Going to War

by burmafrd

AR, very AU. No Aliens. CC. Mostly Liz/Max. All hail Jason Katims for creating it; but he also messed it up as well. This is just for Fun. This is still our Liz, just different going in a different way. No Roswell.

2. Chapter 2

Isabelle, Maria and Tess were also celebrating getting promoted to E4, as Specialists, unlike Liz who had been a corporal; they were happy to have the extra money without having to be in the command line. One major topic of discussion was how long they would be in Iraq. They knew they were due for a year here; and that was probably going to be the least. But they were hopeful, here in early May of 2003.

The months began to slowly go by; the ASP was maintained in its present position; but the facilities were upgraded as contractors were hired to make things better for the soldiers. Liz was very happy to see better quarters and above all a mess hall; they finally started getting real food in August. They got semi permanent tents, some with air conditioning. That made sleeping in the hot summers possible. Till then quite often they would trade out sacking in the one tent that had air conditioning, where the computers and communications gear was kept.

One bad thing was the increasing violence as disaffected Iraqi's and foreign combatants began to make trouble. And the various bases started to take rocket and mortar fire. It was not bad where they were at; there was really not much of a chance that anyone could get very close due to the flat and open terrain. Other bases were not so lucky. They got their first mortar attack in late September.

It was after dark and Liz and the others had just finished eating; they would relax for a while and then sack out. The air conditioned tents were a godsend, even though it was starting to get cooler at night. They had just left the mess tent, which was about a quarter mile from the ASP, and were heading towards the tents they had finally gotten that were decent; four to a tent which suited them fine. Suddenly there was a rustling sound that Liz recognized; she yelled at her friends "Incoming- get down" and hit the ground. RIGHT after that there were explosions several hundred yards away towards the living quarters of the tents. Liz lay there listening; when the explosions died away she looked for and found the nearest shelter and pulled her friends towards it. They sat in there as another group of rounds hit. After twenty minutes Liz poked her head out and then left it. The others slowly followed, still shaking a little. Liz shook her head.

"Well I guess it had to happen sooner or later." Then headed back to the living areas. They were glad to see that no damage had been done; all the rds had missed, though some shrapnel had holed a couple of tents.

Luckily the Brigade Commander reacted quickly and strengthened the guard force and reaction force. From that point on they patrolled aggressively at ranges that would force the mortar crews too far away to do much harm to the camp. So it never got as bad as it did in many other camps around Iraq. They were about 50 miles south west of Baghdad.

Liz touched the little decoration on the tiny tree they had come up with for Christmas in the Command tent of the ASP. It was coming up to 9 months here in Iraq; word was that their tour would probably be extended by 3 months so they would not be gone until August. Liz had just been promoted to E6 in September; she was told that was a further result of her award. She had only 9 months in rank as an E5 and would probably have not gotten an E6 until sometime in late 2004. Sergeant Axton had gotten his E8, long overdue in just about everyone's mind. The Bad news was that Captain Simmons was being promoted out of the Company and into the Division G-4 office. Rogers had gotten his promotion to Captain and took over the company. Starting in January, Rogers would be in command. Liz would miss Captain Simmons, as they all would. Rogers was a good officer, but much less open and warm. Liz and Sergeant Axton had talked about it.

"Rogers is competent and pretty straightforward; but I really liked Captain Simmons. He did his best to take care of us; and more importantly he showed that he cared."

"This is a good promotion for Simmons; less than three years in grade, and he will be going to a position that has good chances for further promotion. Rogers will be all right; but I agree that Simmons was special."

"So, any word on getting any more 89Bs?"

"Same answer as we always get- some day. Actually I doubt we see any more until we get back to Stewart."

"Just when we do not need them anymore."

"Well, realistically, with the strong QASAS support we have we really do not need them."

"True. I just wish we had gotten luckier with our latest QASAS. Is he dry behind the ears yet?"

Axton just had to laugh. For someone who was not yet 21, and the QASAS in question being over 30, that was funny.

"Well, luckily we really do not need a full time experienced QASAS like we did early on. And this one will be gone in 4 months."

"Just hope the next one is still not baking. Sometimes I have the answers and he does not. And that can be scary."

"Liz, you spent a lot of time with our last QASAS soaking up as much as you could. You really do not need to worry about knowing things now as regards running an ASP and the basic ammunition questions. You got them down pat."

"I guess. Still so much more to learn."

"Not really Liz. Most of what you need to know as an 89B you got down well. Just a matter of learning bits and pieces here and there and connecting it all together. We have done virtually everything that we are ever likely to do here in Iraq as regards what Army Ammunition Specialists do. We have set up ASP's and Field ASP's, moved ammo, issued and turned it in. We have not had to destroy much but that is for EOD. Now closing a theatre ASP would be the only thing we have not done; and it's not likely to happen."

"Do you think they might put 89B on the stop loss list?"

"We are not important enough."

They both smile a little bitterly at that.

They had a real good going away party for Major Simmons; Liz was very sorry to see him go and made a point of telling him that. He also made a point of telling her that he was proud to have commanded a unit with her in it.

"Liz, soldiers like you honor the officers who command. You and Sergeant Axton are soldiers any officer would give his eye teeth to have in his unit."

Captain Rogers made it a point to talk to Axton and Liz his first day in command.

"I am not an ammunition Expert. I am a truck driver with experience in moving ammunition around. You two are the ammunition experts when the QASAS is not around; and depending on who we have as a QASAS even then. So I expect you two make sure that things are done right as regards the ammunition itself. This company ran damn well under Captain Simmons and I live by the old saying, if it ain't broke don't fix it."

Liz was very much reassured after that meeting. She too subscribed to that saying. It was just a shame that the rest of the Military did not.

Outside of an occasional mortar attack, which had never caused much damage or injured anyone severely, it had been a quiet few months leading up to the anniversary of the starting of the war. Word was that their redeployment was on schedule for August to September. Everyone hoped that was the case and nothing changed.

VIP's were not common at the ASP, outside of those that dealt with it. But every now and then a few showed up. Never many, and never very high. Quite often their escorts were more important. Today was one of the few days when they actually had some real VIP's. Two members of Congress, and one a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Which made that one VERY IMPORTANT. Liz had gotten used to being the one that took them around; Captain Rogers did not like to do it and since she was the one genuine Hero at the ASP (Liz really wanted to deck Maria for hanging that label on her) she was usually asked for anyway. Pictures with the only woman to every win a combat medal always looked good for the politicians and others. At least Liz had been able to use the experiences to learn how to do them pretty well. It was a pretty nice day in May, not too hot yet.

They had just come out of one of the Milvans used to store ammo, and had closed it and were walking back towards the vehicles when that familiar sound came. It was very rare indeed for it to happen during the day but Liz was quick.

"INCOMING MORTARS! Everyone get DOWN!" Liz was going down when she saw that one of the Congressmen had frozen; she moved quickly and knocked him down just as a mortar round went off 15 feet away. She felt a sharp pain in her back as she hit the ground. After a few seconds she got up and hauled the much larger man up and pulled him towards one of the shelters, yelling for the rest of them to follow her. She got the rest of them in just as a second salvo hit. Farther away but still close. She kept them in there until she heard the all clear sound that meant the reaction force had located the mortar crew and had taken action.

"OK. Sounds like the reaction force got them. Should be clear now."

Despite the fact that there had been several officers with the group, none of them were combat. PR and the like. None of them argued with her. The Congress man shakily thanked her.

"Sergeant, I froze. Might have been killed if you had not knocked me down."

"That is ok sir. We get kind of used to things like that after a while. Quite a few freeze the first time." Liz felt some pain in her back and reached back to touch it with her hand; she felt something wet and brought her hand back and looked at a fair amount of blood on her hand.

"Well nuts. Looks like I caught some shrapnel."

That focused everyone's attention on her and most gasped as they saw the blood. One of the PR types reacted a little faster and yelled "MEDIC!" The congressman, horrified, promptly took Liz's arm and sat her down on a box next to the shelter. The medic that traveled with the group was there in a moment.

"OK, Sarge, let see how bad it is." He then pulled her shirt up. The Shrapnel had hit about midway up her back, just to the right of her spine. There was a hole about the size of a nickel that was bleeding fairly well. He applied a bandage immediately. "OK, we need a medevac."

Liz, strangely enough, did not feel too bad. They were making a big deal out of a small wound.

"OH, come on. Someone can drive me to the aid station. Anyone with tweezers can probably pull it out. A few stitches and I will be fine."

"Well Sarge,that may be true. But it's better to be safe than sorry. And they will want to take an XRAY to see if there is any more and where it is. And it is too close to the spine to take any chances."

Just in case a medevac was kept alerted whenever there were VIP's of that rank around. The Chopper was in the air in 15 minutes and at the ASP in 15 more. Liz despite her protestations was placed face down and strapped to a rack and flown to the Main Medical center at Division. There they pulled her off and had her into an operating room in another 15 minutes where they XRAYED her back. Luckily there was only one piece, but it had gone in over an inch and a half. They gave her a local and dug it out and stitched her up. Then gave her some pain meds and put her in a bed. Unfortunately she had to rest on her stomach so they gave her a bed that raised the end up and she laid on it.

"Doc, how long am I stuck here?"

"Not more than a couple of days. We just want to make sure no complications and no infections."

The Congressman talking to the Division commander was blunt.

"General, I froze. From what the EOD man said who looked at where the mortar round hit, the angle it had to be to hit her where it did, if she had not gotten in the way I might be dead."

Word of the incident went up the ladder at Warp 9; but even then it got to the media faster than that; especially since several reporters were with the group.

Early reports had the Congressman injured; that got interest right away. Then when the word leaked out that the congressman had probably been saved by none other than Sergeant Elizabeth Parker, and she had been wounded doing it, then the interest ramped up even higher.

Nancy Parker was at work when she was called in by the City administrator.

"Nancy we just heard on the news. Liz got wounded in Iraq. Apparently some congressmen were touring where she was at and some mortar rounds hit; she supposedly knocked a congressman down that froze and took the hit that would have gotten him. They say it's not serious but she has been medevaced to a hospital."

Nancy was shaking. This was her nightmare. The City Administrator had someone drive her home, someone else bringing her car. Then he called one of her friends to stay with her and answer the phone. He knew the media would be all over this.

Nancy sat and waited. Ellen, a friend from work, was taking all phone calls. The city administrator had asked the sheriff to station someone outside the home in case the media showed up. It took almost 2 hours but they started to line up outside. The Deputy would not allow any of them to go to the door.

Liz was a little groggy from the pain meds, but demanded a phone to call her mother. She got one rather quickly.

"Parker Residence. This is Ellen, if you are with the media there is no comment."

"Ellen this is Liz. I am calling from the hospital. Let me speak to mom."

Nancy grabbed the phone. "Honey how bad is it?"

"Got a hole in my back about the size of a nickel. They got the shrapnel out and XRAYED me and there is no more. I should be out of here in a day or two. They just want to make sure there is no infection. I am OK, mom."

They spoke for a few more minutes before the doctor put an end to it; he talked to Nancy to further relieve her worries. The pain meds had hit by then and Liz conked out.

Maria and the others were relieved when Captain Rogers called them in and told them Liz would be fine and probably back in a few days.

"Considering how hard it was to convince her to go, I bet she will be back as soon as she can."

Interestingly enough the Congressman had no problems admitting that he had frozen. He embellished the incident somewhat, telling the media that odds were he would have been dead if Liz had not knocked him down. The piece of shrapnel would have hit him dead center in the chest.

So now the media haunted the Hospital. Liz was the highest profile patient they had had by far. The Divisional surgeon increased security and made it very clear that he would be royally pissed off with any comments made to the media; and even more pissed off if any of the media managed to sneak in and bother Sergeant Parker.

Liz, meanwhile, was bored out of her gourd by the next day. The doctor checked the wound the first thing in the morning and changed the dressing.

"So far so good. No signs of infection. You white count is holding steady. We irrigated the wound heavily so we might have nipped any of that in the bud."

One good thing is that they were able to rig a pillow and a pad so that she could sit up in bed. They had just got that done when the Congressman came in to visit her. He was alone except for a PR officer. No press.

"Sergeant, you saved my life and I will not forget that."

Liz was a little embarrassed but was somewhat relaxed due to the pain meds.

"Sir, I reacted. The group was my responsibility. I would have done that for anyone."

"I know that. But you did it for me. The EOD officer who came by right after measured from where the round hit and where you and I were and he is pretty sure that it would have hit me right in the middle of the chest. Could very well have killed me."

Liz did not know what to say.

"I am from Georgia; not in the same district as Ft Stewart, unfortunately. But not that far away either. When you get out of here, and you have any problems at all, I consider it a privilege if you would contact me. I owe you a debt I cannot repay; and politicians always keep count. Thank you again."

Later on that afternoon the girls stopped by. Maria was blunt as usual.

"Chica, you keep getting in those situations. Time you learned to just take care of yourself. What is one more politician anyway?"

The Congressman made it a point to stop by CENTCOM on his way back to the States.

"General, I want that young sergeant to be recognized for what she did."

General Abizid nodded. "The Soldiers Medal seems to be appropriate. It is usually awarded when a life is saved in a hazardous situation."

"That sounds good. Let me know when it will be done. I want to be there."

Captain Rogers and Sergeant Axton were finding out just how much Liz got done around the ASP. The hard way since she was not there. They counted the days until she got back.

Liz managed to annoy the doctor enough that he let her go three days after the incident. With strict orders to take it easy and a medic to change the dressing each day for the next week and keep an eye out for problems. She called up the ASP.

"Captain, I annoyed the Doctor enough so that he will release me this morning. All I need is a ride back."

"That we can do. The work is piling up around here. Now what are the restrictions?"

"I have to take it easy and the medic will have to change the dressing each day for the next week. Then he wants to see me and maybe take out the stitches. Other than that I have to probably stay in the tent and do paperwork."

Isabelle and the others got to the Hospital only a couple hours later. They got lunch at the Divisional Mess hall which was much better than what they had at the ASP. Liz was back at the unit by 1400 and started on paperwork right away.

Liz found out that Captain Rogers had assigned Maria and Tess to make sure she did not overdo it. Liz complained that one mother was more than enough but the girls turned a deaf ear to that.

Liz gradually got back into the swing of things and a week later got the stitches out.

On the first of June, 2004, Liz was called into the divisional HQ. She had been told to put on her best uniform. She had suspicions but when the Congressman she had helped showed up, she figured it out. He was the one that pinned the Soldiers Medal on her. The division commander then pinned the Purple Heart on her. Pictures followed.

The girls later on told her that she was piling up the medals. With the DSC, the Soldiers Medal and now the Purple Heart, she was going to have some fairly thick fruit salad. Sergeant Axton pointed out to her that with the medals already awarded added to the ones she would get for serving in Iraq and so on, she would look very impressive in Class A's. Liz blew a raspberry and said why waste the money on a Class A?

In July, just after the 4th, they got the very welcome word that they would be deploying back to the States starting in the middle of August. By mid September they would be back home. There had been some worry that they would be held over but that had not come true.

They were to find out that leaving sometimes was more complicated than going. The good news was that they would not have to close anything down. But they would have to sign off on all things left; and account for all things lost. Luckily they had done a good job of keeping a paper trail. The National Guard unit that would be relieving them showed up three weeks before they were due to leave. Liz soon found out that rumors about the state of NG Ordnance companies were true.

One week after meeting their replacements, Captain Rogers, Liz and Axton had a quiet meeting with Major Simmons at Division G-4. Rogers started.

"Major, this bunch is really bad. They do NOT know what they are doing. The only good thing is that the new QASAS is experienced so he can help. But they are really lost."

Sergeant Axton was next. "They do not know how to fill out 1348-1's. They do not know the meaning of most of the information on that form."

Liz was next. "They have no concept of storage groups. Quantity Distance is unknown to them. Basic safety is a mystery."

Major Simmons nodded. "I am not surprised. I will tell the G4 but all I can probably tell you is to help them as much as you can and make sure that anything happening after we leave is on them. Liz, work on them as much as possible; I know you probably have more references than anyone in Iraq. So let them have copies of that and your notes. That is probably all we can do."

Later that day he told the Division G4.

Colonel Hough nodded. "I know. We see it all over. Have your people do the best that they can in the time left; and CYA. Too many of them do not want to learn. We cannot force them to."

The Division support troops were the last ones to leave; Liz was just about on the last convoy to Kuwait on 12 September, 2004. They spent a further 3 weeks in Kuwait before they caught their planes back to the US. One good thing about not taking any leave for almost 2 years; you had a fair amount saved up. Once back at Ft Stewart, just about everyone would get 30 days leave.

Nancy had been planning for Liz's homecoming. Liz would stay with her for a week; then they would take some time and visit a couple of places and relax. Liz then intended to travel some; visit Tess and her parents in Roswell; Isabelle and her parents in Kansas City; and Maria and her mother in Louisville. Then she would get back to Ft Stewart with a few days to go before coming back to duty. She had bought a nice little car and would be driving across the country. Nancy had told Liz that she was looking at seeing if she could find a job farther south in a nicer climate. Liz told her that would be great. Then Nancy asked her about her plans.

Liz was pensive. "Well, technically I will have fulfilled my four year active duty commitment next June. I can go out and serve the other four years in the Reserves or NG. Then go to college. But l still do not know what I want to do; I want to have a good idea of that before committing. Actually college seems less and less important to me. One thing I can do; according to the guys I have talked to, is once out of the Army apply for one of the QASAS classes. Everyone of them I have talked to told me I would breeze right in. The pay there is real good; and the job I already pretty much know. The only downside of that is that every 3-5 years I would be moving. Which is about what the Military does. I am just not sure."

Nancy took that in. Liz was so very different in some ways and yet still the same in others. Liz had looked death in the eye; had faced her own mortality before she was old enough to drink. She now knew the hard part of life; the tough part of the world. Liz was now an adult. Nancy could council and advise, but the decisions would be hers.

3 weeks later, with 3 days of leave left, Liz drove into Ft Stewart. She went to the quarters she would still share with Maria, and unpacked. She stood in front of the window of the room and looked over at the other buildings. The 3rd ID was trickling back into the base. But most had not yet arrived back. They were taking as much time as they could. Liz had enjoyed the trip across the country. She had never before really seen much of the US. Now she had. Liz knew she had fully grown up in Iraq; made the final transition from teen to adult. Certainly not the easiest way to do it, but it had got the job done. Now she had to think hard about what she wanted to do with her life. She knew she wanted to meet a nice guy, get married and have children. She wanted a career that she liked and that meant something.

Liz had only about 8 months left before her tour of active duty was up. She could skate through that quite well. She had plenty of money in the bank and with the GI Bill she would be able to go to college; but the problem was that like she had told her mother, college just did not seem all that much important to her anymore. You did not need that to have a career, though it certainly helped. Liz knew she was getting close to what she was trying to figure out, but was not yet there.

Liz called into the Ordnance Company office the next day; and found out that only Sergeant Axton was in. She headed down.

When she walked in the door, Sergeant Axton grinned.

"Hail the conquering hero!"

Liz gave him a dirty look.

"With all due respect, sergeant, stick that where the sun don't shine."

"Division PR wants you to do some interviews; the Media still want to talk to you. Since they did not get anything over there, they figure they can over here."

"Can I refuse?"

"Probably. But honestly Liz, they are going to keep at you until they get what they want. An interview with the first woman to win a Medal for Valor in combat."

Liz sighed and sat down. "You figure I just better get it out of the way?"

"Yeah. Just do a couple and then say no more. That at the least will get Division PR off of your neck."

"OK. So how do things look?"

"Pretty good. Things will be quiet until the Division starts training again; which won't be for at least a month or two. Though there is word coming down about division realignment; changing the structure. Having a division support or sustainment brigade with all the support companies there. Kind of stupid; just another level of bureaucrats and desk jockies."

"Figures. Sarge, I have 8 months left, assuming that 89B does not become a stop loss. I know, you do not have to roll your eyes we both know we will never be that important. I am kind of lost about what to do. On one hand, being in this company with everyone has been mostly great. But it has sucked as well; and it's a given that in a year or so we will be going back to Iraq. Though probably not as a division if what I have heard is true."

"It is. They will send one brigade at a time. One here; one coming home and one going there. So each brigade will probably go every two years or so. Until it's done. Now with us, it will be interesting. Only a section will go. They will have to increase our size so that they can split it up so that enough can stay here to run things and enough can go there to run things. It will be kind of crazy."

Liz nodded. "Maria and Tess and Isabelle all are going to be going out next June. I will not like this place anywhere near as much without them. And going back to Iraq without them is just not something I want."

"I probably will be transferring out as well. Been here 8 years and that is about it. I have only 6 more years to go before my 20 is done. I am going to be looking to go somewhere to settle down and prepare for life after the Army."

Liz was not surprised; but saddened. Her half decision was just about done.

"OK. Well that tells me I do not want to stay here. But the question is, do I want to stay in the military?"

Axton sat back. Liz was someone who made the day seem brighter. She was just that way. He did not want to see her lose that. Staying here doing the same thing he feared it would start to fade.

"OK. Here are some thoughts. One: go somewhere else; but if you stay at what you are doing you will be going back to Iraq doing the same thing. Two: Go for some other MOS. But the fact is that just about everyone will be going to Iraq at least a couple more times before it's all over. Three: go for the reserves and go to college. Four: go to the NG and the same; but once again you will probably be going back to Iraq doing the same thing or something similar. But if you are in college you can delay it four years. Five: become a recruiter; the Army would LOVE that."

Liz thought about that for a few minutes.

"One: you are right and no way. Two: Same unless I go for recruiter. Which also covers Five. Three and four: college just does not thrill me and I do not know what career I want. I still feel that college without a goal is a waste for me. Like I am just delaying things. I want a family. One other possibility I have been tossing around is going for a appointment to West Point. That congressman owes me and I could call in that favor."

Axton nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. But somehow I just do not see you at the trade school. So much of what they teach there you already know."

Liz nodded slowly. That was true. Discipline and the basics she already knew. Engineering did not thrill her; high level calculus and math had never been enjoyable for her though she could do it. And four years of being locked up there; no way.

"Yeah, the point is out."

Axton was thinking. "OK. Here is another consideration. OCS. With your record and your scores and SATs and everything, you can get in no sweat. 100 days and you are an officer. It would be a lot different. And you would probably be able to pretty much choose your branch. They are opening more and more up to women now. You could go right in and say go for aviation and become a rotorhead."

Slowly Liz nodded. "Yeah. That is true. I forgot that recruiters are stuck in one place for three years; the one I got was locked up in Northern Wyoming. Had enough of there."

"Well, you would probably be able to just about pick your spot."

"True. My recruiter was a good guy; but even so you are a salesman. And somehow I just do not want to go that route. Even if I got somewhere I loved. Same with going into PR. I would be selling myself in the process."

"And if you go into recruiting they will use your record and reputation. And I do mean USE."

"Ya. OK that is out. More and more your OCS sounds like an idea. Aviation as well. I like it." Suddenly Liz just knew she had found the way. She grinned at Axton. "That is it, Sarge. That is the path."

Axton grinned. Seeing her come to the decision and her eyes light up was real good. And he thought it was the way to go; plus the Army needed officers like Liz.

Her decision made she headed over to Personnel. After stopping by Division PR and telling them to go ahead and schedule a couple of interviews.

The Personnel officer who saw her was straightforward when he met her.

"Sergeant Parker, you can pretty much write your ticket. That fact that you got one of the Congressmen of the House Armed Services Committee in your pocket means that the US Army is not going to mess with you."

Liz grinned. "I have decided to go for OCS. So what do I need to do?"

He gave her the booklets and options and promised to research the possibilities and get back to her.

Liz called up her mother and let her know what she had decided. Nancy had hoped she would leave the military but was not surprised; and she once again told her daughter how very proud of her she was.

The next day Liz got her Class A uniform which she had not yet worn in public out and put it on. Then headed over to the Division PR office. She was rather surprised that the deputy PR officer was going to go with her to Savannah where the Interviews would happen. Fox News was first; followed by ABC news.

The Fox news person was getting her ready; she would be talking to the National Anchors on the morning show.

"Sergeant Parker, how are you doing?"

"Quite well."

And from there on it was a breeze. Liz did not realize it but she looked very impressive with all her decorations. Each of them asked what her plans were; all she said was that at this time she was looking at staying in the Military.

The PR officer said to her when it was over. "Frankly, if you want to come over to PR, you would do very well here. You communicate very well."

She smiled. "Probably not. I hate having to dress up all the time."

The next day Isabelle and the others were back and they all went out to the restaurant and exactly as Maria had said drank a bottle of the same Champagne.

Maria then fixated on Liz. "Chica, I saw the interview yesterday. You looked very impressive there. And what is this about staying in?"

Liz smiled and sat back. "I am going for OCS."

The others blinked. Tess said "Really? Then what?"

"I am thinking of going into Aviation; maybe end up flying Apache's."

Isabelle was surprised. "Wow. Army as a career as an officer. Not college?"

"More and more I am thinking not. Just does not feel right. I will be taking college courses as an officer, but off and on."

Maria had been thinking. "Do you have an idea when you will be starting?"

"Probably not until the spring at the earliest."

"Well that is ok then, when you leave will be about the same time we all get out."

Liz smiled. "OK guys, let's hear your plans."

Tess smiled. "College for me; just not sure where."

Isabelle nodded. "Same here."

Maria "Make that three."

"OK. You guys will need to get your applications in fairly soon to get acceptance for the fall semester. And unless you go to a university in your parents home state, you will have to pay out of state tuition. So I have a suggestion if you do not have strong feelings. University of Georgia."

The girls looked at each other then at Liz. Liz grinned. "Well I can smell wood burning so you are all thinking."

By the time they went back to their quarters, the girls were coming around to the idea. Liz had then pointed out that even after OCS, if she went to Army Aviation school that was at Rucker, which was not all far away from the University of Georgia. They would be in the same part of the country; able to see each other on occasion. Liz had come to realize that those three were her best buds, friends for life. She would not let them go.

Things began to start up again once they were on duty. But now it was a case of just finishing up. Even Captain Rogers was looking to get out and go into business with his brother in law. By the middle of the year the whole Ordnance Company would be a memory. Things were going to be reorganized anyway. A sustainment Brigade would oversee all division support units.

Liz's application for OCS was put in and accepted quickly. She also had personnel put out feelers as regards to the Aviation School in Ft Rucker and the initial response was favorable. She would be hitting OCS in May; finishing it in August, and starting Aviation School in September. That would run 18 months and she would be done in January of 2007. Liz felt she had a plan. More good news was that her promotion to E7 had come through.

Major Simmons sat back and sighed. The Ordnance company would be a ghost unit by summer. Every single vital soldier would be gone one way or another. Tasked by G4 to keep track of such things, what with the changes coming to the organization, he had known it would probably not be good but this was really bad. The commander going out; the top two sergeants and only capable 89B's leaving; the best techs as regards TAMIS and the records going out. He walked over to the G4's office.

Colonel Hough looked at him. "This is very bad. Word is that we will be deploying at least one brigade by the middle of next year. That gives us at best a year to completely rebuild that company."

"Yes sir. And getting good 89B's is still a nightmare; we are due to get some fresh ones this year but they will be very green. And as regards competent senior leadership, we might be able to put in place a sergeant or two; but they will not be 89B's."

Hough looked at the details. "Sergeants Axton and Parker; that was really where the leadership has been. Losing both of them is what is really going to hurt. Everything else is manageable."

"Exactly sir. What we need to do is get some people in there now; competent people and have the outgoing Sergeants work on training them up."

"All right. Get down to personnel and have them go over every E7 in this division; I want recommendations of who we can transfer in. If necessary I will go right to the Commander to have the best ones moved in. Let their commanders howl if they want; the Ordnance company is too important to short change."

Major Simmons nodded. The recent explosion at an ASP in Iraq had been investigated and the Brigade commander had been reprimanded; the Ordnance company commander had been relieved for cause. Belatedly the higher ups were starting to finally get it.

The senior Congressman for Georgia, member of the House Armed Services Committee, looked at the report then at his staffer.

"This sounds like a typical bureaucratic screw up but it's worse than that, is what you are saying?"

"Yes sir. The pentagon has ignored the Ammunition side of the house for a long time; underfunded and not considered important. Which is very stupid but there you are. The personnel situation is just as bad if not worse overall. 89B's are very low priority; and there is no reason any ambitious soldiers want to go there. Promotions are very slow and recognition nonexistent."

The Congressman sat back for a minute. "Call up Ft Stewart and schedule a visit tomorrow. I want to talk with the Division G4. And specifically I want to talk to some 89B's there at FT Stewart. Sergeant Parker for one; and I believe another is Sergeant Axton, if I recall correctly."

"Yes, Congressman. We will be waiting for you at 0900. Those personnel will be waiting."

Colonel Hough sighed as he put down the phone. Then he buzzed the Commander; he had not even had a chance to talk to him yet about the problem with the Ordnance Company.

The Division Commander sighed; were things ever simple? He had told the G4 to get to his office ASAP and bring Major Simmons with him.

"OK, Colonel. Give me the bad news."

"Basically sir, by this summer the Ordnance Company will be a ghost unit. The Commander is leaving the military to go into private business; the two senior sergeants are transferring out. The best supply techs are leaving the military to enter college. And there are not competent people there to replace them. The two LTs are basically spot fillers; and that is all. There are no other senior sergeants period. Some new supply techs will be coming in this spring but they will be very green. We will have no competent 89Bs once Sergeants Axton and Parker are gone; and getting them is a joke. We are due a couple in the spring but who knows if they will be good and they WILL be green."

The general sighed and rubbed his eyes. "And what does the congressman want?"

"Well, sir, as you well know he is the one Sergeant Parker saved. He showed at that time a fair amount of interest in the ASP and the ordnance company. I am guessing that he wants to know more. I seriously doubt he knows about what is about to happen to what is currently a very good and capable company. But he will find out and he will want to know what we are going to do about it. With that incident at that ASP in Iraq, visibility of this area has skyrocketed. Overall the Ammunition situation in the entire Army as regards personnel and ability is not good; frankly not surprising since it has been ignored and considered unimportant for over a generation."

"Stupid but not surprising when looking at how the Pentagon does things. Well I want to have a plan by the time the Congressman gets here tomorrow on how we are going to rebuild the Ordnance company. That will have top priority over any unit in this division as of right now."

Colonel Hough took a deep breath. "Sir, I had personnel go through the records of every E7 in this division; and Major Simmons is going to look through the best and pick two to be transferred to the Ordnance Company immediately. That will give Sergeants Parker and Axton at least 6 months to train them. But this will need your signature."

"I want those transfer orders on my desk by 1700 today."

"Yes sir."

Major Simmons rubbed his eyes; he had been going over a total of 50 E7's personnel files. One of the criteria had to be that they had been with the division in Iraq. Or had been to Iraq. He wanted only those who had been there and done that. They would need to be with the Ordnance Company for at least 2 years. So he had whittled down the possibles to 6. He was going to talk to all 6 before picking two of them.

Sergeant Williams had been in the first Brigade as Infantry; he was a no nonsense type that got things done. Sergeant Alexander had been in 3rd Brigade, also as Infantry. He was very competent if a little more easy going than Sergeant Williams. Williams was slightly senior. Major Simmons had chosen those two; and had the transfer orders made out by 1630 to give to Colonel Hough. The two other sergeants in the Ordnance company were going to be switched out for them. Major Simmons had no doubt the screams from both brigade commanders would be heard all the way to Savannah.

Liz and Axton had been informed about the Congressman early the previous afternoon. PR had wanted them in Class A's, but Colonel Hough had vetoed that. The Congressman was after answers, not a photo op.

Major Simmons had come to the Ordnance Company office at 0700 to brief them.

Captain Rogers, Liz and Axton were in his office listening.

"The two new Sergeants will be here next week. They need to be brought up to speed before you two leave. I already have a candidate in mind for the Commander slot. He will be coming in May, just before Captain Rogers leaves. He was a veteran of the fighting in Fallujah, so he knows the score. Now as regards the Congressman; he specifically mentioned talking to Sergeants Axton and Parker; and about the Ordnance Company. We are guessing that the recent mess in Iraq at that ASP, and his own personal interest in Ammunition matters, is what this is all about. There will be no media here. He clearly wants information and is coming to people he knows will give him the straight shit. The Division Commander and G4 have decided that nothing will be held back; we are going to tell him that the 3rd ID's Ordnance Company is going to be gutted; but that we are taking action. The Division commander has also given you two the OK to fully inform the Congressman on the sorry state of the Ammunition Specialist situation for the entire US ARMY. I think that is what this is really about. He got a report and now he is coming to the horses mouth."

Sgt Axton raised an eyebrow. "Surprised the Division commander is willing for us to spill the beans about the situation in the Army as a whole."

"I get the impression that the Division Commander wants action taken and figures this is the way to go. Anything that improves the situation army wide is a good thing. An influential congressman can do that."

Right on time at 0900 the congressman with one assistant and no media showed up at the conference room at HQ. In attendance was Colonel Hough, Major Simmons, Captain Rogers, Sergeants Axton and Parker. Introductions were made and they all sat down.

The congressman started out.

"I am here because of a report that was compiled for me by one of my staff members from information furnished by the Pentagon; specifically the Undersecretary for Personnel. In it there is a damning report about the situation of the Ordnance specialties, particularly the 89B MOS. Now many have heard about the increasing use of IED's and the need for more EOD personnel. But nothing is heard about this shortage; and it's even more damning that the 89B MOS is not on the Stop Loss list.

So I am here to find some things out."

At virtually the same minute the SECDEF was chewing on the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel.

"The Congressman wanted that kind of detailed information and I was not informed? Whenever they get that specific something is coming and it's usually not good. You should have told me of this request as soon as you got it. Now send me the same packet you sent him and do it RIGHT NOW. And I want a separate report on that area done by you and it better be thorough by 1700 today."

"What is the current state of the Ordnance Company of the 3rd ID and what will its state be in one years time."

Major Simmons knew this was his.

"Currently we are as we were in Iraq. Captain Rogers is leaving the military in June. Sergeant Axton is transferring to Ft Carson in July. Sergeant Parker is leaving for OCS in May. Our two senior supply Techs are leaving the military in June."

The Congressman whistled. "So the ordnance company will be gutted in 6 months."

"Yes sir. We have two competent senior NCO's who will be transferred in next week from Infantry Brigades. Both veterans of Iraq. The new commander for the Company is also a veteran of Iraq. 4 new Supply techs will be in by March. We should have time to bring all newbies up to speed by the time the experienced personnel leave."

"None of these people transferring in know a thing about Ammunition."

"That is correct, sir."

"Is this common?"

"Losing all your experienced personnel in a 3 month period is rare. But transferring in people that are unskilled in Ammunition is the rule."

What is the state of the 89B MOS Army wide?"

"Bad sir. Only one class is given each quarter at Benning, the only school for 89B. The class size has been doubled from 20 to 40. But the loss rate of 89B's transferring out is higher than what comes in. Doubling the class size will probably hold us at about where we are right now."

"That is what my report pretty much said. Why is this happening, Sergeant Parker."

Liz took a deep breath. "Ammunition Specialists get little respect. PR is more highly regarded. Promotions are rare; recognition is nonexistent. No one wants to go into it; most try and get out as soon as they can. This is a direct result of years of deliberate decisions at the Pentagon level that has trickled down to the unit level. When the troops see the contempt a MOS is held by the higher ups, they get the message."

Colonel Hough winced. But he could not truthfully disagree. The Congressman noticed this.

"Was the sergeant incorrect, Colonel?"

"No sir. Regrettably she is correct."

"And you are leaving it as well, Sergeant Parker."

"Yes Sir. I have had a wonderful time overall in this company. I have worked with fine people mostly and done an important job well. But this is not what I want to do for the rest of my career. I know that if I stay as an 89B I will go no farther than Sergeant Axton has. He had been stuck at E7 for 6 years because he stayed in the 89B MOS. I have been extremely fortunate to just get my E7. But no matter what, If I stayed I would not get promoted for many years. While others in different MOS's did get promoted. Now promotions are not everything, but it's a symptom of what is wrong. We get very little respect from anyone anywhere. If I stay as an 89B I will inevitably end up in a company badly led with incompetent people stuck there because no one else will take them. And when dealing with High Explosives that is not a recipe for a long life."

The congressman was silent for a moment. Then looked at Sergeant Axton.

"Do you disagree, Sergeant."

"No sir. Sergeant Parker is the best young 89B I have come across since I became one myself 10 years ago. The fact that she is leaving is no surprise at all; if I was to give her advice on her career I would tell her to leave. Everything she described I have seen firsthand. I have several friends that were promoted much faster than I was primarily because they were in a more highly regarded MOS."

"What would you recommend to redress this sad situation?"

"Until Ammunition Specialists are given their just do, and the Pentagon treats them as something other than worthless, nothing will change. So this attitude change needs to start at the top and be maintained. I would recommend that 89B Warrant Officers be established; and make them attractive. Another problem is that the ammunition area is ignored and denigrated. Facilities and equipment are usually the last to get funding and upgrades. It is just another symptom of the disregard Ammunition constantly has to deal with."

Colonel Hough looked at Major Simmons. The two sergeants had really ripped the entire leadership of the US Army and the DOD.

The congressman had been silent, thinking for a minute.

"Sergeant Parker, tell me why competent Ammunition specialists are important."

Liz braced herself.

"Ammunition is the most dangerous item that the military deals with on a day to day basis. Do you want lazy, incompetent, badly led and badly trained people dealing with that every day? That is what most of the Army does at this time. The recent incident in Iraq was completely due to what has been discussed. And that incident will not be the last. After Desert Storm there was a huge explosion at an ASP due to the Ammunition Specialists involved being incompetent and ignoring basic safety rules. Around the world there is usually one large incident like that each year or every other year. All for basically the same reasons. Sir,that is the way it is. We will be killing soldiers and civilians in the future in totally preventable incidents."

He thought for a minute.

"The real Ammunition experts in the Army are the QASAS. What is their role as you see it?"

"They are the real experts as you have stated. We had 4 separate QASAS in Iraq. 2 were very good; but two were very green and should not have been sent. Luckily by the time the green ones showed up we were established and going well. QASAS are badly needed because of the lack of 89B's with real training and real experience. One other bad thing that goes on is that quite often even those 89B's that want training cannot get it. I made it a point to go to them as soon as I arrived at Ft Stewart. I talked to them every chance I could get and they taught me lot. They also told me that I was very rare. Only because Major Simmons as my company commander agreed was I able to spend that much time learning from them. They told me that they try at every camp post and station they are assigned to that they ask the ordnance personnel there to come for training. Most of the time they are not allowed to come; other training is considered more important and specific training in their MOS is not considered important. One more symptom of an endemic problem in the US Army. Bottom line the QASAS are all too often doing the job that the 89B's should be doing. But they cannot be everywhere and often they are not all that experienced themselves. They should be the last line defending the safety of Ammunition but all too often they are the ONLY ones around that know what to do. That is a situation that guarantees disaster sooner or later."

The congressman sat for a few minutes.

"Well I can see that the report was understated; as I expected. I have the basics now. If you would I would like you to show me the ASP here and explain the details of the job."

Colonel Hough and Major Simmons left for HQ, Captain Rogers pointedly told sergeants Axton and Parker that since they know what they are talking about they will conduct the tour. The Congressman looked at him.

"Captain, I take it nothing said here surprises you or that you disagree with?"

"Sir, I was shot with luck taking over the company from Major Simmons. I had a very good situation compared to most incoming Ordnance Company commanders. What sergeants Parker and Axton said are dead on. One of the Reasons I am getting out of the Military is that I am typed as ordnance and will not get a good posting after this. And If I stay in ordnance I will be ending up with a company as Sergeant Parker described. I want to live a long life with all my parts intact. Staying in Ordnance at this time is not a good way to have that."

Liz and Axton spent the next 2 hours taking the Congressman all over the ASP and to all the current ammunition operations. His assistant was writing a book from all the notes he was taking.

When they were done the congressman thanked them.

"This was the best and most complete and honest briefing I have ever gotten. You two are a real credit to the US Army. Sergeant Axton, I hope you do well in your next posting. Sergeant Parker, I would like a word with you alone."

They moved a little distance.

"You are going to OCS. What after that?"

"Aviation. I am thinking of becoming a rotorhead."

"Combat?"

"Yes sir. I want to be able to shoot back with a lot more than I am shot at with. I would like to end up driving an Apache."

"Good luck. If someone is giving you a problem because you are a woman, I want to know about it. It's time the military was dragged out of the Stone Age on this."

"Thank you, sir."

"I owe you Liz. I pay my debts."

The SECDEF read the full report the following morning. Then he called the Undersecretary.

"This is a failure of your department. Critical area not identified. I have no doubt that next week when I testify before the committee, the Congressman will be chewing me on this. I want a plan to present him on how this problem will be solved."

Colonel Hough briefed the Division commander. After he was done the Commander sat back and looked at him.

"You think he will confront SECDEF next week on this."

"I would put serious money on that, Sir."

"The sergeants really unloaded."

"Yes sir. And I cannot reasonably disagree with anything they said."

"I can't either."

SECDEF took his seat before the House Armed Services Committee. The Chairman thanked him for his attendance. Then turned to his right.

"The Honorable Congressman from Georgia would like to ask some questions."

"Mr Secretary, the recent incident in Iraq, the explosion at a ammunition storage site, was it or was it not due to an endemic problem with Ammunition Specialists in the US Army?"

The SECDEF had decided to play along; he had had way too many confrontational situations already; if he could avoid one he would in this case.

"Basically yes."

"I asked the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel for a report on Ammunition Specialists in the US Army, specifically the MOS 89B. The report made for unpleasant reading and I have had it put into the Congressional Record. The bottom line is that the Ammunition field in general, and the personnel field part of Ammunition in particular, is bad explicitly due to the failure of the US Army at the senior level over a period of decades to give proper recognition, attention and funding. What is in the past is in the past. Mr Secretary, what are you going to do to fix that situation?"

"Sir, this is a problem as you have said that has been in the making for many years. From all previous administrations and congresses going back at least 20 years. The only real solution is to make it clear again and again that Ammunition is a priority. That should be self evident to any military but it has not been so as regards the US Army. I have my staff working on specific proposals. One of the suggestions I am considering is adding the 89B MOS to the Stop Loss program. For the future since right now as you have stated and the report makes clear, there are not that many right now that are worth keeping. I am going to make it a Army policy that the condition of the ordnance company will be an increased factor in the rating of commanders at brigade level and above, all the way to Major Command level as regards all areas of Ammunition. Those officers that inherited bad situations and did not improve them will be downgraded at the same level as having combat units fail inspections and failing as operational units. If you do not have 75% of your 89B's positions filled with trained and qualified personnel you will fail. That should start down the road of making commanders take proper notice of Ammunition. I am directing the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel to make filling 89B positions a critical need. There will be expanded training programs and more classes held per year. What I will further request is increased funding for Ammunition procurement and the steady improvement of ammunition facilities and equipment. Those are my basic proposals, sir."

The congressman nodded. "That sounds like a good start, Mr Secretary. I just this last week visited Ft Stewart and talked with the personnel at that ASP. What they told me filled out the in between the lines part of that report. Clearly there needs to be a sustained change of attitude that starts at the top and is maintained all the way down to company level. That all starts with you, sir. You must set the tone."

The SECDEF got that message loud and clear. The congressman was telling him that if he worked hard in this area the SECDEF would get help in other areas. As an old Washington hand, SECDEF knew a good deal when it was offered.

"I can promise you sir that I will set a new tone and those below me that are tone deaf will regret that."

True to his promise, the very next week a SECDEF directive went out to all services with particular emphasis to the Army that Ammunition would no longer be the despised bastard. It was now a favored legitimate son.

Sergeant Williams knew Sergeant Alexander casually. He received his transfer orders the day after the Congressman had visited the base. Rumor as usual had moved with the speed of light and it was fairly accurate. He remembered the interview with Major Simmons. He sought out Alexander to talk to him.

"Sounds like command really got shook up by that visit."

"Yep, I got word that the ordnance company is losing virtually everyone over a period of just a few months this summer. I am surprised command is taking it this seriously."

"Yeah. But one cannot say that it's wrong. Ordnance has been given way too low a priority in the Army for a long time."

"We were lucky in our deployment, we had a good ordnance company. Not many other divisions can say the same."

"I guess it will be mostly up to us to make sure the ordnance company stays good."

They both arrived at the Ordnance company office the day after the SECDEF's appearance before Congress. Word had already trickled down that there would be big changes; if the SECDEF held to his promise about grading officers heavily on ammunition matters that would indeed have a serious effect. Nothing got the attention of ambitious officers more than that.

Captain Rogers was waiting for them and took them into his office and had the door closed.

"You two were chosen because you were the best available NCO's this division had for these positions. The importance of the Ordnance Company has been recently raised to a much higher level. The scrutiny will be increased greatly. Sergeant Williams, you will be working with Sergeant Axton, who has been the senior NCO in this company for five years. Much of the reason it is good is because of him. Sergeant Alexander, you will be working with Sergeant Parker, our best 89B. With all due respect to Sergeant Axton. She is leaving in May; Sergeant Axton is leaving at the end of June. That gives you, Sergeant Williams, 7 months and you Sergeant Alexander, just under 6 months to learn what you need to know. The QASAS here at Ft Stewart have already let us know that they will be available for training. That will be done. Dismissed."

Sergeant Axton then took Williams to his office and Liz took sergeant Alexander to her office.

Alexander was well aware of who Sergeant Parker was; everyone in the division knew of her. Tiny, cute as a button, smart and tough. She would have had to have been to have gotten herself and her people out of that clusterfuck. And then having a Congressman, and more particularly a congressman on the Armed Services Committee, thinking he owed her his life was something to think about as well. Like most combat veterans, he had doubted that that piece of shrapnel would have seriously injured or killed him; but you never knew. And she had certainly taken the hit for him.

Liz liked what she saw of Sergeant Alexander. Good looking without being too good looking; did not have that arrogant air all too many like that had. Had a very good record or Simmons would not have picked him.

"Thomas, call me Liz. My job is to teach and your job is to learn. We have less than six months for you to learn what it has taken me 3 years. Obviously you cannot become as knowledgeable as I am now in 6 months, but you can learn enough to do your job well. First off, outside of what you have picked up in the infantry, what do you know of Ammunition and how it is handled and worked?"

"Liz, I know a fair amount about transporting it; not much about storage or working on it."

"OK. Here is a basic outline that I have come up with that shows what I do here at the Ordnance Company. I have put the appropriate references in each row so you know where to go to find out why it is done that way.'

Liz then handled him a blackbinder that had about 200 pages in document protectors. He opened it up and looked at it. He whistled as he went through it quickly.

"This is more than a full time job.'

"Yes it is."

A few days later the newbies were talking to each other at lunch.

"Axton really knows his stuff; never knew how much there was to learn."

"Parker is a workaholic; she does the work of 3 easily. Which is necessary due to the lack of competent 89Bs. But she also has it all written out with references to the regulations. So I have a real good fall back reference."

"Make a copy for me. Axton told me that Parker is the best 89B he has ever had. And she is organized up the wazoo."

For years to come, Liz's book would be the bible of the Ft Stewart Ordnance company, and would get spread around gradually over many others.

Liz looked around her office. This was the last day for her before she took 2 weeks leave and then reported to Ft Benning for OCS. Maria and the others had taken her out last night and they had had a blast. There was a dinner being held for her at a local restaurant. She had just a little while ago been given an award for sustained superior performance signed by the Division Commander; he had presented it personally. She was accumulating a very nice file of commendations and awards. Which would help in the future before promotion boards.

Sergeant Alexander had proven a quick study and was already copying her habit of talking to the QASAS as much as possible. She felt he would do a good job. Sergeant Williams looked like he would do well as the company senior NCO. The new supply techs had been worked on hard by Maria and Tess and they thought they would do ok. The going away party by Maria, Tess and Isabelle had been a little emotional. But they had all been admitted to Georgia for the fall term so Liz would find a way to visit on occasion and they could always talk to each other on the phone.

The new company Commander was already studying under Rogers, and Liz thought he would do well. Major Simmons had told her at the award ceremony that they thought that the Ordnance company would do OK, if not as good as it had been.

The SECDEF memorandum had really shaken things up; much more notice was taken of the Ammunition field, and in particular the 89B MOS. And the media had gotten into the act. There had been several requests to talk to Liz from the media; which had been refused with Liz's full approval. She did NOT want to become the poster child for anything; if she was getting out of the Military it would be OK; but as she was staying in for the time being it would be bad.

Liz felt pretty good as she left the dinner; Colonel Hough and Major Simmons had been there as was just about everyone from the Ordnance company. IT was good to be appreciated.

The only not so good note had come from Maria the night before.

"Liz, you really need to start dating. It is no fun being a nun."

And Liz had thought about that some since. Maria was right. Problem was that dating anyone in the same unit was looking for trouble; and dating anyone out of your unit was hard to do when you were as busy as Liz had been. Dating a civilian meant actually meeting one worth dating; and then the fact that in a few years you would be going anyway. Well, not much chance of her finding time in the next 2 years.

Liz spent a week visiting her mother; then left for Benning. She was able to get into her quarters early; and was able to wander around benning and talk to some people. She found that her old 89B instructor was still there and talked to him.

"How has the SECDEF's directive changed things?"

"Certainly stirred them up. Funding for more classes and more instructors. And the fact that a Brigade commander got relieved due to that mess in Iraq has tightened things up a lot. Now the question is will this be maintained long enough to change the atmosphere. That is the real question. I guess one can hope. You have done very well. As I had hoped. Sad to see you leave the 89B but I can hope that you will come back to it someday. If the emphasis remains, in four or five years 89B and ammunition will be looked upon as a good assignment."

As Liz found out, OCS was pretty tough. She had expected it, but it was still tough and not particularly pleasant. But she toughed it out; her experience and nature responding to the challenge. There were 160 in her class; 40 to a section. She was determined to lead her section by the end of the OCS. Fortunately for her that her inclinations to study and bent towards organization helped her immensely. She had always been good at tests and this was no different.

After 6 weeks the course instructors gathered for their midterm review. One of the functions they had to determine was class ranking.

"Section 1, I need your top 5. The rest of you the same. I want them by noon today. All reviews and anything derogatory I want by 1700 today."

The chief instructor was busy compiling the overall ratings. He talked to each Section Instructor to discuss the leading candidates.

"So as regards Section 3. You have Jenkins and Parker as 1 and 2; and your note says that there is a fair amount of distance to three."

"Yes sir. Its neck and neck with those two and well clear of the rest. Parker has aced the tests while the field exercises Jenkins is better and I give him the overall edge because of that but it is close."

"This is just between us, but I was told to keep a special eye on Parker for obvious reasons. Apparently that congressman has maintained an interest and the Pentagon has noticed. Is Parker just good at tests and OK at the rest?"

"No sir. Jenkins has had the edge in the field tests so far due to experience at his old MOS. Frankly, from what I have seen, Parker will probably over take him in field tests in the second half. I noticed that she steadily improved in everything she has done."

"That is good. Keep me informed."

Liz fell into her bunk just about every night exhausted. Her drive to exceed and excel sometimes was a curse. Yet she could honestly say she had never been so challenged and a part of her really liked the fact that she was being stretched. They were doing so many different things like night navigation and the like of which she had never done before; only read about. She had prepared as much as she could but the reality was a lot tougher.

Nancy had made a special trip to see Liz graduate and receive her commission. Liz had told her just the night before that of the original 160, only 122 had made it. She did not know how high she was in the class but figured she was first in her section that would graduate 34.

Liz checked her uniform carefully. It was her old Class A without the stripes but with all her ribbons. Second Lt Bars would be pinned on her uniform that day.

The top 5 students would be awarded first; then the rest by Alphabetical order. Liz was pretty sure she was in that top 5.

"Our first OCS graduate is the top student in this class. Elizabeth Rogers, front and center."

Liz managed to get through the ceremony without screwing up; the Commanding General of Ft Benning was doing the awards.

Nancy was so proud. She took lots of pictures. Liz was the only woman of the top 5; and only 23 women made it through. She noted that Liz also had more decorations or as they called them ribbons than anyone else in the entire class.

Liz was dazed as she accepted the congratulations and fingered the bars that the General had pinned on her. She huged her mother then was startled to see someone else come up and congratulate her.

"Congressman! I am surprised you are here."

"I try to make these at least once a year. Was certainly not going to miss this one. Top of the class. I expected no less."

"Mom, this is the congressman that I knocked over in Iraq."

"Saved my hide in the process. Pleased to meet you, Mrs Parker. You are very proud of your daughter, I think it is safe to say."

"VERY proud sir."

"Hate to go to business, Lt, but what have you heard as regards the emphasis in the Ammunition Area?"

"So far so good, Sir. The early signs are looking better. If this keeps up in 5 years it might be considered a good thing to be a Ammo Spec."

"That is good. Congratulations, Lt. Good day, Mrs Parker."

The general had stood off a ways watching this. He turned to his aide. "I recognized Parker at the last minute. I see that the Congressman has not forgotten her. Has she received her request; as top of the class she should get it?"

"I will make sure of that sir."

The congressman came up to the general.

"I saw that the class was about average for graduation size. The low number of women is a concern."

"Yes sir. We encourage them but the numbers are commissmerate with the percentage of women overall in the military."

"Well, having one graduate at the top of the class is good."

Liz was lucky in that there was only 2 weeks between the end of OCS and the beginning of the Aviation class at Ft Rucker. Otherwise she would have been left cooling her heels doing scut work. She was able to get there early enough that she was not pulled in for that sort of thing; and could get a jump on the Aviation school curriculum.

She had as usual researched things; and the SERE part really jumped out at her. She had never camped much or had to make do in that way; so she went on a crash course of learning about how to do that; even going so far as to take what she found out and getting some simple tools and camping out. She was lucky it was still fairly warm as her efforts to build a shelter and make a fire with virtually nothing did not go too well. She spent a week working on it and by the end of it had a better idea about things. She learned how to do simple snares and to recognize edible plants from those that would poison her. Some of the things she had learned at OCS would help.

Liz had thought that OCS was hard; but Aviation school was tougher still in other ways. She had more time off, but needed it to recover. The book parts were fairly easy; it was the field stuff that was tougher. The initial part, called Basic Officers Leadership, was basic in some ways but pretty advanced in others. That was tough sometimes. She was lucky in that they got breaks for the Holidays. That helped. Then came the next part called Dunker training.

Getting wet was not too bad. Being strapped in a seat and then dropped in the water and turning upside down was not fun. Liz did OK, she did not panic and was able to get out without help which was the main thing. What came next was worse.

Liz groaned as she sat, soaking wet, outside the tank. Final Dunker training was basically a mock up of a helicopter, dropped in the water and getting out of it while upside down. Luckily for her she had always been a good swimmer. Unluckily she had been with a couple of candidates that had panicked and pretty much trampled her in their desperate efforts to get out.

An instructor came up to her.

"Parker. Are you injured?"

"Don't think so sir; did get mauled some inside there."

"Head over to the medics and get checked out STAT."

Liz was bruised but otherwise OK and lined up with the rest of the group.

"All right that was just about a textbook example of what NOT to do. Everyone but Parker, Jones, Simms, Johnson go back in for another one. You four did well despite the efforts of your companions. You did not panic and got out of there in one piece."

That was the worst time. The rest of it was wet and uncomfortable and probably would have scared the crap out of her if not for Iraq.

Then came SERE which was basically how to escape and evade and survive if shot down and in enemy territory. She was lucky; she would not be part of the group required to go through the resistance part meant to help you survive capture and interrogation.

Still it was pretty tough; she was glad she had done some preparatory work. The graduation part was being dropped off alone and expected to make it to a certain spot within 3 days with nothing but her uniform.

Liz was determined to do well as usual; but this was the toughest thing she had ever done. She was cold and wet and hungry and aching all over. March in Alabama was nowhere near as warm as she had hoped it would be. But she gritted it out and made it to the point in time. She knew she had not excelled, but in this case she did not give a damn. She had gotten it done and that is what counted. Luckily everyone was given a week of light duty after that; they all needed that time to heal up and recover.

After that the water survival part was almost a piece of cake. She knew she had done well in that part and her natural optimism had come back.

Next came the first parts of how to lead soldiers and to familiarize oneself with the Basic tenets of Military Law. Liz did well though she had never thought all that well as regards lawyers.

The next part, called Aviation Branch Basic Officers course, was when they finally started to do aviation stuff, including the aircraft maintenance process, general aviation doctrine, and US and foreign vehicle and aircraft identification; basic familiarization with US ARMY in particular aviation. That was really interesting and Liz got into that big time.

Then came what was called AEROMED; there they learn how flight affects physiology, toxicology, gravitational forces and other subjects pertaining to flight and the human body. Getting poked and prodded and worked over was fun and was borderline painful at times.

Then came the real training on flying. It started out as what was called Initial Entry Rotary Wing Training (IERW).

The first day, Liz was paired up with a Captain Thomas; and got into a TH67, which he explained was what most Police copters were, a Jet Bell Ranger. Liz had seen them before so at least she had some idea.

"Ever flown in a chopper before?"

"Once when I was medevaced in Iraq."

He blinked at that. "Combat?"

"Mortar round landed in the ASP I was at and I caught a piece in my back. It was really not bad enough but they called in the chopper anyway."

Then he remembered; he thought the name had sounded familiar. Well so far she was doing well. But even good soldiers sometimes made lousy pilots so they would see.

Liz felt really good; this is what she wanted to do. Fly. The Captain took them up and they flew for almost 30 minutes while he explained things. They needed that closed helmet because she had not really believed just how noisy helicopters were. They landed and with the other students a critique was given. This would happen after every flight.

The instructors eased everyone into it; Captain Thomas said that the idea of throwing people in the pool and seeing if they can sink or swim does not work with flying. The aircraft are much too expensive. Bodies they can always get, he said with a bloodthirsty grin that made Liz laugh.

Within a week Liz got her hands on the controls; she was thrilled but managed to maintain control pretty well. Hover training first; and that was a lot harder than one might think. Then moving slowly forwards; then turning slowly; then moving backwards slowly. Everything was done slowly.

One fact that was drilled into them every day was to do a very good and thorough pre flight check. Captain Thomas told her that in helicopter accidents, a faulty pre flight check was a factor in almost half of them.

They gradually moved to harder tasks; interspersed with classroom as what was done in the flying was first done in the classroom then the simulator then the actual chopper.

Liz remembered well the day she did everything except land; pre flight, take off, fly and then hover while the instructor landed. She could not wait to do it all.

That opportunity came after a rough period when Captain Thomas told her she needed to relax.

The first time she had landed, she had thought she had done well but the instructor told her that she had not done as well as she had thought.

"You got tunnel vision. Concentrating so much on carefully landing you did not register anything else. You need to figure this out. Here are some guides into relaxation and prioritization while flying."

That was tough for Liz to grasp; concentration and focus had been a part of her life as long as she could remember. She tried meditation and while that helped after it did not help during. Finally she tried visualization and keeping to a process and that worked.

Two weeks later she soloed. She was about one third the way down the class ranks but she was content. The experience was glorious.

Next came instruments and that was a lot tougher. Relying on them instead of what you could see was hard to do. Liz worked through it steadily if not spectacularly. She was finding it hard to get used to not being one of the top students. She was in the top 3rd but that was still a comedown.

Basic Combat skills required them to transition to the UH1; which Liz liked better. It was lighter and easier to control if more sensitive to the controls.

Then they began to work on coordinating artillery strikes; calling it in themselves which meant figuring exactly where the strike was needed and getting that clearly to the ground controller.

Coordinating multiple choppers came next; Liz did better there though she was not sure why. She just did.

Now almost 6 months had gone by; three more months in the IERW. It was getting towards the Holidays again. Liz was a little lonely but had been able to visit the girls at Athens a couple of times. That had been great and helped her relax.

The next part was called Night Vision. They spent several days using them in a blacked out room; getting used to them. Then they started flying at night; just as observers getting used to the idea and the goggles and their limitations.

Liz was nervous the first time she was actually flying using goggles; it was nerve wracking but she gradually got with it. After 4 weeks she was doing what she had done during the day at night, if not so easily or as stress free. Captain Thomas told her that she was progressing well and that helped.

Then the Christmas break came and Liz volunteered to stay at the school with a few on the instructors to get in more practice. Only about a dozen of the class did; most of them that needed more work. Liz was really the only one doing well that stayed and she ended up helping some of the others.

The Chief of the instructors talked to Captain Thomas about Parker.

"How is she doing?"

"She is steadily getting better. She had a rough period early on but forced herself through it; she is quite solid. Not inspired or brilliant; but very strong in all areas. One thing is that she is constantly improving. I think she may be one of those that might not be really great starting out but keeps working at it and eventually does it the hard way. Her staying over is an example of that; and she is good at instructing. I think down the road she would be a good addition to the school."

As the Night vision courses resumed after the Christmas Break, Liz found that the extra time and practice came in handy. She gradually became somewhat comfortable flying at night using the goggles.

The next part was truly hair raising; they began to get basic instruction on how to land a damaged chopper. Practicing auto rotation was something more than a thrill; it was terrifying. Once again it was classroom, then simulators, then the real thing. Liz found that while terrifying, she was pretty good at auto rotation. They were taught to not so much listen for trouble as that was pretty hard to so with the hearing protection and helmets on, but more of a feel, vibrations and the like. And told that while they should rely on the readouts of their instruments, that sometimes they would lie and you had to double check as best you can.

After scaring the students with the work on emergencies, the next was less terrifying but more mentally stressful as they started to work on becoming units. They were organized into platoons with rotating commanders. Heavy use was made of simulators tied together called the Symnet.

There was a gap between classes that happened to coincide with Labor Day and the class was given a couple of extra days. Liz took advantage and headed over to Athens to visit her friends. Maria, Tess and Isabelle were just starting their second year at Georgia and had gotten an apartment together. Liz had a blast letting her hair down and partying.

After getting plastered that Saturday night, Liz shuffled down to the kitchen and made coffee. Maria was soon with her, both slowly surfacing from their hangovers.

"So, Chica, how goes the rotorhead business?"

"Getting there, slowly. It's tough for me not being at the head of the class; I am only in the top 3rd so far."

Maria giggled, then regretted that. "Ouch. Don't make me laugh. Liz, it's OK not to be first, you know."

"I guess. Tough lesson for me to learn. But I am getting there. Flying is great; it's very definitely what I want to do. I have only just under 4 months to go."

"Decided which one to go for?"

"I like the idea of the Kiowa; small and quick."

"Gee, I wonder why."

Glaring at her friend, Liz went on. "But I think I am going to fall in love with the Master Nasty."

"What is that?"

"What I call the Apache."

"OOOhhh. You like BIG guns."

"Ya."

Maria was pensive. Liz looked at her friend. "What?"

"Dating anyone?"

"When would I have time?"

"No excuse."

Liz sighed. "I guess I am afraid to start; anyone I meet now I am going to be leaving. No one in my class really revs my engine."

"Well at least maybe you are thinking about it."

"Yeah. I would like to."

"Well I guess that is progress."

"How about you?"

Maria ducked her head and Liz's eyes got huge. She squealed and they both held their heads in pain.

"Ugh Liz."

"Sorry but SPILL."

"His name is Michael and he is an artist but looks nothing like one."

"Details."

"Rough looking. Old style Marlon Brando."

"OOOHHHH."

"Yeah."

Tess and Isabelle slowly made their way in and went for the coffee.

"So how about the two walking zombies?"

Tess and Isabelle fried her with a look.

"Tess is seeing a guy who is in criminology-cop family. Kyle. Iz is seeing a computer geek named Alex."

"Computer geek?"

"Alex is much more than a computer geek" Isabelle proclaimed loftily.

"Wow. Sounds like everyone is getting some except me."

"Told you being a nun is no fun."

Tess looked at her friend. "Liz, really, you have got to get out there before you officially become a spinster."

"Yeah a spinster who loves big guns."

Isabelle and Tess both blinked.

"Liz is going to be an Apache driver."

"OOOHHHH. Big guns."

"ya."

Liz smiled as she remembered the weekend as she sat waiting for the class to begin. They were back into working as platoons in constantly rotating groups. She was definitely doing better; she was more and more comfortable running a group. She had quietly put in her bid for the Apache; and for the 101st Aviation brigade at Ft Campbell, Kentucky. They had been told they would get their assignment soon.

Captain Thomas was lead instructor this day and called the class to order in the lecture hall.

"All right first off everyone got their first choice as regards type. That usually happens but congratulations anyway. Here are you post assignments. I will call out your name and come and get it."

Liz tore open her envelope and read the contents. She smiled. She got what she wanted.

4 weeks later she got her first ride in an Apache. IT was love at first site. She had never even seen one up close until coming to Rucker. Now she had and she wanted one.

An Apache was pure nasty; it was meant to blow things up and take punishment. It was the chopper version of the A-10. The Pilot sat in the second position behind the copilot who normally was the main gunner. But all weapons could be fired from both seats. It had a tricycle landing gear, which was different than most helicopters. All in all it was a very different type of chopper..

And it had serious bite. A 30 MM chain gun in the chin; two pods carrying 2.75" rockets and the stubby wings could also handle 4 Hellfire missiles. Just in case the tip pylons could each hold a Stinger.

The versions they would be flying were unarmed of course; but had been configured so that the pylons and everything else were there and loaded with weight so that the training models would act exactly as the real thing loaded for war would.

The class had been broken up so that each class now was concentrated with the various different types of chopper. Liz and 21 other students would now spend all their time learning about the Apache. She was glad she would still be working with Captain Thomas; she was very comfortable learning from him.

It was a very sophisticated aircraft for a Helicopter; rumor had it the only birds that were more were the special operations versions that had all sorts of rumored goodies. Its electronics rivaled the newest fighters; the bird itself was finely put together. The Apache had been in service coming onto 20 years so the bugs had been mostly worked out. Early on there had been some trouble with the radios; it was finally figured out that some of the electronic systems conflicted with the radios. They had been built by different companies and no one had thought to test them out together. So when they were put in the Apache and she started to operate, the troubles puzzled everyone for years. But that had been sorted out. They had had an impressive record in war.

Any helicopter is much more susceptible to battle damage than just about any airplane. The rotors were very vulnerable; and the engines were huge heat producers that meant any heat seeking missile had great targets. You could not armor a helicopter like you could an A-10. During the initial battles in the Iraq war, a battalion of Apache's had flown into a flak trap that had shot one down and had damaged 30 others in the most notorious action yet. But people forget that with what was shot at them the enemy still only knocked one down and all but a few were easily reparable. The Apache's had historically dealt out hundreds of hits for every one they took.

The first time Liz was at the controls of an Apache she was in the copilot seat; as was procedure. It was very different then the pilot seat. Depending on the manning situation where she went, Liz might be a copilot before a Pilot slot opened up; which might take several months. So getting to know what it was like in the front seat was a good idea anyway. Liz loved the power of the ship; even fully loaded she had plenty extra. It was very maneuverable if not as much so as the UH1. But then it was a lot bigger and heavier as well.

One not so fun thing about the Apache was the huge preflight check list. Which was not surprising considering the complexity of the helicopter. Liz was glad they would get 12 full weeks to get used to it. She figured she would need every one.

Being a pilot mean having check sheets and log books and all sorts of records; which was normal for Liz anyway. Your pockets were always full and you never went anywhere without a notebook. It was very complicated but very ordered and organized and as always Liz felt comfortable in that.

Four weeks after her first flight, Liz did her solo. And from that time on she flew in the pilot seat and the Instructor flew in the copilot seat. The next 8 weeks Liz truly loved it. She was home and she knew it; she was an Apache Driver and that was where she belonged.

The last two weeks the Apache students were allowed to start firing the weapons of the armed birds available. The first time Liz fired the 2.75's she was gassed; she was very good at putting 30MM on target and she did miss a single shot with the hellfires.

The instructors were working on their final reports and recommendations; class placement was not truly a great deal. Just that everyone wanted to make sure that no mistakes were made.

The Chief Instructor went over each student one by one.

"Parker."

"As I put in my preliminary, she constantly works at improving her skills. She takes every spare minute to do more and it shows. She has progressed to the point that she is close to being the best Apache candidate we have. She is extra good at placing munitions on target. She was the only one that never missed with a hellfire and no one did any better with the rockets or the gun. Her scores in the simulators are very close to what she does in the bird itself; that is rare. All indications are that she keeps a cool head in high stress situations. I cannot really find anything that I can ding her on. Outside of maybe needing a telephone book to sit on."

The Chief instructor had to laugh at that. It was interesting seeing the tiny pilot in the apache cockpit. "One could consider her small size an advantage; less of a target to hit and that lower weight is not something to sneeze at. A couple of the other pilots outweigh her by 100 lbs. That counts."

"Yes it does. I have no problem signing her off with no reservations or restrictions."

They were lucky in that the graduation Ceremony would be on Dec 18. Just in time for everyone to head off for Christmas. As luck would have it the girls would be able to make it, Christmas break starting day before. Nancy had flown in. Liz would fly back with her and stay for two weeks before heading back to report to Ft Campbell, Kentucky.

Liz ended up being ranked 14th out of a class of 91, but more to the point she was 2nd among the Apache candidates. She had made up a lot of ground in the last three months. She was content with her lot.

Once again Nancy took lots of pictures; very proud once again that her daughter clearly had more decorations than any other student. Liz would get her promotion to 1st Lt upon arrival at Ft Campbell. Nancy had been looking around for the last several years for another job and had found one; she would be telling Liz that she was now a State Employee of Ohio. Specifically Colombus, working in the State Department of Transportation as a Personnel officer. It was good money and she would be able to bring her 23 years with her to Ohio. Which meant she only had to work 15 more to retire. And it was less than 400 miles to Ft Campbell.

Liz was happy the graduation ceremony was over and she could be with her mother and her friends. They had a good time over dinner before they all headed off to visit their families for Christmas Break. Liz and Nancy would stay at a motel before flying out the next day back to Wyoming.

Liz looked at her mother; something was up.

"OK, mom, Spill. Something is up."

Nancy smiled. "I got another job. With the state of Ohio as a personnel officer with the Department of Transportation. Columbus Ohio. Which is only 400 miles from Ft Campbell."

"Mom that is great! We will be able to see each other more."

"Already have the house up for sale and hope to have it sold in a month. My job starts in February."

"I will see if I can get some leave and help you."

"That would be nice but I can do it."

"I want to. Well I can at least clean my room out."

"Are you going for Base Housing?"

"Yes. I should get it."

"With all the money you have saved over the years, by the time you want to buy a house you might be able to pay cash."

"Well not quite. And I want to save a fair amount for other things. One of which is I am going to take more vacations now. "

"That is good to hear; I always have thought you need to do more of that."

"Well I intend to. And I am going to start examining the local male population and start hunting."

"Finally."

"Mom."

"Liz, you are about to be 24 and you have not dated at all since you were in High School, and not much there."

"Well I now know what I want to do and have gotten most of the work out of the way."

"You really love flying?"

"It's what I have been looking for."

"That reminds me. Don't you have to take college courses?"

"Winning the DSC took care of that. Now as regards promotions beyond flying, yeah I will need to do that. But I am more thinking that I will try and get my 20 in, then go for civil aviation. As long as I can fly I will be happy. From what Captain Thomas said, he was my instructor, I can probably make it to Major before the lack of higher education stops me. That gives me at least 8 years. And lots of flying experience. So even if I get the heave ho at that point, I should have no problem getting a good job."

Nancy took in the relaxed and confident manner Liz was showing; she seemed very content. Which was all she wanted for her daughter.

Liz was able to gather everything she wanted from the house and send it to Ft Campbell. She actually had very little besides clothes. Nancy was fortunate and got a good offer within days and accepted it. They started to pack up and got most of it done before Liz left to head to Ft Campbell. She would fly to Rucker where she had left her car and then drive there. She realized that she had more books, references, notebooks and the like then she actually had civilian clothes. The back seat and trunk of her small car were full of that.