Read Online B00C74WTKQ EBOK by Lloyd Tackitt - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lloyd Tackitt
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as though they were his own daughters. He had become invested in their success at being self-sufficient. It was the best thing he could give them; he knew it, and they knew it.
The day before they were to go back on the road, Adrian sent the girls on what he called a “Graduation Patrol.”
“Ladies,” he said to the group assembled in front of him, “this patrol is your graduation. Do everything right, and you will no longer be just a group of girls, you will officially be a patrol unit, each of you a functioning member of that unit. Your assignment is to capture a flag from a designated location on the map. Race will lead the patrol. She will read the map, assign you to your positions and tasks, navigate the terrain and lead you in, get the flag, and lead you out. You are to assume you are in enemy territory from beginning to end, and act accordingly. I’ll be watching from various places. This exercise is to show me that you can do all that you need to do without my being present. Any questions?”
The girls, faces and hands blackened with charcoal in a horizontal, tiger-stripe fashion, all shook their heads in silence.
Adrian turned to Race. “Okay Race, take command.”
Race called the girls into formation, checked their equipment and dress to make sure they were ready to go. She checked that they had their field rations, water, and ammunition. Checked that their guns were cleaned and loaded with one in the chamber, and safeties on. Then she outlined the mission, showed them on the map where they were going, how they would get there and the type of movements they would utilize.
When Race determined they were ready, the unit moved out in two, single-file lines, spaced far enough apart to not make them close together targets, yet still remain in visual contact with each other.
Adrian had placed odd objects along their route to simulate an enemy sighting. Whenever one was spotted by the point person, they gave the signal to drop and cover while the situation was sorted out. Race sent scouts ahead to check the route for terrain problems or enemies, and behind to watch their rear and flanks as they moved slowly and silently, almost invisibly towards their destination.
The girls were absolutely silent, using the terrain to stay as hidden as possible. There was no talking, no whispering. They took this exercise seriously, graduating meant they knew what they were doing and that would please Adrian, failure was just unthinkable. From ten years old to seventeen years old, they treated this with the gravity of adults.
The unit collected the flag and began their return. Per Adrian’s instructions they came back by an entirely different route, this one taking them over difficult terrain. It included two stream crossings that required rope work. It also required scaling four steep rock faces to cross two deep ravines. Adrian had pre-warned Race that he had set up an enemy ambush along their return trail. She didn’t know where it was or when to expect it because he had only told her to expect it and to treat it as a live fire exercise—the girls would be firing live ammo. This was the most difficult and dangerous training the girls had been exposed to yet, and only Race knew it was coming.
Adrian had made crude dummies of straw and twine. He had chosen the mock ambush location carefully, assembling the straw dummies into a classic ambush from higher terrain.
Adrian watched as the patrol approached the ambush point. He raised his pistol and fired four rounds into the air. This was Race’s signal. She looked up where Adrian had fired from and saw the dummies he had set up to resemble the ambush team. Race looked back and saw that the girls had taken cover and had assumed a guns-out position, as they had been trained.
“Ambush, Ambush!” Race yelled. “Take that hill! Advance and cover. Team One, put cover fire onto those enemy soldiers, live rounds, by turns now !”
She was almost surprised at herself for
The day before they were to go back on the road, Adrian sent the girls on what he called a “Graduation Patrol.”
“Ladies,” he said to the group assembled in front of him, “this patrol is your graduation. Do everything right, and you will no longer be just a group of girls, you will officially be a patrol unit, each of you a functioning member of that unit. Your assignment is to capture a flag from a designated location on the map. Race will lead the patrol. She will read the map, assign you to your positions and tasks, navigate the terrain and lead you in, get the flag, and lead you out. You are to assume you are in enemy territory from beginning to end, and act accordingly. I’ll be watching from various places. This exercise is to show me that you can do all that you need to do without my being present. Any questions?”
The girls, faces and hands blackened with charcoal in a horizontal, tiger-stripe fashion, all shook their heads in silence.
Adrian turned to Race. “Okay Race, take command.”
Race called the girls into formation, checked their equipment and dress to make sure they were ready to go. She checked that they had their field rations, water, and ammunition. Checked that their guns were cleaned and loaded with one in the chamber, and safeties on. Then she outlined the mission, showed them on the map where they were going, how they would get there and the type of movements they would utilize.
When Race determined they were ready, the unit moved out in two, single-file lines, spaced far enough apart to not make them close together targets, yet still remain in visual contact with each other.
Adrian had placed odd objects along their route to simulate an enemy sighting. Whenever one was spotted by the point person, they gave the signal to drop and cover while the situation was sorted out. Race sent scouts ahead to check the route for terrain problems or enemies, and behind to watch their rear and flanks as they moved slowly and silently, almost invisibly towards their destination.
The girls were absolutely silent, using the terrain to stay as hidden as possible. There was no talking, no whispering. They took this exercise seriously, graduating meant they knew what they were doing and that would please Adrian, failure was just unthinkable. From ten years old to seventeen years old, they treated this with the gravity of adults.
The unit collected the flag and began their return. Per Adrian’s instructions they came back by an entirely different route, this one taking them over difficult terrain. It included two stream crossings that required rope work. It also required scaling four steep rock faces to cross two deep ravines. Adrian had pre-warned Race that he had set up an enemy ambush along their return trail. She didn’t know where it was or when to expect it because he had only told her to expect it and to treat it as a live fire exercise—the girls would be firing live ammo. This was the most difficult and dangerous training the girls had been exposed to yet, and only Race knew it was coming.
Adrian had made crude dummies of straw and twine. He had chosen the mock ambush location carefully, assembling the straw dummies into a classic ambush from higher terrain.
Adrian watched as the patrol approached the ambush point. He raised his pistol and fired four rounds into the air. This was Race’s signal. She looked up where Adrian had fired from and saw the dummies he had set up to resemble the ambush team. Race looked back and saw that the girls had taken cover and had assumed a guns-out position, as they had been trained.
“Ambush, Ambush!” Race yelled. “Take that hill! Advance and cover. Team One, put cover fire onto those enemy soldiers, live rounds, by turns now !”
She was almost surprised at herself for
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