Training
1611 Words
That weekend was their first family training event, and he had scheduled several games of football, soccer and baseball. The men would be allowed to play with their families, eat a BBQ supplied by several of the chefs, and had a generally good time.
After they ate the men learned that they were not finished training. The course was revealed, and their new paintball range was ready for them to begin. Lincoln called all of the men and their families together, and they knew he was getting ready to address them.
"Welcome families of the 127th Combat Unit, this will be the first of many family training days over the next 54 days. I must apologize now, because what we will be doing until we deploy will take your loved ones from you. I can only say that we are not doing this to be cruel, but to ensure as many of us return as possible. Tomorrow will be the first Day pass for the entire unit, and you are strongly encouraged to take full advantage, as they will be few between now and when we deploy. In 54 days we deploy to the front lines of the conflict, and we will be ready when that day comes. The more we train here, the fewer of us that will return when our deployment is finished. For now, enjoy the day, and cheer on your families as we train in live fire exercises." Lincoln said as he talked to the families and his men.
There was a large cheer as they were all excited they got the day off tomorrow, and Lincoln knew the majority of his Officers would arrive throughout the day. He watched as the squads teamed up, and were split into competing teams.
For hours they challenged each other, the winning teams advancing as the losers joined their families and watched the remaining matches. There were a dozen teams left when it got dark, and suddenly the lights came on when he had not scheduled them. The base commanders had been watching, and they were going to take a page out of his book with the other Battalions on the base.
"Let the next match begin." General Howard said as he stood next to Colonel Masters.
The 2 squads stormed the opposite ends of the pitch, and the challenge started. They were improving their tactics, and it was becoming more challenging for the teams to eliminate one another.
"What made you come up with this?" General Stephen Howard asked Lincoln.
"Morale and motivation, with our current training schedule they won't have much time for their families. We need to train, they need time with their families. 2 birds with one stone." Lincoln answered him as it was clear their morale was extremely high in this moment.
General Howard nodded as more of the other Unit Officers came closer so they could see with the lowered light. "How often are you planning these activities?" he asked.
"Was planning every other week, too much of a good thing and all." he said to a nod as the other Unit Commanders joined them.
"So when you have the next one, will you entertain challengers?" Colonel Jessop asked him.
"Certainly, however I am not sure how it would work with multiple Units utilizing the field for training." he answered.
"We can work out a schedule, two weeks you said? That means we could have 2 days next weekend for the other units to enjoy what you have today. Might be a tight fit, but if we do morning and evening both days we could cover the remainder of the troops to make this a weekly affair. It could clearly help morale more than we ever anticipated." General Howard said.
Lincoln nodded, and had another idea. "Sir, there is space next to the 186th Barracks for a second course. We could also split them in half, and double that amount to 4 courses for the other units. Afterward we could make it a competition between the squads to increase effectiveness and lifelike training."
The other officers agreed with them, and while the soldiers finished the first competition they coordinated the next events.
The next day he met the 30 Officers who made up his command structure, and instructed them in what he expected. It took the entire day, and he never thought he would be exhausted just because of administrative tasks. He however knew that when they finally deployed, he would enjoy the chaos of battle.
After sleeping he was glad to begin his new training regiment, and all of his Officers quickly learned they were not exempt from the training either. He expected them to lead by example, as he even had his own squad he commanded during training exercises.
By the time they had finished at 1000, General Howard had called a command staff meeting, as only 3 of the Battalion leaders had discussed the new morale events. When Lincoln and his 3 officers arrived, it was clear there were more units than what he had expected. There were a dozen Colonels who commanded Battalions, and he knew it would be interesting to see how they reacted.
"Welcome everyone, let us get down to business as most of us have other things that are just as important. Each of you excluding Colonel Masters who took over the 127th, has reported that there are issues with Morale. Colonel Masters has come up with an ingenious plan that we believe will help with this issue." Howard said before he began explaining the new events that would be held every weekend for training.
Lincoln was surprised when each of the Colonels was impressed, and his idea was given unanimous approval from all of them. Instead of every other weekend, it had been decided every weekend would be a more fitting timeline considering how close many of the Units were to deploying.
It was indeed set up as a competition, and his teams would be competing as well this weekend.
After 45 days, Lincoln was assessing his troops, as they had just one week before they deployed to Ukraine. He had begun receiving the intelligence briefings he would need, and he knew that the situation was beginning to turn to the tide of NATO, and he feared it would just escalate the very serious fighting.
It was a Monday morning, and his troops had just completed training for the morning. He summoned his Officers and NCOs, and he had a sinking feeling that they would not be deploying to Ukraine.
He reviewed the maps, and knew if what his assessment was showing happened, they would need a local rally point for his teams. His Officers assembled, and all 90 of them barely fit in the conference room.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a serious issue I feel we need to discuss. We have 9 days until deployment, and the situation is more dire than it ever has been. I feel we need a local fall back point, atleast 20 miles from any assets or potential targets." he told them as they all looked at the maps.
"Sir, may I ask what has prompted this?" Sergeant Major Blake asked.
"Intuition, this plan is not to be broadcast, and we will prepare to deploy on schedule. However with current intelligence, I believe it to be a prudent contingency plan." Lincoln told them as they conducted a thorough review and determined the best location for what they wanted.
There was a local cave system, and it had enough room and passages to house several dozen Battalions of troops and support personnel. "Give the men the coordinates, and inform their families. If there is a credible threat to the area they are to evacuate immediately. Any supplies they can bring would be greatly needed, and I will discuss the issue with General Howard. Let us pray this plan is not needed." Lincoln said as his phone rang.
He answered it as his men left, and was surprised General Howard had called him so quickly.
"Colonel Masters, however much your assessment frightens me, I must agree it is a likely conclusion based on the available intelligence reports. I have forwarded it up the chain of command, what are your suggestions?" he asked him.
"General, there is a cave system that could house several dozen Battalions and their families. It is about 22 miles from the base, and With a cache of supplies and a disbursed arrival, they could be an adequate shelter should the worst happen." Lincoln said sharing the location.
General Howard looked at it, and was surprised at the size of the caverns. "I will alert the units should an attack happen, and we will set it up as a classified fall back position. Be prepared to provide additional details should your assessment be accepted." He said before he hung up the phone.
Lincoln spent the rest of his day training, and considering what he could do to prepare his troops better. If his assessment was accurate, there would be a massive attack within the week. There were very good odds that it would be a massive nuclear attack as Russia was on the brink of defeat.
A dozen years defending against the ability of NATO to supply Ukraine with arms and supplies had taken its toll, and Russia could no longer sustain the level of supplies to prevent the spring offensive that was bound to start any day.
He attempted to put it at the back of his mind, and focus on training his troops for what he hoped would be a significant attack into Russian controlled territory.
- Writer
