Read Online Duty from Ashes by Sam Schal - Free Book Online Page B

was as comfortable as their BDUs. The other uniforms might look fancier but Marines weren’t supposed to be fancy. They were supposed to get the job done. Nothing else mattered. Fortunately, General Helen Okafor happened to share that belief and she’d quickly made that clear once assuming her post as Commandant of the Corps.
    Elizabeth made her way around the desk to her own chair. Then she waited until her aide served coffee and withdrew. “Ash, let me start by apologizing for not being able to meet with you yesterday. Right now my schedule is even more hectic than your own. And, from what I heard of your conversation with Lt. Hawther, it sounds as if you had an interesting start to the day.”
    Ash didn’t know whether to smile or groan. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to think she’d come running to tell tales out of school. That was the only real problem about being in Elizabeth’s direct chain of command. There were times when it was difficult to separate the daughter from the Marine. Then, seeing the way her mother nodded in understanding, she smiled slightly. A moment later, as she thought about why she had told the lieutenant to expect a comm from Talbot, her smile faded.
    “That’s one way to put it, ma’am.”
    “Relax, Ash. It’s just the two of us. There’s no need to rest on niceties and protocol.” As if to prove her point, Elizabeth leaned back and lifted her feet onto the corner of her desk. “I will say that it is important for me to know what happened and I promise to explain shortly. So, tell me about the briefing and what you plan to do about it. Then we will discuss yesterday’s sim.”
    For a moment, Ashlyn didn’t respond. Then she leaned forward, elbows on her knees, her expression serious. Since her mother had said they weren’t standing on protocol, she’d take advantage of the opportunity to speak freely.
    “Let’s just say the briefing has left me with some concerns.” Without waiting for her mother to comment, she continued. “There are two COs, both new to the battalion and who I’ve never worked with, that worry me. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit my concern increased after finding out Pawlak had concerns about them. From what Lucinda said, the only reason he hadn’t transferred them out was because the Devil Dogs weren’t going to be on the field any time soon – or so he thought.” She leaned back and once more wished she’d had a chance to talk more in-depth with her former CO about the battalion’s staffing.
    “Specifics?”
    “One of them was openly insolent in the briefing, almost to the point of being hostile. Add to that the fact that neither of them took notes or even seemed to pay much attention to what was being said and, well, let’s just say I don’t want them anywhere near my people in a firefight. If I can’t trust them in a briefing, I sure as hell don’t want them at my back.
    “If that’s not enough, one of them actually protested when I said there would be additional training today. It seems PT this morning was more than enough for him.
    “Add to that a sergeant who is nothing more than a paper pusher. According to Talbot, the man’s really very good at admin but he wouldn’t want him at his back. That’s enough for me to want him out of the unit. I need combat vets, not admins. That’s true especially of the HQ staff.”
    Unlike many other battalions, all of the Devil Dogs went into battle, including the headquarters staff. Shortly after the battalion had been formed, it was decided that all officers would hit the battlefield. It was a decision Ash had always agreed with. Being in the thick of the battle meant the commanders understood exactly what was going on and were setting the example for all the Marines in the battalion.
    “Also, the two officers in question have habitually been the last to file their reports and the training records for their companies are laughable and I don’t think I have any choice but to