Chapter 30

There was a stack of folders on my desk when I showed up Monday morning and the first thing I did was move them somewhere else. I then started through the training syllabus. This is the heart of a training program. What we are teaching the people in the classes. I wasn't pleased with much that I saw. There was too much fluff and not enough meat. I wanted our people to know how to fight, not salute. If they couldn't fight then we didn't want them regardless of how well they saluted. I started making note of what the class was and who the instructor had been. There was much revision of what was taught and when it was taught. We would need to scramble as a new class started in two weeks.

I then started through the resumes of the instructors. Many were totally unsuited to be instructors. When I asked I found out that many of the instructors did it just for the extra credits that were paid for classes. That explained all the fluff. Another problem was too many Staff Officers and not enough Line Personnel as instructors. That had arisen from our rapid growth. The Line Officers were too busy with the new Companies, Battalions and Regiments to be pulled out for training classes. This had to change.

I got on the horn to the hospital. "J.J. how busy are you right now? If you have the hospital whipped into shape I could use some help at the Training Academy for a bit. Could you come over?"

When he got there I showed him the revised syllabus and explained what I wanted to do. He agreed that there hadn't been enough emphasis placed on the important issues. Now we had to find the people to teach what we felt was important. I gave the secretary a list of those who's services we would no longer be needing.

I called the armory and asked about weapons. How many shotguns and how much ammunition do we have on hand? When I found out we had none I told him to draft a letter for my signature now. Before the day was out I wanted thirty shotguns and 10,000 rounds of shotgun shells. The same for clay pigeons and to set up trap and skeet ranges, four of each. I wanted them completed yesterday!

I called the motor pool to find out how many vehicles we had. I had him order four more trucks, two of them wheeled and two of them tracked. I also told him to be in my office after lunch to go over some things I wanted.

I then called the Mech Bay to see how many and what Mechs we had and their state of readiness. I wasn't happy with the answers I got nor the excuses that I was given. I contacted Rachel to see if she had a Tech Supervisor she could let me have to replace the one I had. I also let her know that I might be drawing on her for the parts we needed to get our Mechs on line. The supervisor I wanted Yesterday also.

I then asked her if she knew what a pigeon thrower was. When she did I asked her if she had ever seen a left handed one? All of the ones I've seen have the arm on the right and throw to the right. I wanted some that throw to the left as well. I asked her if she could make me four or five? She said she could so I thanked her and hung up.

After lunch I showed the Motor pool supervisor what I wanted and why. He made some suggestions that improved on what I had drawn up. "You know what I want now. Do it. You know better than I do how to do it. I also want a bumpy road. It needs to be two kilometers long. The bumps need to be permanent so that they will be the same for everyone. After they get to where they can hit the targets on a smooth road then we switch them to the bumpy road, got it?" With a big grin he nodded. I dismissed him and turned back to getting the instructors that I would need.

I got back on the phone. "Mac, can I have permission from you to send some of your people TDY (Temporary Change of Duty)? I need good instructors and you don't have enough. If I can get permission from the others you'll be getting several new men for a short time and I'll be drawing on them as instructors here. When I pull them it'll short you one company, but the replacements you'll be getting will be a lot better. I'm going to try to spread it around so you won't be so short but..."

"If the replacements are better than what we've been getting then I can live with the shortage," he said. "Some of them have been terrible. I didn't say anything because I knew how busy you were with other things and we handled it ourselves."

Milt and Johnny Schultz went along with me when I contacted them. I also asked them if they had been getting any complaints about the quality of the replacements they had been getting? Neither had so I suggested that they ask in their next Staff Meeting. It could be that the Company and Battalion Commanders had been handling the problem themselves. I also wanted feedback from them on what these short comings were and suggestions from them on better courses for the students. I told each of them some of the corrections that I had already made and they agreed that they were needed.

J.J. brought me in a list of the people he would use for instructors and after going over the list with him I gave it to the secretary. I told her to check to find out which Regiment each of them was with and get back to me with the list.

Tuesday we had the new Training Syllabus printed up and again we went over it. I interviewed the new Tech Supervisor, Ken Willis and told him what I wanted out of him. I knew what I wanted was impossible but I wanted repairs made to get all Mechs on line as fast as possible and keep them there. Parts were to be drawn from Rachel until such time as I could get our priority changed. At that time we would replace any and all parts we had drawn from Rachel and keep the necessary parts on hand. If he had techs or astechs that didn't want to work he was to get rid of them or I would. When there's work to be done they were all to pitch in and get it done. When there was no work then we all took it easy.

I also had the Techs pick up my Warhammer, the Grand Shillelagh and paint her the brightest red they could come up with. I intended to use her to monitor the battle training and I wanted everyone to know that she was live and not on training mode. She was off limits for target practice because I would shoot back and they could get hurt!

Something else the Training Academy had never had was a mission statement. It sounds simple but a mission statement lets everyone know what our objectives are out front.

"It is the mission of this Training Academy to provide the best course of instruction that we can. The best instructors will be utilized be they Officer, Enlisted Personnel or Hired Civilians. The courses of study will be the best, most current and most applicable to our unit that we can obtain."

It was a struggle but we were ready when the new class started. The instructors seemed to appreciate the new outlook and the student began to learn how to stay alive, Shadow style.

Another thing I did was a shot in the dark. I sent off letters to the leading Academies of the Liao, the Steiner and Davion sectors. I requested a course syllabus and training manuals for their courses for both MechWarriors and for their Technicians. If I get a response then I am ahead. If I don't I still haven't lost anything. I did the same thing with the Academy on Taurus. I expect to hear from them. I also requested from NAIS College of Military Science as much information as they could furnish on the training Maze they have constructed. In fact they have two. If we could construct such a Maze here it would greatly improve not only our training but could be used during the upgrading of those who are currently assigned.

Dropships have been arriving and our little town is filling up with wedding guests. Dennis and family arrived. We met them at the Spaceport and welcomed them here. I turned over my apartment to he and his family. Barney was on the same ship and was brought out with them. We put him in one of the guest bedrooms. I moved into Sean's apartment and there would still be room for him when he arrives.

I have finally had a chance to meet my new sister-in-law. She's new to me even if they have been married for nearly four and a half years. At one and two and a half the little ones don't know what to make of all this. They knew something exciting was going on, they could feel the tension but they didn't know what to make of all these new big people who were picking them up and hugging them. I made a conquest with my niece though. I took her out to the stable and showed her all the horses. We had a small pony there all saddled and ready. I sat her in the saddle and gave her the reins. She didn't see that I had the lead rope and we walked around in the training ring so she could 'ride'. She had to go tell her Mommy how she rode the horsy.