Chapter 10

The following new characters appears in this and other chapters:

Kampon Sukondhapatipak

Senior Colonel, Royal Siam Army, 5'-8'' tall, 175 pounds, 48 years old, black hair with a touch of gray, brown eyes

Werachon Adireksombat

Major, Royal Siam Army, 5'-9'' tall, 165 pounds, 34 years old, black hair, brown eyes

"What have you done NOW?" the Governor roared rising from his seat upon seeing us in the doorway, again without so much as a Sawat Dee or a wai. "Several of the Commanders from the Army camp were here this morning complaining about you and demanding that I do something about you," he continued in a somewhat quieter voice.

Chanthra and I advanced into the room, and stopped several paces from his chair. We both Sawat Deed and waied with a bow before saying anything else.

"I haven't done anything but speak to some soldiers who came to our house to inquire about the unit that they had heard that I was forming," I told him.

"That's what the Commanders were complaining about," he said in a somewhat quieter voice. "They think that you are going to steal their best men."

"The unit that I wish to form and train will require the very best men that the Army has, but everyone of them MUST be a volunteer, and that includes the Officers," I told him to a surprised look from him.

"The Officers also?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes, even the Officers, and they will all need to pass the required training and tests just as the other men do. Every man must want to be in the unit and to remain there. Anyone who can not pass the required tests will be returned to his previous unit," I informed him.

"I never heard of such a thing. What kind of unit will this be?" the Governor asked as he resumed his seat, now more calm than when we had entered. I explained the concept of a Ranger unit and outlined the type of training that I would be conducting. The Governor looked very thoughtful when I had finished.

"You can not be the Commander of such a unit, the Commander must be Thai," he told us.

"You are correct, sir, I never intended to be the Commander of this unit. I am a trainer. I will train the men and the Officers. I will also gather a cadre of men who will assist me in the training. They will be men with specialized skills and knowledge who will be able to pass that knowledge and those skills on to the other men," I told him.

"And you will do this training where?" the Governor's chief assistant demanded.

"At the Army camp. We will require an area to live in and hold classes plus other areas to conduct our initial training. Later there will be exercises to test the men's knowledge of what they were taught, but these will need to be away from the camp itself," I told him.

"How many men will be needed for this unit?" was the next question.

"I would like to begin with a 50 man unit, but it will require more men than that to start as the training is very difficult and many will not finish," I told him. He was frowning on hearing this.

"How many more men?" the Governor asked.

"Probably around a 100 to start with. Usually only half or fewer of the men complete the training, " I replied.

"The Commanders were right to worry. Still if those who do not finish are returned to their previous unit, they would only be lost to them for a short time," he said with a smile.

"No, they won't be lost to them, and they will be better trained than when they left, plus any of the men can quit the training whenever they want to. As I said, I only want men with a strong desire to be the best and who want to be in the unit," I replied.

"When would you be ready to start this training?" he inquired.

"I haven't been out to the Army camp yet. Once I have your permission, I will go there and see what areas are available and what work will be required to set up the unit in addition to starting on the various training areas that will be required," I told him.

"Return in two days. I will speak to the Army Commanders tomorrow and give you my decision on the second day," the Governor told us before he turned to his assistants, ending the meeting. We Sawat Deed, waied, and bowed before leaving.

Once outside and away from the building, Sergeant Chuang turned to Chanthra and me.

"Guardian, were you serious when you said that half of the men would not complete the training?" he asked with a puzzled expression.

"In my country – yes, but I believe the men here will be able to do better than that, but we will have to see. The training is very intense, and there may be many who are either unable or unwilling to do all of it. As I told the Governor, only the best will be allowed in the unit," I reminded him.

"I will pass this to those interested, Pee," he told us before we retrieved our horses and Chanthra and I returned to our house and the Sergeant to the Army camp.

"Do not worry, my Mike, everything will be all right," Chanthra told me at home after we put the horses up. "The Amulets brought us here to do these things, and they will arrange things so that we can do what is required. The Governor and the Army Commanders will agree to you forming this unit."

The next two days were very quiet at the house. No soldiers showed up, and there were no demands for us to see the Governor. That didn't mean that we didn't have any visitors. A number of women arrived the next morning to speak with Chanthra about her classes. More arrived on the second morning.

It wasn't until noontime of the third day since we had seen the Governor that Sergeant Chuang arrived at our house. Chanthra had begun her classes that morning at Wat Suttha Chinda and had just returned a short time before he arrived.

"The Governor will see you this afternoon at 'bai sahm mohng' (3:00 PM), but I don't know what he has decided. I was only told to bring you there then," he explained after the greetings.

"We have plenty of time then. Come and eat," Chanthra told him before we went up to the principal room for a leisurely lunch. Later Chanthra and I changed clothes before we left to see the Governor.

There were murmurings from those working there when we entered the 'jahng – waht' (Provincial Offices) where the Governor had his office, but no one attempted to intercept us as they had previously, and we proceeded to the second floor. We were a few minutes early, and waited until it was 1500 hrs. by my watch to knock on the door to his office.

The doors quickly opened, and the assistant told us to enter. We walked to within a few paces of the Governor's chair before starting the greetings which he returned this time.

"I hope this unit that you are starting is worth all of the trouble that it has already caused me," the Governor said in a tired voice. "The Commanders were not happy about losing people or having a Fa-rung instructing people in a new unit. They have been complaining for some time about the changes that His Majesty the King instituted with the reorganization of the Army that started some three years ago. I persuaded them that since the King had sent you here, it was better to allow you to proceed, and if you didn't produce the expected results, that they could then complain to those in Krung Thep (Bangkok). Many of them weren't convinced of the wisdom of this, but they will allow you to start this unit.

"Since you are a Fa-rung (foreigner) with special knowledge, you will be paid the same as an Officer in charge of four companies (a field grade Officer equivalent to a Major). How do you wish to be addressed?" he finished.

"He should be addressed as Guardian or Instructor," Chanthra said speaking for the first time since we had entered.

"I am a Military Trainer (Gwang Thay Kru fuk was the term in Thai that I used)," I insisted just before Chanthra's face lit up.

"Yes, he should be addressed as Chief Ranger Trainer," she burst out. "Just now the Amulets have decreed that is to be his title," she finished. The governor appeared to consider this for several minutes before he spoke.

"Yes," he finally said in agreement, "that is appropriate and has no indications of command. The Army Commanders will like that," he finished before turning to one of his assistants and telling him to prepare a decree appointing me, 'Chief Ranger Trainer' with the authority to start a new unit to train soldiers for special missions. The document was soon ready and the Governor signed it with a flourish before it received the ribbons, seals and stamps that made it an official document. When finished, the assistant handed it to me.

"Your pay will begin tomorrow," we were informed. "Show that to the Commander of the Army camp, and he will assign a place for you to start your unit," the Governor assured us. We all Sawat Deed, waied, and bowed before leaving the Governor's office.

It wasn't until we were out of the building at our horses before Sergeant Chuang spoke.

"Chief Ranger Trainer," he began in a very respectful voice using my new title with a bow, "I wish to be the first to volunteer for your new unit."

"Certainly, Sergeant Chuang, and that is probably a good thing since you will be able to take me to the Camp Commander, and you will know where the area is that he assigns us," I agreed, but needed to adjust how I was addressed at least in private.

"Also Sergeant Chuang, you may address me as Guardian or 'Master Sergeant' when we are alone or with Chanthra (I used the title in English as the Siamese Army didn't have that rank yet). Chief Ranger Trainer is much too long a title to be used much of the time," I told him.

"Could not the students address you as 'Chief Trainer' during classes and less formal times?" Chanthra asked in her soft voice.

"Yes, that would probably be a better form of address," I agreed before we mounted our horses and departed. Chanthra and I returned to our house and the Sergeant returned to the Army camp. He had agreed to be at our house at 0800 hrs tomorrow.

That evening, we went out to eat at one of the restaurants at the night market to celebrate. Even Ratana went with us. She and Chanthra had a meal of five courses while I had an extra large plate of sweet and sour pork which was delicious. Consequently, it was quite late and dark when we returned home. The moon was low in the sky and provided little light for us to see by, as it was only a few days after the new moon. Fortunately, we had brought one of the oil lamps with us so we could see on the way home.

Following a shower on returning home, Chanthra wanted love and sex in that order. She was very excited by all of the things that had occurred today. The hugging, kissing, massaging, and rubbing against each other lasted a long time before Chanthra pulled me over on top of herself. We were both more than ready by now, and the sex was fast and furious so that we both soon exploded in orgasmic bliss before laying there for a time recovering.

"Thank you, Tee ruk, ka, " she whispered when she was sufficiently recovered before kissing me after moving up against me and moving one of her legs over mine. We were now both hot and sweaty and after a short time we went back down to wash up again but didn't take an entire shower.

We were awakened again shortly after dawn by several of our neighbor's roosters who were very vocal again this morning.

Sergeant Chuang arrived just before 0800 hrs. Being early is always a good sign for an NCO. I was already dressed in one of the starched camouflage uniforms prepared by the Amulets with my spit-shined boots, beret, and both pistols in their holsters. Following the usual greetings, I mounted my horse, and we departed for the Army camp while Chanthra left for the Wat and her classes there.

As we approached the Army camp here, I could see that it was quite different from the camp as I knew it in 1965. While there was still a masonry wall that defined the entrance gate to the camp and there were soldiers on guard, there was no machine-gun crew with their Browning .30 caliber machine-gun on a stand in the middle of the road. Machine-guns wouldn't be invented for a number of years yet. The guards were armed with muzzle loading, single shot muskets rather than the bolt action rifles used there. Those rifles wouldn't be invented for some time yet either. Of course, the muskets still had the long sharp bayonets that the rifles had, though they were a different pattern.