was MSG Slacker.  “Hey sir, Chief Dodger cleaned out his stuff, and I have his badge like you wanted.”

“Thanks, Master Sergeant,” Faith said.

“Sir, he is PISSED.  You’re going to have to watch out for him,” Slacker said.

“Yeah, I expect so,” said Faith.  

“Well, I want you to know, I’m here for you.  I’m on board.  I’ll keep things running for you down in the SCIF.  But there is another master sergeant you’re going to have to keep your eyes on.  Travis.  He’s your det sergeant.  But he’s a problem.’

“In what way?” Faith asked.

“Well, to begin with, he’s not even Airborne qualified.  He’s a fuckin’ leg, pardon my language, sir,” Slacker began, “He’s always riding a profile.  He smokes, he uses a lot of profanity, a lot of the troops don’t like him.  Just between us, sir, I don’t like him.”

“I see,” Faith said, uncommitedly.

“Just watch out for him, is all I’m saying,” Slacker finished.

“OK, thanks for the heads up.  And thanks for your help today,” Faith said, extending his hand to Slacker.

“No problem sir,” Slacker said as he turned to leave.

“One more thing, Master Sergeant,” Faith said, “what was Chief Dodger’s job down in the SCIF?”

“He was our CI tech, sir,” Slacker responded, “Why?”

“No reason,” Faith said as he turned off the light to his office and shut the door. 

“This has been a really, really shitty day,” he said to himself as he walked through the nearly-deserted parking lot to his car.


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## SpitfireV (Nov 11, 2012)

Outlook: Thunderbolts and lightening, very very frightening.

They *could* pull the SCIF but wouldn't that impact negatively on operational activity?


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## 0699 (Nov 11, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> Outlook: Thunderbolts and lightening, very very frightening.
> 
> They *could* pull the SCIF but wouldn't that *impact negatively on operational activity*?


 
Yes, but that isn't the inspector's problem...


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## DA SWO (Nov 11, 2012)

The inspection team just shot themselves in the nuts.

DCO will give the Dud" a dud of an OER.
DCO can suspend the dud's clearance/access and put him in limbo until everything finishes up.
USASOC G2 and the 82nd G2 have lunch on Friday, two Majors get orders to Kuwait on Tuesday.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 28, 2012)

By the time he got home, Faith’s wife Linda had supper almost ready. While a lot of women ate when they felt stressed or depressed, Faith’s wife cooked. That suited Faith just fine.  And Linda never gained weight from the food that  she made, although you couldn’t tell at the moment.  Linda’s “baby bump,” seven months in the making, clearly showed through her apron.  Faith set the table while his wife finished cooking, and over the course of dinner he filled her in on everything that had happened earlier in the day.


“Wow, that was quite a day you had!” she exclaimed after Faith had finished talking.

“Tell me about it,” Faith responded.

Linda re-told the story of Chief Rollins getting fired.  Although the specifics were unclear, it seemed that Rollins got canned because she refused to go along with MAJ Teller’s witch hunt investigation.  Linda said a number of people were upset about Rollins getting fired, not the least of which was Rollins herself.

“Where is she going to work now?” Faith asked.

“Who knows?” Linda replied, throwing her hands into the air in a gesture of exasperation.”

“I think I do,” Faith murmured.  

“What was that?”

“It might be nothing, yet,” he said as he sat down and dug in to a delicious meal of spatchcock chicken.


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## dirtmover (Nov 28, 2012)

Oh no not the spatchcock chicken lol.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 28, 2012)

dirtmover said:


> Oh no not the spatchcock chicken lol.


 


As Faith and his wife were washing dishes, the phone rang.  Answering it, he was surprised to hear Chief Michaels’ voice.

“Hello sir,” Michaels began.

“Um, hi Chief, I had heard you were… on the road?  And that comms would be difficult for you for a couple of days.”

“I am.  And it is.  But some things are too important to wait.  And besides, I wouldn’t be a very good SF W5 if I couldn’t scrounge a way to make comms, now would I?”
Faith grinned at the joke, but knew it must be important for Michaels to be calling him at home.

“What’s on your mind, Chief?” Faith asked bluntly.

“Well sir, what’s on yours?  You remember a conversation we had not too long ago, about not pissing people off and maybe kind of easing into some of the changes?”

“Yes,” Faith replied, knowing where this was heading.

“Did you think that was good advice?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then why am I getting a phone call from an irate intel warrant, telling me the new MID commander is out of control, and that he tried to fire this same warrant earlier in the afternoon?”  Micheals inquired gently.

“Well, actually Chief,” Faith responded, “I didn’t ‘try’ to fire him, I actually did fire him.”  Faith then briefly summarized the situation that led to the event in question.

Chief Michaels let out a brief sigh.  “Look, sir, I don’t have a lot of time to explain all the details, but you don’t have the fire to relieve a chief warrant officer, even a colossal fuckup like Dodger.  When you go in to work tomorrow, check out the commander’s policy letter on discipline.  Also, you probably should have talked to the commander of HHC before you tried to send your shitbag Soldiers over to him.  How would you feel if you showed up for work tomorrow and HHC had sent one of the dirtbag troops down to your MID without asking you about it first?  You’d be pretty pissed, right?”

“Yes, I supposes,” Faith answered.

“So, the second thing you ought to do when you get in to work tomorrow is go by and talk the HHC commander.  Because the SECOND call I got about this mess was from him.”

“I see,” Faith responded.  Now it was Faith’s turn to sigh.  “OK, I”ll do that.  Chief, I really appreciate the advice,” Faith said, sincerely.

“That’s what I’m here for, sir,” Michaels said with a laugh.

“Anything else you think I should be doing right now… or not doing?” Faith inquired.

“Sir, you’re doing fine.  A kick in the ass is what the MID needs right now.  Hell, the whole GSC could probably use one.  But you’ve got to do it the right way.  You can’t come in there, fire a bunch of people, change a bunch of shit, and expect everyone to get on board right away,” Michaels answered.

“What you’re doing right now is exceeding your authority,” Michaels continued.  “Your position in the Group is very tenuous.  You need to build a network of supporters, who can be counted on to back you up and to do the right thing when you’re not around.  It’s hard to do that when there’s the kind of fear and uncertainty in the MID that there is right now.  Enforce the standards, but do it in the right way.  What you really need is a bunch of NCOs to do the heavy lifting in terms of discipline, so you can get on with the officer business.  Right now, you’re on the verge of getting WAY to far into the NCO business.”

“I agree, Chief,” Faith countered, “but I’m not sure that I have many NCOs in the MID that want to do NCO business.”

“You have one or two,” Michaels said, reassuringly.

“Like Slacker?” Faith inquired.

“Um- no,” Michaels said without hesitation.

Faith was surprised.  “I’ve dealt with Slacker a couple of times now, he seems pretty decent.”

“Yeah, he does a good job of putting on a show.  But he and Dodger are thick as thieves.  One is almost as bad as the other.”

“Well, then, which ones are the good NCOs?”

“Look, sir, I’ve got to go.  You’re going to have to figure that one out on your own.  I’ll see you in a couple of days, we can catch up then.”

“Got it, Chief, thanks for the phone call.  And all the other help.  Good luck out there.”

“The correct term, sir, is ‘good hunting,’” Michaels answered.  In Faith’s mind’s eye, he could visualize Michaels smiling as he said it.  And Michaels’ voice was gone.


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## DA SWO (Nov 28, 2012)

Should have asked the Chief to help get another Chief into the MID.


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## Salt USMC (Nov 28, 2012)

Interesting that this experienced CWO would take such an interest in a young Captain who doesn't work under/with him.  Perhaps he made a promise to Faith's late father?  Something about a watch in a prison camp for 5 years?


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## Marauder06 (Nov 28, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> Interesting that this experienced CWO would take such an interest in a young Captain who doesn't work under/with him. Perhaps he made a promise to Faith's late father? Something about a watch in a prison camp for 5 years?


 
It is funny you should mention that...



But Faith's father is still very much alive, as you will see below.

/////

A short time later the phone rang again, this time Faith’s wife Linda answered it.  Although she was in another room, Faith could tell by the tone the Linda was talking to Faith’s mother, Margaret.

Faith was extraordinarily grateful for the positive relationship between his mother and his wife.  The two of them spoke together frequently, and before Linda was pregnant, they would frequently get together on the weekends for lunch and shopping trips, since the base where Faith was stationed was less than 90 minutes from where Faith’s parents, now retired, currently live.

Faith picked up another phone and clicked the “speaker” button so he could listen in while he continued to wash dishes.  He listened while his wife and mother happily talked about a dozen or more “baby-related” topics.  Eventually, Faith’s mother said, “Well, I think I’ll let you go I’m sure the boys,” meaning Faith and his father, “would like to talk now too.”  Faith was impressed that his mother knew that he was listening in.

“Hey Scott, how is life in 2nd Group these days?” he asked when the ladies had said their goodbyes. 

“Dad, let me tell you…” Faith began as he filled his father in on all of the recent happenings.

“Wow, sounds like things have been pretty interesting for you up there,” his rather said when Faith was done talking.  “That safe thing sounds like it could have been pretty bad, but I can think of a half-dozen other things I saw when I was in Group that were way worse than that.”

“I can imagine,” Faith replied.

“Congratulations on a second command!” his father said enthusiastically.

“I’m really pleased that things worked out this way,” Faith said, “It was totally unexpected.  But I’ve got a whole lot of work to do before it’s a workable situation.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that,” his father said thoughtfully.  “Do you have anyone you can trust, any good NCOs?”

“Well, I’m trying to get that sorted out right now,” Faith replied.  “Oh!  But there is one guy who has been an absolute lifesaver.  Chief Michaels.  Do you remember him?”

“No,” Faith’s father said immediately.  That wasn’t uncommon though, Faith’s father was notorious for being unable to remember the names of people he served with over the years.  “Where would I know him from?”

“He was on your ODA when you were a team leader.”

“No, I never had a warrant on my team.  Definitely not a warrant named Michaels.  I’d remember that.”

“I doubt it,” Faith said mentally to himself.  “Well, dad, this was back in, what, 1974, ’75? So he wouldn’t have been a W5 back then.  He might have been a staff sergeant, or maybe even lower enlisted.”

“Wait a minute.  Michaels.  Spec-five Michaels?” Faith’s dad inquired. <author’s note:  there used to be multiple specialist ranks:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialist_(rank) >

“Maybe,” Faith answered.

“Yeah… yeah I remember Michaels.  He was a Spec-5.  And he has stayed in SF all these years, and is now a W5?” He asked incredulously.

“Yes, sir, and he remembers you well.”

Faith’s father laughed out loud.  “I bet he does.  We used to call him Iron Michaels.”

“Is that because he is so tough?” Faith inquired.

Faith’s father laughed even louder.  “No, not at all.  In fact, it was the opposite.  We called him Iron Michaels because he kept screwing up all the time, and the NCOs on the team kept making him do Iron Mikes across the outside common area.”

“Iron Mikes?”

“Yeah, Iron Mikes… you know, the exercise where you put your hands behind your head and do deep-knee lunges?  Except in SF, you do them with a ruck.  And if you’re a screwup, you do it with a ruck full of the team’s commo batteries.” 




“I just can’t picture any situation in which Chief Michaels was a screwup,” Faith said honestly.

“Well let me tell you, he was,” Faith’s father answered, still laughing.  “I could tell you stories…  he was the typical young SF troop, fresh out of the Regular Army, pissed off he didn’t get into Vietnam like the rest of us, and eager to show the world that the was just as much of a bad ass as the rest of us.  He had a LOT of trouble fitting in at first.  But he stuck around and made W5?  Please tell him I’m impressed, and that I’m proud of him.”

“He said he owes you a lot,” Faith said.

“He doesn’t owe me anything,” Faith’s father said immediately, “if he made W5, it was all him, because I had nothing to do with it.  The only thing I ever did for him, my Team Daddy <author’s note:  Team Daddy = Team Sergeant> wanted to put Michaels rucksack out in the hall <author’s note;  “rucksack out in the hall” = “kicked off the team”> but I over-ruled him.  That was the only time we ever had a big argument about something.  He wanted Michaels gone, I saw something in the guy.  So we agreed to give Michaels one more chance.  I told Michaels, ‘don’t make me regret this,’ he said, ‘sir, I’ll make you proud.’ And so he has.”

“That’s a great story, Dad,” Faith said, impressed.  For some reason, he thought of Michaels on a much more… human level now.  It was re-assuring that even someone like Michaels could have made mistakes early in his career.

“Well, I’ve got to go let the dog out,” Faith’s father said, “Good luck son, talk to you again soon.”


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## reed11b (Nov 28, 2012)

THREE!?! THREE entries in one day?!? I think hell just got chilly. Or Mar found some NCO's.
Reed


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## Marauder06 (Nov 28, 2012)

reed11b said:


> THREE!?! THREE entries in one day?!? I think hell just got chilly. Or Mar found some NCO's.
> Reed


 
My surrogate NCO / surgicalcric 's family surrogate, "encouraged" me to get on with it.

And being the good little field grade that I am, I always* do what my NCO's tell me.  






*more or less.  Sometimes.  When I feel like it.  
/////

Faith slept very little that night.  It was the first time in a long time that he had something on his mind that kept him awake at night.  It annoyed him that that the situation at work was so screwed up.  On the plus side, because he was awake he got to see how many times his wife had to get up in the middle of the night to go pee.  “Being pregnant must really suck,” Faith mused to himself, not for the first time.

The first thing Faith did the next morning was read the commander’s policy letter on discipline.  It stated quite clearly that any discipline issues with Group leaders, defined as E7s and above, captains and above, and all chief warrant officers have to be run through the Group commander before a relief for cause can take place.  

The very next thing Faith did was to seek out the HHC commander and do a mea culpa about trying to get Dodger sent over to HHC.  The HHC commander was pretty pissed off at Faith at first, but after he said his piece he was surprisingly cooperative.  

“Look, I don’t want you dumping your trash in my AO every time you get pissed off at someone,” he began, “but I’m glad to see someone finally getting the MID straightened out.  So look, if you get the Group commander to buy off on this, I’ll take Dodger off your hands until he starts his retirement leave.”

“That’s great, thanks!” Faith exclaimed.

“But…” there was always a “but.”

“But,” the HHC commander continued, “I’m going to have one or two guys I’m going to need to rehab transfer to you.”

Of course.

“All right, I think I can accept that,” Faith said.

“Good, then we have a deal.  Now you just need to get the Group commander on board.”
Faith hoped that it would be as easy as the HHC commander made it sound.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 28, 2012)

Just before PT started, Faith realized that he didn’t specify where he expected PT formation to be, and didn’t give any instructions to the NCOs yesterday as to where it should be held.  He was standing in the doorway, looking outside and thinking about how messed up it would be if, on the first day after he fired a guy over not wanting to come to PT, that he didn’t show up himself, when he noticed a small knot of Soldiers gathering in the open area in between the barracks.  Hoping mightily that this was the MID, Faith walked over to the assembled group.  Some of them he recognized, and they recognized him as well.  “Good morning, sir,” they said, saluting in the early morning twilight.

As it got closer to PT time, the ranks swelled and the NCOs organized them into a formation.  A large, loud-mouthed NCO that Faith didn’t recognize seemed to be the de facto leader.  Faith noticed with annoyance that the NCO was smoking a cigarette as he conferred briefly with some of the other NCOs.  After a short conference, he dropped his cigarette on the ground and stamped it out.  He then picked up the butt and tucked it into the pocket of his PT shorts.  Then he came over to speak with Faith.

Faith immediately guessed that this was MSG Travis.  He was tall, white, with hair so grey it was almost white.  He also had an enormous, but just-quite-in-regs moustache.  That annoyed Faith as well; Faith viewed moustaches as a needless, “look at me!” affectation and generally despised them.  

“Captain Faith?” he inquired.

“You must be Travis,” Faith said.  “Uh, yes sir,” the other man responded, giving Faith a bit of a weird look.

“It looks like we’re going to be working together,” Faith said.

“Looks that way,” Travis said, uncommittedly.

“Let’s talk sometime today, maybe after PT?” Faith offered.

“Well, sir, we all have a jump today, pre-jump is at 1000 hours.”

“All of us?” Faith inquired.  He thought he remembered Slacker describing Travis as a “fucking leg.”

“Yes sir, just about everyone on jump status is a pay hurt this month, and a pay loss next month.  So everyone on status is jumping today, and us NAPs <author note: NAP = Non-Airborne Personnel> will be on DZ duty.”

“OK, fine,” Faith said with more confidence than he was feeling.  It had been a looooong time since his last jump.  Faith pulled a small piece of paper out from his pocket.
“Travis,” Faith said, using the man’s last name because he still didn’t know is rank, “I’ve got a PT plan here, I used it when I was an LT, it’s a pretty good cardiovascular and upper body workout.  After you take accountability, if you want to just call me up and turn the formation over to me, I’ll take it from there.”

Travis looked surprised and did not immediately respond.

“Is there a problem?” Faith inquired, expecting Travis to say no.

“Yes, sir there is.  Individual and crew-level collective training is an NCO responsibility.  PT is an individual training event, and is therefore an NCO responsibility.”
Now it was Faith’s turn to be surprised. After seeing a stunning lack of leadership throughout the MI elements at Group, he was shocked to be face to face with someone who actually wanted to lead.

“Do you have a plan for this morning, Travis?”  Faith challenged.  Travis reached into his shorts pocket and pulled out his own small piece of paper.  He looked at Faith and grinned.  Faith also managed a smile.  “The officers of my unit will have the maximum time to accomplish their duties…” Travis began.

“…they will not have to accomplish mine.” Faith interrupted, finishing the sentence from *the NCO Creed*.  “I’m willing to live up to my part of that if you are.  The formation is yours.”

Travis seemed pleased.  “Sir, the officers normally do PT either as a group unto themselves, or on their own.  If you want, you can go ahead and take off now.”

“I think I’ll stick around,” Faith replied, “and see what PT looks like in a Special Forces Group.”

Travis smiled broadly beneath his bushy moustache. “Sir, I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

Just then, a cannon roared in the distance and the music began to play, signaling the raising of the national colors.  Travis bellowed, bringing the MID to attention and present arms.  He walked to the front of the formation and saluted smartly until the last note of the bugle call had faded away.  “Order arms!” he snapped.  “Extend to the left… march!”


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## Mac_NZ (Nov 29, 2012)

Thank you Mara, ill have the Troll return your prized coin collection tomorrow now that you have fulfilled your end of the   ransom  bargain.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 29, 2012)

I do have a rather sizable coin collection...

/////

On his drive home for breakfast, Faith reflected on the PT session.  He knew he was going to be sore in the morning, he thought with a grin.  Travis definitely knew how to conduct a smoke session.  Faith wondered if PT was this intense every morning, or if it was a “special” session for the new commander. 

Stopping for gas, he thought about the upcoming jump.  Faith was definitely not looking forward to it.  It had been 12 years since his last jump; he went to Airborne School in the summer following his freshman year of college, did his five jumps to earn his wings, and had not been in an Airborne assignment since then.  His memories of Airborne School were not pleasant either.  Faith was tall to begin with, and heavy as well; adding the weight of a parachute, reserve, and a “combat load,” and it was no wonder he hit the ground in a painful heap on all five jumps.  The only bright spot was that Faith’s father had been on active duty at the time, and in an airborne unit, so Faith’s father made all five jumps with him.  It was very re-assuring to have his father in the plane behind him; he knew that his father was going out of the plane, so Faith could either jump, or get kicked out by his dad.  He decided he might as well jump and get the good body position.

As he gassed up his truck, Faith noticed a somewhat-familiar face a few pumps away.  Warrant Officer One Rollins.  Faith squeezed the handle of the pump he was using so that the fuel would continue to flow when he let go of the handle, and then approached Rollins.

“Hi, Miss Rollins,” Faith said cheerily, “How are you doing today?”

Rollins looked up in surprise.  “Oh, hi sir,” she said, unenthusiastically.  “Actually, I’m not doing so well.”

“I heard about what happened,” Faith said, “I think it’s b.s.”      

“Of course it’s b.s.,” Rollins said in exasperation, “but what am I going to do about it?  The Division gave me seven days to find another job.  There’s not another job for a 351L anyone in the Division.  I’m going to have to PCS.”

“That’s kind of harsh,” Faith said.  Rollins did not respond.

“So what kind of job are you looking for?” Faith inquired. 

“Something that is MTOE’d for a 351L,” Rollins responded.  Faith heard his pump click off in the distance, signifying that his tank was full.

“Look,” he said, “I think we need to talk later.  Can my wife get in contact with you through the unit alert roster or something?”

“Yes sir, my number is in there.”

“OK, hang in there, you did the right thing and that counts for something.”

“I wish I could believe that sir,” Rollins said, unconvinced.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 29, 2012)

After he had a shower and ate breakfast, Faith returned to the office.  He knew he needed to talk to the DCO sometime today, and maybe even The Dud too, but he was not sure how he was going to fit it all in around the jump.  His experience up to this point had been that jumps were an all-day affair.  Speaking of which he didn’t know where or when he was supposed to meet up to get out to the airfield.  He looked at the unit phone list and made a call over to the MID.

“MID, Marion speaking,” a voice said on the other line.  The voice sounded oddly familiar but Faith didn’t recognize the name.  It irked him when people answered their phones with just their first names.  At a minimum it should be last names, ideally rank and last names.  One more thing to fix in the MID, he mused.

“Um, hi, this is Captain Faith, I’m just calling to find out when and where I need to be for the jump this afternoon.”

“Glad you called sir,” said the other voice, “Meet at 1000 on the Group parade field.  Do you know where that is?”

Faith did.  “What all do I need to bring?” he inquired.

“The usual stuff you normally bring when you jump,” the other man said.

“It has been a while since I made my last jump,” Faith said, “The ‘usual stuff’ meaning a helmet, rucksack, canteen, that kind of thing?”

“Yeah, whatever you want to jump with, if it has been a while you can jump Hollywood,” meaning without equipment.  “Find me at pre-jump and I’ll get you all squared away.”

“Great,” said Faith, a bit relieved, “See you at 1000.”

“Roger, sir.”

Faith hung up the phone still wondering who Marion was.  He tried to call the DCG, but got voicemail.  He then followed up with an email bringing the DCG up to date on what happened and informing him that Faith would be at a jump all day.  After answering a few more emails, Faith opened his wall locker and took out his helmet and an empty canteen. He considered bringing his rucksack, but decided not to.  He didn’t remember how to 
configure it anyway. 

After filling his canteen and putting it in the cargo pocket of his BDUs, Faith experienced a bit of nostalgia.  This was pretty much exactly like Airborne School, he mused.  Same uniform, same equipment, same pre-jump apprehension.  The major difference now was he was getting paid a lot better than he was when he was in Airborne School.  And no one was going to be yelling at him the whole time.  Presumably, that is.

Faith easily found the place where everyone was gathering prior to the jump.  He saw Travis right away, easily recognizable by his height and bushy moustache.  He needed to find Marion though.  After looking around a bit, he didn’t see anyone wearing a nametag that said Marion.  Approaching Travis from behind, he tapped the other man on the shoulder.  Travis turned his head.  “Hi sir,” he said.

“Master Sergeant Travis, I was on the phone with Marion earlier this morning and he said I should link up with him once I get to pre-jump,” Faith began.  “Have you seen him anywhere?”

Two young Soldiers standing near Travis started laughing.  Travis smiled too and turned around to face Faith.  That was when Faith noticed the name tag on Travis’s uniform- “MARION.”  Faith was confused.

“I thought your name was Travis,” Faith said.

“It is… at least my first name is,” MSG Marion stated with amusement.  Faith felt a little embarrassed.  

“Sorry, when I talked to you earlier on the phone, when I didn’t know it was you, I thought the first name of the guy I was talking to was Marion,” Faith stammered.

“What kind of wussy name for a man is Marion?” MSG Travis said with a laugh.  “Come on sir, I’ll get you squared away.”  MSG Travis led Faith over to a low wooden platform, where several men were setting up a loudspeaker and several large wood-backed posters in preparation of pre-jump.  MSG Travis introduced Faith to the team, and Faith was relieved to see some familiar faces. 

“Hello, Razor, Paul,” Faith said, recognizing these men as part of the crown that Chief Michaels brought by Faith’s office not to long ago.

“Hi, sir,” said Paul, seeming to be genuinely glad to see Faith.  RB nodded in acknowledgment but said nothing, focusing on getting everything set up for pre-jump.  
“My captain here says he hasn’t jumped in a while, anything special you need to do with him?” Marion inquired.

“Well, he has to have jump refresher before he can jump with us,” said Paul.  “Do you have any current jumpmasters who can do him up real quick?”
Travis gave Paul a doubtful look.  “In the MID?” he asked rhetorically, clearly meaning “no.”

Paul didn’t miss a beat.  “No problem, I’ll get him squared away.  Come on over here sir,” he said to Faith.

“I’ll catch up with you on the drop zone, sir,” Marion said before departing.
Paul brought Faith over to a corner of the stage, where there was a packed parachute and reserve.  “OK, here’s your jump refresher,” he began.  Faith was very relieved that he was getting this refresher training, he was very nervous that he would have forgotten something in the decade-plus since he had worn a ‘chute.  But shortly after he began, another man picked up the bullhorn and bellowed, “OK JUMPERS, GATHER ‘ROUND FOR PRE-JUMP!”

“Crap,” Paul exclaimed, “J.D. started earlier than I expected.  OK sir, check it out.  ‘Chute,” he said holding up a parachute.  Setting that back down, he held up a reserve. “Reserve.”  Putting that too down, he continued, “Feet and knees together, six-count out of the aircraft.  See you on the DZ.”

As Faith assumed his position in the formation for pre-jump, he felt no small level of anxiety.  Did that really just count as pre-jump?  And a six-count after leaving the aircraft?  Wasn’t the rule “four out the door?”

The pre-jump allayed a lot of Faith’s fears about the upcoming jump.  Faith came to understand that the jump refresher training was actually a bit superfluous given the thoroughness of pre-jump.  After rehearsing the entire jump process twice, Faith joined the line to practice PLFs.  Climbing onto the stage and throwing himself off, Faith rehearsed the process of the parachute landing fall.  He was pleased that his body still seemed to have some residual muscle memory, even after 12 years.  After everyone had done a front right, front left, rear right and rear left PLF, J.D., who had previously identified himself as the mission commander for today’s jump, called everyone to form back up for the jump brief.  

“Men,” J.D. began, even though there were a good number of women in the audience, “today’s jump is out of a Casa-212, with a -1B ‘chute.  We are jumping ramp into Suckchon DZ.  Is this anyone’s first time jumping out of a Casa?”
Faith was among a handful who raised their hands.

“Anyone who is jumping into Suckchon for the first time?”
Faith again raised his hand.  “Case of beer!” someone from the back of the formation shouted.

“Anyone who has never jumped a -1B before?”  Faith was pretty sure they had those back at Airborne School, so he didn’t raise his hand.  No one else did either.

“Good,” said J.D., scanning the assembled group and not seeing any raised hands.  

“OK, last thing, for how many of you is this your first jump after Airborne School?”  Faith was about to put his and up when he noticed Paul looking at him.  Paul was slowly shaking his head “no,” but Faith didn’t know what that meant.  He raised his hand.
Immediately after he put his hand up, there were a series of cat calls and shouts of 
“Cherries!” from within the formation.  Not sure what was going on, Faith glanced around and saw a number of other people with their hands up as well.

“Settle down,” J.D. directed the noisy audience.  “Listen up everyone, we’re going to go through the air mission brief.”  Using the posters Faith had observed earlier, J.D. walked the group through the entire jump from start to finish, discussed the specifics of jumping from a Casa, and broke the group up into smaller sections, called “chalks,” in preparation for rehearsing “actions inside the aircraft” in the mock aircraft bodies located there in the rehearsal area.  Faith was surprised to learn that he was on Chalk One.
“Jumpmasters,” J.D. directed through the bullhorn, “Take your chalks through actions on the aircraft.  Cherry jumpers, deposit your helmets here at the stage during the rehearsals.  Chalk One, you’re on me.” When J.D. was done talking, the crowd dissolved into a seething mass as jumpmasters bellowed out their chalk numbers and their respective personnel gathered around them.  The jumpmasters first checked ID cards and tags, then helmets. 

J.D. took Faith’s helmet and set it on the stage.  “We’ll get that taken care of for you sir,” he said as he smiled reassuringly.  “How long has it been since your last jump?”
“12 years,” Faith replied, wondering why they needed his helmet.  No one else in the chalk had to turn theirs in.  “Wow!” J.D. exclaimed in amazement, “I think that makes you the biggest cherry of all!” Several other members of Chalk One laughed, but Faith didn’t get the joke.


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## Dame (Nov 29, 2012)

John Wayne.


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## DA SWO (Nov 30, 2012)

Dirt Dart.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 30, 2012)

During the rehearsals in the aircraft mock-ups, J.D. explained that since the Casa was such a slow-moving aircraft, it would take an extra couple of seconds for one’s parachute to fully deploy, hence the six-count versus the quicker four-count Faith remembered from Airborne School.  Inside the mock-up, J.D. took the chalk through its paces, rehearsing actions inside the aircraft.  This included practicing standing up, hooking up, and shuffling to the door of the mock aircraft.  Faith remembered a lot of this from school, but there were also several differences.  First of all, the static line that connected one’s parachute to the aircraft was held in an awkward, “reverse bite,” with the hand inverted and the thumb pointed towards the ground.  This was 180 degrees different from what he was taught in jump school, but was easy enough to remember.

          What Faith worried the most about during this rehearsal, what he had ALWAYS been the most worried about, was getting his static line right.  To him , the greatest fear was misrouting his static line under his arm instead of over it; if this were to happen the friction of the static line and the parachute it pulled out of the pack on his back could do a great deal of harm.    He saw this firsthand when it happened to a guy in his Airborne School squad.  That guy, Faith remembered, lost most of his left bicep in a static line incident.

          Another aspect of jumping the Casa that was unfamiliar concerned the method of exit.  All of Faith’s previous jumps had been door exits from “high performance” aircraft, specifically C-130s and C-141s.  In contrast, the method of entry and exit from the Casa was by a rear ramp door.  Faith liked the concept of “jumping ramp” better than using the doors, it seemed like less could go wrong that way.  J.D. also walked the chalk through contingencies, such as towed jumpers, and Faith got a laugh about what J.D. said would happen to “jump refusals,” i.e. anyone who had second thoughts about exiting the airplane once it was aloft and the green light came on.  J.D. made it very, very clear that there would be no jump refusals in his chalk.  

Another major difference was the way of exiting the ramp. On door exits, it was important to give a little hop or jump out of the airplane in order to completely clear the doors.  On the Casa, J.D. explained, jumping could be dangerous.

“Especially for you tall people,” J.D. said, “Walk off the ramp at an angle.  DO NOT JUMP.  If you jump, the following things will happen- you will hit your head on the roof of the aircraft.  This will cause you to fall backwards, hitting your ass on the floor of the aircraft.  Then you will bounce out of the aircraft in a big heap, with no hope of getting into a good body position.  The best you can hope for is to have your risers hopelessly twisted, and you will spend your entire time under canopy desperately bicycling to get yourself untangled before you hit the ground.  So, I say again, especially you tall people,” he looked directly at Faith, who even with his helmet off was 6’6” “do NOT jump out of this aircraft.”  Faith heard his words, but from the mockup, couldn’t really tell how one would hit his head on the roof, since the ramp extended well past the body of the plane.


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## Dame (Nov 30, 2012)

SOWT said:


> Dirt Dart.


 
:-/


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## reed11b (Nov 30, 2012)

Cpt Faith is lucky they bothered to inform him of the 6 sec count. No one did one my first 47 jump. Worst riser hickeys I've ever had. 
Reed


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## Marauder06 (Nov 30, 2012)

After the rehearsals were over, Faith noticed that there seemed to be a lot fewer people in Chalk One than there were in any of the other chalks.  He mentioned this to one of his chalkmates, a young, fit-looking captain who was wearing the collar insignia of the Chaplain’s Corps.  The man introduced himself as “Jeff,” and Faith noticed that Jeff was sporting a lot of hardware that one didn’t normally find on a chaplain:  a CIB and a “combat scroll,” as well as a Ranger Tab above his unit patch.

“Is Chalk One always this small?” Faith asked Jeff.

“It is during pre-jump,” Jeff said with a smile.  “All the brass is on Chalk One, they’ll meet us at the airfield.  They show up, throw a ‘chute on, and they’re out the plane and off the DZ before you know it.  Works out really well that way.”

That made sense to Faith.

When all of the chalks had completed rehearsals, it was time to get on bused to go to the drop zone.  But Faith was still without his helmet.  “Hey, J.D.,” he asked, “Where’s my helmet?”

“It’s over there on the stage, sir.  Go ahead and grab it and get into the van at the head of the convoy,” J.D replied.  Faith looked at the stage, but didn’t see his helmet.  What he did see were a line of about seven helmets, stripped of their camouflague covers, and painted chalk white.  When he got closer, he found that each helmet was adorned with red blotches, which upon closer inspection turned out to be fairly well-rendered facsimiles of…

“Cherries,” Faith said with bemusement as he located his own helmet.  It was easy enough to figure out which one was his, being an extra-large helmet it was noticeably larger than the others, and someone had helpfully written, in black Sharpie marker, his last name across the front of the helmet in bold capital letters.  His “cherries” were also the largest.  When he picked up the helmet, he noticed two things: that other Soldiers had written “helpful” messages on the helmet.  These included “DIRT DART,” “Congratulations on your cherry jump!”, “Don’t die,” and “You can do it, sir!”  Faith also noticed that the paint was still wet.

Five of the other helmets were similarly adorned.  As Faith wiped the wet paint off his hands onto the grass, the rest of the “cherries” claimed their own helmets.  They, like Faith, seemed amused.  Faith then noticed that the last helmet was decorated a bit differently.  It was still white, but instead of cherries it had what were clearly fins attached to the top and sides of the helmet, and the words SKY SHARK and a date about two weeks in the past printed across the front.  This individual, an older, SF-qualified individual, did not seem amused as he snatched up his helmet and headed towards the bus.  Once Faith’s hands were clean of wet paint, he found his helmet cover, put it in his pocket, and walked over to the van.


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## Dame (Nov 30, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> These included “*DIRT DART*,” “Congratulations on your cherry jump!”, “Don’t die,” and “You can do it, sir!”


Aaahhh. 
OK, Aspy moment. I thought Dirt Dart was someone else whose first name was Marion. Was so confused when I looked him up and saw his name was Steve. Tracking now though.
http://dirtdart.com/about.p


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## Totentanz (Nov 30, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> It is funny you should mention that...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I've been wondering about this for a while, and had - like Deathy - assumed that Faith's father was no longer with us due to lack of contact.  If someone mentioned they knew my dad, I'd definitely be asking him (my dad) about it... and if that person was exceptionally interesting (like an SF CW5), that would speed up my dialing significantly.  I'm surprised it took this long and dad initiating for the conversation to happen...


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## Salt USMC (Nov 30, 2012)

This new rash of updates is making me enjoy this story all over again!


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## Marauder06 (Nov 30, 2012)

Totentanz said:


> I've been wondering about this for a while, and had - like Deathy - assumed that Faith's father was no longer with us due to lack of contact. If someone mentioned they knew my dad, I'd definitely be asking him (my dad) about it... and if that person was exceptionally interesting (like an SF CW5), that would speed up my dialing significantly. I'm surprised it took this long and dad initiating for the conversation to happen...


 

Hmmm... I guess that's what happens when one writes stream-of-consciousness and not with an outline.  In the revision I'll move that up to occur right after Faith finds out about the connection between Michaels and Faith's father.  Thanks guys.

My wife also says I should work the family angle in a little better, since family is such an important component of the SOF lifestyle.


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## Marauder06 (Nov 30, 2012)

On the way to the drop zone, Faith gingerly held his helmet in his lap, so as not to get any paint on his BDUs.  He hoped the paint would be dry before it was time to put it on his head, otherwise the jumpmaster might get a surprise during JMPI.  Most of the rest of the people in the van were senior members of the Group staff, a couple of people wearing SOCOM patches, and J.D., Paul, Razor, and a couple of other people Faith recognized as men Faith had met when Chief Rollins brought over ODA 225.  The discussion quickly devolved into the kind of raucous banter that exists between Soldiers who knew each other well.

Faith, not knowing these men well and not knowing the inside jokes that they all seemed to be laughing about, was relieved to be sitting beside Jeff, the chaplain with whom he had spoken earlier.  As before, Jeff was engaging and quite talkative, which Faith appreciated.

 “So, are you nervous?” Jeff asked Faith shortly after the van started moving.

“A little, yeah,” Faith answered, honesty.

“Do you have anything that helps you deal with the anxiety?”  Jeff inquired.

“Not really,” Faith said, “I just think through all the steps that I have to go through, and I just do it.”

“I see,” replied Jeff.

“What about you?  Do you have anything you do before a jump?”

“Well,” Jeff began, “I’ve been doing this a long time.  I’ve got well over a hundred jumps, so it doesn’t really scare me anymore.  In fact, I think it just makes me closer to God.  But…” he continued, “… there is something I say just before I get on the plane, it’s something I have committed to memory and say before I do anything that might be dangerous.”

“What is it?” Faith inquired enthusiastically.

“It goes like this:  ‘


> I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.


’”


“I think I’ve heard that before,” Faith said, trying to place it.

“Probably so,” replied Jeff.

“Oh!” said Faith.  “I know, was it in the Old Testament?”

That question brought a chorus of laughs from the men seated around Faith.

“Not exactly,” Jeff said, smiling gently.  

“Hey padre, maybe Faith here needs to spend a little more time in your company on Sundays, to actually learn what’s in the bible and what isn’t,” someone joked.

“I’m thinking ‘Faith’ is mis-named a bit,” someone else said.

Faith was confused.

“It’s from the movie Dune,” Jeff said, helpfully.  Faith felt a bit embarrassed.

“1000 hours, Sunday mornings, Old Post Chapel,” someone called out for Faith’s benefit.

“So you don’t say a prayer to God or anything, to help you through the jump?” Faith asked incredulously.

“Nope,” said Jeff firmly, “It is not for me to question God’s will.  If it is God’s will that everything goes well on the jump, then it will go well.  If it’s God’s will that something happens on the jump, then no amount of pleading will change it.  It’s best to put yourself in God’s hands.”

Normally, Faith would find this type of reasoning to be “Bible thumping.”  But it was so rational, and delivered with such enthusiasm, that Faith was honestly impressed.
“But,” Jeff continued, “After I’m on the ground, I do say a prayer of gratitude for it being God’s will that I lived through the jump,” he added with a wink.


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## Totentanz (Nov 30, 2012)

Dune reference... Nice!


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## Marauder06 (Nov 30, 2012)

Totentanz said:


> Dune reference... Nice!


 
Just for you   well, you and The Troll.

I do think it is a bad-ass little mantra though, it gave me a chill the first time I read it.  Kind of like the little Viking pre-battle chant in "The 13th Warrior."


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## Crusader74 (Nov 30, 2012)




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## Marauder06 (Nov 30, 2012)

Irish said:


>


That's it.  I think that might have to make an appearance in a later case study.


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## 104TN (Nov 30, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> That's it. I think that might have to make an appearance in a later case study.


 
That implies this one ends. I'm not sure how I feel about that. ;)


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## x SF med (Nov 30, 2012)

rick said:


> That implies this one ends. I'm not sure how I feel about that. ;)


 
Welcome back wiseass!  Whatcha up to?


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## Marauder06 (Dec 2, 2012)

rick said:


> That implies this one ends. I'm not sure how I feel about that. ;)


 
I'm getting there, it's only been six months (+/-), sheesh!  

The talk then turned to a discussion of nicknames.  It appeared that the “junior bravo,” which Faith knew meant the weapons sergeant with the least amount of time on ODA 225, was about to find out what his nickname was going to be.  While the other members of the team seemed greatly amused by the whole thing, the junior bravo (whose name Faith didn’t know and decided to mentally call “JB”), seemed concerned.  He had good reason, as the van got closer to the drop zone, Jeff explained that within SF, one’s nickname was how he would be referred forevermore within the Special Forces community.

“You don’t get to pick it yourself?” Faith inquired.

“Hey, J.D.,” Jeff unexpectedly shouted to the driver, “Captain Faith here wants to know if you get to pick your own nickname.”  From the way the van erupted in laughter, Faith knew that the answer was no.

“Hey sir, they guys on the team pick your name for you,” explained Paul, turning around in his seat to face Faith.  It’s usually some unusual or unnatural physical attribute, or something the Soldier did.” 

“Or didn’t do!” said Razor, reaching across two seats to smack JB, not gently, in the back of the head.

Several names were tossed out by the other members of the ODA, many amusing, most degrading.  Eventually, they appeared to come to a consensus.  Razor conferred briefly with another man who was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle.  The other man, who Faith later learned was the officer team leader of the ODA, nodded.  So the name was settled.

“Welcome to the team, Deadweight!” Razor announced as the van once again erupted with laughter.  Faith got the sense that the name was some kind of inside joke that he didn’t get, but pieced together that it had something to do with JB/Deadweight’s role in the now-infamous SCIF safe incident, as well as the opinion that the rest of the ODA had of Deadweight’s value to the team.  Deadweight did not seem pleased with his new nickname.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 2, 2012)

“Do us support types get nicknames too?” Faith wondered aloud. 

“Red-hats don’t rate nicknames,” Deadweight scoffed.  “They get to make my breakfast.” <author note:  red hats refer to the color of the berets that support personnel wear while assigned to an SF unit.  This is contrast with the garrison headgear of a Special Forces-qualified Soldier, which is of course green.  The term can be, but is not necessarily, a derogatory one.  Here, the intention is clearly derogatory.>

Faith, unsure what that was supposed to mean, said nothing.

“Shut the fuck up, Deadweight,” Razor said, again smacking the younger man in the back of the head.  After that was done, he turned to face Faith.  “That’s up to you and yours, sir,” he explained, “but normally I don’t think the enablers give each other nicknames unless it’s something pretty memorable.”

“I see,” Faith said.

Faith greatly admired the way 2nd Group ran airborne operations, compared to what he remembered from Fort Benning and Airborne School.  When the van arrived, it pulled up a short distance away from the Casa, which had already landed on the dirt strip of Suckchon DZ.  The truck containing the parachutes pulled up next, followed by a van containing the riggers, and then the trucks containing the jumpers began disgorging their occupants.  Had this been back at Benning, there would have been a five-mile run, in uniform, to the airfield where they would have ‘chuted up, and sat around on the ramp, in the uncomfortable and heavy parachutes and combat equipment, for at least three hours before they even got on the plane.  Then there was the flight to the airfield, probably a couple of “racetracks” while everything got situated, and then several passes to unload all the jumpers.  But here, you showed up, you ‘chuted up immediately before it was your turn to board the aircraft, you walked up the ramp of the Casa, and soon after you jumped off the ramp.  No, you _walked_ off the ramp, not _jumped_ off, Faith corrected himself.


----------



## DA SWO (Dec 3, 2012)

Faith is doomed, will probably get a cheezy call sign like Marauder 6


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## reed11b (Dec 3, 2012)

SOWT said:


> Faith is doomed, will probably get a cheezy call sign like Marauder 6


I'm going with "Ironhead" or "Dumbass" myself.
Reed


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## Karoshi (Dec 3, 2012)

He'll probably get some nickname like "Doctor Heinz Doofenshmirtz", "Mojo Jojo", "Mandark" or some other cartoon based mad scientist/evil protagonist...


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## Salt USMC (Dec 3, 2012)

Or just something like "Deuce".

Every intel officer is Deuce.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 3, 2012)

I see I'm going to have to liberally apply some "hate" to certain posts in this thread.  

I can assure you that Faith's nickname, should he ever get one, will not be one that has already been mentioned.  And you will all find out what said nickname is (if he gets one) very soon.


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## Mac_NZ (Dec 3, 2012)

I'm pegging that his nickname will be "The Sloth" since it takes so long for his story to be told.

However I can't hate too much, we have been treated well lately but I am 90% sure that Crip wrote the majority of this between surgeries whilst Mara sat around trying to look important.


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## Karoshi (Dec 3, 2012)

"Rodent" cause of CPT Faith's hatred for squirrels!


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## Crusader74 (Dec 3, 2012)

I'd say it will be Guinness.


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## reed11b (Dec 3, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I see I'm going to have to liberally apply some "hate" to certain posts in this thread.
> 
> I can assure you that Faith's nickname, should he ever get one, will not be one that has already been mentioned. And you will all find out what said nickname is (if he gets one) very soon.


 If you have time to "hate" you have time to write updates.
Reed


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## LimaOscarSierraTango (Dec 3, 2012)

Too Tall or Lurch... Although I think someone else here has already earned the title of Lurch, no?


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## SkrewzLoose (Dec 3, 2012)

Moose Knuckle


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## Chopstick (Dec 3, 2012)

Im thinking "Hot Pants".


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## Marauder06 (Dec 3, 2012)

I hate you people...


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## SkrewzLoose (Dec 3, 2012)

The Bear Jew


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## policemedic (Dec 3, 2012)

Irish said:


> I'd say it will be Guinness.



It certainly won't be Cider.


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## reed11b (Dec 3, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I hate you people...


Less hate, more write.
Reed


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## Marauder06 (Dec 3, 2012)

policemedic said:


> It certainly won't be Cider.


 
  some of you have a very long memory...


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## x SF med (Dec 3, 2012)

I am judiciously keeping my mouth shut...  thus spaketh the Troll...

I think that turtle is taken though...  maybe Slug?


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## Marauder06 (Dec 3, 2012)

x SF med said:


> I am judiciously keeping my mouth shut... thus spaketh the Troll...
> 
> I think that turtle is taken though... maybe Slug?


 
I think Faith is just happy that you're not in the story to make those kinds of suggestions.

Oh, wait...


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## Marauder06 (Dec 3, 2012)

Walk off, jump off, whatever.  He was going out of that airplane.  Very soon.  After having done it only five times previously, more than 12 years ago.  Seemingly without direction, people started moving about getting things organized for the jump.  The ‘chute truck pulled up beside the van, and men began pitching in to spread a large tarp onto the sandy ground.  Jumpmasters lined their jumpers up in chalk order, and parachutes and reserves were issued out.  J.D. and his crew separated from the main group of jumpers and approached the Casa.  Faith was surprised to see that it was painted in a gaudy, irregular pattern, and the crew flying it appeared to be civilians.  But from the greetings exchanged, it appeared that the flight crew and the men of the ODA had at least met in the past.

          Having received his equipment, Faith assumed his place in line on the tarp within his chalk. As he was idly wondering if he even remembered how to get all this gear on, MSG Marion appeared with three other jumpers in tow.  Like Faith, all three (two young specialists and a very-young-looking-for-her-rank E6) all had the white and red helmets that designated “cherry” jumpers.

“Hey sir,” MSG Marion said as he walked up, “These three just graduated from jump school last month, this is going to be their cherry blast.  I think they’re all a bit nervous, I figured I’d bring them over to meet you to see if you had any words of wisdom for them, since they’re all in the MID.”

Faith looked the group over.  The two young men, Faith guessed they were 18, 19 tops, definitely looked a bit nervous.  Not scared necessarily, but nervous.  The other one, the female NCO, didn’t look nervous or scared.  In fact, she looked excited about the jump.  “If I only weighed 90 pounds even when I was under harness, like this woman does, I wouldn’t hit the ground like a sack of cement every time, and I might enjoy this too,” Faith muttered mentally.


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## Dame (Dec 4, 2012)

LOL. My money says it's Cupcake.


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## 0699 (Dec 4, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I see I'm going to have to liberally apply some "hate" to certain posts in this thread.
> 
> I can assure you that *Faith's nickname*, should he ever get one, will not be one that has already been mentioned. And you will all find out what said nickname is (if he gets one) very soon.


 
"Sciffy".  Like Skippy, only better...


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## DA SWO (Dec 4, 2012)

I'd nickname him slowboy, because he drags shit out.


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## Gypsy (Dec 5, 2012)

SOWT said:


> I'd nickname Marauder06 slowboy, because he drags shit out.


 
Fixed that for ya.  Though things have been moving along more rapidly of late.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 5, 2012)

CPT Faith is about to make his first jump after 12 years.  The last half dozen or more updates to the story have specifically related to the jump, and for those of you who have kept up with the various storylines for a while, surely you recognize it wouldn't have been covered in this kind of depth unless something was going to go (horribly?  terribly? at least a little badly?) wrong.  And with all of that, none of you want to hazard a guess to what his nickname might really turn out to be.  I expected someone would have guessed it by now.  The peanut gallery is slipping... 

That's assuming of course he gets a nickname.  After all, support guys don't rate.


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## Chopstick (Dec 5, 2012)

I hope the nickname doesnt involve a Miami J Collar!


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## reed11b (Dec 5, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> CPT Faith is about to make his first jump after 12 years. The last half dozen or more updates to the story have specifically related to the jump, and for those of you who have kept up with the various storylines for a while, surely you recognize it wouldn't have been covered in this kind of depth unless something was going to go (horribly? terribly? at least a little badly?) wrong. And with all of that, none of you want to hazard a guess to what his nickname might really turn out to be. I expected someone would have guessed it by now. The peanut gallery is slipping...
> 
> That's assuming of course he gets a nickname. After all, support guys don't rate.


 That's _why_ I went with Ironhead or dumbass.
Reed


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## SkrewzLoose (Dec 5, 2012)

I'm going with "TJ" = Towed Jumper


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## DA SWO (Dec 5, 2012)

Ripcord 
or Two Chutes


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## LimaOscarSierraTango (Dec 5, 2012)

It has to do with the constant reference of falling/landing like a block of cement...

Don't forget how to bounce off the suspension lines!  hehehe


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## digrar (Dec 5, 2012)

I don't think Faith's new helmet paint job is going to survive the jump in pristine condition.


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## Dame (Dec 5, 2012)

LimaOscarSierraTango said:


> It has to do with the constant reference of falling/landing* like a block of cement*...
> 
> Don't forget how to bounce off the suspension lines! hehehe


OMG. It's the Turkey Drop all over again. Maybe it'll be "Carleson."


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## Marauder06 (Dec 5, 2012)

“Hey, glad to meet you all,” Faith said, shaking hands with each of them.  “Were you all at Airborne School together?” he asked.

“A couple of weeks apart,” answered the female sergeant, whose nametag read “DEGRAES.”  

“How did you all like it?” Faith inquired of the two specialists.

“It was all right,” answered SPC MacDonald.  To his right, SPC Brown nodded in agreement.

“What was your favorite part?” Faith asked.

“Landing safely after the fourth jump, knowing that no matter what happened on that fifth jump, I was coming home with my wings,” Brown said.  Faith understood the sentiment exactly.

“So, you’re a little nervous about your cherry blast today?” Faith asked of no one in particular.

“Well, a little,” MacDonald said, “just the normal pre-jump jitters.”

“I can understand that, it has been 12 years since jump school for me,” he informed them.  All three Soldiers looked at Faith in astonishment.
“Damn, sir, that was a long time ago!” exclaimed Degrae.  Brown and MacDonald agreed.

“Yeah, sure seems like that,” Faith responded.  “Listen, you passed Airborne School, this is going to be a piece of cake.  You know your equipment will take care of you, just do like you were trained to do and everything is going to be fine.  I’m going to be on Chalk One and I’ll let you know if there are any things you need to remember about the Casa that makes it different from the 130s or 141s.  Otherwise, I’ll see you three after the jump and we’ll compare notes.”

“Sounds good, sir.”  
Faith shook hands with them again and then they departed to get their ‘chutes and reserves and link back up with their chalks.


----------



## Marauder06 (Dec 5, 2012)

A few minutes into ‘chute issue, another government-owned dark blue van pulled up, and the senior leaders of the Group poured out.  They got in line for ‘chutes and reserves, and then lined up with chalk one.  Faith was surprised that they lined up as chalk two, not chalk one.

“Why isn’t the command group jumping first?” Faith inquired idly to no one in particular.
Jeff explained, “If there is going to be a screwed up pass, it’s normally going to be the first one.  If they put us out too early, or too soon, or if the winds at altitude or on the DZ are too high, they’ll be able to adjust the second and following passes.”

“I see,” said Faith, “so basically, chalk one pass one are the wind dummies for the whole Group?”

“Something like that,” Jeff said with a grin.  But come on, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Making the final adjustments to his harness, and preparing for JMPI Faith could think of plenty of “worst things that could happen.  <author note:  JMPI is the inspection of a jumper by a jumpmaster to clear him or her before getting on the aircraft and jumping.


----------



## Marauder06 (Dec 5, 2012)

Although he had needed Jeff’s assistance once or twice, Faith had generally remembered how all of his kit was supposed to fit together for the jump and easily passed through JMPI.  He was feeling pretty excited, but pretty nervous too.  His stomach was already queezy, and the heat and the pressure from his parachute harness weren’t helping.  Whereas some jumpers prefer a loose harness, Faith preferred it all to be nice and snug.  The only thing he feared worse losing a bicep to a static line injury was losing a smaller, more sensitive piece of his anatomy during the opening shock if the straps between his legs were too loose. 

In the inevitable waiting around that usually accompanies even the best-planned airborne operations, Faith was able to talk a bit with the DCO, and even got to speak briefly with the Group commander, who had noticed Faith’s distinctive “cherry jumper” helmet.  Shortly before the two chalks were due to line up, J.D. approached the chalk to rehearse the jump sequence one more time.  Even though it had to be boring for the more experienced jumpers, Faith was grateful to have this one last chance to go through everything before they got onto the plane.

“OK, so that’s actions on the aircraft,” J.D. concluded.  Remember, when that green light comes on, no one jumps until I yell “Green light, go!”  When the red light comes on, that is your indication to stop.  I will sound off with “Red light!” but I will not try to physically stop you from exiting the aircraft.  Whether you jump or not is up to you.”
When the final rehearsal was complete, J.D. arranged the chalk in the order in which they would exit the aircraft.  “Hey sir,” he said to Faith, “Since this is your cherry blast, I’ll let you pick where you jump.  I put the less-experienced jumpers either first or last, so fewer other jumpers are in the way if there is an issue.  Which one do you want?”

Thinking that it would be better on his nerves to not be the first to jump, Faith chose to be last.  “I’ll push the stick, if that’s good with you.” <author note:  a stick is a subcomponent of the chalk>

“OK, the cherry is going to push the stick out,” J.D. said.  “Any other questions, sir?”

“Yes, just one, why do they call you “J.D.?”

J.D. smiled but said nothing as he turned and called for pass one and pass two of chalk one to board the aircraft.

Faith really didn’t feel nervous until the ramp came down and the wind rushed in.  He felt a sense of uneasiness grow as he repeated the commands called out by J.D. and prepared to hook up his static line.  The Casa is an extremely cramped aircraft, and Faith found he could not stand up fully erect.  The small plane was also badly buffeted by turbulence, reminding Faith of driving down a badly potholed dirt road.  The heat, the turbulence, and the anxiety were making him sick to his stomach.  He hoped he jumped soon.  As he stood and hooked up his static line to a steel cable that ran along the length of the plane, he found he couldn’t stand erect on the plane, the ceiling was too low.  But he found that he was tall enough to bend his neck forward and brace the top part of his shoulders on the roof.  This helped stabilize him against the turbulence.  He hooked up his static line when instructed to do so, and sounded off for the checks of static line and equipment.  He noticed his right leg was shaking.  Noticeably.  He hoped it was from standing in such an awkward position and not from a rising sense of fear.  

Faith wondered if Jeff was going through his “Dune” mantra.  He tried to recite it mentally but couldn’t get past the first sentence.  That was fine.  The Dune mantra was Jeff’s thing, Faith would have to find something else as a source of personal strength.  
“30 seconds!” Jeff cried out from the rear of the aircraft.  This was really about to happen.  He was really about to jump out of an airplane after 12 years of inactivity.  Doubt creeped into his brain.  Did I hook my harness up correctly?  Would I remember how to steer, how to land?  What if my arm got tangled in his static line?  When do I lower my rucksack?  Why the hell did I sign up for this? 

Just then, he felt a stinging slap on his right buttcheck.  Startled, and smarting, he turned his head to see the DCO smiling wryly.  
“Welcome to 2nd Group!”  he shouted over the roar of the wind and the plane’s engines.  “This is what we do!”  Sitting beside him, and also smiling, the Group commander gave Faith a thumbs-up.  The Group command sergeant major, sitting on the opposite side of the DCO, scowled and said nothing.  This, Faith later learned, was the CSM’s usual expression in any given situation.

The pain and the shock of the slap on the butt snuffed out the fear that had been trying to pry its way into Faith’s brain.  “This is what we do,” he repeated to himself mentally.  The fear that had fled from him was now replaced by a surge of adrenalin.  “This is what we do.”  He was in one of the most coveted jobs in the most prestigious Special Forces Group in the Army.  A second command.  There were 80 men and women down there on the ground from the MID.  His MID watching him.  Testing him.  Seeing what he would do.  He would not fail them.  He would not fail himself.  His leg stopped shaking.  He no longer felt an overwhelming urge to puke.  His whole body relaxed.  “This is what we do.”    

“Get ready!”  J.D. bellowed.

This is what we do.

“Green light, go!”

The job of stick pusher was to make sure all of the members of the stick exited the airplane in a timely manner.  Faith found there was no need to push, the line of jumpers moved steadily ahead at J.D.’s direction.  Finally, it was Faith’s turn.  He saw the land moving beneath the ramp of the Casa and felt… nothing.  It was a good feeling.  He handed off his static line to the safety with textbook precision, and pivoted towards the ramp.  At that moment, the whole aircraft shuddered under a massive buffeting from turbulence, causing Faith to stumble in the aircraft.  At that moment, the light blinked from green to red.  Feeling that his momentum was going to carry him out of the plane whether he tried to stop or not, Captain Scott Faith jumped off the Casa’s ramp, and into the lore of the 2nd Special Forces Group.


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## LimaOscarSierraTango (Dec 5, 2012)

DON'T FORGET IT'S A 6-COUNT!!!!!


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## Marauder06 (Dec 5, 2012)

lol

Well, it is my pleasure to inform you that someone has correctly guessed CPT Faith's soon-to-be nickname.  For awesome predictive analysis, that member will be receiving via PM the portion of the story in which the actions leading up to the award of said nickname are revealed, before it is posted here on the site.


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## LimaOscarSierraTango (Dec 5, 2012)

Oh wait a sec...  he jumped?!?  :wall:


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## Marauder06 (Dec 5, 2012)

LimaOscarSierraTango said:


> Oh wait a sec... he jumped?!? :wall:


 
What?  Isn't that what you're supposed to do?  It *is* called "jumping," right?


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## LimaOscarSierraTango (Dec 5, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> What? Isn't that what you're supposed to do? It *is* called "jumping," right?


 
Aren't you supposed to _walk_ off the ramp on a Casa-212?   Maybe it was just an unintentional mis-phrase? Or maybe...

At any rate, I think he is going to panic at 5 and pull the reserve.  

Hello "Ripcord"!


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Dec 5, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> No, you _walked_ off the ramp, not _jumped_ off, Faith corrected himself.





Marauder06 said:


> Captain Scott Faith _*jumped*_ off the Casa’s ramp, and into the lore of the 2nd Special Forces Group.


Oh noes!! I can haz bad nickname?


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## Marauder06 (Dec 5, 2012)

Thinking about it later, Faith knew what caused the accident. The turbulence broke his concentration, and the mental sequencing he had rehearsed on the ground was literally gone with the wind. As he lurched towards the ramp, instinct took over. Instinct born of three weeks of sweat and mud and sawdust and sand at Fort Benning, Georgia kicked in, even after a 12-year absence. When you exit the airplane, you jump.

Except, in a Casa 212, you don’t jump. Especially if you over six and a half feet tall in boots and helmet. And you don’t jump from the part of the ramp closest to the fuselage. Faith did all of these things, and then a series of events took place that happened so fast the Faith himself didn’t even realize what had happened until much later. When he jumped, he hit his head on the roof of the aircraft with such force that it stunned him. He fell to the floor of the aircraft in a heap, bounced off the ramp and out the door.

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have been a problem. He was still conscious, and the static line requires no user actions in order to deploy the ‘chute. But in the process of falling out of the plane, he had rolled down the ramp like small children roll down hills, and his static line had become misrouted and tangled in Faith’s harness and gear. 

Faith didn’t realize what had happened at first, but he knew something was wrong almost immediately. The expected opening shock of his parachute deploying was far greater than he remembered it being at Airborne School. He opened his eyes to look around, but the sky looked weird. Plus, it didn’t seem like his main ‘chute was slowing him down. At all. He reached for the D-ring handle of his reserve ‘chute and was seriously considering deploying it when he realized his main parachute hadn’t deployed at all, and the reason that the sky looked weird was because he was looking straight at it, even though he was flat on his back. He had become a towed jumper.

Being a towed jumper is one of a parachutist’s greatest fears. Faith was 1500 feet above the ground, being towed behind an aircraft going over 100 MPH, with only a thin cord tying the two together. Faith knew that if his reserve deployed right now, the drag it created on the aircraft would probably split him in two. But he had to do something, he was getting shaken around like a rag doll. He reached back for the ramp. Its edge was only inches away from his outstretched hand, but it may as well have been a hundred meters. He was never going to be able to reach it. Nor was he going to be able to pull himself in. As if to remind him what a bad idea it was to reach for the aircraft, the turbulence violently threw him onto his stomach and shook him wildly. When he retracted his arm, the wind rewarded him by spinning him around onto his back, which seemed like a safer position.

Faith recalled his training and knew exactly what he had to do. He had to cut himself free. Of course this meant that his main ‘chute would be useless, and he would have to count on his reserve. He hoped that the pilot hadn’t already descended past a point where the reserve could deploy in time. Faith reached into his right front pants pocket and slowly retrieved the knife he kept there. It was a small knife, and required two hands to get open. Faith gingerly moved both hands to the front of his reserve, and pried open the blade. The Swiss Army Knife was sharp enough, Faith knew, but it was hardly up to the task of cutting through something as sturdy as a static line in these conditions. But, that’s what he had. He reached back behind his head with his left arm to grab the static line while simultaneously reaching up with the knife in his right hand. He estimated he might be able to saw through the static line in a couple of seconds if he could hold everything still long enough. 

Predictably, the wind again bowled him over onto his stomach and began to shake him violently. He managed to seize the static line in his left hand and was bringing his right over to cut the cord when he felt as much as heard J.D.’s voice bellow “NO!” above the noise of the wind and plane. Startled, he looked up to see J.D. at the edge of the ramp, struggling to pull Faith back in. Faith wasn’t sure that J.D. was going to be able to get him back into the aircraft, but he was definitely sure that if he had to take much more of this, he was probably going to black out. Then, if they cut him loose, he would die because the reserve had to be deployed by hand. He was mulling over whether he should take his chances and cut the static line anyway, when the decision was made for him. Turbulence dashed Faith’s right hand into his helmet, jarring the knife loose. In less than a second, it was gone forever. He was going to have to trust that J.D. would either get him back into the aircraft, or that they would cut him loose before he lost consciousness.

He brought both hands down to protect his reserve ‘chute, and waited. A second or two later, he felt two pairs of hands grab him under his shoulders and haul him into the Casa. After assuring his rescuers that he was fine, he was placed in an empty seat. Several pairs of hands helped ease him out of the harness. After catching his breath, Faith knew he wasn’t hurt. His shoulders and crotch were tender, but nothing was torn, strained, or broken. Honestly, he felt fine. But he was very, very thirsty.


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## Dame (Dec 6, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Honestly, he felt fine. But he was very, very thirsty.


Well, that happens when one "makes water" without being hydrated in the first place.

BTW: I managed to like that one twice.


----------



## Gypsy (Dec 12, 2012)

Bump.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 12, 2012)

Gypsy said:


> Bump.


 
Furiously writing a final paper, more on this story later.


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## SkrewzLoose (Dec 12, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Furiously writing a final paper, more on this story later.


 








Marauder06 said:


> I'm a big fan of the 18, until this summer I never had a 12, 15, and 18 together at the same time and didn't think I'd be able to tell the difference. But there definitely is a bit of a difference between the three.
> 
> I have never had the 25, that's going to be a graduation present to me, from me.


 
Sorry, Sir. Couldn't help myself.


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## Gypsy (Dec 13, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> Furiously writing a final paper, more on this story later.


 
Roger !


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## Marauder06 (Dec 14, 2012)

OK, so Faith became a towed jumper and has been retrieved inside the aircraft.  If you were to advise either Faith or the Air Mission Commander, what would you tell him/them?


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## SkrewzLoose (Dec 14, 2012)

Don't let it happen again.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 14, 2012)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Don't let it happen again.


 
OK, that's one vote for "voluntarily terminated jump status."


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## LimaOscarSierraTango (Dec 14, 2012)

I would pretend to be a mean, grizzled old NCO and yell at Faith to follow instructions the first time!

Seriously though, I want to say that falls under "shit happens" and he should be allowed a re-jump, either with the next chalk or at the end of the day (assuming they are getting at least 3 jumps) if there is a small group of "guest jumpers" (I forgot the actual term for those looking to keep their jumps up to date).


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## DA SWO (Dec 14, 2012)

Put him out asap, don't give him a chance to terminate.


----------



## Ranger Psych (Dec 15, 2012)

New Chute, same f'ing day.

Shit happens, You did things wrong, Things just went wrong...  Now, do it right.

Exactly the same thing that happened to a dude that had a total malfunction.


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## Salt USMC (Dec 19, 2012)

Dear Santa: All I want for Christmas is a fitting end to this story


----------



## LibraryLady (Dec 19, 2012)

Deathy McDeath said:


> Dear Santa: All I want for Christmas is a fitting end to this story


 
Money shot!

How do I Like AND Agree the same post? 

LL


----------



## Marauder06 (Dec 19, 2012)

No one said anything to him as the plane descended rapidly to the dirt strip on the drop zone. No one had to; Faith knew he screwed up. Badly. In front of his commander, the Group staff, the SF guys from ODA 225, and worst of all, in front of his troops in the MID. He idly hoped that the rest of the jump wasn’t going to get cancelled because of his screwup.

An FLA (field litter ambulance) met the Casa and it lurched to a halt and shut down its propellers. A medic directed Faith into the rear compartment of the FLA and did a quick physical inspection. Faith assured him that he felt fine, but the medic insisted that Faith remove his shirt in order to inspect where the harness may have broken his bones or abraded his flesh. 

“Looks like the diagonal backstraps got you a little,” he said. Faith couldn’t see his back, of course, but he could feel it enough to take the medic at his word. “What about down there?” the medic inquired, indicating Faith’s crotch area. Before he dropped his trousers, Faith knew that it was going to be bad. He could feel the chafing already. Glad he chose to wear underwear today, Faith lowered his pants down to his knees.

The medic let out a low whistle. “Yep, you’re going to feel that in the morning,” he said, grinning consolingly. “Here,” he said, passing Faith a small bottle of ointment. “Might want to put a little of this on now, and every four hours until it heals. Otherwise the scabs will heal against the inside of your pants if you sit down for a long time, and you’ll rip them open every time you get undressed.” That sounded sufficiently unpleasant enough for Faith to accept the bottle. As he hitched up his pants, the back door to the FLA opened and the DCO’s face appeared. His eyes lingered on the marks left on Faith’s back, and then darted over to the medic.

“How is he, doc?” he asked.

“He’ll be sore in the morning, but no permanent damage sir,” the other man replied.

“How do you feel?” he said to Faith.

“More embarrassed than hurt,” Faith answered. Plus, I lost my favorite knife, he thought to himself.

The DCO grinned. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Get your shirt on and come with me.”

Faith did as he was told and followed the DCO back to a knot of Soldiers who had gathered at the rear of the Casa. With the engines off and the propellers still, Faith could clearly hear what was being said. Apparently there was some kind of disagreement between the air crew and the jumpmasters over what happened and who was to blame. Eventually, J.D. noticed Faith and asked him to come up onto the ramp and describe what happened. Even though he described exactly what he thought happened, his description differed from that of both the jumpmasters and the Casa’s crew chief. It was interesting that so many people could see the same thing happen, yet have different versions when recounting it.

Eventually, a consensus determined that turbulence caused the mishap, and that no one was to blame. Faith breathed a silent sigh of relief, happy that he dodged yet another bullet.

“OK, let’s get this show back on the road. The DZ is cleared hot to continue airborne operations. Let’s get the second stick of Chalk One and the first stick of Chalk Two loaded up,” J.D. called out. Turning to Faith he asked, “So what about you, sir?”

Faith was unsure what he was asking. “What about me, what?” he inquired.
“Do you want to try to jump again?” He asked. You can go up again now if you want, or you can give it a pass today.”

Faith hadn’t considered that, he had assumed that he’d be sent home. Faith said nothing. He definitely did NOT want to go back up in that plane again after what had just happened.

“Well,” he answered reluctantly, “I’m a pay hurt, I guess I better get back up there.”
J.D. laughed out loud. “You exited the airplane sir, that counts as a jump. You’re good for pay purposes.”

That was true, but was he “good” for other purposes as well?

J.D. put his hand on Faith’s forearm. “You don’t have to do this, sir,” he said.
Faith let out a deep breath and turned his head to the side while he mulled over what to do. He saw MSG Marion and the cherry jumpers from the MID. The jumpers wore concerned expressions. One of them looked downright ashen.

“Yes I do,” responded. He had to do it, to show everyone, including himself, that he was not afraid, that it was safe to jump. He had to set the example. “This is what we do,” he repeated to himself. Then, clearing his voice, he shouted, “Master Sergeant Marion, have one of those cherries bring me another ‘chute!” MSG Marion’s face broke into a smile and he sent one of the MID cherry jumpers over to get another main parachute.

“Good man,” said J.D., pleased that Faith had made the right decision and not taken the easy way out. Faith noticed the DCO looking at him and nodding ever so slightly.

In what seemed on a matter of minutes later, Faith was back on the DZ, having managed to exit the Casa for the second time today, and this time without becoming a towed jumper. The ground still hurt just as much as he remembered it. Faith struggled out of his harness before placing it inside his aviator’s kit bag. As he walked to the apex of the parachute’s canopy to begin the process of rolling up the ‘chute, the enormity of everything that had happened hit him. His knees began shaking, and he suddenly bent over, vomiting repeatedly. He was dimly aware of other jumpers making their way back to the turn-in point as he plopped down on his butt and pulled out his canteen.

 Physically and emotionally, he felt terrible. His back and inner thighs were beginning to ache something awful, and suddenly he had a massive headache. The sun and heat weren’t helping, either. After a few minutes he felt good enough to stand, and he noticed that someone had rolled and packed his ‘chute for him. Specialist Brown, one of the cherry jumpers from the MID, had jumped on the pass after Faith’s, and had enough time to pack his own ‘chute and Faith’s while Faith was recovering. That was a long time. Faith idly wondered if he had passed out briefly sometime in there.

“You all right, sir?” Brown asked.

“I’m fine, just a little dehydrated,” Faith responded as he gathered up his air items and his rucksack. Brown tossed his own kit back over his back, with the reserve hooked to the handles and under his neck in the front. Then he picked up Faith’s kit bag, containing his parachute.

“I’ll hump my own ‘chute back in, thanks Brown.” A few minutes later, he wished he hadn’t said it. The movement of his pants as he walked, combined with the sweat he was building up, made the chafing between his thighs extremely painful. But he gutted it out and made it back to the turn-in point. He noticed a group of MID Soldiers gathering around him as he turned in his ‘chute. They were smiling, in Faith’s estimation, somewhat suspiciously.

On cue, they shouted, “TJ!” They looked very pleased with themselves. Faith, surprised, gave them a perplexed look. “It’s your new nickname, sir!” Degraes exclaimed. Faith thought for a moment.

“TJ- as in ‘towed jumper?’” he said out loud.

“Well, it was either that or ‘Scotty Two-‘Chutes,” said MSG Marion, walking up and extending his hand to Faith. “Welcome to the team, sir.”

“TJ,” Faith said, “I kind of like that.”


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## 0699 (Dec 20, 2012)

This. This is what I'm talking about. Leadership. Good show Capt Faith.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 20, 2012)

I have never been a towed jumper, and there has never been a towed jumper on any airborne operation I have been on.  Nor have I ever spoken with anyone who claims to have been a towed jumper.  But they do happen from time to time.  It was always the policy in the units I was in that a towed jumper would be retrieved back inside the aircraft, given another 'chute after the plane landed, and put back out on the next lift.  The reasoning was, if you gave a guy too much time to think about it he might chicken out in the future.  By getting him back in the air and back under canopy, you get him past that mental hurdle right away so it's not out there lingering.

All of you who have been on a Casa know how low the ceiling is and how cramped the interior compartment can be.   With boots and a helmet on, tall people have to duck their heads to get in.  This gets pretty uncomfortable after standing up and hooking up to the cable.  I used my head as a kind of lever to help keep me stable in the aircraft, since the Casa always seemed to bounce around a lot and I had one hand on my static line and the other over my reserve.  I never hit my head jumping out, and honestly I don't see how anyone could, you just walk off the ramp at a 45 degree angle, no drama.  However, two different people who were still in the unit when I got there told me that when my dad was in the unit, he hit his head at least once.  I asked my dad about it and he says he doesn't remember ever doing that, and I think it is something he'd remember if it had happened.


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## CDG (Dec 20, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> I have never been a towed jumper, and there has never been a towed jumper on any airborne operation I have been on. Nor have I ever spoken with anyone who claims to have been a towed jumper. But they do happen from time to time. It was always the policy in the units I was in that a towed jumper would be retrieved back inside the aircraft, given another 'chute after the plane landed, and put back out on the next lift. The reasoning was, if you gave a guy too much time to think about it he might chicken out in the future. By getting him back in the air and back under canopy, you get him past that mental hurdle right away so it's not out there lingering.


 
I remember watching a show on HALO school where one of the instructors burned in.  They sent the students back up in short order ( I want to say within a couple hours, but I can't remember for sure) and gave the same line of reasoning.  Too much time to think, particularly after losing a guy, was thought to hold the potential for a lot of guys to not want to jump anymore.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 22, 2012)

Faith was VERY sore the next morning.  His shoulders and crotch were abraded only superficially, but it still hurt badly when anything at all touched those areas.  He also had sore muscles in his thighs and shoulders, deep inside where he had never felt pain before.  He managed to shuffle into the bathroom and get dressed for PT without too much trouble, but driving his stick-shift pickup truck in to work was an exercise in agony.
  PT this morning was “The Rounds,” a particularly grueling event in which the MID visited all of the Division’s battalion areas and did a set each of pushups, situps, pull-ups, jumping jacks, and a 30’ rope climb.  Doing the side-straddle hop and pull-ups were out of the question, and the thought of trying to climb a rope almost made him sick to his stomach.  Faith elected not to participate in “The Rounds,” and no one seemed to begrudge him.  They all knew what had happened the day before on the jump.

After the MID took off at a double time towards the nearest of the Division’s battalions, Faith went back to the office.  Pushups, situps, pull-ups and running were all pretty much out of the question, so he contented himself with doing curls, which for now was probably the only meaningful exercise he could do in the condition he was currently in.  A couple of days from now he would probably be able to gut it out, but right now it wouldn’t be smart to aggravate an existing injury.  He needed time to heal.

After a couple of sets of curls, Faith changed into his BDUs and sat down at his desk.  There was a message from the DCO instructing him to be in the Group conference room at 0830 for an important meeting.  Upon reading this message, Faith was almost glad he couldn’t do PT today, if he had gone on “The Rounds,” he wouldn’t have been back in the office until well after 0900 and would have most likely missed this meeting completely.

Faith arrived in the Group conference room ten minutes early.  This was easily his favorite place in the entire Group.  The focal point of the room was a giant mahogany table, that someone had painstakingly carved a beautiful rendition of the Special Forces branch insignia inlayed over the 2nd Group flash.  Different colored wood stains complemented the carving and represented the colors of the flash.  The hallway leading in to this room were covered with memorabilia of 2nd Group’s legacy, and inside the room were framed flags either captured by or presented to the Group over the years.  In one corner was a set of mannequins sporting all of the uniforms, weapons, and gear of 2nd Group Soldiers throughout the years.  In the opposite corner was a collection of weapons that the Group had captured over the years, ranging from an ornately-worked Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle to a modern and very intimidating-looking DhsK heavy machine gun and two RPGs.  Someone once told Faith that the machine gun was confiscated from a Team guy who had brought it home and had it at his house, but Faith didn’t know if this story was true or not.  

          The DCO was already there, along with a couple of other Soldiers that Faith didn’t recognize.  Judging from the patches on their left sleeves, they were from USASOC.
  Faith therefore assumed that they were here because of the SCIF inspection.  The DCO looked up at Faith and smiled slightly.

“Hey, T.J., come over here a minute I have someone who wants to meet you,” he said loudly.  It took Faith a second to realize that the DCO was talking to him.  He was going to have to get used to having a nickname.  The DCO introduced Faith to two dour-looking, late-middle-aged men who, unsurprisingly, said they knew Faith’s father.
  Apparently the DCO had brought them up to speed on what happened at the jump the day before too, Faith endured some good-natured ribbing from the two.  

As Faith had expected, the two men were from the Group’s higher headquarters, USASOC, and were here to do a pre-brief for a re-inspection of the SCIF which would be held in 30 days.  As the DCO had already told him, the preparation for this re-inspection was Faith’s to lead.  The success or failure would be on him.

“This isn’t a free ride,” the DCO informed him, “USASOC is doing this one by the book.  Pass or fail, it’s on you.”  Faith nodded.

“But unlike those clowns over at Division,” he continued, “this inspection is going to be fair and unbiased.

“That’s all I’m asking for sir,” Faith responded.

The four men quickly worked out the details of the inspection.  The two from USASOC provided Faith with a copy of the checklist they would be using.  Glancing over it, Faith didn’t see anything unusual or would be particularly hard to prepare for.  Most of it was stuff that anyone managing the SCIF should be doing in the first place.  There was a lot of record-checking that was going to get checked, though, and Faith was concerned about that.  Any organization that would have a full safe outside of its SCIF doors for half a year probably wasn’t doing a lot of other things right, either.  There was also a lot of blocks on the checklist related to counterintelligence.  No way was he trusting that to Chief Dodger.

“So, TJ, this booger is now on your plate,” the DCO stated as the discussion was winding down.  “Anything you need from me?”

“Well, sir, most of this is pretty basic stuff,” Faith replied, “But I’m going to need some help on the CI side of the house.  I have a vacancy there right now.”

“I heard,” the DCO replied.  He did not seem pleased.  “Do you have a solution for that?”
“Maybe,” Faith answered.

“OK, let me know what you need me to do,” the DCO said, standing up.  Clearly the meeting was over.  As the four were walking out, they ran into The Dud, who was rushing in, out of breath and flustered.  

“Sorry I’m late for the meeting sir,” The Dud said breathlessly to the DCO.

“We’re done here,” the DCO informed him, “Captain Faith will fill you in on what you missed and what he’s going to need from you and your shop.”  Then he and the two inspectors from USASOC departed, leaving Faith and The Dud face to face.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this meeting?” The Dud demanded once the DCO was safely out of earshot.  Faith was taken aback a bit.

“Um, first of all, I didn’t know you were invited,” he replied.  “Second, I don’t work for you anymore, so managing your schedule is no longer one of my daily duties.”

“Y-y-you did this on purpose!” The Dud insisted.  

Faith gave him an exasperated look.  “Look, sir, I’m not sure exactly what your problem is with me, but I assure you I have a LOT more pressing things to work on than finding ways to screw you.  Like this re-inspection coming up.  What do you say we forget about the past and find a way to work together on this, for the good of the Group?”  Faith offered his hand to The Dud.

The Dud looked down at Faith’s hand, and then back up at Faith with a look of pure hatred.  

“Th-the inspection,” he hissed.  “I hope you f-f-f-f-“

“Fail?” Faith offered helpfully.  Now The Dud looked enraged.

“F-f-f-“ he began.

“Fuck you?” Faith finished for him.  Red faced, The Dud turned and stormed off.
“I guess that’s a ‘no’ on the whole bury-the-hatchet offer, then,” Faith heard another voice say.  Turning around, he saw a familiar-looking man approaching.  Dressed in BDUs and wearing a huge smile, the man extended his right hand towards Faith.  “Simon Cris, Support Detachment commander,” he said by way of introduction.  “I’ll shake your hand even if The Dud won’t.”  Cris had an easy manner and an infectious smile.  Faith had seen him around but had never really spoken with him before.  He wore captains’ bars and the collar insignia of a transportation corps officer.  Faith liked him immediately.
“Scott Faith,” Faith replied.

“Yeah, I know who you are,” Criss replied, “But I heard you go by a different name now, TJ.”

“You heard about that?” Faith asked.

“Heard about it, I was there.  That was pretty bad ass.  I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“Yeah, well I never felt anything like that before,” Faith answered, absently rubbing his right shoulder with his left hand.

“I imagine not!” Criss exclaimed. So, want to head over to the Stab ‘n’ Jab for lunch in a couple of hours, and you can fill me in on what I missed between you and The Dud?”
“I don’t know what that is, but I’m down for lunch.  Want me to meet you in the Group orderly room at noon?”  Faith inquired.

“Sure!  See you then,” Criss replied happily, then he too walked off.

Faith considered the situation for a moment.  It was obvious that things between him and The Dud were not going to improve.  Ever.  So that was at least one major enemy he was going to have for the foreseeable future.  Plus Chief Dodger.  Plus probably a half-dozen other malcontents and assclowns he’d have to fire out of the MID before it was all over.  But he felt good.  He felt optimistic.  He felt… accepted.  It had been a long time since he felt that way about his job in the Army.

Now, he thought, if he just knew where he could find a motivated, detail-oriented CI type, he might be able to pull off this inspection… He smiled as he went back to his office and make a couple of phone calls.


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## SpitfireV (Dec 22, 2012)

I don't read this thing for a few weeks and what's the first post I see? Faith whining about his crotchal region.

Typical Shadowspear.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 22, 2012)

SpitfireV said:


> I don't read this thing for a few weeks and what's the first post I see? Faith whining about his crotchal region.
> 
> Typical Shadowspear.


 
It's interesting typical that in a two-dozen-paragraph post, that this is what you chose to focus on.


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## Chopstick (Dec 22, 2012)

Just be grateful, thus far,  there hasn't been any goats/sheep.


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## SpitfireV (Dec 22, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> It's interesting typical that in a two-dozen-paragraph post, that this is what you chose to focus on.


 
Snap!


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## Marauder06 (Dec 24, 2012)

The first call was to his wife, Linda, to fill her in on what happened and to ask if she felt that Chief Rollins might want to come work at Group.  “100% certain she’d go with it,” was the reply, “Right now her branch manager is looking to PCS her to JRTC down in Louisiana.”  His next call was to Rollins herself.  “Hell yeah, I’ll do it!” she answered enthusiastically. Faith then stopped by the Group S1 office to ask the Group S1 personally to pull some strings and get Rollins on orders to Group.  This turned out to be much easier to accomplish than Faith had anticipated.  Faith had never worked with the Group S1 before, and was only doing so now with trepidation.  Every time Faith had seen him in the past, he seemed bristly and brusque to the point of rudeness.  He was also a major, so he outranked Faith.  Faith was unsure how he was going to get the S1 to go along.

But, Faith put his “happy face” on and knocked on the S1’s door.  “Come in!” a voice commanded gruffy.  The S1 let out a loud sigh as he saw who it was entering his office.  “Captain Faith,” he said matter-of-factly.  He leaned back in his desk, pushing his glasses back up closer to the bridge of his nose.  “You’ve been making life difficult for me recently.”  Faith didn’t know exactly what that meant, but suspected it had something to do with the recent personnel changes he had been making in the MID.

“Well, sir, I’m afraid I have a bit more work for you,” Faith began in what he hoped was a friendly and optimistic tone.  He then explained what he wanted:  Chief Rollins on orders to be the new 2nd Group CI Technician.  The Group S1 sighed loudly again, and then pulled out an enormous spreadsheet.  He looked up a paragraph and line number.

“Well, you have a slot for her, but you already have a name put against it.  Chief Dodger.”

“Sir, I fired him already,” Faith responded quickly.

“Yeah, I know,” the S1 answered.  “But it’s not that easy.  He’s tying down a slot here, so it’s going to be hard to get her on as excess.”  He paused for a moment, thinking.  “But he is due to start terminal leave soon, so that gives us some wiggle room.”  The phone on his desk rang, and he stabbed the speaker button.  “Call me back in fifteen!” he directed the person on the other end, without looking to see who was calling.  Faith hoped it wasn’t anyone important.

The S1 then picked up the receiver and pushed a speed-dial button.  

“Yeah, hey Bill, it’s Anthony.  What’s it going to take to get Warrant Officer One Rollins from your G2 shop over here to Group.  Yeah, I’ll wait.”  After a few seconds, the S1 said, “I don’t want to hear about that, just make it happen.” Another pause.  

“Look, you say she’ll be excess to us, but she’s already excess to you.  PCSing her here instead of to JRTC saves the government money AND it gets us what we want, which is a decent replacement for that dirtbag, retired-on-active-duty warrant you stuck me with three years ago.”  Another pause.  Faith desperately wished he could hear the other side of the conversation, it did not seem like things were going well and he wanted to be able to contribute to the process.  He started to say something, but the S1 held up a finger, silencing him.

“OK, great, thank you.  So when is that going to happen?”  Another short pause.  “No, today is better.  In fact, this afternoon would be awesome.  We have a massive inspection coming up and Ms. Rollins is going to be key to the effort to pass it.”  Upon saying this, the S1 looked up at Faith for confirmation.  Faith nodded vigorously.
“That’s awesome.  Thanks.  See you on Sunday,” the S1 said before hanging up the phone.

“Tell Ms. Rollins to report here tomorrow morning for inprocessing,” he said.  “Now, if there is nothing else, I need to call the Group Commander back and find out what he wanted.”

Faith, long being a proponent of the “once you get what you asked for, STFU” concept, thanked the S1 and left to call Rollins.  He really hoped that she wouldn’t turn the offer down.


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## LimaOscarSierraTango (Dec 24, 2012)

CPT Faith needs to find the nearest liquor warehouse and start stocking up on some good bourbon.  He seems to owe a few people some bottles!  

Vodka and Crystal Light Mojito packets go a long ways too... :-"


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## LibraryLady (Dec 24, 2012)

LimaOscarSierraTango said:


> CPT Faith needs to find the nearest liquor warehouse and start stocking up on some good bourbon. He seems to owe a few people some bottles!
> 
> Vodka and Crystal Light Mojito packets go a long ways too... :-"


 
A few?  Methinks the boy is gonna be poor for awhile.  

Prolly when the dust settles down a bit, sweet talk his wife into letting him have a large party in their large backyard with his rather large Barbie and inground pool. (that's a hint, Mr. Author, sir...) Heck the way this thing is going, you could even call it foreshadowing.

LL


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## Dame (Dec 24, 2012)

LibraryLady said:


> Prolly when the dust settles down a bit, sweet talk his wife into letting him have a large party in their large backyard with his rather large Barbie and inground pool.
> LL


Not gonna ask why you would have an extra large Barbie doll around for a mil party. Nope, not me.


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## Marauder06 (Dec 24, 2012)

Dame said:


> Not gonna ask why you would have an extra large Barbie doll around for a mil party. Nope, not me.


 
That's kind of what I was thinking... a giant Barbie?? LL, what kind of parties do you and The Troll put on?

Never mind I think I have clip art for that...


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## Ranger Psych (Dec 24, 2012)

Damn good ones, it's a pity you're never invited.


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## LibraryLady (Dec 24, 2012)

LMAO  It's the stupid influence of these Down Unders on this board and in my real life - 

LL


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## digrar (Dec 24, 2012)

Speaking perfectly clear and concise Queen's English as far as I can tell...


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## x SF med (Dec 25, 2012)

Faith will be buying a case each of Blanton's and TGL Nadura...  to start the payback process.

Life is too short for cheap liquor, not inexpensive (if it is well made), but cheap like chinese clothing.

TGL Nadura is a Scotch that even the real life 'Faith' would enjoy immensely.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 10, 2013)

OK, I know how this ends now.





x SF med said:


> Faith will be buying a case each of Blanton's and TGL Nadura... to start the payback process.
> 
> Life is too short for cheap liquor, not inexpensive (if it is well made), but cheap like chinese clothing.
> 
> *TGL Nadura is a Scotch that even the real life 'Faith' would enjoy immensely*.


 
I wish it wasn't 10am when I was with you and surgicalcric on Saturday, I would have had a shot or two instead of just smelling the bottle.  I'll have to some and try it out.  It smells great.

/////

OK, I know how this story ends and soon you all will too 

Captain Faith, now “T.J.” to his friends,  needn’t have worried.  Rollins was quite pleased to have been offered a job with Group.  “Are you kidding me?”  she exclaimed when he called her.  “I’ll clear Division this afternoon and be there for PT first thing tomorrow!”Faith doubted that anyone could clear Division in less than three days, but he did not doubt her sincerity.  He was sure he would be glad to have her on board.
Shortly after he got off of the phone with Rollins, Faith got a call from his new friend, CPT Criss.

“Scott, hi it’s Simon,” Criss began.  “Are we still on for lunch today at noon?”  Faith had totally forgotten had planned on having lunch with his new friend, CPT Criss, that afternoon. 

“Of course!” Faith responded cheerfully, checking his watch.  He’d have to stop working now if he was going to make it.  “Oh, but I don’t know where this place you want to meet at is.”

“No problem, I’ll come get you and we can ride over together.”

As it turned out, Faith ended up having lunch with both Criss and Rollins.  Faith and Criss had paid at the counter and were making their way through the buffet line when Rollins walked in.  Criss noticed her immediately.  “Who is THAT,” he asked rhetorically as she walked in.  Even in uniform with no makeup on and her brown hair pulled back in a bun, Rollins was a strikingly attractive woman.  Criss continued to stare at her as heaped his plate full of rice and stir-fry.

“What’s good here?”  Faith asked as he looked over the available food options.  This was his first time in what Criss explained to him was the “Stab and Jab,” which was both a play on the establishment’s name, and a reference to the club’s reputation as an after-hours hangout for young Soldiers.

“THAT is good,” Criss replied, indicating Rollins with his head.  Faith rolled his eyes.  He had a very good first impression of CPT Criss and hoped that he didn’t turn out to be some ridiculous, juvenile perv.

As it turned out, CPT Criss was in fact a ridiculous, juvenile perv.  But he was also very, very funny.  So funny and so smooth, in fact, that it was almost impossible for anyone to get angry with him.  Faith saw this for the first time that afternoon right there in the Stab and Jab after Rollins joined the two of them for lunch.  By the time she had paid and made it through the food line, Faith and Criss had already been seated in a booth near the buffet.  Criss, of course, sat where he could see Rollins as she moved through the line.  This meant Faith was sitting with his back to her.  Faith had considered inviting her to sit with them, but the way Criss was acting, Faith didn’t want to risk topping off his say with a sexual harassment complaint.  Faith hoped that Rollins wouldn’t notice him, and would sit somewhere else.  Preferably far away.

But luck was not with him; Rollins noticed Faith almost immediately as she searched for a place to sit in the crowded cafeteria.

“Oh, hi sir!” she exclaimed when she saw Faith.

“Hello, Ms. Rollins,” Faith responded with what he hoped was a professional but uninviting tone. 

“I’m Simon Criss,” CPT Criss said without waiting to be introduced.  He stood up and offered Rollins his hand.  “I’m a loggie with 2nd Group.”

“I’m Amanda Rollins, I’m an CI tech soon-to-be with 2nd Group,” Rollins replied.  She smiled widely as she shook Criss’s hand.

“What brings a nice girl like you down to this seedy place?” Criss said, returning the smile and sweeping an arm broadly to encompass the confines of the Stab and Jab.
“Oh, this place?  I’m clearing CIF in an hour, and needed to eat somewhere close by so I’m not late,” she replied.  “But… it looks a little crowded today.”

“Oh, well you’ll just have to sit with us, then!” Criss exclaimed, and ushered Rollins into the booth on his side of the table.  He slid in beside her and pulled his plate over in front of him.  “So, Amanda,” he said to her, “How did you come to know my good friend Scott Faith?”

The three of them talked for almost a full hour, until Rollins had to excuse herself for her CIF appointment.  “I’d love to stay and chat, but if I clear CIF this afternoon, I can final out from Division today at 1600 hours!” she said cheerfully as she excused herself.  Faith had not intended to spend the better part of an hour eating lunch, but CPT Criss was just so damned funny.  A gifted raconteur, Criss had quite an array of outrageous anecdotes that usually involved some mishap befalling himself or some adventure of his that somehow went horribly awry.  Faith hadn’t laughed so hard for a very long time.  He had also never hadn’t heard such blatant flirting since… well maybe college.  Several times Criss said things that Faith was sure Rollins would take offense to, but those things only seemed to make her laugh harder, which of course only encouraged Criss to say even more outrageous and inappropriate things.

“How do you get away with that?” Faith asked him after Rollins had departed.
“What?” Criss said with a mouthful of sweet and sour pork.  He had talked so much that most of his food remained uneaten.

“How do you get away with talking like that without ever getting a sexual harassment complaint lodged against you?” Faith inquired.

“What makes you think I haven’t?” Criss responded.  Faith couldn’t tell if he was joking.  “Look, it’s only sexual harassment if it’s unwanted.  Did that look ‘unwanted’ to you?”  Faith said nothing.  “Guaranteed, a week, ten days after she’s in Group, she’s getting Simonized.”  Faith was scared to ask what getting “Simonized” was.


----------



## Dame (Jan 10, 2013)

OMG! ROFL Sir. I love this. Tears in my eyes.


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## compforce (Jan 10, 2013)

seen this one a few times in real life... She either gets pregnant or files a harrassment suit, everyone around her gets relieved and she admin transfers from the unit or gets out. CPT Faith needs to put his foot down and tell CPT Criss that she is his tech and to go hunting somewhere else. If he doesn't do that, he's pretty much guaranteed to get caught inside the blast radius.

BTW Mara, great story, ya got me hooked.


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## Crusader74 (Jan 10, 2013)

I went and poured another coffee, looking forward to reading a few passages but alas, I still have coffee but no more Capt Faith...


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## 0699 (Jan 10, 2013)

compforce said:


> seen this one a few times in real life... She either gets pregnant or files a harrassment suit, everyone around her gets relieved and she admin transfers from the unit or gets out. CPT Faith needs to put his foot down and tell CPT Criss that she is his tech and to go hunting somewhere else. If he doesn't do that, he's pretty much guaranteed to get caught inside the blast radius.
> 
> BTW Mara, great story, ya got me hooked.


 
Ain't nothing wrong with a little martial arts training as long as everyone is mature about it...


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## compforce (Jan 10, 2013)

0699 said:


> Ain't nothing wrong with a little martial arts training as long as everyone is mature about it...


 
Captain and a Warrant fraternizing?  Even if they are both mature about it, all it takes is for ANYONE in the Chain of Command to notice and have a problem with it (even if the problem is that the attractive Warrant is now "taken") and the pressure starts.  It's a no-win for everyone involved or even peripheral to the situation.  Faith needs to take immediate action to ensure that the situation is defused before it blows up in his face.  Martial arts training needs to happen with someone outside the unit, not where a possible conflict of interest or favoritism scenario could erupt.


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## compforce (Jan 10, 2013)

BTW, before the ladies get upset with me, yes, this could go bad the other way as well. A soldier in the CoC could also be upset that Criss is "taken" or jealousy between other "Simonized" ladies could cause disruption. Other males could decide to vie for her attention, etc.  The bottom line for me is that you have exactly one way it could go right, requiring multiple people all to take the right path, and about a thousand ways it could go wrong. Faith is in the position to force a mission abort before Criss and Rollins are committed, he needs to step up to the plate and have that chat with Criss now and, if Rollins starts to show interest in Criss, with Rollins. Sitting back and hoping they work it out between them is not the right answer here. The possible fallout with Criss is much lower than the possible impact of 99% of the scenarios.


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## DA SWO (Jan 10, 2013)

compforce said:


> Captain and a Warrant fraternizing? Even if they are both mature about it, all it takes is for ANYONE in the Chain of Command to notice and have a problem with it (even if the problem is that the attractive Warrant is now "taken") and the pressure starts. It's a no-win for everyone involved or even peripheral to the situation. Faith needs to take immediate action to ensure that the situation is defused before it blows up in his face. Martial arts training needs to happen with someone outside the unit, not where a possible conflict of interest or favoritism scenario could erupt.


 
If the Warrant was a Lt would you be upset?

I take her looks as a possible warning sign.

She knows it, and takes advantage of people by using her looks to make "things happen", or she just ignores folks and conducts herself as a professional.

She could also have some 18A or 180A Boyfriend who will buff the Simonize out of him :blkeye:.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 10, 2013)

compforce said:


> Captain and a Warrant fraternizing? Even if they are both mature about it, all it takes is for ANYONE in the Chain of Command to notice and have a problem with it (even if the problem is that the attractive Warrant is now "taken") and the pressure starts. It's a no-win for everyone involved or even peripheral to the situation. Faith needs to take immediate action to ensure that the situation is defused before it blows up in his face. Martial arts training needs to happen with someone outside the unit, not where a possible conflict of interest or favoritism scenario could erupt.


 
From a reg standpoint, fraternization between warrants and "real live officers" is totally legit unless it's otherwise prohibited (e.g. one is in a supervisory position over the other, etc.).  Officer/enlisted would be a problem.  Officer/warrant, no issues.


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## policemedic (Jan 10, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> From a reg standpoint, fraternization between warrants and "real live officers" is totally legit unless it's otherwise prohibited (e.g. one is in a supervisory position over the other, etc.). Officer/enlisted would be a problem. Officer/warrant, no issues.


 
Meh.  Rollins is smart, possessed of  no small amount of intestinal fortitude, and a CI expert.  Criss is out of his league; he just doesn't know it yet.


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## dirtmover (Jan 10, 2013)

I agree with policemedic.  I don't think she will go crying to EO or anything like that.  If CPT Criss gets to crazy with what he says, she will put him and check.  Not all females are cry babies. lol


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## Karoshi (Jan 10, 2013)

dirtmover said:


> Not all females are cry babies. lol


 
Nor are they Final Fantasy nerds. Nice avatar.


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## dirtmover (Jan 10, 2013)

LOL that's true just got done playing XIII and now working on 2.  Lightining is pretty awesome for someone having pink hair.


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## compforce (Jan 10, 2013)

SOWT said:


> If the Warrant was a Lt would you be upset?


 
Yes, there's a reason for the cliche "Don't shit where you sleep"



> Meh. Rollins is smart, possessed of no small amount of intestinal fortitude, and a CI expert. Criss is out of his league; he just doesn't know it yet.


 
Good points. I may not have expressed mine very well. I'm not worried about the direct effects between Criss and Rollins. They're both grown ups and I'm sure they can handle themselves just fine. My concern is for the secondary effects on the rest of the unit, especially in the case of a bad breakup. Different units, fine... Same unit, trouble waiting to happen. A Group's Headquarters element (usually HHC and MID) is closer than first glance would tell you. It's a small community and everyone knows and works with everyone. Any rivalries, discontent or just plain negative vibes are quickly public knowledge. Frankly, I know considerably more about the people that I worked with at Group than I know about people that work with me day to day in my civilian side or the people that live in my neighborhood. And that is in a situation with much more limited contact than Active Duty. I just got out of the National Guard, one weekend a month and two weeks out of the year (plus deployments). If you think for a second that rumor control won't have that relationship and everyone aware of it before it even happens, you'd be sorely mistaken.

I still say that, even if they were both Captains, as long as they are in the same unit, there are too many things that can go wrong to make it worth the risk.  For Faith, the risk can be mitigated by simply letting Criss know that he would prefer if Criss left Rollins alone.  Then he has the cover and can legitimately and honestly say that he told Criss that he didn't approve.  That takes Faith out of the immediate blast and allows him to focus on fixing any unanticipated second order effects that come out of the relationship, however brief.


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## Crusader74 (Jan 10, 2013)

The bottom line of this in my view, is as the MID Comdr, it is Capt Faiths duty to make sure they don't hook up if Chief Rollins comes on board. It would become unit knowledge within hours and in my view compromise either or person involved.. As Capt Criss is an Officer, and ended up acting C/O while Capt Faith was away and a disagreement ensued between an NCO and the Chief,.. it could cause a lot of friction.

Over here it happens at a very rare occasion, (I only know of one, A Female Army Sgt and Navy Lt) but both parties cannot be in the same unit.


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## Chopstick (Jan 10, 2013)

Im just hoping for an email scandal.


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## CDG (Jan 10, 2013)

I want to post, but I just can't afford to get involved in these case studies anymore.  I can't take how they use me for their own amusement and then don't call me for months at a time.


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## x SF med (Jan 11, 2013)

Since I am prescient (That means 'know the future' for those of you who have been dropped on your heads and/or don't read enough), I see Simon failing in his quest and Rollins falling for an 18Z...


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## Marauder06 (Jan 11, 2013)

CDG said:


> I want to post, but I just can't afford to get involved in these case studies anymore. I can't take how they use me for their own amusement and then don't call me for months at a time.


 


School starts back on Monday. This is my last semester and I'm going to be a little busy. This one HAS to be wrapped up by Sunday night.


/////

True to her word, Rollins cleared Division in one day, which in Faith’s opinion had to be some kind of record. They give you a week for a reason. At any rate, she was at PT that next morning. Today was long distance run day, which was easily Faith’s least-favorite PT activity. He disliked it even more when people tried to chat with him while he ran. Like Chief Rollins was doing right now.

“Hi sir!” she said cheerfully. “Mind if I run with you for a while?” If Faith could have talked, he would have explained to her in no uncertain terms that she could not, in fact, run with him a while. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Rollins, it wasn’t even that he didn’t want company on the run. He just didn’t want company that would be talking to him on the run. It was all Faith could do just to muster enough breath to keep up his speed, he had nothing left for conversation and was greatly annoyed by those who did. Faith glanced over at her but said nothing, hoping that would be a cue to her to move along. It didn’t work.

“So I hear that there is a big re-inspection of the SCIF coming up,” she began. Faith nodded. “Well, I was thinking that it kind of makes sense for me to be in charge of it.” Faith said nothing, so she continued: “Because, you know, it’s kind of what I did over at Division, the inspections. And I know all the inspectors, what they’re looking for, and what needs to be done the right way. I could have that whole SCIF straightened out in… a week. Ten days tops. What do you think?” Faith considered what she said. Maybe it was just the PT-induced pain talking, but it made a lot of sense. Faith looked at her and nodded. “Great! I’ll get started right after breakfast!” Faith nodded again and waved her on. She took off and was soon out of sight amongst the turns in the road and the trees in the woods. 

It did make a lot of sense to put Rollins in charge. She seemed to know what she was doing, plus she was motivated, which was always important. But this was a very important gig, Faith’s first real test as the MID commander. He wondered if putting someone new to the Group, truthfully an unknown quantity, in charge of something so big was really a good idea. If the Group failed to pass this re-inspection… well, Faith didn’t know what might happen, but he knew it wouldn’t be good.


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## DA SWO (Jan 11, 2013)

She passes, he gets congratulated and the 18's notice she can run as fast as they can (plus she has boobs).
ODAs start spending lots of time in the SCIF doing "area studies" and thinking about "undulating terrain".


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## Ranger Psych (Jan 12, 2013)

The only good thing about a chick that runs faster than you do is at least you can enjoy the scenery while you run.

Yes, I went there.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 12, 2013)

Faith hated running, but he always felt a sense of accomplishment once it was over. He wasn’t a great runner, never was and probably never would be. But he was sufficient. Six miles at a little over seven minutes a mile wasn’t going to break any records, especially not in a Special Forces Group, but it was well under the 8-minutes-per-mile standard. That was good enough, for now.

After PT, Faith made his way over to the old jailhouse where the MID was located. At first he hated the location; it was rundown and even rusty in places, but it had its own charm. For one thing, the showers had enormous water pressure and a seemingly-unending supply of hot water. The nozzles were also overhead; this meant Faith didn’t have to bend over to wash his hair or the top part of his body. In many locations, including his own house, the showerheads came out of a side wall and would put out an anemic stream of lukewarm water at about chest level, or “nametag defilade.” Faith hated that.

In some ways it was also nice to be separated from the Group. There were no sergeants major lurking around, and they could do pretty much whatever they wanted with the place. Communications were a bit a problem, but that could be solved.

Faith dressed in the office he shared with his detachment sergeant, MSG Marion. Faith was still unsure of what to think about the man. Many, many people had warned him about Marion over the last couple of days. Criticisms of him ranged from the ridiculous “He’s a dirty, nasty leg!” to the relevant “He is very, very hard to get along with.” But Faith sensed that there was something about the man, something positive. He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head.

“Something on your mind, sir?” MSG Marion inquired. He had the low, gravelly voice of someone who smoked heavily and had done a lot of shouting over his life.
“I’m thinking about the inspection,” Faith said. “Chief Rollins asked to be put in charge of it.”

“Makes sense,” the master sergeant replied.

“Yeah, but it’s kind of a big deal, maybe even a make-or-break thing for the MID’s credibility under this new arrangement between us and the Group S2 shop. And if the Group fails the re-inspection…”

“…things will be pretty bad for all of us,” Marion finished for him. “Well, do you trust her?”

“I guess so,” Faith replied. “Yeah, I trust her,” he said more emphatically.

“Then let her run with it. You’ve got some good NCOs down there,” Marion informed him, “They won’t let her, or you, fail. Besides, you’ve got a whole lot more things going on than just this re-inspection.”

“Like what?” Faith asked, genuinely curious.

“Like your change-of-command inventories,” Marion stated, lifting a large stack of paperwork off of his desk and letting it drop with a loud ‘thud.’ Faith groaned audibly.
“Don’t worry sir,” Marion said, grinning. “I’ve got you covered.”


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## policemedic (Jan 12, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> .
> “Don’t work sir,” Marion said, grinning. “I’ve got you covered.”


 
Fucking gold right there.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 12, 2013)

policemedic said:


> Fucking gold right there.


 
Gah!  That was supposed to be, "Don't worry," not "Don't work!"


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## DA SWO (Jan 12, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> “Like your change-of-command inventories,” Marion stated, lifting a large stack of paperwork off of his desk and letting it drop with a loud ‘thud.’ Faith groaned audibly.
> “Don’t worry sir,” Marion said, grinning. “I’ve got you covered.”


 
Faith is either fucked in the ass, or the NCO's think he has potential and have him covered.
Depends if they liked the ROAD Warrant, hated "The Dud", etc.

They can tube the inspection, and become Division Assets, or shine and stay with the Group.


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## Dame (Jan 12, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> Gah! That was supposed to be, "Don't worry," not "Don't work!"


Freudian slip then?


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Jan 12, 2013)

During the re-inspect, Cpt. Criss is going to get caught trying to "Simonize" Chief Rollins in the SCIF.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 12, 2013)

SkrewzLoose said:


> During the re-inspect, Cpt. Criss is going to get caught trying to "Simonize" Chief Rollins in the SCIF.


 
Is that what's happening in your avatar? 

/////

Master Sergeant Marion was right; there were a lot more things going on than “just” the no-fail inspection coming up. It would be impossible to everything himself; he would have delegate. And inherent in delegation is trust. At this point, Faith didn’t really know who he could trust. He did know one thing- if trust did not exist between the officer and NCO in charge, failure was almost certain. There wasn’t time for the usual trust- and confidence-building to develop, this was a unit that was in dire need of changes. Immediate changes. While there were bright spots here and there, it was hard to see their shine through the massive pile of crap they were buried under. That had to change, quickly. And it had to start with the two men in the commander’s office. Faith looked over at Marion. “You have time for a quick chat?” he asked.

“Sure sir, what do you want to talk about?” he replied.

“Everything,” Faith said as he stood up to close the door to the office.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jan 12, 2013)

No, Sir, but that might be kinda what it looks like.  
The scene in my avatar was one of the few times where Archer was NOT trying to be a pervert...believe it or not.  Hence the look on his face.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 12, 2013)

SkrewzLoose said:


> No, Sir, but that might be kinda what it looks like.
> The scene in my avatar was one of the few times where Archer was NOT trying to be a pervert...believe it or not. Hence the look on his face.


 
I saw that episode.  That was the underage tycoon's daughter who kept hitting on him... she asked him to "warm her up," and then he got busted... by his colleagues?  Mom?  I don't recall... in that compromising position.

I love Archer, I wish Netflix would hurry up with the next season...


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## SkrewzLoose (Jan 12, 2013)

The new season begins 17 JAN.  Does Netflix release the entire season all at once or is it in episodes and then the full season is released later?


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## digrar (Jan 13, 2013)

SkrewzLoose said:


> The new season begins 17 JAN. Does Netflix release the entire season all at once or is it in episodes and then the full season is released later?


 
Side tracking Mara from finishing this thread should be a hanging offence...


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## Marauder06 (Jan 13, 2013)

A short time later, after a very productive talk, Faith reopened the door to the office that he and Marion shared.  He felt a lot more confident and optimistic about the future of the MID.  During the discussion he discovered that he and Marion shared a lot of concerns, and a lot of very similar ideas about the future.  And it wasn’t just Marion agreeing with Faith’s vision; Marion offered a number of good ideas of his own.  He also provided institutional knowledge and unit-level experience, which is always a good balance to the “good idea fairy.”  Faith’s presence was required at an early-morning staff meeting, so they agreed to talk more in-depth after lunch.

At the top of the rusted steel staircase that led down to the parking lot, Faith was surprised to run into Chief Rollins.  “Hi, sir!” she said cheerfully.

“Hello, Ms. Rollins,” Faith said, genuinely glad to see her.  “All ready to start your first day with the MID?”

“Absolutely!” she replied enthusiastically.  “I have some inprocessing to do over at the Group headquarters.  I wanted to see if it was OK with you if I went ahead and knocked that out, they said it would take most of the day.”

“Yeah, of course, go ahead and get that taken care of.  You don’t want it to bite you in the ass later.”

“Soooo…. what do you think about me heading up the re-inspection prep?” she asked.  Faith liked the way she got straight to the point.

“I just got done talking with Master Sergeant Marion about that,” Faith told her, “and we both agree that it’s a great idea.  This is probably “the” most important thing we have going on at the moment, but there are a lot of other things, like the change of command inventories, that are going to require my attention.  So it’s all yours, Chief, don’t let me down.”

“I won’t sir!” Rollins said enthusiastically.  “So I was thinking, since I’m going to be running the inspection, it might be better for me to work out of the SCIF instead of here at the MID.  What do you think about me scaring up some desk space over there?”

“Well,” Faith said, “I’m clearing out of my old Assistant S2 office, why don’t you just move in up there?  It’s right upstairs from the SCIF, and on the same hallway with the S2 and the HHC commander, both of whom you’ll have to deal with for the inspection.”

Chief Rollins wrinkled her nose.  “Well, I guess I have to work with him, but I’ve got to tell you sir I don’t trust that Major Dudley one bit.  He’s dirty, just like Major Teller.”

“Tell me about it,” Faith muttered.  “But yeah, we have to work with those guys down there.  I’m counting on you, as the new guy, to find a way to get maintain some level of professional relationship in order to get our job done for the Group.”  Rollins nodded.
“And listen,” Faith continued, “I want to be the one to let the guys in the SCIF know what’s going on, with you in charge of the re-inspection effort.  With you being ‘the new guy,’” Faith used air quotes for emphasis, “to the unit, there could be a perception issue, like I don’t trust the NCOs who have worked down there for years to run the re-inspection.  That’s the opposite of the impression I want to convey.  I have absolute trust that they’ll do the right thing, and I don’t want them to think otherwise.  So I’ll let them know what’s going on this afternoon at the detachment training meeting.  Until then, keep this whole ‘I’m in charge of the SCIF’ thing under your hat.”

“No problem, sir.”

“And listen, one other thing, if that thing with Captain Criss got a bit out of hand yesterday…” Rollins cocked her head to the side and it was obvious that she didn’t know what Faith was talking about.  “At lunch?” Still nothing.  “All his comments?”
“Oh,” Rollins said, laughing.  If you’re worried that I might have been offended, I wasn’t.  I thought Captain Criss was funny as hell.  Charming even.” Faith felt a bit relieved.  “I’ve been in the Army a long time, sir, I know how to handle myself, and how to deal with most of the situations I’m going to find myself in.  If there’s ever something I can’t handle on my own, I’ll come straight to you.”

“Roger, Chief, have a good time at your inprocessing.”


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## Crusader74 (Jan 14, 2013)

The End....:-"


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## Marauder06 (Jan 14, 2013)

The end is written, it just hasn't been posted yet.


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## 0699 (Jan 14, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> The end is written, it just hasn't been posted yet.


 
This waiting crap sucks.  I think I'd rather be waterboarded... :blkeye:


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## Yoshi (Jan 15, 2013)

Vwe have ways of making you post Mr. Mara!

Thank you for posting these case studies. I think they are very well written and give me a lot of insight.


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## x SF med (Jan 15, 2013)

0699 said:


> This waiting crap sucks. I think I'd rather be waterboarded... :blkeye:


 
doesn't Bruno take care of that every evening?:troll:


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## Marauder06 (Jan 15, 2013)

Back at the Group headquarters, Faith endured another mind-numbing command and staff meeting.  Faith wasn’t opposed to meetings per se, but ones that were unproductive, time-consuming, and/or just plain stupid really irked him.  The biggest problem was, of course, The Dud.  He was, in Faith’s opinion, a terrible staff officer.  Complementing his stress-stammering and overall poor public speaking skills, he lacked a spine.  He let the operations types walk all over him, and foist  all sorts of unreasonable taskings on the Group S2 shop.  Faith intensely disliked the Group Assistant S3, Captain Jakis, for the way he tried to lord it over the Group’s support personnel.  In the short time that Faith had been in Group, he noticed that there tended to be two types of Special Forces Soldier:  those who were mature and secure with their status as genuine badasses, and those that felt that a long tab on their left shoulder meant 1) the rules didn’t apply to them, and 2) everyone else in the military was an inferior being.  Captain Jakis was clearly of the second type.  Fortunately, Jakis was a captain, which meant he and Faith were peers.  Additionally, this appeared to be a “deputies” meeting rather than a traditional command and staff.  No one in the rank of major or above (other than The Dud, and he didn’t count) was present.  That would be good later in case there needed to be some kind of confrontation.

Apparently, the MID and Group S2 section weren’t the only ones with an upcoming inspection.  Jakis had a list of of inspectable items, and was busily assigning them to the other staff section, which was interesting because Faith recognized them as areas for which an S3 section was usually responsible. 

“OK, the S6 has responsibility for COMSEC… S2 you’re going to handle the OPSEC inspection,” Jakis directed.  This caused Faith to raise an eyebrow.  OPSEC was DEFINITELY an S3 function.  But he said nothing; if The Dud was going to allow himself to be browbeaten into extra work, who was Faith to intervene?

“Uh, uhm,” The Dud began.  Faith rolled his eyes.  “Um, w-w-we don’t have the manpower to take on additional responsibilities,” The Dud stammered.  “A-a-all the guys I would have had to put against this tasking  are in the SCIF and now work for the MID, I think you should have M-M-M-Major Faith take that one.”

You slimy  little turd, Faith thought as he stared at The Dud incredulously.  For his part, The Dud seemed quite pleased with himself.

“OK then, OPSEC is yours,” Jakis stated, looking directly at Faith.

“Nope,” Faith replied flatly.

“Excuse me?” Jakis replied.  He seemed genuinely stunned.

“OPSEC is an operations function, not an intel function,” Faith informed him.  “That’s why it is ‘OPSEC’ and not ‘INTSEC.’  We’ll be glad to give you a hand, but we’re not doing your job for you.  We have our own inspection to get ready for.” 

Faith felt his face flush again.  He was getting angry, and that usually wasn’t helpful.  He forced himself to calm down, but at the same time he knew that the best way to confront a bully was head on.  And he also knew from his time in command in Korea that the best way to ensure his company didn’t get hit with dumb-ass taskings from assistant staff officers is to make it a pain in the ass for them every time they tried to pull some kind of shenanigans.  Eventually they quit trying to do it.  But you had to start off strong right away; any initial weakness would be hard to overcome later on.

Jakis’s eyes narrowed.  “Who are you again?” he asked.  Faith was astonished that an assistant to a primary staff officer in Group could not know who he was.  Faith knew who every primary and assistant staff officer at the Group level and in all the battalions, and he had only been in Group a short time.

“Scott Faith, the new MID commander,” he replied tersely.

“See me after this meeting?” Jakis asked, looking at Faith closely.


----------



## Mac_NZ (Jan 15, 2013)

I hope this recent turn of events means there's finally going to be an Orificer fight.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Jan 15, 2013)

Ha, at this point, Faith would probably rather be up in that plane right now.


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## policemedic (Jan 16, 2013)

Jakis is a derivation of the Olde English Jackhisoff.  In short, a family name reserved for cunting wankers since King Arthur's time.


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## Gypsy (Jan 16, 2013)

policemedic said:


> Jakis is a derivation of the Olde English Jackhisoff. In short, a family name reserved for cunting wankers since King Arthur's time.


 
I thought it was short for Jackass.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 16, 2013)

Gypsy said:


> I thought it was short for Jackass.


 
That's what I had in mind, actually,


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## policemedic (Jan 16, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> That's what I had in mind, actually,


 
Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.


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## Salt USMC (Jan 16, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> "I think you should have M-M-M-Major Faith take that one.”


 
So you're promoting your characters mid-story now?


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## Marauder06 (Jan 16, 2013)

Deathy McDeath said:


> So you're promoting your characters mid-story now?


 
Well, you know how The Dud is, always getting shit in the story wrong and stuff.


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## x SF med (Jan 16, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> Well, you know how The Dud is, always getting shit in the story wrong and stuff.


 
because he has weak or non existent NCOs to proof read his reports....


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## Marauder06 (Jan 20, 2013)

Most of the rest of the meeting, Faith was focused not on the discussion at hand but on the pending meeting with Jakis.  “Jakis?” Faith mused, “more like ‘Jackass.’”  Faith glance at Jakis.  He looked kind of tough.  And the only reason he’d want to see Faith after this meeting is to fight.  Fine, game on bitches.  It wouldn’t be the first time he had a squabble with another officer.

Faith’s daydream about what he was going to do to Jakis after the meeting was interrupted when the staff duty runner appeared at the door.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” the private said, “but the DCO said he needs to see Major Dudley.  Now.”  Dudley, stammering, gathered his things and excused himself from the meeting. 

When the meeting was over, Faith remained seated as the rest of the staff members filed out.  Jakis closed the door and walked over to Faith.  Faith stood up, not wanted to be seated if he was going to be on the receiving end of a dressing-down, or something more physical.  Faith was slightly taller than the other man, but Faith estimated Jakis’s fitness was probably significantly better.  Jakis walked over to Faith until he was close enough to touch. Then he did something unexpected.  He held out his right hand.
“I don’t think we’ve been introduced formally,” he said in an even, almost friendly voice, “I’m Jared Jakis, the Group assistant S3.” 

“I know who you are,” Faith responded suspiciously.  If Jakis detected the tone, he didn’t let on.

“You’re Scott Faith, the new MID commander, right?” Jakis said as he slid into a seat at the table and indicated with his hand that Faith should join him.  “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you earlier,  I don’t get out of the S3 shop much,” he added, smiling broadly.
Faith hesitated for a moment.  “I’m sorry,” he finally managed to say,” I didn’t expect this to be the way this ‘see me after class’ meeting was going to go,” he told Jakis.  Jakis looked perplexed.  “What, you didn’t think we were going to fight or something, did you?” he asked rhetorically.  “Well, actually…” Faith thought to himself.  “Too tell you the truth,” Jakis continued, “I’m just glad to finally find someone in the intel shop who has a pair of balls.”

Again Faith said nothing, sensing it would be better to let Jakis continue.

“Look,” said Jakis, “You’re absolutely right about the OPSEC thing.  I read the reg before I came to this meeting.  But there were two reasons I tried to put it off on the J2.  One,” he said, raising his index finger, “That guy doesn’t do shit around here.  For once I’d like to see him pull his weight for the Group.”  Faith nodded his head enthusiastically.
  “Two,” he added, raising his middle finger parallel to his raised index, “…I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to OPSEC,” he admitted sheepishly.  “This stuff is complicated and time-consuming.  I need a little help to get through it.”

Faith nodded once again.  “I have some people who are very familiar with the security regs, OPSEC and our intel-specific inspection requirements are actually pretty similar.  If you want, I’ll have my people come by and see you or whomever you put in charge of the OPSEC portion of your inspection, and we can help you guys out.”

“That would be great,” Jakis said.


----------



## Marauder06 (Jan 21, 2013)

Sorry guys, I completely rewrote the rest of the story after post #488, originally Jakis was going to be another antagonist, but I felt like I was making too many SF guys the bad guys in this story, when that's really not the focus here. Now Jakis is a good guy and I had to change a bunch of stuff. But it's coming along and I almost have the middle matched up with the end.

/////

Faith and Jakis talked for about 20 more minutes about a variety of different subjects. Faith left the room feeling both relieved, and enthusiastic about being asked to help out another staff section. He also departed feeling Jakis wasn’t such a jackass after all.

As he exited the meeting room, Faith literally ran into The Dud, who was furiously pounding his way down the hallway. “Oh, sorry!” Faith exclaimed before he realized who he had run into. He wished he had lowered his shoulder instead. “You!!” The Dud hissed by way of greeting. “My office!” and then he stomped his way down to his office, entered, and slammed the door shut behind him. Faith considered simply leaving, but decided that it would be more amusing to find out what was bothering The Dud so much. Still though, he wasn’t going to play this little “I’m a major, you’re a captain, do what I say now” game. So Faith took his time meandering down the hallway, pausing to read the policy letters on a corkboard in the middle of the hallway. He read through the Commander’s Open Door Policy, the Equal Opportunity Policy, and the Consideration of Others/Prevention of Sexual Harrassment Policy. Not for the first time, Faith idly wondered why all of these policies were presented first, with the Army’s emphasis on “put the bottom line up front.” Shouldn’t the policy that establishes the Group’s mission, or the one that states the Commander’s vision, be presented first with all of the other policies following after in support? 

Eventually, the door to The Dud’s office cracked open and Faith saw him peeking out. “I’ll be right there, sir,” Faith said, knowing he had won this little battle. When The Dud closed the door again, Faith walked down to it, knocked twice, and entered without being invited.

“What can I do for you today, sir?” Faith asked cheerfully.

“You.” The Dud said angrily. “I don’t know how you did it.” The Dud was red in the face and visibly shaking. This caught Faith’s attention; he couldn’t remember seeing The Dud so angry before. Faith said nothing, but walked over to the large bookshelf in The Dud’s office and ran a finger across a line of books, as if he were browsing at a library. This was a calculated move of casualness that Faith intended to irritate The Dud. “Wow, you’ve got some great books here, sir,” Faith said, ignoring The Dud’s initial comments.

“Do you know what this is?” The Dud demanded rhetorically, holding up a piece of paper. “This is a counseling statement from the Group Commander! About the inspection that YOU just made us fail!”

“Really?” Faith said, genuinely surprised. He took a step closer to examine the paper. The Dud snatched it away.

“This should have been YOUR counseling statement,” he said. 

“Well, sir, if you’ll remember, you tried that once. It didn’t go so well for you.” Faith paused, thinking. “Of course, you could go back to the Group Commander and blame all of this on me, he might see it your way,” he said, knowing that wouldn’t happen.

“I tried that,” The Dud said with exasperation. 

“How’d that work out for you?” Faith asked. The Dud just glowered.

Faith, uninvited, sat down on the small vinyl loveseat in front of the bookshelf. 

“So, are we done here?” he asked casually.

“Not even close,” The Dud replied angrily. “First you show up here, and because your father was some bigshot in Group back in the day, you con the DCO into giving you MY job as the MID commander, then you purposely screw up that inspection to make me look bad. You’re just… a-a-a-nobody. And I’ve been in Group for three years.’

Faith considered The Dud’s words. It was clear to Faith that he possessed the upper hand over The Dud in this… discussion… argument… whatever it was they had going on between the two of them. But he couldn’t resist twisting the knife a little.

“You know what your problem is, sir?” Faith inquired, running a finger across the line of books behind him as he sat. “You have all this time in the Group, but no one wants to give you any of the good jobs here. You have all this rank, but no one respects you. And you have all of these books here, and yet you have no knowledge.” 

“You have all of these field manuals, but can’t pass an inspection,” he continued. “You have all of these books by military masters… Clausewitz, Machiavelli, Thucydides, Sun Tzu…, but you constantly get out-maneuvered by people like me. Here,” Faith took down a book and opening it to a familiar page. “If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril in every battle,” he read. “Art of War, Sun Tzu, III/31. You see,” he said, standing and walking over to place the open book down in front of The Dud, “the problem with you, sir, is you don’t know shit.” 

The dud glanced down at the open page, read the few lines and flew into a rage. He tore the page from the book and slammed them both down onto the table. “Get the f-f-f-fuck out of m-my o-o-o-o-“

“Office?” Faith offered helpfully. The Dud picked up the book, now minus one page, and flung it at Faith. Faith, not expecting this, was struck in the chest but caught the book before it hit the ground.

“Get the fuck out!!” The Dud raged. Faith calmly walked over to the door, opened it, stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

“Fuck you, Faith! I’ll get you for this!” he heard shouted from inside the office.

“Well, at least I got a free book out of it,” Faith thought tp himself as he left the building to make the drive back over to the MID.


----------



## Mac_NZ (Jan 22, 2013)

Shit just got real yo!


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## Salt USMC (Jan 22, 2013)

He's right: He got a free book out of the deal!

Also Mara, did you get a -2A job recently or does your AV mean something else?


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## Marauder06 (Jan 22, 2013)

-2A job is a good guess.  But the only job I'm going to have for the forseeable future is either "student" or "teacher."  

2A = Second Amendment.


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## DA SWO (Jan 22, 2013)

Faith went a little too far.


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## dirtmover (Jan 22, 2013)

The Dud forgot to add "and your little dog too."  Lol


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## Chopstick (Jan 22, 2013)

SOWT said:


> Faith went a little too far.


Well he didnt throw the book back at him.


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## Karoshi (Jan 22, 2013)

dirtmover said:


> The Dud forgot to add "and your little dog too." Lol


 
You must mean "a-a-a-a-and your li-li-li-little dog t-t-t-t-oo!"


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## DA SWO (Jan 22, 2013)

Chopstick said:


> Well he didnt throw the book back at him.


Still, you can't expect your men to act professional if you are going to be an ass.
He could have gotten his point across better, but done it without being arrogant.  Faith could have "mentored" the Major. He had a great point about all the major's trappings, yet him lacking knowledge, without being an ass.


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## Chopstick (Jan 22, 2013)

SOWT said:


> Still, you can't expect your men to act professional if you are going to be an ass.
> He could have gotten his point across better, but done it without being arrogant. Faith could have "mentored" the Major. He had a great point about all the major's trappings, yet him lacking knowledge, without being an ass.


There was no one in the room but Dud and Faith.  I liked what he said/did.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 22, 2013)

Chopstick said:


> There was no one in the room but Dud and Faith. I liked what he said/did.


 
Well, it makes for an interesting story at least ;)


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## Chopstick (Jan 22, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> Well, it makes for an interesting story at least ;)


It does..I mean just Faith, the Dud and US!


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## Mac_NZ (Jan 22, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> Well, it makes for an interesting story at least ;)


 
What would be even more interesting is the rest of the story.

Just saying.


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## dirtmover (Jan 22, 2013)

I wish TJ was a real person because I know what I would get he for a welcome to the MID gift.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 22, 2013)

dirtmover said:


> I wish TJ was a real person because I know what I would get he for a welcome to the MID gift.


 
In the story, it sounds like he's working on getting himself an Article-15 or a court-martial as a welcome gift. 

At the same time though, CPT Faith says that since he's not a real person, any and all gifts should be addressed to a person who calls himself "Marauder06," whoever that is. And he sent this picture, not sure what it could mean:


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## x SF med (Jan 22, 2013)

You could also send him this...


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## dirtmover (Jan 22, 2013)

Nay my good friends I was thinking of a little desk ornament that had a small little bucket with the Sun Tzu passage on it lol.  Good ole TJ reminds me of when I was young and brazen like that...though it doesn't go well when one is a specialist dealing with a SGT and a SFC lol.  Still waiting to see what CPT faith's OER looks like from The Dud.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 23, 2013)

dirtmover said:


> Nay my good friends I was thinking of a little desk ornament that had a small little bucket with the Sun Tzu passage on it lol. Good ole TJ reminds me of when I was young and brazen like that...though it doesn't go well when one is a specialist dealing with a SGT and a SFC lol. Still waiting to see what CPT faith's OER looks like from The Dud.


 
Faith doesn't have the Sun Tzu excerpt, he has the book, missing a page out of it.

Hm, I wonder if that was foreshadowing or anything...


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## dirtmover (Jan 23, 2013)

I would get inscribed for him so it wouldn't be as easy to rip it lol.   I hope our awesome but slow writer puts up the actual OER up. ;)


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## LibraryLady (Jan 23, 2013)

dirtmover said:


> ...   I hope our awesome but slow writer puts up the actual OER up. ;)


 
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?  He _was_ supposed to have this done before the semester started back up and now you're asking him to ADD to the story?



LL


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## reed11b (Jan 23, 2013)

Marauder06, 'Urry up.
Reed


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## Marauder06 (Jan 23, 2013)

The next few weeks were a blur of activity. MSG Marion was right; Faith never could have pulled it all off on his own. 

During one of the early company training meetings, Faith laid out his vision for the MID, which specifically included a top-to-bottom renaissance of the SCIF and the MID company area. He started with what he termed Operation GROSS, which was the both-funny-and-witty acronym he developed for Get Rid Of Some Shit, and was also the word Faith thought best summed up the working environment of both the MID headquarters area in the old stockade complex as well as the inside of the SCIF. Tasks included shoveling years worth of accumulated pigeon poop and bat guano out of the cell block, shredding decades worth of classified papers, digital media, maps and map overlays, turning in piles of obsolete furniture and military equipment, and clearing out company’s share of deployment connex boxes. 

Simultaneously with Operation GROSS, Faith conducted his preliminary change-of-command inventories. During one particularly memorable and unfortunately awkward moment, Faith went to supervise the opening of a small connex that no one wanted to claim. After cutting the lock, Faith looked on while a couple of troops from the MID cleared and inventoried the contents. There was the usual assortment of deployment items: spare weapons magazines, several cots, an assortment of DVDs, some communication-related equipment, and a small paper bag which ripped open as it was being handled. This last item disgorged a large, purple, phallic-shaped device that clattered to the floor. The Soldier who had handled the package looked at Faith, mortified. Faith looked over at MSG Reynolds, who was handling the inventory sheet.

“You reckon that’s on the company hand receipt?” Faith asked Marion, looking down at what was clearly a massive dildo. Marion, seeing Faith’s expression, knew he was joking.

“Don’t know sir, for someone that might have been a mission-critical item,” he replied, deadpan. 

“Want me to have Specialist Smith there check it for a serial number?” Specialist Smith did not look pleased with that idea.

“Nah,” Faith replied, “It’s probably Class IX expendible.”

“Probably more like Class VI, sir,” Marion answered.

“Well played, Master Sergeant,” Faith said in admiration.

“Well, don’t just stand there, Smith,” Marion snapped. “Get that thing tossed in the trash and let’s finish up this inventory.” Smith used the remnants of the paper bag to gingerly pick up the dildo and, holding it as far away as possible from his body, took it over to the trash and tossed it in.

“You know,” Marion said to Faith after Smith was out of earshot, “the funny thing is, based on the stuff that was in here I think this was a SOT-A box.”

“Aren’t all the SOT-As male?” Faith inquired.

“Yep.”

“Nice,” was all Faith could think to say.


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## DA SWO (Jan 23, 2013)

SOT-A section had a buddy fucker,


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## LibraryLady (Jan 24, 2013)

I go away from the boards for a few days looking forward with keen anticipation that when I return, the end is going to be there... but just like the Mayans... the author is but a tease.

As I leave again for a few days, will I, should I look forward again....?

LL


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## Marauder06 (Jan 24, 2013)

Well, I have the last bit written already, just trying to tie together the part I have now with the ending, through a complete re-write of the portion in between (I didn't like how it worked the first time, it kind of came across as "SF guys are assholes and support guys are the source of all goodness in Group" which isn't true, isn't how I feel, and wasn't what I wanted to convey in the story).

So, for you impatient types ;) who want to jump to the end, below is the last paragraph or so of the story.  I posted it in white so it wouldn't be a spoiler, if you want to read it highlight it with your cursor and you'll be able to see it.  It won't make total sense without the part preceding it (which is still in cut-and-paste pieces at the moment) so you'll have to use your imagination as to how we get where we are now in the story to this ending, but here it is:

Faith smiled.  “Will, I’m going to be OK,” he said.  It was true; Faith didn’t feel… anything.  He was over the anger and the disappointment, he didn’t even feel a sense of emptiness that everything he had worked so hard for had crashed to the ground and the hands of The Dud.  Faith had played the game, and had lost.  This time.  But not for long.

Faith looked down at his uniform shirt and unclipped the SCIF access badge.  He tossed it gently on top of the pile of inspection material.

“Had to work hard to get that,” he mused.  “Want to walk me out?”

And with that, Captain Scott Faith, formerly of the 2nd Special Forces Group, got into his truck and drove home, to find his wife already there waiting for him with a tall glass of Southern Comfort and Diet Cherry Coke.

THE END.


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## CDG (Jan 24, 2013)

Ok, how do you do that little invisible Internet ink trick?


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## Marauder06 (Jan 24, 2013)

CDG said:


> Ok, how do you do that little invisible Internet ink trick?


 
Click anywhere in the text of that post and hold down the mouse button. Then drag your cursor, with the button still held down, to the end of the post. This will highlight the text and cause the hidden text (actually just text written in white) to appear.

The text in my post above is the actual ending to the story, if I would have thought about it before, I would have put this instead: 

Wait your turn like everyone else, bitches!!!!


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## CDG (Jan 24, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> Click anywhere in the text of that post and hold down the mouse button. Then drag your cursor, with the button still held down, to the end of the post. This will highlight the text and cause the hidden text (actually just text written in white) to appear.
> 
> The text in my post above is the actual ending to the story, if I would have thought about it before, I would have put this instead:
> 
> Wait your turn like everyone else, bitches!!!!


Ah.  So it's just white text.  That's what I was getting at, how to "make" the invisible ink.


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## Crusader74 (Jan 24, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> Well, I have the last bit written already, just trying to tie together the part I have now with the ending, through a complete re-write of the portion in between (I didn't like how it worked the first time, it kind of came across as "SF guys are assholes and support guys are the source of all goodness in Group" which isn't true, isn't how I feel, and wasn't what I wanted to convey in the story).
> 
> So, for you impatient types ;) who want to jump to the end, below is the last paragraph or so of the story. I posted it in white so it wouldn't be a spoiler, if you want to read it highlight it with your cursor and you'll be able to see it. It won't make total sense without the part preceding it (which is still in cut-and-paste pieces at the moment) so you'll have to use your imagination as to how we get where we are now in the story to this ending, but here it is:
> 
> ...


 
So Faith dies in a car crash.. that sucks..


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## Gypsy (Jan 24, 2013)

I can't read the end of a book before I get to it.  So...I'll wait.  As my hair starts turning gray.


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## reed11b (Jan 24, 2013)

Marauder06, if you have time to post fancy invisible endings, you have time to make real posts. Do push-ups then 'urry up!
Reed


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## Salt USMC (Jan 24, 2013)

Irish said:


> So Faith dies in a car crash.. that sucks..


I think maybe he contracted mad cow disease


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## Marauder06 (Jan 25, 2013)

Minus that one unfortunate incident, the rest of Operation GROSS went flawlessly.  It was good to do it in conjunction with the change of command inventories, because a lot of the subcomponent parts that might have otherwise been “missing” were “found” due to the thoroughness of the program.  As far as major end items, Faith was surprised to find that MSG Marion had memorized almost all of the “sensitive” items such as radios and crypto gear, and knew without checking his hand receipts which team or individual had signed for it.  It was quite an impressive talent.  When Faith once commented on it, Marion replied, “Yeah sir, I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a thing for numbers.  I look at them once, maybe twice, and it sticks in my head pretty much forever.”  Faith was duly impressed.

Working with him so closely in preparation for the upcoming inspections, Faith felt like he was beginning to understand why so many of the other senior NCOs and some of the young troops didn’t like MSG Marion:  he upheld standards.  In a world where it would be easy to coast, MSG Marion kept everyone going full-speed ahead.  Soldiers were expected to come to PT on time.  There were expected to put in a full day’s work for a full day’s pay.  They had to wear the uniform, correctly, every day.  Saluting and the wear of headgear outdoors was enforced.  Accountability of self, subordinates, and supplies was expected from every NCO.  Very basic “Army stuff.”  Yet some people resented it.  Faith thought it was just what the unit needed.  Faith could see pride and discipline creeping back into the MID.

Chief Rollins did her part as well, falling on the task of preparing the SCIF with the enthusiasm of a zealot.  Her enthusiasm was contagious; soon the enlisted personnel, NCOs, and even the other warrants who worked in the SCIF were working hard to get the SCIF up to standard.  Chief Rollins not only made the SCIF personnel work hard; she made the work fun.

Eventually, everything was in place for the big inspection, with the change of command scheduled for the following Friday.  Although it wasn’t stated implicitly, Faith felt it was understood that him assuming command was contingent upon the results of the inspection.  
At last, the day of the big inspection arrived…


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## policemedic (Jan 25, 2013)

SOWT said:


> SOT-A section had a buddy fucker,


 
Self-fucker, methinks.


----------



## Marauder06 (Jan 25, 2013)

policemedic said:


> Self-fucker, methinks.


 
Who knows.  This is one part of the story that is actually kind of true.  I think I told the "real life" story on the site once before.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 25, 2013)

The inspection went flawlessly. Better than flawlessly, it was, in the words of the inspectors, “the best security inspection in USASFC history.” Although it was a team effort and would not have happened without everyone’s input, Faith felt that Chief Rollins’ performance was above and beyond what was expected and put her in for an “impact AAM.” Faith asked MSG Marion to confer with the NCOs who worked in the SCIF to see if there were any other Soldiers who warranted special recognition. They recommended an AAM for one young specialist who had been particularly diligent with some very complicated paperwork, and a three-day pass for a private who had come in on two separate weekends, of his own volition, to clean the SCIF in advance of the inspection. All of the NCOs steadfastly refused any recognition, “we were just doing our job, sir. Give the credit to Chief Rollins and our Joes.”

The change of command inventories went off without a hitch as well. Between Operation GROSS, effective hand receipt maintenance, and some good old-fashioned scrounging, there were no shortages. None. No major end items unaccounted for, no items “in maintenance” without the right paperwork, no minor subcomponents missing. Everything was accounted for. This, too, was apparently a bit of a first for the Group.

After the change of command ceremony, the DCO called out Chief Rollins’ name, as well as the name of the specialist and the private who had been nominated for their roles in the inspection. He also called out CPT Faith’s name. Faith knew that this was for Rollins and the other two to receive their recognition for the inspection, and when his name was called as well, he expected that this was so he could accompany the DCO as he handed out the awards. When he stood beside the DCO, who was facing the three award recipients-to-be, the DCO hissed “What the fuck are you doing, TJ? Get your ass over there with the rest of the awardees.” Embarrassed, Faith joined the other three and listened while the citation for his own impact AAM was read out, followed by Chief Rollins’, and the other awardees. The last Soldier in line, the one that was nominated for a three-day pass, had his recommended award upgraded to a four-day pass.

As soon as the ceremony was over, Faith removed the AAM dangling from the left breast pocket of his BDU shirt and stuffed it into his pocket. “What’s the matter, sir, were you hoping to receive a higher award?” Faith turned around and saw MSG Marion approaching him, grinning, followed by some of the other NCOs from the MID.

“I don’t deserve this,” Faith answered, unamused. “Chief Rollins and the guys in the SCIF did all the work getting ready for the inspection, and the change of command inventory was your baby. If anyone should have gotten an award out of this, it should have been you, Master Sergeant, and the rest of the NCOs.”

“Who do you think put you in for that award in the first place?” Marion inquired, still smiling broadly.

“Yeah, that was kind of fun,” said another NCO. “Yeah, you should have read some of the initial citations,” chimed in another.

MSG Marion rolled his eyes. “I asked for recommendations for the citation, and most of them were along the lines of, ‘For Not Being an Asshole Officer,’ or ‘Finally, an O with some balls.’ But it worked out OK. Besides,” he said, “how many AAMs is this for you, anyway?”

Faith thought for a second. “Well, I guess this is… number two.” That, apparently, was pretty funny to the NCOs present.

“Damn, sir, I’ve got eight!”

“Eleven for me.”

“Fourteen,” said MSG Marion.

“Twenty-three!” exclaimed another NCO. Everyone stopped and looked at him. “What? I was in the Old Guard for eleven years, and before that I was the general’s driver.”

“Anyway,” MSG Marion said, “It was your plans that got everything together, your leadership that provided the direction, and it would have been your ass if it had ended badly. So it’s your AAM. 

“It still doesn’t seem right,” Faith said, unconvinced.

“Look sir, trust me, there will be plenty of times in your career in the Army when the Great Green Weenie is going to screw you out of something you really, really deserve.” Several heads nodded enthusiastically to this. “Consider this a balancing action of karma. Now, fish that thing out and put it back on your coat where it belongs, and let’s get to that reception. You better not have gone cheap on the chow.”

“Or the beer!” the NCO with twenty-three AAMs added. Shortly thereafter, the party was on.


----------



## SkrewzLoose (Jan 25, 2013)

Waiting for the other shoe/boot to drop...


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## Marauder06 (Jan 25, 2013)

What, that's not the end of the story?


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## Chopstick (Jan 25, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> What, that's not the end of the story?


It never said  
"THE END".


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## Marauder06 (Jan 26, 2013)

Well, I guess there's more to come, then ;)

OK, so with the last bit I posted, we have come to the end of the flashback; Faith is done reminiscing about things that happened in the past, and we’re now all caught back up with him in present time. So if in subsequent posts you see ranks have changed, or that different people are filling positions that had someone else in them during the flashback, that’s not an error (well, I guess it could be an error, I need to go back and do some editing). We’re finally almost at the point where I can tie the re-write into the ending and call this one done.

Before that, though, I wanted to take some time to discuss some leadership-related issues associated with this thread. First off, a lot of people ask me how much of this story is true. The answer is usually “almost nothing.” Again, if it’s dangerous, exciting, heroic, or really even interesting, it didn’t happen in real life. Or at least it didn’t happen to me. 

As far as other characters in this case study go, they are mostly based on real-life people but there are some pure inventions, and there are some characters that change over times in terms of who I think about when I write about them. There are some very close similarities between the senior NCOs in this case study and the detachment sergeants/first sergeants in these stories. In fact, if they ever read these they will probably laugh out loud at some of the inside jokes I have included. Chief Rollins is a total fabrication, I know that will disappoint many of you. She is actually a combination of the personalities of several female officers and NCOs I have worked with in the past, along with the work ethic and job knowledge of another warrant officer who happened to be male. Sorry, guys.

The Chief Michaels character is almost totally made up. There was a W5 at Group that I had an enormous amount of respect for and who kind of took me under his wing. He never knew my father, that part was made up because I thought it made a good story. And if I would have tried in real life some of the things Faith was pulling in this story, the real-life “Michaels” probably would have choked me unconscious and left me on the steps of the Division G1 with PCS orders stapled to my chest.

The DCO character is a compilation of several different SF officers who were on the Group staff, including two who really looked out for me. The GSC commander character is based on two former commanders of the GSC that I worked with. Both of them were awesome. Neither of them died in real life, unlike in the story. The characters named Sy Paulson and Al James are both based on real SF Soldiers who died during or shortly after the time I was in Group. RIP gentlemen.

Now, for The Dud. Although I had no love for the string of S2s who were in the Group while I was there, none of them were as bad as The Dud and I did not have a real-life relationship with any of them as the main character has in this story. The Dud in this story is a combination of a lot of different people I have worked with over the years and is NOT representative of a single person. But every good story needs a good bad guy, and for this story, The Dud is it. There is also another character, Major Roberts, who is again a combination of different “bad” people. He has come up a couple of times in the past, but he’s going to be a lot more important shortly.

There are several other characters who are either named after or based on our very own ShadowSpear members. The names and/or personalities of several of the SF Soldiers in this story are members, and the Simon Criss character is based (very loosely) on a very, very good friend of mine who is also a member of this site, although I’m sure as he’s reading this he’s saying “wtf dude, I don’t act like that in real life!” lol.

The “safe full of classified out I in the hallway” story is, unfortunately, nearly all true. And yes it was set to the factory default combo, and yes my wife was the one who suggested we try it. And the whole “finding the purple dildo” thing was, unfortunately, almost completely true. Although I am terrified of jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, I have done it many times. Unlike “TJ,” I have never had a malfunction and have never been at an Airborne operation in which one has occurred. My reserve did deploy once, my last jump with Group, when we jumped into very high winds and I hit the road and got dragged. Somehow in all of that my rip cord reserve handle pulled and the reserve “deployed” into the street as I was getting pulled along. That was fun to try to explain to the riggers. “Hey sir why did you pull your reserve AFTER you hit the ground?” 

So, after having read this case study up to this point, what kinds of leadership lessons can you extrapolate? Some of the concepts I’m trying to impart are the following:

1) You can’t do everything on your own. You have to be a strong leader, but it’s important to trust and empower subordinates, particularly NCOs, to accomplish the unit mission.
2) Don’t be a jerk when you don’t have to.
3) If you’re in charge, you are responsible for everything that happens or fails to happen in your formation. This lesson will be especially important towards the very end of this case study.
4) A good part of “luck” involves working hard to get yourself in a position to be in the right place, with the right skills, at the right time to take advantage of opportunities that arise.

Do you agree with the points above? What kinds of other things come across to you in these readings?


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## DA SWO (Jan 26, 2013)

I am soo fucking confused?


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## SkrewzLoose (Jan 26, 2013)

1) Choose your battles wisely/know your opponent
2) K.I.S.S.
3) Don't worry yourself with things you can't change


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## Marauder06 (Jan 26, 2013)

I was afraid of that, I didn't transition effectively.

OK, so you read in the previous case studies about the MID going to Iraq, and then coming back, the issues with CPT James, etc.  Shortly after the beginning of this case study, there was a flashback to explain how CPT Faith got the MID Cdr job, and to introduce background on some of the key characters.  The last story-related post I made marked the end of the flashback, and we're now back to the point in the story where we would have been had the flashback never occurred.  I'll work on it.


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## Chopstick (Jan 26, 2013)

So Ive been having flashbacks this entire time??


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## SkrewzLoose (Jan 26, 2013)

No, those are hot flashes.


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## Chopstick (Jan 26, 2013)

SkrewzLoose said:


> No, those are hot flashes.


Then why am I freezing my ass off?


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## SkrewzLoose (Jan 26, 2013)

Chopstick said:


> Then why am I freezing my ass off?


2 different parts of the body, Chop.  Geez...


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## Marauder06 (Jan 31, 2013)

Almost a year later, at a party to celebrate the return of 2nd Group from an arduous deployment to Iraq, Faith had a chance to reflect upon the events that had occurred since he first arrived.  Faith was greatly entertained by the way in which Soldiers in the MID retold the stories about the MID’s travails in dealing with The Dud and the difficulties they faced during their deployment.  As the night grew longer, Faith noticed that the tales were getting taller.  Having been personally present for the events being related, he knew they were in some cases being wildly exaggerated.  But they were entertaining nonetheless, and Faith did nothing to correct them.

A lot had happened in the past year; on top of the combat losses suffered by the Group, several retirements, promotions, and other rotations had occurred.  MSG Marion, the long-serving detachment sergeant of the MID, had been replaced by Master Sergeant Reynolds, who was laterally appointed to First Sergeant when the MID went from being a “detachment” to a “company” (although everyone still referred to it as the MID; the acronym MIC was, perhaps, too pejorative).  Reynolds was Faith’s right hand during some extremely difficult times (see:  case studies The Loving Wife, The Soul Plane Incident, and Karma).  But now Reynolds was on his way out as well, having come down on the list for promotion to Sergeant Major. 

The Group Commander had rotated out, and Chief Michaels, for so long Faith’s champion within the Group, had retired.  The DCO  remained for now; his PCS out of the Group on hold until the new Commander got settled in.  There were many new faces within the MID, as well.

Some things hadn’t changed, though; The Dud was still… The Dud.  He and Faith maintained their general antipathy towards each other, but until recently, there had been far fewer big blow-ups between the two.  The mutual animosity between the two officers and their respective shops remained though; that hadn’t changed.  And despite the passage of time, the enablers within the MID still struggled for credibility with the Special Forces Soldiers they supported.  On that last issue in particular, Faith wondered if was going to be able to make headway.

There was some good news, though.  The 2nd Group MID had gone from being the laughingstock of USASFC to being one of the best.  In fact, they were in the running for the SOCOM’s “intel enablers of the year” award.  Faith also felt like he was on the cusp of convincing the 2nd Group leadership to initiate a Group-internal assessment, selection, and training program for intelligence personnel assigned to the Group.  Faith envisioned this as something that would start off small, within 2nd Group, then expand to all the Groups individually, and then be adopted by the USASFC schoolhouse.  Ultimately, it was the goal to have every enabler, not just the intel types, go through a program comparable to what the 18-series Special Forces troops went through, only specific to those respective enabler MOSs.

Faith knew he faced an uphill battle; he sensed that many in the Group were suspicious of any type of selection for enablers.  In fact, the current Group Commander, a new arrival who Faith did not yet know well, expressed extreme skepticism.  The new commander once remarked to Faith, “I don’t trust anything not wearing a tab,” meaning anyone who wasn’t Special Forces qualified.  But Faith felt that the MID had really made its bones within the Group by providing what was almost universally regarded as an extraordinary level of support to the ODAs, the command group, the battalions and companies, and to the other staff sections.  This gave Faith some hope that the gains in the relationships between intelligence enablers and the 18-series personnel they supported could be sustained, improved, and eventually utilized in order to implement some changes that, Faith felt, would have permanent positive effects.

Faith had closely coordinated with the friends he had made amongst the 18-series Soldiers in 2nd Group, and incorporated their insights and suggestions into his plan for the enabler selection.  Some of them went so far as to volunteer to be part-time graders for the assessment and selection portions of the program, and to help train those who made it through the process.  Consequently, Faith was optimistic that he would be given the opportunity to try out his plan, and for it to succeed or fail on its own merits.
When he briefed the new Group Commander, however, the man was unconvinced.  

“You focus on the 50-meter target, Faith,” he instructed, “Your first priority is getting us through the annual intel inspection.  You do that, and then we’ll talk more about this little pet project of yours.  And about you being the new Group S2, after Major Dudley moves over to Division.”


----------



## Marauder06 (Feb 10, 2013)

Faith felt a little annoyed about his plan being referred to as a “pet project.”  This was something that was going to be good for all of Group, and Faith wished more people would see it that way.  He was also a little annoyed that the MID was still saddled with this responsibility, when it was in fact the S2’s job.  That’s OK though, Faith thought, the MID would come through for the Group just like it had for the entire time he had been in command, and that would give him enough credibility with the new Group commander that he would finally be able to implement the new enabler screening program, which he was calling ASP, for Assessment and Selection Program.

By now, Faith and the other leaders of the MID, specifically First Sergeant Reynolds and Chief Rollins (now promoted to CW3), were presiding over a company which ran like a well-oiled machine.  Most of the dead weight had been cut away, and the troops who were left were motivated, fit, experienced, and most of all, effective.  Several of them, especially the SOT-As and CI personnel, were frequently “by-name requested” by certain ODAs for both training and deployments.  Faith resisted the frequent urging of many team and even battalion commanders to “attach” certain members of the MID to battalions on a semi-permanent basis on the grounds that 1) it would reduce the flexibility of the MID to respond to contingencies elsewhere in the Groupd; and 2) it would, over time, decrease the effectiveness of the ODAs, who would over-concentrate on whatever it was that particular ODA needed at the time, to the detriment of other skills.

Preparation for the upcoming inspection went smoothly; at this point it was almost a battle drill for the MID.  Small teams visited all of the arms rooms in the Group, and separate elements inspected battalion-level MIDs and SCIF areas.  Chief Rollins herself pre-inspected the Group S2 shop which, unsurprisingly, required the most work.  Faith wondered to himself how the S2 section could have gotten so bad.  It was, he reckoned, a combination of unmotivated troops, ambiguous tasks, and poor leadership.  The Dud was, of course, The Dud, but he would be gone after Faith took over as the Group S2.  Of more concern was the S2 NCOIC.  By MTOE, the S2 NCOIC was an 18Z, a highly experienced SF NCO with intelligence-specific training.  In theory, this would be one of the most senior, most competent NCOs in the Group, whose input would be vital to shaping the intel support to the Group.  In practice, the person put in that position was either 1) a guy who no one wanted as a team sergeant, 2) someone who was broken physically, or 3) someone marking time to retirement.  Unfortunately for the S2 shop, their NCOIC, MSG Skeet, was all three.

Faith knew that when he took over as the Group S2, MSG Skeet would have to be the first one to go.  Maybe he could get Skeet transferred over to the SCUBA locker, or to work with the sniper training section.  Anything to get him out of the S2 shop; Faith would rather go short in that position than have someone who was actively bringing it down.  There were others who would have to go too—officers, NCOs, and Soldiers who no one else bothered to take the time to drum out of Group, but instead sent to the Group S2 shop in order to get rid of them.

Long term, Faith saw the Group S2 shop as the first stop for all intel enablers assigned to the Group.  Whether the Group officially sponsored it or not, Faith was pretty sure he’d be able to enact some type of ASP, if for no other reason than no one seemed to care about the enabler side of the house.  After completing ASP, new intel enablers would spend some time in the Group S2 shop, until Faith and his NCOs felt that person was ready to go down to one of the battalions.  The true dead weight in the S2 shop Faith would cut away; the marginal would stay in the Group S2 shop, and the good would go down to the battalions.  Faith would assume risk at the Group level when it came to enabler performance; the best and brightest needed to be out in the field, supporting the ODAs.


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## SkrewzLoose (Feb 10, 2013)

This is all I could think of after the 3rd paragraph...





 
/hijack


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## DA SWO (Feb 11, 2013)

Faith is doomed.


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## LibraryLady (Feb 11, 2013)

Gad this thread is like a daytime soap opera!  You can watch one day of them, come back a month later and STILL know what's going on...  :wall:

LL - hoping I don't get banned for that remark...


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## Marauder06 (Feb 11, 2013)

As he entered the headquarters building and passed the commander’s office, Faith heard a noise that made his blood run cold.  Emanating from the commander’s office was a series of guffaws and loud and speech that could only come from one person:  Major Quentin Roberts.  Faith recognized the voice immediately, and was immediately concerned.

Roberts had been Faith’s battalion XO in a previous assignment in Korea, and Faith couldn’t think of a more miserable excuse for an officer than Quintin Roberts.  Even The Dud was exponentially better.  At least The Dud was just stupid and lazy; Roberts was stupid and industrious.  And he was morally bankrupt to boot.  These are the worst kinds of officers in the world.

Faith paused in the hallway, stunned to hear Roberts’ voice and wondering what it meant.  The door to the commander’s office opened, and Roberts emerged.  If he was surprised to see Faith, he didn’t show it.

“And here he is, right here, sir!” Roberts exclaimed over his shoulder to the Group commander, who was behind him.  Given the context, Faith assumed that some type of conversation had taken place between Roberts and the Group commander.  “Great to see you again, Scotty!” he added, holding out a hand to Faith.

Faith, speechless, made no move to shake hands.  For one thing, he loathed being called “Scotty.”  That was what his mother called him when he was four.  He had been “Scot” since pre-school.  For another, he loathed Roberts, who among other things, had tried to have some Korean burial mounds bulldozed and had threatened to shoot another company commander over refusing to cut down a tree in Korea that blocked what Roberts thought was a “strategic and commanding view” of the street below.  Roberts had also called the Group before and tried to find out information about Faith, most likely to try to sabotage Faith’s chances of taking command of the MID.  

Roberts stood there for a second with his hand held out to Faith, then loudly exclaimed “Same ol’ Scotty!” before clapping Faith on the shoulder and making his way past.  “See you around, soon,” he added ominously.

For his part, Faith resisted the urge to punch Roberts square in the face.

“You little cocksocker,” Faith said out loud to himself after Roberts was out of earshot, “what are you doing here?”

Before he turned to make his way back to the secretary’s office, Faith saw the Group commander standing in the doorway to his office, a disapproving look on his face.


----------



## LibraryLady (Feb 11, 2013)

Nicely done sir.  This is gonna get innerestin'!

LL


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## 104TN (Feb 11, 2013)

I hate you.


----------



## dirtmover (Feb 11, 2013)

Just when we think its going to end...he reels us back in.  We should be used to it by now, I wonder if the Dud and Roberts know each other???


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## dirtmover (Feb 11, 2013)

Then again with the snow storm Mara probably has lots of time on his hands lol.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 11, 2013)

With all the snow, I have lots of blisters on my hands...


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## reed11b (Feb 11, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> With all the snow, I have lots of blisters on my hands...


ummmmmm......


----------



## Crusader74 (Feb 12, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> With all the snow, I have lots of blisters on my hands...


 
Nice use of prose Marauder06.. LOL


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## 0699 (Feb 12, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> ...tried to have some Korean burial mounds bulldozed...


 
Hell, even I know better than that. 



Marauder06 said:


> With all the snow, I have lots of blisters on my hands...


 
Um-hmmm.  Blame the snow.


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## DA SWO (Feb 12, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> With all the snow, I have lots of blisters on my hands...


fap,fap,fap, owwwww

Your doing it wrong.


----------



## LibraryLady (Feb 12, 2013)

SOWT said:


> ... You're doing it wrong.


 
:-"

LL


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## Salt USMC (Feb 12, 2013)

SOWT said:


> Faith is doomed.


----------



## Crusader74 (Feb 12, 2013)

LibraryLady said:


> :-"
> 
> LL


 

Buhahahaahahahahaha


----------



## DA SWO (Feb 12, 2013)

Faith just fucked up by not shaking hands, respect rank and be polite in public.

Faith is doomed as he has two enemies, and the Dud will leverage the new guy to zip faith.


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## Poccington (Feb 12, 2013)

Faith is well and truly finished.


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## Mac_NZ (Feb 12, 2013)

This needs to end in a full on Officer brawl.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 12, 2013)

SOWT said:


> ..Faith is doomed ...


 


Deathy McDeath said:


> Faith is doomed ...


 


Poccington said:


> Faith is well and truly finished.


 

Oh, ye of little...



... faith.


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## SkrewzLoose (Feb 12, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> Oh, ye of little... /sunglasses/ ... faith.


I now think this entire case study has been written entirely to give Mara the opportunity to make this joke.


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## Poccington (Feb 12, 2013)

Mac_NZ said:


> This needs to end in a full on Officer brawl.


 
With swords.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 12, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> Oh, ye of little... /sunglasses/ ... faith.


 
Oh come on, I got "hate" for that comment?  That was both funny AND witty.  And timely.  And almost... Freefalling -esque in its execution.


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## Salt USMC (Feb 12, 2013)

I hope your career goes just like David Caruso's


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## AWP (Feb 12, 2013)

Jesus Christ...29 pages on a Case Study? This thing started when Mohammed Atta was learning to spell "Cessna" and it is still alive?

I'm going to start a case study in how to finish case studies.


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## 0699 (Feb 12, 2013)

Freefalling said:


> Jesus Christ...29 pages on a Case Study? This thing started when Mohammed Atta was learning to spell "Cessna" and it is still alive?
> 
> I'm going to start a case study in how to finish case studies.


 
If it doesn't wrap up soon, I'm going to go LAPD-style and burn this thread down... :wall:


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## Chopstick (Feb 12, 2013)

0699 said:


> If it doesn't wrap up soon, I'm going to go LAPD-style and burn this thread down... :wall:


One problem.  You dont have a match.


----------



## Marauder06 (Feb 12, 2013)

After talking with the commander’s secretary, Faith discovered that there was no availability for an office call until after the upcoming inspection.  Faith was suspicious that he was being put off, until the secretary, who Faith had known for a long time and with whom he had a good relationship, gave Faith a glimpse at the commander’s calendar.  “You’ll have to wait until after the inspection,” she reiterated, “unless you want to come by at…” she checked the calendar again, “Sunday at 2100 hours.”  Faith decided to pass.

Faith’s relationship with the commander’s secretary dated back to an unfortunate incident involving Chief Rollins and CPT Al James (RIP). (author’s note:  see case study “Karma“ for further insight into this incident)  She was a witness to what had happened, and she and Faith bonded over the incident.  Faith always made it a point to come by and see her every time he was in the Group headquarters building, whether he needed something or not.  She was always fun to talk to, and she provided a wealth of useful “insider” information.  Besides, she always had a glass container full of chocolate on her desk.  That alone made it worth the trip.  Faith took off the glass top, helped himself to a handful of Hershey’s Kisses and sat down in an overstuffed easy chair across from the secretary’s desk.

“So,” he asked almost casually, “what was the deal with the Commander’s meeting this morning?”

“Oh, you mean with that Major Roberts?” she asked, rolling her eyes.  “That guy is a real piece of work.”

“What do you mean?” Faith asked.

“Well, first of all, he has been calling the Group non-stop for almost a month now, trying to get his foot in the door with the commander.  First he tried with the S1, and when the S1 told him to get lost, he came to me.  I put him off because he said he wanted a job and he had some important information to share with the Commander, but I thought he was a coconut so I told him no way.  Then he corners the Commander directly one day at a meeting he was having over at Division, and the Commander told me to put him on the schedule.  So there we are.”

Faith smiled; calling someone a “coconut” was about the strongest language that Faith ever heard her use.

“Yeah,” Faith said, “I worked for him in one of my previous assignments.  He’s a complete…” Faith paused as he thought of a word he could use that wouldn’t offend her, “…toolbag,” he finally settled on.

“Yeah, well, watch out because I heard him say he wants to come back to Group.  The only jobs he could take are either the job you have now,” she said, meaning the Group MID, “or the one you’re going to,” meaning the Group S2 shop.
“I’ll just have to make sure I do a good enough job that he doesn’t get either one,” Faith replied.

“Please do,” she answered, “because I remember when he was here before.  Group MID commander, if I recall.  He was lazy, he was a bully, and no one liked him.  But no one put it down on paper, so he left with a decent OER and ended up talking himself into a job at Delta when he left here.  We don’t need him back.”

“Roberts was an operator at Delta?” Faith asked, surprised.  Roberts had told Faith that he had been in Delta, but Roberts had said so many outlandish things, especially after he had been drinking, that Faith didn’t believe much of what he said.

“Heavens no!”  the secretary exclaimed.  “He was a support guy for them, just like he was for us.”

“But he’s tabbed,” Faith countered, referring to the Special Forces tab that Roberts wore, “I thought that he would have tried out for an operator position.”

The secretary rolled her eyes again.  “He’s a paper tab.”

Faith hadn’t heard that term before.  “A what?”

“He earned his tab through correspondence school,” she explained.

“Get out!” Faith exclaimed.  “You can’t get a Special Forces tab through correspondence school.”

“Not any more,” the secretary explained, “but there was a time that you could do it.  A short time in the field, I think, and some correspondence classes and BAM!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together, “you’re Special Forces qualified.  They did away with that about the time that SF became a separate branch, and most of the guys who got their paper tabs have separated from the service.  But some of them are still hanging around, like our friend Mr. Roberts.”

“That’s very interesting,” Faith muttered, thinking about all the things Roberts told him when the two were at their previous duty station, before animosity developed between them.


----------



## 0699 (Feb 12, 2013)

Chopstick said:


> One problem. You dont have a match.


 
But I do.  And if the right person gives me the green light, I'm whipping that baby out...


----------



## Marauder06 (Feb 12, 2013)

A short while later, Faith was working in his office when there was a short series of raps on his door. Faith looked up and was surprised to see it was Chief Michaels.
“Holy shit Chief, what brings you all the way over here to the MID?” Faith asked cheerfully. Michaels said nothing, but closed the door behind him and pulled a chair over next to Faith’s desk.

“Hey sir, are you doing anything this Friday?” he asked, rather sheepishly.
“I’m leading PT that morning and I have a couple of appointments in the morning, but I could reschedule if you need it,” Faith replied.

“What about in the afternoon, say 1530 or so?” Michaels inquired.

“Yeah, sure Chief, what do you need me to do?”

“Come to my retirement ceremony.” The way Michaels said it, it came out more as a question than a statement.

Faith was stunned. “I’m sorry, your what?”

“Sir, I’m retiring on Friday and I would love it if you could come to my ceremony, 1530 hours, at the Lodge.”

“Yes, of course, it would be my pleasure,” Faith stammered. “I didn’t know… I mean it wasn’t mentioned in the Group training meeting or anything.” Usually, important milestones like retirements are a big deal and are handled as such.

“Yeah,” Michaels replied, “I don’t want a big ceremony or anything, and I’m only inviting people…” he paused, “…people who matter to me. So I’d love it if you could come by. I’m asking you not to tell advertise it, and don’t bring me a gift or anything that’s going to clutter up my walls or my bookshelf.”

Faith smiled. This was SO much like Chief Michaels. “Chief, it would be my pleasure. I’m deeply honored that you would invite me to something like this. Is it cool for me to bring a guest?”

“Your wife or something?” Michaels replied, “Yeah, no problem. Class A uniform. See you there.” He stood up to leave.

“Not my wife,” Faith thought to himself, “but definitely “or someone.”

As Chief Michaels was standing up to leave, First Sergeant Reynolds burst into the room. “Oh, sorry sir, I didn’t know you were in here,” he said breathlessly. 

“It’s all good, we were done here. I was just about to walk Chief Michaels out.”

“Ok, sir, but when you’re done there’s something I need to talk to you about,” Reynolds said urgently.

“Sir, I’m pretty sure I can find my way out of here on my own,” Michaels said with a smile, holding out his hand. Faith took it and squeezed it firmly. “See you Friday.”

“What’s happening Friday?” Reynolds inquired. Faith ignored the question.

“What’s got you so exited?” he asked instead.

“Sir, it looks like a classified laptop has gone missing.”


----------



## digrar (Feb 13, 2013)

Got your WO's and SNCOs mixed up there at the end.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 13, 2013)

digrar said:


> Got your WO's and SNCOs mixed up there at the end.


 
Thanks- fixed.


----------



## Marauder06 (Feb 13, 2013)

Faith was silent for a moment.  “We don’t lose classified laptops in the MID,” he said evenly.

“Roger sir.  But one is unaccounted-for,” Reynolds responded.

Faith sat back in his chair.  This was kind of a big deal; losing positive control of a classified laptop was a serious security breach.  Not “serious” like not marking legitimate visitors to the SCIF, more like a “serious potential breach of national security” type thing.
“Which one is it?” Faith asked.

“Well, that’s the thing,” Reynolds responded.  “It’s on hand receipt to the Group S2 shop-“

“Figures,” Faith interrupted.

“-but when I went to ask them to show it to me, they presented a hand receipt showing it was signed over to SGT Turner two weeks ago.”  Faith remembered that SGT Turner had been an affable but overweight NCO in the MID who had been assisting with the turn-in of classified electronic systems while he was awaiting being chaptered out of the Army for not meeting height/weight standards.  He had separated just three days ago.

 “Could Turner have put it somewhere?” Faith inquired, “Or even taken it with him?”

“Could be sir, we don’t know right now.  Chief Rollins is down there turning the whole SCIF out to try to find this thing.”  That was good at least, if anyone would be able to find this thing, it would be Chief Rollins.

“We don’t need this right now,” Faith groaned.   “OK look, right now the time is…” he glanced down at his watch, “1435.  People are going to start leaving at 1530.  If we don’t track this thing down in the next 30 minutes, we need to let the DCO know.  There’s going to have to be a lockdown.”

Any time any classified material went missing, or a “sensitive item” such as communication equipment, weapons, or explosives went unaccounted-for, the protocol was for the unit in question to be “locked down” in place, whether that be in garrison or the field, until the item in question was located, or an official investigation conducted and the unit officially released.  No one could leave the area, and no one from outside could come in.  It was an ENORMOUS pain in the ass, and the unit responsible was usually given a figurative black eye for the inconvenience caused, not to mention the impact of losing whatever it was that triggered the lockdown.  Faith didn’t want it to get that far, but he had an obligation to set the process in motion if they didn’t recover that laptop- fast.

“OK, let’s get on it, then,” Faith instructed.  “Call everyone in from training, get the recall roster out and start dialing everyone on leave.  And see if we still have a number for the former SGT Turner.”

“Will do, sir,” Reynolds said, departing the office.

Faith sat back in his chair to think.  A classified laptop, belonging to the S2 shop, turned in a couple of weeks ago.  Faith vaguely remembered something like that, an old Dell laptop that had ceased functioning and was scheduled to be destroyed, but because it had once stored classified material, the system had to be de-gaussed  and the hard drive destroyed in a specific manner before it could be sent off to the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) and could officially be taken off the MID’s books.

Faith thought it was unlikely that SGT Turner would have stolen a broken classified laptop on his way out the door.  Although he was getting chaptered out, the parting between him and the Army was pretty amicable.  Due to a technicality, he got to keep his enlistment bonus, and the people in the MID treated him well.  He wasn’t a “bad” guy, he was just a “fat” guy.  No, Faith thought, he wouldn’t have stolen it.  And Faith didn’t think he was the kind of guy that would hide it somewhere to try to make the unit look bad.  But in the rush to clear the unit and get on with his life he may, Faith imagined, have put it somewhere that no one else thought to look.  Faith snapped his fingers. The electronics control cage!  He picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number.  “Let me speak to Chief Rollins,” he growled, knowing that the person who answered the phone would recognize his voice.

“Yes, sir?” Chief Rollins answered a few seconds later, stress evidenced in her voice.

“Hey, First Sergeant filled me in on what happened.  Give me an update.”

“Well, I called everyone in the SCIF back in from the range and off of leave.  We have completely cleared out one of the back rooms, and then we’re moving things into it one at a time, checking every serial number off of every comparable computer.  We have opened every cubby, looked under every desk, and completely ransacked SGT Turner’s old workspace.  Nothing.  We even looked in the electronics control cage.”

Crap, Faith thought, there goes that idea.

“OK, so what’s next?” he asked.

“I’m about out of ideas, sir.  We checked with the property book guys to make sure it didn’t get turned in, and that the serial number we’re looking for is the correct one.  We also tried calling SGT Turner but his number got disconnected when he moved.  We’re trying to track him down now.  Any other suggestions?”

Faith had none; as usual, Rollins had thought of pretty much everything.
“I’ve got nothing Chief, sounds like you’re all over it.  I’ll be down there myself in a few minutes to help out.”

 “Roger, sir,” Rollins said with a sigh.


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## SkrewzLoose (Feb 13, 2013)

Hey, I'm not fat!  I'm just big boneded.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 15, 2013)

Despite a herculean effort on the part of the entire MID, the laptop in question was, in fact, missing.  At 1530, Faith called the DCO via a secure line in the SCIF and informed him of the possible security breach.  The DCO asked all the questions Faith had anticipated- did you look everywhere?  Did you check with PBO?  Did you call in all of your people off of leave and from training?  Did someone contact SGT Turner?  After Faith answered in the affirmative to all of these questions, the DCO let out a deep sigh.  “OK, it’s a lockdown.  I’ll let the old man know.”

The only thing worse than being the victim of a lockdown caused by someone else’s negligence, Faith mused, was being the one that caused it in the first place.  Soldiers from all over the Group were streaming back into their office areas to join the search for the missing laptop.  They were NOT pleased.  Much of the goodwill that the MID had developed through countless hours of training with and deploying alongside the 18-series Soldiers evaporated, reminding Faith of the old adage, “One ‘oh shit!’ wipes out all of your ‘atta-boys.’” 

“Where do you need me, Chief?” Faith asked when he went down into the SCIF and found Chief Rollins.  Now was not the time for fixing the blame for this, Faith knew, now was the time for fixing the problem.  And Chief Rollins seemed to have a plan.

“Sir, we cleared four of the five rooms down here,” she replied, all business.  “We have one more to go.  We could use you in getting some of those heavy Pelican cases down and opened,” she added, indicating where those items could be found.  Faith stripped off his uniform top, but before he went to work helping move the storage cases, there were two places he wanted to physically check first.  It wasn’t that Faith didn’t trust his subordinates; it was just that in a situation this important, there were some things he needed to see with his own eyes first.  This was something that he learned during his time as a company commander in Korea.  Having satisfied himself that the missing laptop was not in either of the two areas he thought it might be, Faith dove into the work and started sorting the heavy cases.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 15, 2013)

“ATTENTION IN THE SCIF!” Faith heard someone bellow from the entry control point a short time later.  The SOP was that the guard at the entry control point would call the SCIF to attention any time an officer from outside the MID entered, or if the MID commander was present, anytime an officer who outranked the MID commander entered.  This served two purposes:  it helped maintain military decorum, and informed the workers in the SCIF anytime an “outsider” was present.  Since Faith was currently the highest-ranking officer in the SCIF, he knew that someone in the grade of at least major had entered.  Faith hoped it wasn’t The Dud.

It wasn’t.  Faith was surprised to see the Group Commander standing in the SCIF, for what was probably the second time, ever.  He did not look pleased.  Faith tugged on his uniform top, which he had removed while he helped shift heavy equipment around the SCIF and approached the Commander.

“Hi, sir,” Faith said, intending to give the Group Commander a status update.
“Captain Faith,” the Commander stated evenly, “Can you explain to me why two whole ODAs got called in from pre-deployment training and are now locked down in the Group area, the last free day they have before they are supposed to be on a plane to Afghanistan?”

Sensing that he was about to be on the receiving end of a major butt-chewing, Faith replied, “Sir, we’re missing a classified laptop.  We’re doing everything we can to find it.”  The Commander didn’t reply to his comment.

“Where have you looked?” he demanded.

“Pretty much everywhere,” Faith answered.

“What about in there?” the Commander asked, his eyes lingering on a metal wall locker behind the entry control point.

“Yes, sir, we looked there,” Faith said, feeling a bit uneasy.

“Humor me and open it up,” the Group Commander instructed.  Faith had one of his Soldiers take off the lock and open the doors to the locker.  Inside was a jumbled mass of computer equipment which was marked for turn-in.  This was one of the two places Faith had checked when he first came down to the SCIF.

“What is it we’re looking for?” the Commander asked.  Faith told him.  The Commander fished around inside the locker and pulled something out.  Faith felt his senses tingling.
“What is the serial number?” the commander inquired.  Faith told him.  The Commander looked at the serial number on the laptop he was holding, looked at Faith, and then tossed the laptop onto a nearby desk. 

“There’s your missing laptop, Faith,” he said.  “The lockdown is off.”  He started to move towards the door.

“Sir,” Faith said, stunned, “How did you know where to look?”

“I ran into MAJ Dudley on my way down here, and he mentioned that if he were in charge of the SCIF, that locker would be the first place he would look,” the Commander answered.  Lowering his voice, he added, “I’ll do your job for you if I have to, captain,” his emphasis on the last word making it sound like an epithet, “but if I do, that means I don’t need you in my Group.”  And then he was gone.

Faith stood there for a moment, perplexed.  That wall locker was one of the two places he had checked before pitching in with the rest of the search.  He was utterly confident that the laptop had not been in there even just a few minutes ago when he had checked it.  He stood there in silence, looking at the wall locker and thinking.  He didn’t even notice Chief Rollins approaching.

“Sir, I saw what happened,” she said.  “I searched that wall locker myself, and that laptop wasn’t in it.”  She looked upset.

“Yeah, I know,” Faith replied, “I checked it too.”  He looked around.  “Who is on entry control point duty?” he asked the Soldiers around him.

“I was, sir,” answered SGT Bradley.

“Did you see anyone else from outside the SCIF come down here in the last hour or so?”

“No, sir.”

“Where you here the whole time?” Faith asked.

“Yes,” came the answer.  Faith turned to leave.  “Well…” SGT Bradley started.

“Well, what?”

“Well, I went to take a leak about a half-hour ago, and when I came back I went to help move some things into the store room.  But anyone who might have come in would have had to have had a SCIF badge."

Faith looked over to Chief Rollins.  “When people badge in, is there a record?”

“Yes,” she responded, “But it only shows the time and that it was a ‘valid entry,’ it doesn’t note the badge number.”

“So we have no way of knowing who comes and goes from the SCIF?” Faith asked, rhetorically.  They would need to fix that.


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## dirtmover (Feb 15, 2013)

Oh shit...me thinkith it was a set up.....man Mara you are a good writer....I was even getting worried and then angry.  lol


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## Dame (Feb 15, 2013)

The setup needs exposing and fast. The blame for this needs to hit the Dud like a ton of rotting bull testicles.


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## DA SWO (Feb 15, 2013)

The dud stole it, then replaced it.


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## dirtmover (Feb 15, 2013)

I think the other Major did it.  I hope we won't have to wait another month to find out whodunit.


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## 0699 (Feb 16, 2013)

It wasn't the Dud who stole it.  It was the new guy.


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## Chopstick (Feb 16, 2013)

Dust it for prints!


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## Poccington (Feb 16, 2013)

0699 said:


> It wasn't the Dud who stole it. It was the new guy.


 
^This.

Time for Faith to start cracking skulls.


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## Totentanz (Feb 16, 2013)

0699 said:


> It wasn't the Dud who stole it.  It was the new guy.


Stole it or placed it in the locker?  If the S2 was part of the line of hand receipts, Occam's Razor would put money on someone in the S2 being involved in the disappearance, not a newcomer.  The prodigious appearance of said computer in the Magic Locker, on the other hand...

I would wager that when SGT Turner cleared, he returned the machine to S2 and didn't get the hand receipt back.


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## Dame (Feb 16, 2013)

Totentanz said:


> If the S2 was part of the line of hand receipts, *Occam's Razor would put money on someone in the S2 being involved* in the disappearance, not a newcomer. The prodigious appearance of said computer in the Magic Locker, on the other hand...


 
I love it when you talk logic like that.


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## compforce (Feb 16, 2013)

> The prodigious appearance of said computer in the Magic Locker, on the other hand...


 
Makes the person that took it guilty of mishandling classified material...if you can prove it.

Oh, and new guy doesn't have a SCIF badge yet unless I missed it somewhere.  The guard needs some remedial training on not leaving a post without relief.  If the person that stole the laptop tailgated through the control point, then the guard that left his post has to get fried as well as the person that allowed the tailgating or the whole thing falls apart and Faith is screwed.


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## 0699 (Feb 16, 2013)

Totentanz said:


> *Stole it or placed it in the locker? If the S2 was part of the line of hand receipts, Occam's Razor would put money on someone in the S2 being involved in the disappearance, not a newcomer. The prodigious appearance of said computer in the Magic Locker, on the other hand*...
> 
> I would wager that when SGT Turner cleared, he returned the machine to S2 and didn't get the hand receipt back.





compforce said:


> Makes the person that took it guilty of mishandling classified material...if you can prove it.
> 
> Oh, and *new guy doesn't have a SCIF badge yet unless I missed it somewhere*. The guard needs some remedial training on not leaving a post without relief. If the person that stole the laptop tailgated through the control point, then the guard that left his post has to get fried as well as the person that allowed the tailgating or the whole thing falls apart and Faith is screwed.


 
I never said the new guy put it in the locker after Faith searched it.  I said...



0699 said:


> It wasn't the Dud who stole it. It was the new guy.


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## compforce (Feb 17, 2013)

0699 said:


> I never said the new guy put it in the locker after Faith searched it. I said...


 
Sorry, the rest of my post wasn't directed towards yours, just the first sentence. The second block was a general observation that the guard was derelict in his duty and, if it turns out that a non-cleared person entered the SCIF due to that dereliction, Faith has to fry him.


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## Salt USMC (Feb 17, 2013)

I'd like to nominate Mara as to be the first recipient of the Distinguished Warfare Medal for meritorious posting on a message board


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## Marauder06 (Feb 17, 2013)

Faith had, of course, no idea who put the laptop in the “magic locker” and made it appear out of thin air. Faith himself had checked the locker, and Chief Rollins claimed she had, as well. Another NCO and a Soldier both said that was the first place they checked, and it wasn’t in there. So someone put it there. And it had to have been very, very recently, because it wasn’t’ there when Faith came down to the SCIF not 30 minutes ago.

But who would have done it, and why? The obvious perpetrator would have been… who? Surely not SGT Bradley. Faith had come to trust the man, and did not think he would do something like this. Why would he? If not him, who? Someone who had access to the SCIF, whose presence wouldn’t arouse suspicion, and who would have known that the internal entry control point was unmanned. That left out MAJ Roberts, who was every bit dirty enough to plan something like this, and every bit devious enough to pull it off. Unless…

“Hey! Listen up!” Faith said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “I need everyone up front in the ECP for a second!” Not everyone was able to crowd into the tight confines of the ECP, but everyone got into a position where they could listen.

“Is there anyone here right now, who is not in the MID?” he questioned. Other than a few low, scattered “no, sirs,” there was no answer.

“OK, got it. Listen guys, we have a situation here. Someone took control of a classified laptop, hid it from us to get us all panicky, and then put it back inside the SCIF to make us all look bad. I want to find out who it was.” There was angry, scattered muttering in the crowd of Soldiers. They were probably at least as pissed off as Faith was.

“Now, I have some ideas about what happened, but I need some more information before I do anything about it. First,” he continued, “Did Major Roberts come through the SCIF at all, in the last 30 minutes or so?” No one seemed to think so.

“Sir, I don’t even know who that is,” said SGT Bradley.

OK fine, Faith thought, it was most likely not Roberts. He wasn’t assigned to the unit, so he definitely didn’t have a SCIF badge. He would have had to have had someone else’s badge and someone else’s code, AND not be seen coming or going from the SCIF. So most likely, it wasn’t Roberts.

“Did anyone see anybody from the S2 shop down here today?” There were many positive responses to this question.

“Sir, I think pretty much all of them were through here at some point, helping us look for that laptop,” Chief Rollins explained.

“Even Major Dudley?” Faith inquired.

Rollins nodded. “But that was like… an hour ago, well before you came down.”
Faith considered what she said for a moment. It still would have been possible for The Dud to come down while SGT Bradley was away from the desk, enter the SCIF, toss in the laptop, and get out without anyone noticing. The Dud had to be the guy.

“OK, this is important and I should have asked this at the very beginning, but I’m asking it now,” he said, raising his voice so everyone could hear. “Does anyone have any idea how the classified laptop we’ve all been looking for so frantically got into this wall locker,” he pointed at the locker in question, “after it was cleared?” No one responded. Faith looked directly at SGT Bradley. 

“Sergeant Bradley, do you know anything about how this laptop,” Faith said, pointing at the laptop, “got into that locker?” he pointed at the locker.

“Sir, I have NO idea,” Bradley responded, looking distressed. “You’ve got to believe me!”

Faith believed him.

“OK, I think we’re done here,” Faith said. “First Sergeant, take charge of the company and dismiss them for the day. 0600 PT tomorrow. Thanks everyone for all of your hard work on this.” Faith exited the SCIF before anyone could respond.

“Sir- sir!” Chief Rollins exclaimed, almost running to catch up to Faith. “We should talk about th-“

“Talking time is over, Chief,” Faith said evenly. “We all know what happened.”

“Do we, sir?” she inquired. “All we know is that someone put that laptop in locker.”

“We all know who did it, Chief,” Faith said.

“Do we, sir?” she asked again.

“Chief, this ‘do we sir’ shit is starting to get old,” Faith said irritably.

“Well, what are you going to do now?” she asked anxiously.

“I’m going to go find Major Dudley and punch him in the fucking face,” Faith explained.

“Two times,” he added, holding up two fingers.


----------



## Marauder06 (Feb 18, 2013)

At that moment, the door to the SCIF opened and First Sergeant Reynolds burst through. “Hey Chief!” he said to Rollins, “Where did- oh there you are,” he finished, seeing Faith. “What are you two talking about out here?” he inquired.

“Well, tell him!” Rollins demanded, expecting Reynolds to help talk Faith out of the course of action he had decided to embark upon. Faith said nothing.

“He said he was going to punch Major Dudley in the face!” she exclaimed with exasperation.

“Two times!” Faith corrected her, holding two fingers again.

Reynolds was silent for a moment.

“Right on, let’s do this,” he said, unbuttoning his uniform top. “Want me to hold him down or something?”

“Well,” said Chief Rollins, “I don’t think we need to hold him down, we just need to talk him out of attacking Major Dudley.”

His uniform top removed, Reynolds looked at Rollins with confusion. “I’m not talking about holding down Captain Faith, I’m asking him if he wants me to hold that conniving jackass Dudley down while he gets punched in the face.”

“Two times!” Faith reiterated.

“NOT helpful!” Rollins exclaimed, stomping a foot and glaring at Reynolds, who she thought would be on her side in this discussion. “Look, both of you, there is something here that we’re not seeing yet.” The door to the SCIF opened and two Soldiers appeared, probably on the way home. “Get your asses back in the SCIF and tell everyone else that no one is going anywhere until the three of us are done talking!” she shouted at them. The two stunned Soldiers, to their credit, took it in stride and, raising their hands in mock surrender, retreated back into the SCIF and closed the door behind them.

“That was kind of rude,” Faith said. Rollins ignored the comment.

“There’s something going on that we don’t see,” she reiterated, her voice almost pleading. “Whoever did this, they knew you would blame it on The Dud-“

“Yeah, because he’s the one that did it,” Reynolds interrupted. Nonplussed, Rollins continued:

“They knew you would blame it on The Dud, and probably over-react, which isn’t going to help ANYONE, and would only serve to make you look bad and get you into trouble. Look, both of you, you worked too hard- we ALL worked too hard- to get the MID where it is today. Don’t screw this up acting in the blind.”

She had a point, Faith knew. He already felt the anger leaving his body. Reynolds looked at him, ready to back him up however this ended up going.

“Chief,” Faith said, putting a reassuring hand on Rollins’ arm, “we’re just teasing. We’re not going to do anything to Major Dudley.”

“We’re not?” Reynolds questioned. Rollins glared at him.

“But we have to get to the bottom of what happened,” Faith continued. There was a noise at the top of the staircase leading down to the door of the SCIF and the hallway where the three MID leaders were talking. “I know The Dud did this, I just have to prove it.”

“That guy isn’t smart enough to pull something like this off!” Rollins insisted loudly. At that moment, the person descending the steps turned a corner and came into view. It was The Dud.

“Oh hi sir,” Rollins exclaimed, embarrassed. If The Dud knew that the three had been talking about him, he made no sign.

“There you are, Faith,” The Dud said. “Th-the G-G-Group Commander w-w-wants to see you in my office right n-n-n-n-“

“Now?” Faith finished for him. The Dud, angry at being mocked yet again, turned and stomped back up the steps.

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” Rollins asked rhetorically of Faith.

Reynolds tugged his uniform top back on. “Come on sir, I’ll go with you,” he offered.

“I still think I should punch him in the face,” Rollins heard Faith mutter as he and Reynolds began to ascend the stairs.

“Two times,” Reynolds replied.


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## Salt USMC (Feb 18, 2013)

Ohhhhhhhh shit


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## Crusader74 (Feb 18, 2013)

The conversation Faith overheard with the new guy and the Dud might have a bearing on this..


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## x SF med (Feb 18, 2013)

0699 said:


> But I do. And if the right person gives me the green light, I'm whipping that baby out...


 
You are _*NOT*_ cleared 'hot' for the steel crew served match, nor for the ceremonial match, nor for the emergency c-ration matchbook.   We just avoided an asteroid strike, we do not need a world wide conflagration. :wall: Go feed and play with Bruno.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 18, 2013)

After they had passed out of Chief Rollins’ hearing, Reynolds pulled Faith aside.  “We’re not really about to go assault a superior commissioned officer, are we sir?” he asked.

“No, we’re not,” Faith said, laughing.

“And by ‘no we’re not’ that means you’re not going to do it by yourself either, right?” Reynolds insisted, his eyes narrowing.

“What, are you serious?” Faith inquired, a look of surprise on his face.  “What makes you think I’d do something like that?”

Reynolds held up his fingers as if he was ticking off a list.  “Well, there was Jody Schum, then there was that whole thing with Al James, and-“

“OK, OK,” Faith responded, “I mean what makes you think I’d do something like that _now_?”

Reynolds smiled.  “Well, there was Jody Schum, then there was that whole thing-“

“OK, alright, I get it,” Faith said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.  “Why are you always bringing up old shit?” he teased, “You’re worse than my wife.”

“I spend more time worrying about what you’re going to do then I spend worrying about my three boys,” Reynolds countered.  “You’re more unpredictable than they are.”

“Yeah, well, that was the “old” Captain Faith, this is the new and improved version, the one that doesn’t get all pissed off and want to fight everyone just because he has had a bad day at the office.  The one that knows in a couple of weeks The Dud will be gone, and I’ll be the Group S2, and that things will finally change for the better around here.  Come on,” he added, “Let’s go see what The Dud wants us to see us about.”

“I kind of liked the “old” Captain Faith,” Reynolds grumbled as the two walked down to The Dud’s office.  The door was closed, and Faith knocked twice on the door, just like a good captain would do when reporting to a major.  “Sir!  Captain Faith reporting as ordered!” he called out.  “See?” Faith whispered to Reynolds, “New and improved Captain Faith, Version 2.0.”  Reynolds rolled his eyes.

“Enter!” came a command from inside the office.  Faith hesitated for a moment; that voice wasn’t The Dud’s.

“Captain Faith reporting as ord-“ he stopped mid-word in surprise.  Upon opening the door, Faith saw The Dud seated on the couch in front of the bookcase, the one Faith had sat on the last time he was here.  The new Group Commander was seated behind The Dud’s desk.  And lounged in the easy chair in front of the desk was… Major Roberts.  

“This can’t be good,” Faith thought to himself.

“First Sergeant Reynolds, you can wait outside.  In fact, you can wait downstairs in the SCIF,” the Group Commander said to Reynolds.

“This DEFINITELY isn’t going to be good,” Faith thought to himself.  Reynolds heard what the Group Commander said, but still looked to Faith for confirmation.  Faith’s nod to Reynolds said, “Go on, it’s cool, I’ll talk with you later.”  After the door closed behind him, Faith refocused his attention on the three men in the room.

“Hiya, Scotty!” Major Quentin Roberts said to Faith.


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## SkrewzLoose (Feb 18, 2013)

Smarmy bastard...


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## Salt USMC (Feb 19, 2013)

I think I hear a rug being pulled


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## Marauder06 (Feb 23, 2013)

Faith didn’t know which irked him more- MAJ Roberts’ malevolence, or the way he tried to mask it with over-familiarity.  Roberts and Faith had been mutual enemies for a long time. Both men knew it.  But Roberts always liked to portray their relationship as amicable, as if Roberts were some kind of mentor for Faith.  Faith did in fact learn a lot from Roberts, about how NOT to be a leader.

“Scotty, come have a seat over here,” Roberts offered, patting the seat beside him patronizingly.  Faith ignored him.

“Sir, Captain Faith reporting as ordered,” Faith said to the Group Commander. 

“Sit,” the other man replied sternly. Since he did not specify where he was to sit, Faith deliberately chose to site somewhere other than where Roberts had suggested.

“Captain Faith,” the Group Commander began, “I asked you here today because I am developing deep reservations about your leadership of the MI Detachment.  Major Dudley has expressed his own concerns to me, with regard to your insubordination and your inability to get along with other officers in the command, especially other MI officers.”  With his eyes, he indicated majors Dudley and Roberts.  “This thing with the laptop is the latest in a series of events which has me questioning the wisdom of allowing you to stay on as the Group S2 after Major Dudley leaves.”

Faith felt his blood runs cold.  Surely he wasn’t going to allow Dudley to stay?

“So, this is what we’re going to do.  First of all, you and Dudley are going to work things out between the two of you, right here, right now.  As a friend of both you and Major Dudley, Major Roberts has volunteered to mediate-“

“Sir, Major Roberts is most definitely not my friend.  We served in the same unit in Korea but that’s about it.  If you want an impartial mediator, might I suggest-“ he was going to suggest the Group Chaplain, but never got the chance.

“No you may NOT suggest!”  the Group Commander thundered.  “You may sit there and do what I said.  If you want to make decisions around here, you go to Selection and the Q-course and start wearing a green beret around here instead of a red one.  Until that day happens, you do what you’re told or you find another place to work!”

Wisely, Faith said nothing.  The Group Commander got up to leave.  As long as it takes, you two are going to work something out before any of you leave here tonight.  And Faith,” he added, “any more incidents where you can’t hold on to your sensitive items, I’m relieving you of command on the spot.”

After the Group Commander left, things only got worse.  As soon as the opportunity presented itself, Faith accused The Dud of hiding the laptop and planting it back in the SCIF.  The Dude protested stammeringly, insisting that he had been in his office since lunch and had not left at all, “…not even to p-p-p-pee!”  Major Roberts backed The Dud’s story, although to Faith that was hardly a ringing endorsement of his alibi. 

 Eventually, Faith and Dudley simply agreed to avoid each other until Dudley moved out of the unit, which was fine since this was what Faith had intended to do anyway. 

Ultimately, what should have been a 20 minute conversation took more than an hour and a half because Roberts, in his “mediator” role, kept feeling the need to interject and complicate matters.  He wanted an agreement put in writing, which Faith simply refused to do. “My word is still good in this unit,” he said, clearly implying that Dudley’s wasn’t.

When the door to The Dud’s office finally opened to let him out, Faith felt mentally exhausted.  While he was relieved that the missing laptop had been returned, he knew that something nefarious had transpired.  Faith never thought that The Dud was a particularly effective liar, and felt he might possibly be telling the truth about not placing the laptop in the locker.  

Faith idly wondered if Roberts could somehow have done it.   He certainly is both malicious enough and sneaky enough to pull it off.  But if Dudley’s alibi was that he was in his office all afternoon with Roberts, and Dudley isn’t lying, then that puts Roberts in the clear too.  Besides, no one in the SCIF remembered Roberts being in there, and he didn’t have an access badge.  Who, then?


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## Marauder06 (Feb 23, 2013)

Despite the late hour, Faith was not surprised to find First Sergeant Roberts and Chief Rollins waiting for him down in the SCIF.

“We think we figured it out, sir,” Rollins informed him.

“Figured what out?” Faith asked.  He had so many things on his mind at the moment, he didn’t know exactly what Rollins meant.

“The thing with the laptop, of course!” Rollins said excitedly.  “It had to be Skeet,” she added, meaning MSG Skeet, the Group S2 shop NCOIC.  This made sense in some ways, Skeet had access to the SCIF and no one would have thought twice about him being in the SCIF area, although he seldom went down there.  But why would he do it?

“OK, so Skeet has placement and access,” Faith said, “but what would his motivation possible be to do something that would make the MID look bad, and potentially get me fired?”

“Revenge,” Reynolds offered, “or self-preservation.”

“What do you mean, self-preservation?” Faith asked.

“What have you told everyone your first goal is going to be when you take over as S2?” Reynolds responded.

“Ensure that intel support to the 2nd Special Forces Group is optimized to provide the highest level of support possible to the ODAs and support staffs,” Faith rattled off from memory.

Reynolds laughed.  “I see you’ve put a lot of thought into that!  But I think that’s your vision, not your goal.  What is the first thing you’re going to do when you take over the Group S2 shop?”

“Cut away the dead weight,” Faith answered immediately.

“Can you think of weight any deader than Master Sergeant Skeet?” Chief Rollins asked.  Faith couldn’t.

“So you two think he did this because…” Faith started.

“Because he knows that’s his ass if you become his boss,” Reynolds finished for him.  Rollins nodded enthusiastically.

Faith considered what they had just told him.  “OK,” he said, nodding, “Got it.  I’ll file that away for later, and I’ll be sure to bring it up with him in our initial counseling.”

“That’s it?” Rollins asked him.

“What did you expect me to do, Chief?” Faith asked.  “We have a bunch of suspicions and some circumstantial evidence, nothing I can go off of.  Especially after the ass chewing I just got from the Group Commander.”  Faith briefly explained to them what had happened in The Dud’s office.

“I don’t think he likes us, sir,” Rollins said.

“The MID?” Faith responded, “What gave you that idea?” he asked jokingly.

“No, I mean all of us, all the support times,” she explained, “He acts like we don’t matter, and he treats us all like crap.”

“That’s not a whole lot different than a lot of the other green-hats here in Group,” Faith countered.

“Yeah, but they’re not the Commander,” Rollins argued.  “I wish we had our old Commander back, he at least seemed to appreciate what we did for the Group.”

“Me, too,” Faith agreed.  “But we’ve got the Commander we’ve got, and we have The Dud for a little longer.  But the good news is, I’ve still got both of you.”  Rollins and Reynolds glanced at each other, as if they knew something that Faith didn’t.  “What?” he demanded.  Reynolds held out a typed document, that Faith could see contained official Department of the Army letterhead.  Apprehensively, Faith took the paper and read it.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 24, 2013)

Faith’s brow furrowed when he began reading the document. Then his face exploded into a broad smile. “These are your promotion orders!” he exclaimed to Reynolds.

 Reynolds nodded. But it says that your effective date of promotion was…” Faith looked at the date on his watch, “…last Friday. Why are you just telling me about this now?” He demanded.

“I just found out about it this morning,” Reynolds answered. “S1…” he added, referring to the Group’s notoriously inefficient and unmotivated personnel section.

“There’s more, sir,” Rollins added. When she said this, Reynolds did not look pleased. “He has a class date for the Sergeants Major Academy.”

“Already?” Faith inquired, “when does it start?”

“Next week,” Reynolds said flatly. “I’m not going, there is too much going on here with the inspection coming up and the drama going on. I’ll go to the next one.”

“The next one isn’t until six months from now,” Rollins informed Faith. “And if he goes to the later one, it takes him out of contention for the battalion CSM gig he wants.”

Faith didn’t hesitate. “Well then, Sergeant Major, I guess you better get home and start packing your shit to move on out to Bliss,” meaning the Army’s Fort Bliss, Texas where the Sergeants Major Academy was located.

“I’m not going anywhere, sir,” now-Sergeant Major Reynolds said firmly. My place is here until all of this gets sorted out.

“Don’t be silly,” Faith told him, “it’s sorted out now. Rollins has the inspection, they’re going to backfill me in the MID with Captain Castelli, and we’ll wait out The Dud. You’re going to Bliss for the next class, if I have to type out the orders myself.

“Roger, sir,” Reynolds acknowledged. Faith thought he looked a little relieved.

“Who is going to take over as the First Sergeant until Big Army sends us a new E8?” Faith asked.

Reynolds didn’t hesitate. “Sergeant First Class Rico will take over for me as interim First Sergeant.” That was a good choice, Faith thought.

“OK then, the most important question in all of this is,” Faith said, looking serious.  Reynolds looked at him intently, “when is the promotion party?”


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## DA SWO (Feb 24, 2013)

Faith has already been fired, he just doesn't know it.  The new guy will probably put MSgt Skeets in as the 1st Sgt, and the two of them (Roberts, not the dud) will ensure faith gets fired.
Then the Dud's orders will be changed, and he will go to the mid.
Hope Faith likes Corps G2.


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## 104TN (Feb 24, 2013)

Faith will learn of a vacancy in a unit across the base and have his 4187 (or the Officer equivalent) processed just in time for the Dud and Roberts to Eiffel Tower Skeets and for the Group Commander to end up on the poopy end of the stick once the inspection rolls around.


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## Marauder06 (Feb 26, 2013)

Reynolds ended up doing a joint promotion/farewell party that coincided with Chief Michaels’ retirement. Doing it together was Michaels’ idea, “Imagine all the beer we could buy if we go in together!” This surprised Faith a bit, as Michaels had originally wanted his retirement to be a low-key affair. But, as Michaels explained, “Too many people would get all butt-hurt if I didn’t invite them. So I decided to invite everyone,” which, as it turned out, was pretty much what happened. Both Reynolds and Michaels were very highly respected within the Group, and most of the Group showed up for the party, which, as it turned out, was epic in proportion. 

For one thing, Reynolds and Michaels decided on an open bar, which was a dangerously expensive proposition given the number of thirsty Soldiers who turned up. Reynolds’ promotion was first, and Reynolds honored Faith by asking him to preside over the ceremony. When it was complete, the MID presented Reynolds with his going-away gift, which was a framed copy of the MID’s guidon, flanked on one side by the Group flash and on the other a set of senior airborne wings. Afterwards, Reynolds gave a light but nonetheless emotion-laden speech in which he profusely thanked the Group, the MID, and several other Soldiers by name, including CPT Faith. After his speech was done, those assembled passed through a receiving line to congratulate Reynolds on his promotion. 

As was customary, several of them took turns clapping Reynolds firmly on rank attached to the shoulders of his uniform, driving the pins into Reynolds’ skin. Faith deeply disapproved of this “blood rank” tradition and considered it juvenile and unnecessary. But he did nothing to stop it, nor was it likely he would be able to do so even if he wanted to since the Group Commander was the first one to administer it. Faith looked at the long line of people and wondered if they were all going to try to give the blood rank; if so, he was going to have to think of something to get Reynolds out of it without embarrassing Reynolds or making himself look like a prude in front of the whole Group. 

He needn’t have worried though, as Chief Michaels came through one more time for him. As he passed through the receiving line, one of the first ten or so people, Michaels reached up and detached Reynolds’ rank from the left and right shoulders the uniform and handed them to Reynolds’ wife, who was standing beside him. He did it so naturally and so casually, that it didn’t seem at all unusual. Michaels chatted briefly with Reynolds and his wife before moving on. There were some scattered complaints from other Soldiers when they got up to Reynolds and saw that he no longer had rank insignia on his shoulders, but when they were informed that Michaels had been the one to remove it, there was no more complaining. 

Faith noticed MAJ Roberts working his way through the crowd and was greatly irritated. Faith wondered what this guy was doing constantly hanging around Group. Didn’t he have a job somewhere?


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## 0699 (Feb 26, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> Didn’t he have a job somewhere?


 
When is the good captain going to learn not to ask questions he may not want answered?


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## Marauder06 (Feb 27, 2013)

There was a short break to transition from Reynolds’ farewell to Michaels’ retirement.  Shortly before the ceremony was scheduled to begin, the cell phone in Faith’s pocket rang.  “You guys are here?  Great, come on in we’re about to get started,” he said into it before hanging up.  Shortly before the ceremony began, Faith was joined by his wife, and an older man wearing a suit with an old Special Forces pin on his lapel.








http://s3.amazonaws.com/bonanzleimages/afu/images/7604/9131/21d5_1.jpg_set_id_7

As the ceremony began, Faith’s attention was drawn to the dazzling array of badges, awards, and decorations that adorned Michaels’ uniform.  In the time that he had known him, Faith never saw Michaels wear anything other than his Special Forces tab over his unit patch on his left sleeve, and his combat patch on his right.  He never wore any other badges, not even his jump wings, which Faith thought was unusual. “The only things that matter are what you’re wearing here, sir,” Michaels said, indicating his sleeves, one time when Faith asked him about it.

Today, however, Chief Warrant Officer Five Michaels was in full “bling.”  He was sporting “triple canopy” on his left sleeve, with the Special Forces tab and the Ranger tab over the Airborne tab that was part of his unit patch.  He was also wearing a combat infantry badge with two stars, indicating three awards of that badge.  Amongst the dazzling display of ribbons Faith saw the Bronze Star with “V” device for valor with three bronze oak leaves beside it signifying it had been awarded four times, and a Purple Heart with two leaves, indicating three awards.  He also had senior parachutist wings, HALO wings, and a “SCUBA bubble.”  Faith had never seen so many awards and decorations worn by one person before.  Well, not on one person who had legitimately earned them, Faith corrected himself.

Chief Warrant Officer Five Michaels’ retirement was a lengthy affair.  At first, there were the usually array of speeches from assorted VIPs, including a general officer who had once been Michaels’ team leader back when Michaels had been a team sergeant, prior to transitioning to the warrant officer ranks.  Then there was the presentation of official unit awards, his retirement medal (a Legion of Merit), and gifts from the unit for Michaels’ wife and children.  Then, the presentations from Michaels’ personal friends and former units began, and the retirement began to get a lot more interesting.  Several individuals told uproariously funny stories about Michaels, which usually involved the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol, an incident that happened somewhere overseas, or was related to something Michaels screwed up hopelessly earlier in his career.  Things quickly moved from a more-official retirement to a bit of a roast.  Michaels, and more importantly his wife, took it all in good fun.  Some of the stories were quite entertaining, and after every story, the person telling it would present Michaels with a gift, which he would accept and place on a table behind him.

One of the most memorable gifts was a beautiful customized .45 Kimber pistol.  The pistol was from the Group, and the Group’s officers presented him a bottle of 25 year old Glenlivet, which apparently was Michaels’ favorite.  An assortment of plaques, trophies, and other gifts were presented, but the thing that seemed to move Michaels most was a framed oil painting that the general, who Faith now knew was the commanding general of Special Forces Command, presented.

Painted by master military artist James Dietz, it was titled “Strength and Honor,” which had long been the unofficial motto of the “2nd Legion.”  It showed six men, in the various uniforms that had been worn in 2nd Group from Vietnam through to Afghanistan and Iraq. 








http://www.jamesdietz.com/proddetail.php?prod=jd-pr-103

“I wore most of these uniforms, and knew most of the guys shown,” he said, with water welling up in his eyes as he held the painting and looked at it closely. “Thank you.”
“That guy in the middle with the M-14 looks just like you!” someone from the audience exclaimed.  Michaels examined it closely.  It did indeed look like him.  “Twenty years and three Purple Hearts, maybe,” he stated, grinning.


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## NBC-Guy (Feb 28, 2013)

Ahh. He brought his father to the ceremony


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## Marauder06 (Mar 1, 2013)

When the presentations were over and it was finally his turn to talk, Michaels’ speech was short and to the point.

“I wondered what it would feel like in this moment,” he began, “to be wearing this uniform for the last time, after 35 years.  What I feel most right now is… gratitude.  I’m grateful to God for allowing me to be standing before you today, and to not be in prison somewhere, or buried in Arlington, or left in pieces somewhere in Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, or South America or in any other of a dozen other places.  I’m grateful to the men on my team, to those who supported us, and those who led us.”

“But none of that would have been possible,” he continued, “without the love and support of my wife Tammy, who raised three beautiful children, when I was-“ he stopped himself and seemed to get choked up a bit- “When I was not around.  Thank you honey.” 

He paused before finishing with, “I will be eternally grateful for having been given the right and honor to wear the green beret.  De Opresso Liber.”

Michaels held up a hand to stifle the resounding applause his comments spurred.  “One more thing.  There’s not going to be a receiving line, it would take too long and we only have an open bar for another hour.  I’m going set this bottle,” he held up the Glenlivet, “on the bar, and if there is anything left in it by the time we leave here tonight, this party was not a success,” Michaels announced as he sat the bottle of Glenlivet on the bar and walked away, triggering a stampede.


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## Yoshi (Mar 13, 2013)

During the stampede MAJ Roberts and The Dud were trampled to death like Walmart shoppers on a Black Friday, subsequently, all of CPT Faiths problems were solved and he rode into the sunset. The End.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 14, 2013)

After things had cleared out a bit, Faith approached Chief Warrant Officer 5 (retired) Michaels, who was chatting with the general who had been the guest of honor.

“Congratulations on your retirement, Chief Michaels!” Faith said to him at an appropriate moment.  
“Sir!”   Michaels exclaimed enthusiastically.  “Thank you for coming-“ he stopped short mid-sentence, looking at the man standing next to Faith.

“Chief, this is…” Faith began.

“I know who it is, sir,” Michaels replied in a low voice.  “I recognize your old man when I see him.  Good to see you after all this time, sir,” Michaels added, holding out his hand.  To the general he said, “Sir, this is my first team leader, then-Captain Faith.  And this is his son,” he added, indicating Scott Faith, “the current-Captain Faith.”

“I thought I was your first team leader, Chief,” the general said with a smile. 

“You were my first team leader as a warrant,” Michaels replied, “He was my first team leader, ever.”

“Michaels talked a lot about you,” the general said, shaking Faith’s father’s hand.  “He held you up as the standard by which he judged all other team leaders.  He said you were one of the main reasons for his success as a warrant.”

“Oh I don’t know about that,” Faith’s father answered, “I think everything he did, he did on his own.”

“That’s not true at all, sir,” Michaels countered, “You took a chance on me when no one else would.  You believed in me when no one else did.  When everyone doubted me, including myself, you had faith.  And that made all the difference.”

“You did real good, brother,” Faith’s father replied.  Tears glistened in Michaels eyes.  He blinked them away.

“Let’s get a drink!” he exclaimed.  “I know what you like,” he said to Faith’s father, “but I don’t know what you’re having,” he said to Faith.

“You know what I really like?” Faith said sheepishly, “Southern Comfort and Diet Coke.”

Michaels looked at Faith and then at Faith’s father, who rolled his eyes at his son’s drink choice.

“Oh, you’re not joking!”  he said to Faith.  “OK, come on over to the bar and we’ll see what we can do.”

Faith’s wife, Linda, had already volunteered to be the designated driver for the evening, and was talking to her own group of friends, including Chief Rollins, while Faith, his father, the general, and Chief Michaels and pretty much everyone else there proceeded to get completely plastered.  Faith, his wife, and his father decided to leave about the time someone thought it might be fun to take Michaels’ new Kimber out back and see how well it shot.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 14, 2013)

Faith made it to PT on time the next morning, and managed to stumble through the upper body routine that was on the schedule for the day, but he did it with a raging hangover.  “That’s what you get for drinking that Southern Comfort crap instead of the good stuff!” his father had informed him cheerily that morning as he drank a cup of coffee while Faith tugged on his PT clothes and staggered out the door to his car.

Faith felt MUCH better after his post-PT shower and about four Motrin. 

“Great party last night, huh sir?”  Sergeant Major Reynolds inquired as he tugged on his uniform in the office that the two shared.  Reynolds drank at least as much as Faith had, yet seemed to be suffering no ill effects.  Maybe there was something to that whole thing about drinking the “good stuff.”

“Yeah, I had a pretty good time,” Faith admitted.

“I’ll say you did, by the end of the evening you were telling that general how you would kick his ass in racquetball.”

“I didn’t!” Faith exclaimed immediately.  “Did I?” Then he thought about it for a moment.  “Yes, I did,” he groaned out loud, putting his head in his hands.

“Don’t sweat it sir,” Reynolds said, laughing.  “The general was laughing after you said it.  I think he replied with something along the lines of how your play probably matches your taste in alcohol- which he defined as “pretty crappy.”  Why do you like that stuff anyway?”

“Southern Comfort?  Well, it goes back to when I was in high school, and that’s about all we could get to drink.  I just like the way it tastes, it brings back good memories.  What I really like to drink it with is Diet Cherry Coke, but I’m embarrassed to ask for it so I just go with regular Diet.”

“Damn, sir, if you’re going to do it, do it all the way, don’t stop with just regular Diet.  Maybe they can dump a handful of cherries and put one of those umbrella thingees in it, and you can have your drink just like the rest of the girls,” he teased.
Faith smiled.  “so what’s on the agenda firs this morning?”

“Chief Rollins.”

Faith was surprised.  “What’s her deal?”

“I found out during PT that her sister’s wedding is Sunday.”

“OK…” Faith prodded.

“She’s not going to go to it because the inspection is this Monday, and she’s worried about how we’re going to do if she’s not here.”

“Get her in here,” Faith ordered.  A short time later, Chief Rollins was seated casually in the office.  “Chief, talk to me about this weekend,” Faith instructed.

“Well, my sister’s wedding is this weekend,” Chief Rollins explained, “But it’s in Tallahassee, and the big inspection is next week.  I don’t think I can get back in time on Monday morning to be here when the inspection kicks off.”

“Why am I only finding out about this now?”  Faith inquired.  “Of course you should go to your sister’s wedding.  I’m confident that we can pull this inspection off without you.”

“Well…” Rollins began, “First of all, this is my sister’s third wedding,” she said, rolling her eyes, “so the novelty has worn off a bit.  Also, I know how important this inspection is, and I don’t want to let the unit down.”

“Look, Chief, no one in the unit is indispensable,” Faith stated.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her!”  Reynolds exclaimed, interrupting.  Faith ignored him.

“You’ve did an outstanding job on this inspection, both this year and last.  All of the internal pre-inspections were carried off without a hitch.  The inspection crew this year is legit, unlike last year’s.  Everything that needs to be done, has been done.  So at this point, your physical presence here on the actual day of the inspection is completely irrelevant to the inspection results,” Faith informed Rollins.

“Well, what if there is a problem with the paperwork, or someone has a question or something?” Rollins countered.
“Then there are any of a half-dozen or more solid NCOs who you trained, who can take care of it,” Sergeant Major Reynolds replied.

Faith nodded his head.  “Go to the wedding,” he said encouragingly.

A short time later, Rollins brought him a leave form to sign.  She looked relieved.  “Thanks sir,” she said to Faith, “I really do want to go to this wedding, I hardly ever get to see my family anymore.  I just didn’t want to let the team down.”
“No worries Chief,” Faith said with a smile, “We’ll be fine here.”


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## SkrewzLoose (Mar 14, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> ~snip~
> “No worries Chief,” Faith said with a smile, *“We’ll be fine here.”*


I believe this is a literary device that I learned about in 5th or 6th grade, known as foreshadowing...


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## Marauder06 (Mar 14, 2013)

Only, things weren’t fine.  In fact, things went wrong from the very beginning.  No one could get into the safe inside the SCIF where Chief Rollins put all of the inspection paperwork before she left for her sister’s wedding.  This was the infamous “SCIF hallway” safe, which had caused so many problems during the first inspection.  Faith knew he remembered the combination, but it wouldn’t open.  Several other people tried it, but the door stubbornly refused to budge.

“Sir, if you can’t get us the paperwork, we’re going to have to give you a failing grade on the inspection,” the lead inspector, an NCO from SOCOM, informed Faith about a half-hour after the inspection was set to begin.

“Look,” Faith said, “Give us a little more time.  We’ll get this safe open, or get someone in here who can.”

“Sir, I can give you another hour,” the NCO replied, “and that’s all.”  As soon as the NCO left, Faith asked Reynolds to call the engineers to have someone come cut the safe open.  Reynolds had, of course, already thought of that.  But when the engineers arrived, they had brought only bolt cutters, not the saws and torches that would be necessary to get into the safe.  It was maddeningly frustrating; everything they needed to pass the inspection was in that safe.  And they couldn’t get to it.

When the NCO from SOCOM came back, Faith asked for more time but was gently rebuffed.  “Sorry sir,” he was told, “We have a schedule we have to keep.  We checked everything else we could, and everything exceeds the standards, but without that paperwork you’re an automatic no-go.  I’m sorry sir, but 2nd Group failed this inspection.”  Then he and his inspection team packed up and were gone.  Faith stood in stunned silence for a second.

“What the fuck just happened?” Reynolds asked rhetorically.  Faith knew what happened; for the second time in almost as many years, the 2nd Special Forces Group had failed a major security and intelligence inspection.

Today was supposed to be The Dud’s last day in 2nd Group, and after the inspection, Faith’s first day as the Group S2.  This was going to be the launching point of a Group-wide effort to tighten up intel support as a whole, and to initiate a screening, assessment, and selection process for intel types coming to the Group.  It was supposed to be a good day.  But it had all gone terribly, horribly wrong somehow.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 14, 2013)

The consequences of failing this spectacularly an inspection of this level of importance were severe.  Protocol required that every arms room in the entire Group were to be shut down, the SCIF was closed, and classified computer accounts were frozen.  Units doing training were recalled in order to turn their weapons and sensitive items in for a 100% inventory.  This was a major disruption of most of the Group’s business.  And needless to say, people were PISSED.  Especially the Group commander, who called Faith on the carpet of his office.

“How the FUCK does something like this happen?” he demanded.  “You had ONE job to do, and you completely screwed it up.  Now I have to get on the phone to SOCOM and beg them to reopen my SCIF, clear my arms rooms, and restore my SIPR lines, because what, you forgot the combination to your safe?  The same safe you’ve had for two plus years?”

“It’s not that simple, sir,” Faith tried to explain.

“Oh, it isn’t?” the Group Commander retorted.  “You explain it to me, then.”

“Well, I’m not at all sure it’s a coincidence that the safe doesn’t work the same day that Major Dudley leaves the unit.  I wouldn’t put it past him to have done something on the way out the door.”

“Look, captain,” the Group Commander said menacingly, “I’m getting damn tired of you blaming everyone but yourself for your failures.  I’m going to get Major Dudley on the phone right now and get to the bottom of this.”  He sat down, pulled out a unit alert roster, and dialed Dudley’s cell phone.  “Major Dudley?  Yes, it’s me.  Look, we have an issue over here in the SCIF, can you come over so we can talk about it?  You’re where?  Great, see you soon.”

“That was Major Dudley,” the Group Commander said, “He says he headed over as soon as he heard about the issues we were having.  He’s in the parking lot, on his way down to the SCIF right now.  I think we should join him.”

“Right on, sir,” Faith responded, feeling his face redden.  He wasn’t sure yet exactly what happened, but he knew in his gut that The Dud was behind it.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 15, 2013)

When the Group Commander and Captain Faith arrived back at the SCIF, The Dud was already there waiting for them.  “Major Dudley, thank you for joining us,” the Group Commander said.

“Sir, I came over as soon as I could, what can I do to help?” The Dud responded.  Faith resisted the urge to chop him in the throat on the spot.

“The major problem is, we can’t get the safe open to get the documentation out to verify our security procedures, and without that, we can’t pass the inspection.”

“This safe?” he inquired, although Faith was confident he knew exactly which one the Group Commander meant.  “Yes, I saw Chief Rollins putting a bunch of stuff in there on Friday afternoon, when I was cleaning out my office and following the transition protocols that Captain Faith had established.

Where was The Dud going with this?  Faith wondered to himself.  Surely he wasn’t trying to blame this on Chief Rollins?
“I think I can help out with that, sir,” Major Dudley said to the Group commander.  The Dud them dialed in a series of numbers and the safe popped wide open.  Inside it was all of the inspection paperwork, neatly tabbed and labeled.  “See? It’s all right here,” The Dud said innocently.

Faith didn’t catch exactly what the combination was, but he knew it wasn’t the same thing it had been two days ago.  Faith exploded.  “You sorry bastard!  he shouted, “You changed the combination!” he said accusatorially.

The Dud looked perplexed.   “Well, of course I changed the combination,” he answered defensively.  “The SOP, that you wrote, states that the combination must be changed anytime one of the primary office holders rotates out.  Since I was leaving the unit, and I changed the combination.”
“But you knew that we were having this inspection today!”  Faith exclaimed, “And you knew that without this paperwork, we’d fail.”

“That’s correct,” The Dud said, pausing slightly.  Faith had a bad feeling about this whole situation, but didn’t really understand why.  Then it hit him- The Dud hadn’t stammered a single time.  That meant he was completely confident in what he was doing.  Which could mean only one thing:  a setup.

The Dud shifted his gaze from Faith to the Group commander.  “That’s correct, I knew that without this paperwork you’d fail the inspection, and I also knew that it would be a major gig if the former Group S2 left and the combinations weren’t changed.  That’s why I changed the combination and called you with the new combo.”

“You never called me,” Faith challenged, his eyes narrowing.  The Dud said nothing, but walked over to the phone and dialed in the number to Faith’s office.  Then he pushed in the keys that played through the voicemail.  There was a loud beep, then The Dud’s unmistakable stammer:

“Uh, yeah, Captain Faith, this is M-M-M-Major D-D-D-D-Dudley.  Just wanted to tell you that I reset the combo before I left, in a-c-c-c-cordance with the n-n-n-new SOP.  I don’t want to say what it is over the phone, but you’ll remember it from the first time you went through the inspection with me.  I j-j-j-just wanted to s-s-say that I know we have had our d-d-d-differences but n-n-n-no hard feelings.  Good luck with the insp-sp-spection tomorrow.  I’ll be gone all day inprocessing but call me on my cell if you n-n-n-need anything.”  MAJ Dudley then placed the receiver back on the phone and gave an “I told you” look to the Group commander.
“What time did you make that call, Major Dudley?” the Group Commander asked.

“About 1500,” the other man answered.

“Captain Faith, why weren’t you in your office at 1500 on Friday?” 

“I was… out of the office, sir,” he answered.  He didn’t exactly want to admit he was on his way to getting plastered at the joint retirement/promotion party.

“Let me get this straight.  You spend the last day of work before a big inspection getting drunk, during duty hours, then you let the warrant officer who is responsible for running our side of the inspection go on leave, and because you can’t get the safe open, we completely fail a major inspection.   Is that about right?”  the Group Commander demanded.  Faith made no reply, technically everything he said was correct.

At that moment, the Group DCO burst into the room.  “Sir, I heard what happened,” he said.  “I was at the range with one of our ODAs and the word came in.  What do we need to do to fix whatever it is that’s wrong?”

 “The main thing I think we need to do,” the Group Commander said evenly, “is to find a new Group S2.”


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## SkrewzLoose (Mar 15, 2013)

Someone has underestimated the conniving-ness of their adversaries, and possibly, is not fully aware of who ALL their adversaries are...

Also, I had to look up _conniving_.  It didn't start with a "K".


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## Marauder06 (Mar 15, 2013)

“Wait, what?” the DCO asked, confused, “I don’t think that’s necessary, sir, we’ll get this sorted out and find out what went wrong so it doesn’t happen again.”

“I don’t think so,” the Group Commander said, “I know you said Captain Faith here is a solid guy, but it has been one thing after another with him since I took over as commander.  This is definitely the last straw.”
“Sir, we need CPT Faith so we have some continuity in the 2 shop.  We have a deployment coming up, and no officers with intel experience left in the Group,” the DCO argued.

“Major Dudley has found someone, actually.  A tabbed guy, with experience as an intel guy in 2nd Group to boot.”
Faith was confused.  He could only think of one person that fit that description.  Please don’t say it…

“I called Division and MI Branch a few minutes ago,” the Group Commander continued, “Major (promotable) Quintin Roberts will be reporting in tomorrow morning to take over as Group S2.  Major Faith, I expect you to be cleared out of your office by then.”
Faith was crushed.  Roberts?  Taking over as Group S2?  This was terrible news.  In addition to getting fired, perhaps the absolute worst person to take the job was now getting it. 

Faith waited a second to take it all in.  “Roger, sir,” he finally said to the Group Commander.
“Sir-“ the DCO said urgently.

“Not another word,” the Group Commander said, cutting him off.  “We’re done here.  Gentlemen…” he said as he left the room.  The Dud smirked as he turned and followed.

“Let me talk to him,” the DCO said to Faith.

“Don’t bother sir,” Faith said.  “The Commander is right.  I failed, and the Group suffered as a result.”

 “No, this is bullshit,” the DCO insisted, then he too was gone.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 15, 2013)

The DCO’s departure left Faith and The Dud alone together in the SCIF.  Faith idly wondered if he could kill The Dud and hide his body.  Too many witnesses, he decided.

“In my new job over at Division, I handle all of the assignments for incoming intel officers,” The Dud stated.  “I’ll be sure to assign you something that’s a match for you’re a-a-a-“

“Abilities?” Faith provided.  The Dud glared at him
.
“Be at the Division Headquarters at 0600 tomorrow morning,” The Dud snapped before turning to leave.

“The combination?” Faith asked, indicating the safe.

“I told you, ‘you’ll remember it,’” The Dud said smugly.  “I know I always will.”

Alone now in the SCIF, Faith walked over to the now-closed safe.  He at least had to find out whether what The Dud said was true.  He squatted in front of the safe and dialed in a combination.  “You’ll remember it,” The Dud had said.  Faith knew what it would be:  0-50-0 the default combination from when Faith had unintentionally embarrassed The Dud at that first inspection all that time ago.  He paused a minute after inputting the combination, then reached out and snatched the safe’s door handle to the left.  It shot over with a resounding _klank!_ and the door was unlocked.

Sure enough, all of the inspection materials were in the safe, neatly organized and ready.  Faith took them out one by one and set them on the floor of the SCIF.  He was about to close the safe door when he noticed one more thing inside.

Faith heard footsteps behind him and knew it would be Sergeant Major Reynolds.  “Hey sir,” he said, his voice ringed with concern, “I heard what happened.  I came over as soon as I could.”  Faith didn’t acknowledge him.  His attention was focused on a small piece of paper, a page torn from a book.  Faith recognized it immediately.  It was a page from The Art of War, taken from a specific book he hadn’t seen in a long, long time.  It was page 82, Section III, part 31.  One specific portion was underlined lightly with mechanical pencil.  “If ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.”   He knew immediately what it was, who put it there, and what it meant.   He held the paper in his hand for a second before folding it twice and slipping it into his pocket.

Reynolds had read the page over Faith’s shoulder.  “What the hell does that mean?” he asked.

“It means I lost this one.  It means I need to find a new job.  It means,” Faith continued, “that I’m never going to underestimate anyone, ever again.”  Faith scooped up the pile of inspection materials and handed them over to Reynolds.   “You’re going to need this to get the inspection sorted out.”

“What are you going to do now, sir?” Reynolds asked concernedly.

“Well, I haven’t really thought about it,” Faith answered matter-of-factly.  “I think I’ll start by going out to my truck driving home, and pouring myself a big glass of Southern Comfort.  Then when my wife gets home, I’m going to tell her everything that happened, and we’re going to figure out where to go from there.  And tomorrow, I’ll report to Division until I can find a permanent home somewhere else.”

Reynolds shifted the pile of paperwork in his hands.  “Listen, let me get this stuff taken care of and we’ll go over to the Stab and Jab with a couple of the guys, I’ll get Captain Criss and Chief Michaels and some of the guys, and we’ll have a good time for a while.  I’ll drive you back to your house after your wife gets there.”

Faith smiled.  “Will, I’m going to be OK,” he said.  It was true; Faith didn’t feel… anything.  He was over the anger and the disappointment, he didn’t even feel a sense of emptiness that everything he had worked so hard for had crashed to the ground and the hands of The Dud.  Faith had played the game, and had lost.  This time.  But not for long.

The cell phone in Faith’s pocket buzzed.  Cell phones were forbidden in the SCIF and had to be left at the entry control point, but Faith had forgotten to do so when he entered today.  One more thing he could add to the “list of things that should have gone right today.”  But it was a minor thing, all told, and since he and Reynolds were the only two people in the SCIF, Faith was pretty sure that it wasn’t going to be an issue.  Pulling the phone from his pocket, he saw the call was from Chief Rollins.

“Hey Chief,” he said as soon as he connected the call, “How was the wedding?”

Rollins got straight to the point.  “Sir!  What the hell is going on down there?  I left my phone in my room this morning when we were getting ready for the wedding and just not got it back.  There are literally like 20 messages saying there is a problem with the safe, and that we’re going to fail the inspection???  Put me on the line with the inspectors, I’ll sort it all out!”

“Chief, we’re past that now, the inspection is over.  We got set up.”

“Who the fuck did it!?” Rollins demanded, shouting.  “I’ll fucking end them when I get back up there!”

“It doesn’t matter now, Chief,” Faith assured her.

“OF COURSE it matters, sir!”  Rollins insisted.  “Look, I’ll leave now and will be back home as soon as I can.  I’ll get things worked out with the inspectors and we’ll get to the bottom of what happened.”

Faith looked at his watch.  “Look Chief, even if you left right this minute, you’d have to drive all night and you wouldn’t get here until… at least 6 AM.  As my last order to you as the MID commander, I’m ordering you not to come back home until the sun comes up in the morning.  It’s too dangerous, and it’s utterly unnecessary.  We have the stuff we needed out of the safe now, there was nothing you could have done had you been here during the inspection, and there’s nothing you can do by coming home tonight, except get in a wreck.  So stay with your family tonight, and come home in the morning.”

Rollins was silent for a moment.  “You’re not going to be able to order me around so much when you’re the Group S2 and we have a new MID commander,” she said, part teasingly and part petulantly.

“Yeah, well, I’m not going to be doing that anymore, either,” Faith explained.  “The Group Commander feels like it’s best that I be moving on now.”

Rollins was silent again.  “You…, you got fired?” she asked.

“Pretty much, yeah,” Faith answered.  There was no reply, just a sharp intake of breath and what Faith thought was Rollins crying.
“Look, we’re all good here, things always work out for the best.  I’ll see you when you get back home.  It has been a pleasure serving with you.  You were the best warrant officer I ever served with,” Faith said sincerely.  When Rollins didn’t respond, Faith went ahead and ended the call as he, too felt himself begin to tear up.

When the call was over, Faith looked down at his uniform shirt and unclipped the SCIF access badge.  He tossed it gently on top of the pile of inspection material that Reynolds was now carrying.

“Had to work hard to get that,” he mused, considering the badge for a moment.  “Want to walk me out?”

And with that, Captain Scott Faith left the 2nd Special Forces Group, got into his truck and drove home to find his wife (who had been tipped off by either Rollins or Reynolds) already there waiting for him with a tall glass of Southern Comfort and Diet Cherry Coke.



THE END.


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## dirtmover (Mar 15, 2013)

WHAT!!!!!!! You can't end it like that.  It's like reading your favorite book and then the author kills off the main character at page 10.


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## LibraryLady (Mar 15, 2013)

dirtmover said:


> WHAT!!!!!!! You can't end it like that. It's like reading your favorite book and then the author kills off the main character at page 10.


 
Yes he can.  He's Mara... and he's done it before.  :wall:

LL


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## TB1077 (Mar 15, 2013)

“If ignorant of both your enemy Marauder06 and yourself, you are certain in every battle Case Study to be in peril.”   

Not the ending I was expecting, but at least it actually ended...  So when does the next one start Mara?


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## x SF med (Mar 15, 2013)

Faith was hoist by his own petard due to the red glare of  revenge blinding him to his purpose... commanding the MID.

SoCo? and diet Cherry Coke?  Weenie,Ma'am.  Very Weenie.  :wall:


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## DA SWO (Mar 15, 2013)

He got too cocky, and should have gone to the default setting automatically.

I'd have changed the combo and left a voice message (FWIW- I would have also filed a security incident on the Dud as the guy leaving is not allowed to change the combo).


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## reed11b (Mar 15, 2013)

FWIW, I HATE reading about politics in the military. It upsets me the same way that soldiers bragging about stealing from other soldiers does. I don't want it to be true, yet I know it is. Mission before personel business. Cpt. Faith was a failure just as much as the Dud in this regard.
Reed


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## dirtmover (Mar 15, 2013)

Well I guess CPT Faith's time in Group would have to end sometime.  I just hate to think that the Dud got in the last punch.  I hate when douches win.


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## Gypsy (Mar 15, 2013)

Well, bet he never forgets to check his voice mails on a regular basis again.


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## DA SWO (Mar 15, 2013)

Gypsy said:


> Well, bet he never forgets to check his voice mails on a regular basis again.


The mail was left after the end of the duty day.

The Group Cdr was looking for a reason to fire Faith and put his "Tabbed" buddy into the slot.


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## dirtmover (Mar 15, 2013)

SOWT, I agree with the Group Cdr wanting his buddy in the slot, but I thought the voicemail was before the end of the duty day.  The writing was on the wall and CPT Faith failed to realize it in time.   May be he will get a job across the air field with his buddy.


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## Gypsy (Mar 15, 2013)

SOWT said:


> The mail was left after the end of the duty day.
> 
> The Group Cdr was looking for a reason to fire Faith and put his "Tabbed" buddy into the slot.


 
No it was left before end of duty but Faith was at the retirement party...



> “About 1500,” the other man answered.
> 
> “Captain Faith, why weren’t you in your office at 1500 on Friday?”
> 
> “I was… out of the office, sir,” he answered. He didn’t exactly want to admit he was on his way to getting plastered at the joint retirement/promotion party


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## 0699 (Mar 15, 2013)

Good job on the story Mara.  Thanks for putting the effort into writing it for us.  A lot of good learning points in there.


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## dirtmover (Mar 15, 2013)

Mara dispite all my belly aching I thoroughly enjoyed this case study.  I learned a lot and have a tendency to fall in to the same holes that CPT Faith falls in to but not nearly as dramatic. lol  The funny thing is kinda the same thing happened to me while I was a SPC in Afghanistan and then again on the trail  (that one was a couple of times).  This case study has helped me realize where I went wrong.  

Well I guess officers can occaisionally be decent teachers....:-/


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## DA SWO (Mar 15, 2013)

Gypsy said:


> No it was left before end of duty but Faith was at the retirement party...


Semi-true.
A Retirement Ceremony of such magnitude would be considered an official function (and arguably, a place of duty).  The fact that they had Designated Drivers also indicated official acceptance.

The Dud ambushed the CPT, and quite frankly the CPT under-estimated the Dud.


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## NBC-Guy (Mar 15, 2013)

Anxiously awaiting the next installment


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## LibraryLady (Mar 15, 2013)

NBC-Guy said:


> Anxiously awaiting the next installment


 


Marauder06 said:


> ... THE END.


 
Uh... what about ^ do you not understand? :-" No more installments on this one.

Now a NEW Case Study... THAT we can look forward to - though, WHEN is a whole 'nother topic of discussion...  :wall:

Here's hoping he compiles these into a cohesive learning tool of some sort. 

LL


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## Salt USMC (Mar 15, 2013)

A well-done ending. Did NOT expect that.

Guess it's time to read through a few of the old ones while we wait for the latest!


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## NBC-Guy (Mar 15, 2013)

I was referring to the next Case Study. As some of them utilize the same Characters and refer back to past Case Studies, I view them (Case Studies) as similar to a series. Thus the statement, "Anxiously awaiting the next installment."


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## 0699 (Mar 15, 2013)

Maybe someone else needs to write a story.  Give Mara a break.

Then he can complain about your story.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 15, 2013)

Thanks, everyone, for your encouragement and most especially for your patience. I enjoy doing these but they always take way, way longer to finish than I expect. Like six months longer.  Part of it is I often end up doing massive re-writes or the good idea fairy swoops in and takes it off on a tangent. But now this one is officially done. Another one will start after I get caught up on my studies.

So let's talk about some of the lessons learned here, which is the reason we do these case studies in the first place. Here are some of the things I hope were conveyed over the course of this case study:

1) don't be a dick to people when it's not absolutely necessary
2) don't underestimate people, especially people who don't like you
3) if your power base is derived solely from patrons in the organizational hierarchy, you're screwed the moment that support evaporates
4) everything begins with people; if you have good people, and that includes good leaders, everything else kind of sorts itself out
5) relationships matter
6) you can't do everything on your own; trust, delegate, empower, hold accountable
7) haters gonna hate

and...

sometimes, no matter how badly you wish it were otherwise, the good guy gets screwed and the bad guy wins.

At least temporarily.

Any others?


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## Gypsy (Mar 17, 2013)

SOWT said:


> The Dud ambushed the CPT, and quite frankly the CPT under-estimated the Dud.


 
Agree, no doubt about it.


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## Salt USMC (Mar 18, 2013)

What's the next one going to be on?


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## Marauder06 (Mar 18, 2013)

Haven't decided yet.  Open to suggestions.


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## Salt USMC (Mar 19, 2013)

Maj. Faith establishes assessment and screening program for SF enablers.  Decides not to grandfather in MID/S2 personnel.  Much bitching/panicking ensues.


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## Marauder06 (Mar 19, 2013)

I think the next one is either going to be about the Group Support Company, or focus on an ODA. I don't think I have enough personal experience to write something that is both accurate and interesting about an ODA so it will probably be the former rather than the latter.

Besides, anyone who knows the SF culture would read about an EAST program being set up and say" hah! this is bs, it will never happen" and I'd be dealing with a credibility deficit right from the beginning


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## Yoshi (Mar 19, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> I don't think I have enough personal experience to write something that is both accurate and interesting about an ODA so it will probably be the former rather than the latter.


 
That is what co-writers are for!


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## Marauder06 (Mar 19, 2013)

Yoshi said:


> That is what co-writers are for!


Hm, that idea has merit.


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## reed11b (Mar 19, 2013)

Any experience with interactions between NG and AD groups? I would love to read a case study on that.
Reed


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## Marauder06 (Mar 19, 2013)

I saw some of that first hand, and I know a couple of people here on the site who might be willing to provide input


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## Salt USMC (Mar 19, 2013)

reed11b said:


> Any experience with interactions between NG and AD groups? I would love to read a case study on that.
> Reed


To expand on this idea a little bit: Do a story around a big training exercise (or deployment) involving another service's SOF, or even another nation's.  Explore themes of differing cultures within each, and how they conflict as well as mesh.  You could call it "Diff'rent Strokes"


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## Marauder06 (Mar 24, 2013)

OK- I think I have the basic idea for the next case study.  I'm going to stick to what I know and do the next iteration of CPT Faith's career after being sent down the road to Division (as opposed to "across the airfield" to another SOF outfit).  I'm not ready to do justice to something that focuses on an ODA.

 I think I might also do some more character development of other personalities who have been minor players so far, CPT Faith might get killed off or quit the Army or something and someone's going to have to step up.

More to follow in a week or so.


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## LibraryLady (Mar 25, 2013)

Marauder06 said:


> ... More to follow in a week or so.


 
Translation - We might see something when school gets out for summer break.  :-":-/

LL


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## Mac_NZ (Mar 25, 2013)

I hope there is a good looking Kiwi exchangee who demonstrates great prowess with the ladies, maybe you could call him Mac....


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