Case Study: Karma

and that movie is in 4 parts on TV with a ton of commercials.

Spread out over a month, so you have to DVR it and rewatch last week's episode just to remember what our hero is up to, because your memory isn't what it used to be and neither is your eyesight, and when did they start making the print on the prescription medicine bottles so small, I have to get my glasses and read through the bottom lens just to figure out what medicine I'm taking, and I don't even really remember why I'm taking it because my memory isn't what it used to be and neither is my hearing, I can only hear weird noises that no one else seems to hear, or that damn music that's just being played too damn loud, but I can hear it when my wife snores in her sleep and I'm surprised I can even remember that because my memory isn't what it used to be.
 
Spread out over a month, so you have to DVR it and rewatch last week's episode just to remember what our hero is up to, because your memory isn't what it used to be and neither is your eyesight, and when did they start making the print on the prescription medicine bottles so small, I have to get my glasses and read through the bottom lens just to figure out what medicine I'm taking, and I don't even really remember why I'm taking it because my memory isn't what it used to be and neither is my hearing, I can only hear weird noises that no one else seems to hear, or that damn music that's just being played too damn loud, but I can hear it when my wife snores in her sleep and I'm surprised I can even remember that because my memory isn't what it used to be.

You need gainful employment! :D
 
45 minutes later, you come out of the DCO’s office and find MSG Reynolds seated in a chair in the Group orderly room, reading a magazine while he waits for you.

“Must have gone OK, I didn’t hear any yelling,” says MSG Reynolds. "Hm, and it looks as if your ass is still attached," he adds, checking out your backside as you walk past. You say nothing, but from the look on your face, MSG Reynolds can tell that it was a good meeting. He rises and follows you out to the parking lot and you both get into your car.

After the door closes and he gets buckled in, MSG Reynolds looks over and says, “So, are you the DCO’s boy?”

“Apparently,” you reply.

Grinning, MSG Reynolds says, “You know what, sir, life would be a whole lot easier for you if you would listen to me every once in a while.”

“Apparently,” you say again, also grinning, and then you fill him in on what happened.
 
I took the DVR idea on catching up on the case studies and being able to zip through all of the "Mara sucks" posts because things are drug out so long:D . The suspense of waiting for your updates is brutal to say the least, so going back and reading through them after the fact makes things a little easier. With that said, it is amazing to realize how unproductive I was yesterday catching up on "The Soul Plane Incident" and "The Loyal Wife". So thanks Mara.
 
I took the DVR idea on catching up on the case studies and being able to zip through all of the "Mara sucks" posts because things are drug out so long:D . The suspense of waiting for your updates is brutal to say the least, so going back and reading through them after the fact makes things a little easier. With that said, it is amazing to realize how unproductive I was yesterday catching up on "The Soul Plane Incident" and "The Loyal Wife". So thanks Mara.

I'm glad you liked the stories :-)

My plan (when I have time) is to take all of the related case studies and put them together as a novel. I even have a title in mind: Bolts and Blade- The MID. (bolts and blade is an allusion to the USASFC patch). It's about time someone put out a decent book that focuses on the enabler side of the house, right? ;)

If it works out, maybe I'll turn it into a series of books. At least I'll something to occupy my time after these defense cuts force me out of the Army.

/////

The DCO's plan is fairly simple. You will fill the vacant AS2 position, under The Dud, for a couple of weeks. This is long enough for you to do a transition with him, as MAJ Dudley moves on to... "bigger and better things" outside of Group. You will become the Group S2, and the DCO has challenged you to "put your money where your mouth is" and fix all the intel-related things that you think The Dud has been messing up lately. The DCO wants you in charge and The Dud out of there before the upcoming big inspection. That inspection will be your first major challenge as S2. The DCO cautioned you to not share this information with anyone, because The Dud doesn’t know about it yet and the Group Commander wants to sit him down and break the news to him, which he plans on doing later on this afternoon. The Group Commander pulled some strings and got The Dud a job on the Division G2 staff as the chief planner. This is technically another “branch qualifying” assignment and will look good on The Dud’s officer record brief (ORB), but this is clearly a demotion in terms of prestige, going from a Special Forces Group S2 to a nobody buried in a Division G2 shop. You think that something like this couldn’t have happened to a better guy.

1LT Delano will take over as Group MID commander, which you're still not happy with, but since the MID is about to be busted up anyway, it doesn't really matter. After the re-organization called for by the new MTOE, the Group MID will likely have a grand total of 12 people in it, and it doesn't take a whole lot to be in "command" of 12 troops- not when they're enablers, anyway. The new MTOE calls for the position to be filled by a 1LT (albeit a “male” 1LT), and now an 1LT will be in the job. So be it.

CPT James will become the new GSC commander, which you already knew. What you didn’t know until the DCO told you, is that James has a very low sequence number, meaning his promotion will occur in the very near future. You related your concerns about CPT James to the DCO, who listened intently but was non-committal about what action, if any, should be taken in that regard. The GSC change of command will take place as soon as the arrangements can be made. Although MAJ Ripley hasn’t said anything to you about it yet, you’re pretty sure that you’re going to be the “stuckee” for planning it out.

When you get back to the MID headquarters building (i.e. the old stockade), you notice The Dud’s vehicle parked outside. “I wonder what this is about?” you say out loud as you and MSG Reynolds walk up the steel staircase to your office.
 
Good news for you, but it sounds like there're more problems in store for our hero...
 
You walk into your office to find The Dud waxing one out to the draft of a paper on F3EAD you're working on.
 
lol! Well, that would certainly make things... interesting. Props for crossthreading, but the events in this case study pre-date F3EAD. And everyone knows that I wouldn't want inconsistencies in one of my case studies! ;)
 
As you open the door to the detachment headquarters, the first thing you see is Chief Rollins. She is standing in the orderly room, arms folded across her chest, clearly pissed off about something. Then you see what it is. Across the room, you see The Dud standing with 1LT Delano. She is shaking hands with some of your Soldiers, who are clearly relishing the attention from the attractive woman. Like most of the people in the building, 1LT Delano has shed her uniform top because of the heat in the building. This is a pretty common practice in the summer months, when the heat and the unfortunate lack of central air in the building make things a bit uncomfortable. In fact MSG Reynolds is shrugging out of his top almost as soon as he is in the door. You think that's fine for the NCOs and troops, but you feel it's inappropriate for an officer to do the same. Especially for officers like LT Delano, who have... "distracting" personal features, even when they are concealed beneath a brown t-shirt.

When Chief Rollins sees you, her face brightens a bit and she walks over to you and MSG Reynolds. "Sir, Miss Twiggy over there," she jerks a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of LT Delano, "is going around telling everyone that she's the new commander of the MID. What gives?"

"There are going to be some personnel moves," you inform her, "I'll update you after they're gone."

"OK. But someone needs to tell the Princess that if she is going to be in charge, she needs to have the guys start thinking about her like an officer, not like a piece of meat. She can start by not flouncing around here with her blouse off," she fumes. With this, MSG Reynolds flicks a finger up a portion of Chief Rollins' bare bicep to remind her that she, too, has removed her uniform top. Chief Rollins rolls her eyes and petulantly steps off into her office.
 
She is shaking hands with some of your Soldiers, who are clearly relishing the attention from the attractive woman. Like most of the people in the building, 1LT Delano has shed her uniform top because of the heat in the building. .

And the pay you to serve in this womans army? :p Whats next?

Sunbathing without t-shirts and pouring Jojoba sunscreen to one another.? :D

No wonder salty Rangers say what they say about life in SF :sneaky:
 
And the pay you to serve in this womans army? :p Whats next?

Sunbathing without t-shirts and pouring Jojoba sunscreen to one another.? :D

No wonder salty Rangers say what they say about life in SF :sneaky:

lol

Just to make sure everyone understands what is going on in the story- Soldiers wear brown t-shirts under their uniform tops. When you "take off your top," you still have on a brown t-shirt underneath. No no one is "topless" in the traditional sense, or walking around in a sports bra or whatever.

In real life, our offices really were in the top floor of the old post stockade, and it really was hot as #$@& up there in the summer. It was an unwritten policy that while you were inside the building, you could take off your top. If you went outside, or if we were expecting visitors, it was tops-on.
 
Just play them backwards, then country songs have happy endings... and since you listen to death metal anyway, there are no happy songs... but you do listen to show tunes and the Barney albums too...

What's wrong with show tunes?!? Next you'll be making fun of my Barry Manilow album collection...
 
to get back to mara's story .... it could be that the LT had a problem with her thermostat and was showing the troops what she thought of the temperature - and was either wearing a slinky Victoria's Secret undergarment or had forgetten to wear an undergarment... Why's the Chief worried, she got a real SF hero... Weapons and Medic and O&I and a TS to boot... isn't he on the SGM list too?:-":ROFLMAO::ninja:
 
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