The Letter P

Today’s posting is brought to you by the letter ‘P’. ‘P’ is for promotion. There is good and bad in everything. For 1SG Poppa this could not be more true.

We stand in a company formation, the gentle morning sunlight is just warm enough for comfort. 1SG Poppa calls us to attention for the last time. The morning ritual has more meaning than usual.

“Company!” He calls.

“Platoon!” The Platoon Sergeants echo.

“Attention!” He yells.
As one we bring our feet together, hands at our sides, eyes fixed forward.
“Good Morning Gentlemen!” He says, if there is the tiniest hint of a quaver in his voice no one will say anything.
As one the company, bellows at the top of our lungs “GOOD MORNING FIRST SERGEANT!”

He puts us at ease and begins the last speech. The Battalion Ops Sergeant Major has become non-deployable. He is number one on the state Order of Merit List or OML. Rumors have been floating through the company. Now he confirms it. The 1SG is the senior enlisted man in the company, our mom. He feeds us, cares for us and administers low justice. The commander is dad, ‘The Man”, or “The Old Man”, but Poppa is mom. Now he is leaving us.
He will be moving up, more responsibility, more pay, but he has to leave his family. A new man will come into fill his slot, an unknown from another company. As he gives his fare well speech we ignore when his voice catches, we will miss him.

The speech finished, he puts out the information of the day, and turns us over to the platoon sergeants. They fall us out. The platoon begins to ooze towards Poppa in a vague gaggle. We begin to surround him, a few hand shakes…. Then it happens.

A voice in the middle of the gaggle yells “Group Hug!” Like fat kids on the last candy bar we pile on. Exaggerated emotion outbursts and expressions of regret at his leaving. We use humor to cover reality but we will miss him, and now we have to learn someone one new.

I know who the new one is, but now is not the time to introduce him. For now we watch Poppa move up. Good luck to him, and maybe he can unfuck battalion, a Herculean task, and he may just be able to do it.