Base 163 was full of burning fires and choking black smoke. The US Army's F2 aircraft had just dropped 12 solid bombs two hours ago. Everything on the ground that could be burned had been burned. Even so, the soil on the ground was still burning with flames more than half a meter high.
In the last line of defense of the base, a US Army soldier with a serious chest injury leaned against a trench and looked at the sky. He gasped for breath and covered his bleeding wound with one hand while holding a wireless walkie-talkie with the other. When will the reinforcements arrive?
Buzz buzz … Soon! Please hold on a little longer, buzz buzz buzz buzz … We've already sent troops on the way. Good job, kid. Uncle Sam will be proud of you, buzz buzz … God will bless you too. Is your superior here? Please let him speak. We have something important to tell him!
Superior? Are you talking about my superior?
The soldier's eyes showed helplessness and exhaustion. He looked around. In his line of sight, the trench he was in was filled with many corpses, some of the enemy's, and some of his own.
Listen to me, kid. Go to the side and take a break. Hurry up and ask your superior to answer the phone …
My superior? I don't have a superior! There's no one here … There's no one … I … ….. I … Clatter!
The seriously injured soldier could not hold on any longer, and the microphone in his hand finally dropped. He looked at the gloomy sky that was about to rain, and the loving smiles of his parents and the big black dog in the yard appeared in his mind.
Hey, hey, hey … Say something! Why aren't you answering? Hey!!!
Someone was still shouting into the microphone, but the soldier beside him had already closed his eyes ….
Beep, beep, beep, beep … A sharp whistle sounded in the security regiment's encampment. The soldiers in the encampment hurriedly put on their clothes and weapons. Although the whistle was blown very urgently, not all the soldiers could respond positively.
Fifteen minutes later, the field was filled with soldiers waiting for their superior to inspect them. It was said that a new superior would be inspecting them today. It was said that he was an American.
The new superior has arrived! Everyone stood at attention. As the shout rang out, the iron gate at the entrance of the security regiment's encampment was pulled open, and an American jeep and a World War II German troop carrier drove in.
(After World War II, France obtained a lot of military equipment from England, Italy, Rolania, and the defeated Germany. Although it was tattered, it could still be used. In order to reuse it, they brought it to Vietnam.)
After the car stopped, eight Americans got out of the car. These Americans wore beautiful ties on their chests, straight military uniforms, and shiny leather shoes. One of the Americans, who looked like a high-ranking military officer, was particularly eye-catching. He wore sunglasses and had a pistol and a baton on his waist. He was smoking a cigarette in one hand and holding a folder in the other.
The American with the folder under his arm walked up to the soldier who was blowing the whistle and asked in standard English, "Is everyone here?"
The soldier who blew the whistle looked at the person who asked the question with a troubled expression.
Forget it! I won't make things difficult for you. Let me introduce myself to everyone. My name is Peter, Rolans. Peter is my first name, and Rolans is my last name. It might not be easy for you to call me that. How about this? You can call me Brother Rolans from now on.
The document in my hand is the letter of appointment for this security regiment.
After Rolans said that, he took out the document and shook it in front of the soldiers. See, it's stamped by the NY Department of Defense and the signature of your president.
This is the letter of appointment issued to me by your great ally, the NY US Army Command!
Everyone took a good look. Rolans shook out another document and waved it in front of the soldiers. The security guards were dumbfounded. The new officer's high-profile way of doing things had opened the eyes of these bumpkins. The soldiers began to whisper about this American.
。 This foreigner is really impressive. He can actually speak Vietnamese! Hey, do you think he will deduct our pay like the previous officers did? I don't think so! Who knows if he will be a bad guy in the future? You may know a person's face but not his heart. Who knows if he'll be a bad guy in the future? Rolans did not get angry at his men's comments. He waved his hand to signal them to be quiet. * Toot, toot, toot, toot … * As the whistle sounded, the soldiers of the security regiment tactfully shut their mouths.
Upon seeing this scene, Rolans was very satisfied. This meant that the combat strength of this unit was still acceptable. Having been in Vietnam for so long, he had seen many NY troops as an instructor. He didn't know much about the President's Central Army or the NY special forces trained by the Americans, but he knew a little about the characteristics of the local troops. After all, it was only the early stages of the war. It was rare for these security guards to maintain such a scale and state in the early stages of a large-scale invasion by the U.S. Army.
Rolans had seen NY's regular troops perform very well on the surface, but in reality, their training was full of loopholes. When the officer told his men to shut up, they wouldn't say anything. However, there were those who smoked, ate, and smoked. There were even some who went home to run errands in the middle of training! Seeing that the soldiers in front of him did not have the bad habits he had seen before, Rolans was relieved.
Who else hasn't come to assemble? Faced with Rolans's question, the soldier who blew the whistle finally couldn't help but say, "The squad leader of Squad 3 and the soldiers of the artillery battalion.
You have artillery soldiers too? " Rolans was a little surprised. These bastards actually have artillery soldiers!
Take me to the artillery battalion. I want to inspect it.
Outside the entrance of the 6th Security Regiment's Light Artillery Battalion's dormitory, a dozen or so people were playing poker in a circle. Some of them were cheering, some were drinking while hugging a girl, and some were eating barbecue on a stove.
* Beep, beep, beep … * A jeep sped up and screeched to a stop behind these people. These people who were playing cards just looked back and didn't react. Then, they went back to do what they liked. Rolans and Kabili jumped out of the car and walked over. Rolans asked the sentry at the door sternly, "Where's your officer?"
"I don't know," the soldier replied slowly. "He went out."
Rolans suppressed his anger and looked at these bastards who were playing cards. It's duty time now, what are you doing here?
A guy who was hugging a girl and drinking poked his head out to look at Rolans, then looked at Rolans with a surprised look. Why does this American know how to speak the local language? Because in his impression, foreigners always brought along an interpreter. Annoying! Is there a vixen out there? Where are you going if you're not going to feed me? The girl in his arms squirmed and vented her dissatisfaction.
Beauty, don't be like this! You are the most important person in my heart. How can I look at other women! Come, have a bite of this lychee. It's so sweet that I can't bear to eat it for you.
Rolans patiently shouted again, "It's duty time now, what are you doing here?" A guy with a shaved head sat up, burped, and shouted at him rudely, "What are you yelling about? We have our officer, we don't need you to yell! "
"Even if you are American, we don't need to listen to you.
"What did you say?" Rolans suddenly jumped in front of him. "B * stard, who are you talking to? I am your new officer! Look at this, what is this? Rolans threw the letter of appointment in front of the group of people.
The guy who had shaved his head and questioned Rolans picked up the letter of appointment and glanced at it. He was so scared that he pushed the girl in his arms aside, stood up, and saluted, "Officer, Professional Sergeant Wu Xingqiang reporting for duty!"
Speaking of the US Army's professional sergeants, many people probably didn't know.
Professional sergeants usually mastered certain skills, but they didn't take on leadership positions in the squad. Although they were on the same pay scale as corporals, under normal circumstances, corporals could take on leadership positions, and professional sergeants still had to listen to the commands of corporals. However, according to some memoirs, in the tense situation of war, the next squad may be in a state of not being full for a long time. It was not uncommon for a squad of 12 to only have seven or eight people, and sometimes there was a lack of sergeants in leadership positions. In such cases, professional sergeants would temporarily serve as squad leaders.
The establishment of professional sergeants had also gone through a long history. From 1955 to 1985, E4 to E9 corresponded to level four to nine professional sergeants, but some of the higher ranks were gradually abolished. By 1985, only level four professional sergeants, SP4, were left, and later changed to professional sergeants, SPC.
According to the relevant data of the US Army during the Y-War in the 1960s, there were 220,000 level four professional sergeants among the soldiers of the same pay scale of E4, but only about 2,000 corporals. According to the practice at that time, the rank of corporal was generally prepared for non-commissioned officers who made mistakes and were demoted. Under normal circumstances, it took about a year for a recruit to reach E4 and be promoted to level four professional sergeants instead of corporals.
In fact, the only difference was whether it was a management position or not.
Mainly, if you were a college graduate and in some technical positions, E4 was the standard starting salary (high school graduates were only E1).
However, E4 was the lowest salary for non-commissioned officers.
But many technical sergeants had no experience in leading troops. To solve this problem, there was a distinction between professional sergeants and corporals.
Corporals.
The actual salary of the two was the same, but the difference was whether or not it was management authority.
Although they were of the same rank, professional sergeants had to listen to the command of corporals.
Also, it was more convenient to switch because they did non-management work.
Similarly, many E4 non-combat units were basically professional sergeants because of this reason. Although professional sergeants and corporals were both E4, their treatment and rights were not the same. Although they were the lowest non-commissioned officers, some of them already had the qualifications to lead a unit alone.
Military rank
Administrative rank
Technical level:
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3 Sergeant
Level 3 Sergeant
Level 4 Sergeant
Level 2 Sergeant
Level 5 Sergeant
Level 1 Sergeant
Level 5 … In a battalion or larger unit in the US Army, there was a Level 1 Sergeant Major (E9) who served as the unit's Sergeant Major and acted as the liaison between the battalion commander or other senior officers and the soldiers and sergeants. This outstanding Level 1 Sergeant Major was crucial to the success or failure of the commander's command. This was especially prominent in a battalion of the US Army because the Sergeant Major in the battalion knew the 20 or 30 senior sergeants like the back of his hand. Under normal circumstances, the Sergeant Major of the battalion had served in the army longer than anyone else and had more experience in handling affairs. They could provide more professional advice to the battalion commander in commanding and using the troops.
There were a lot of sergeants in the US Army and they had a long military career. According to statistics, the number of sergeants in the US Army accounted for 38% to 54% of the total number of US Army personnel during World War Y. As for the length of service, all levels of sergeants were not exactly the same. Most sergeants treated being a soldier as a lifelong career, so they served for a long time. The highest length of service could reach 26 years or even longer. Due to the long length of service, the age of sergeants was also relatively high. Most of them were over 30 years old, some were 50 years old, and the highest was 60 years old. Staff sergeants could serve for up to 18 years. Sergeants could serve for up to 14 years. Corporals usually served for 6 years. US Army Soldier's Rank, Position, and Skill Level:
Private:
(PVT)
Level: E1
Private Private:
Private (PV2)
Level: E2
Mission: PVT and PV2 are the lowest rank soldiers. Begin basic combat training
Private First Class: Private
Class (PFC)
Level: E3
Mission: Private First Class will be promoted to Private First Class in one year. Begin military training
Specialist Sergeant: Specialist (SPC)
Level: E4
Mission: Serve for more than two years. Be able to organize and manage soldiers of lower ranks. Have participated in professional training.
Corporal: Corporal (CPL)
Level: E4
Mission: Commander of the smallest military team. Responsible for training lower-ranked soldiers.
Sergeant: Sergeant (SGT)
Level: E5
Mission: Class commander. Be a role model for privates to learn from. Responsible for supervising other soldiers.
Staff Sergeant
Sergeant (SSG)
Level: E6
Mission: Also a class commander. Often assisted by more than one sergeant. Responsible for developing, maintaining, and utilizing the potential of soldiers.
Private First Class: Sergeant
Class (SFC)
Level: E7
Mission: Often have 15 to 18 years of military service. Key assistant and advisor to platoon leader.
Sergeant Major: Master
Sergeant (MSG)
Level: E8
Mission: Key sergeant in the barracks. Perform part of the duties of the First Sergeant Major.
First Sergeant Major: First
Sergeant (1SG)
Level: E8
Mission: Key sergeant. Soul of the company. Assistant to the company officer. Responsible for training and commanding all soldiers.
Chief Sergeant Major: Sergeant
Major (SGM)
Level: E9
Mission: Assistant to the battalion officer. Has the ability of the Staff Sergeant Major CSM. Has less influence on the officer.
Staff Sergeant Major: Command
Major (CSM) Level: E9
Mission: Assistant to the brigade officer. Does not directly manage the soldiers. Makes training plans and provides advice to the officer.
Chief Sergeant Major: Sergeant
Army (SMA)
Level: Highest
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