by Doug Houser
KC said, “Jess, Pete, this is Nellie. Nellie meet Jess and Pete. Don’t worry, guys, I understand your problem here. You should have seen the look on my face when I first saw her.”
Nellie jabbed him in the ribs, but, fortunately, not too hard. Nellie said, “I’m glad to meet you both. How much weight is that?”
“Oh, not too much, ma’am, we’re doing high reps tonight.”
“Well, how much weight and how many reps, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Jess said, “Not at all. It’s four hundred eighty five pounds. I just finished twelve reps. Pete here did thirteen a couple of minutes ago. As soon as I get a little recovery time I’m going to go for fourteen.”
“Impressive.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
KC said, “OK guys, carry on. We’re going upstairs to see some people that are earning their keep rather that playing around with minor league weights.”
“Yes, sir. Good evening, sir, ma’am.”
“Good evening.”
As KC and Nellie headed to the stairway that leads to the eighth floor Nellie said, “Those guys were putting me on, right?”
“About the weight or the reps?”
“Well, the weight looked right, but I can’t quite believe the reps.”
“Knowing those two, I’d say they weren’t putting you on. As I recall, they can both do five reps in the mid-five-hundreds.”
“Wow. Do all your guys lift like that?”
“Some more, some less. But that’s just benching. I want to set standards that include other things. And we have some women that need a lot of work, too. If you and I conclude that you can help, we’ll go over my conditioning ideas in detail and I’ll listen to your input. Let’s go topside.”
“You mean climb the ladder?”
“Yeah, let’s do that. You know, that was one thing about Corps lingo that I always found odd. Ladders have rungs and stairs have steps. We’re definitely going to climb steps on a stairway, but the old salts insist on calling it a ladder. That never did make any sense to me.”
“Well, now that you mention it, me either, but I always just sort of fell in line with it so as not to cause a ruckus.”
“Yup, easiest way to get by, peacefully.”
When they got to the eighth floor, by stairs, Nellie was in total awe of the office space. The area was lit in a way she could only describe in her mind’s eye as “rich and warm.” All of the lighting was indirect and subdued. In the area closest to the stairway, there were immaculate wood desks with comfortable looking leather chairs in front of them. Each desk had a large flat computer screen, keyboard and mouse, a phone and a headset. At the back of the desktops were three-tiered wood shelves that contained paper, note pads, envelopes, staplers, letter openers and all the other accoutrements of an efficient work area. No one was sitting at any of these desks. Farther toward the rear of the eighth floor was an area with numerous workstations, all with what looked like 42” flat screens in front of them. As they proceeded through this area, Nellie noticed that all of the operators were wearing headsets, and most were leaning back comfortably in their leather chairs and reading. A few others were writing. There was no discernible sound. On the screens were street maps that moved up, down, left or right every few seconds. Nellie asked, “What’s going on with the screens?”
“When there’s no activity, the images move every few seconds, acting like a screen saver. When a trouble call comes in, the screen stops moving and the location of the trouble is highlighted. A box to the right comes to life with all of the pertinent information the tech may need, like the address where a problem has occurred, names of all the family members or if it’s a business, the names of the people authorized to respond to emergencies, along with their coded identification, the problem that’s been detected and the appropriate phone numbers.”
“I notice most of the operators are reading.”
“Many of them are going to school during their off hours. They use the quiet times here to do homework assignments. The headsets are noise canceling so that when someone is responding to an emergency, the others aren’t bothered. A problem notification sounds in the headsets to alert them to look up at the screen. When this happens, their iPod music, or whatever they might be listening to is automatically muted.”
“There’s quite a bit of unused space in here.”
“It was a rather unique set of circumstances that got me this space to begin with and it had nothing to do with what my real needs were. However, I’ve got a glimmer of an idea brewing in my head and if it works out, more of the space will be utilized. That’s all I can tell you about that right now. Let’s go into my office.”
As they entered the office, the lighting went on automatically. Nellie observed that here too, it was subdued, indirect and warm. She saw the beautiful big desk, comfortable chairs and cabinetry. Then she looked out the window and saw the view. It was overwhelming to her. She asked, “Did you design all of this?”
“No. Part of the deal to develop and lease the space in this building was that the architect downstairs would design our space. I know what I like when I see it, but I’d never be able to create a design like this from scratch. They did let me choose some of the colors though.”
“Wow. They did a great job. It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. Now, let’s talk about you and training my people. I think you mentioned that you would have no trouble training former Recon and infantry Marines.”
“That’s right, I won’t.”
“Let me tell you a little bit about what I want and then I’ll ask that question again. Here are some of my basic criteria. I want them to be through the roof strong, physically. As they get stronger, I don’t want them to lose any flexibility. In fact, I want them to be more flexible than they have ever been. I want their cardiovascular conditioning to be as demanding as their strength training. I want them to be not only knowledgeable about but also proficient in every martial arts technique known to man and to be able to execute every potentially lethal technique, lethally and confidently. There’s an old saying in the Marine Corps among the infantry: “If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, someone didn’t plan very well.” What I want, is that no matter what situation they may get into, that my guys never find themselves in a fair fight. They may be dealing with some really nasty people when this project I have in mind goes active. I want them to always have the upper hand.”
KC paused to let Nellie think about what he had said. Then, for emphasis, he added, “I didn’t use the term “lethal” lightly. I don’t want mixed martial artists like you see on TV. Those guys have referees, all kinds of rules for safety and if they get in trouble they can simply tap out or the referee will stop the fight. Don’t get me wrong. Those guys are good athletes and definitely warriors and most of them could probably be trained to do what I want here, but they are always safe because of the strict rules. Nobody ever gets seriously hurt in those fights. They aren’t allowed to use most of the best and none of the lethal techniques. We’ll never be in that kind of safe environment. I want my guys to be able to resolve a conflict, immediately, with only one technique, if necessary. I call that achieving a permanent resolution. Any questions?”
Nellie shook her head.
“Then I’ll repeat my original question. In the context of those criteria, can you train former Recon and infantry Marines to be that proficient?”
“KC, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that I can.”
“You know you’ll have to get everyone to buy into the program. And you’ve got some risk. If it doesn’t work out, you’ll be out of a job.”
“Look. This is exactly the kind of challenge I’ve been hoping to find. No one has ever asked anyone that I know to train people in exactly this manner, with the exact criteria you’ve just outlined. I won’t allow this to not work out.”
&nb
sp; “OK, here’s the deal. This business is managed by a three-man partnership. I will talk this over in the morning with my two partners. Can you come back at, say, nine AM?”
“Yes, that will be fine for me.”
KC stood up, extended his hand and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Nellie also rose and thanked KC as she shook his hand. KC then said, “I’ll see you to your car.”
As they road down in the elevator, Nellie said, “I have one more question.”
KC raised an eyebrow.
Nellie asked, “What’s with the nickname KC? Kansas City?”
KC laughed. “No, nothing like that. Why don’t you ask Peeps in the morning? He tells the story much better than I do.”
“Peeps?”
“He’s one of the three partners.”
Nellie smiled and nodded. She opened her mouth to say something but instead stayed silent and paused. She looked at KC expectantly. KC met her eyes. After a moment, breaking the spell, he simply said, “Nellie, I really hope this works out.”
Smiling, Nellie said, “It will.”
Chapter 14
KC entered his office at seven AM and immediately dialed Peep’s line. Peeps answered, “Those guys back east have only been in their offices for an hour. You expect results already?”
“Well, I wouldn’t from just anyone, but I called you.”
“Have I ever mentioned that for an officer, you’re pretty smart?”
“No, but feel free to do that any time. So, what’s the scoop on Sergeant Nellie?”
“Short or long?”
“Everything you’ve got.”
“OK. She enlisted when she was 21 and served for four years. This is a little vague but somewhere early on, she caught the eye of somebody who saw martial arts potential in her and she was transferred into a specialized training program that I hadn’t previously heard about until this morning. She was the only woman in the program and when the training aspect of it was over, she had finished number one in the class. That qualified her to be an instructor in Marine Martial Arts. From what I’ve just been told, she excelled as an instructor with only one possible negative. There were more injuries among her students than was normal, or average, for such training classes. After a while, the brass in charge conducted a quiet investigation and found that many of the injuries occurred when male Marines thought that they could challenge her, physically, and, according to the findings of the investigation, not one of those challenges was ever successful.”
“Wow, is that for real?”
“From what I was told, that’s what the higher-ups found. I was also told that they just quietly smiled among themselves, and never said anything about the investigation after that. I was also told that this Sergeant stood 6’ 2”, weighed 210 pounds, was at least as strong as the strongest men that size and quicker than anyone the top instructors had ever seen. She apparently impressed the brass so much that they transferred her to Quantico to be an instructor to the Martial Arts instructors.”
“How confident are you about this info?”
“Extremely. There’s more. When she was nearing the end of her four-year enlistment, they offered her an opportunity to go to OCS. She refused the offer. Later, they offered her one of the largest reenlistment bonuses in Marine Corps history, which she refused.”
“What about her personal life?”
“I was just getting to that. As far as anyone knows, she never dated a Marine. And she never brought a date to any social functions like the Marine Corps Ball or any other events. She lived in NCO base housing, alone. That’s it. Oh, and she’s been out for about four years.”
“Based on my meeting with her last night and what you just told me, I’d say we’ve found our martial arts instructor. What do you think?”
“I think she sounds too good to be true. I’d like to hire her and give her a chance to prove she’s as good as advertised. When is she coming back?”
“Nine this morning. We need to talk to Top.”
“If it’s OK with you, I’ll talk with Top. I know he’ll approve. If he doesn’t, I’ll call you before nine. Why don’t you see if you can hire her?”
“Will do.”
Nellie arrived a few minutes before nine and was directed to KC’s office. After each of them had a cup of coffee in front of them and had exchanged pleasantries, KC said, “If you were to quit your present job, how much notice do you have to give?”
Nellie broke into a huge grin. “None, really, but two weeks is customary. I gave my notice two weeks ago.”
KC was speechless for a moment. Finally, he said, “Well, for what you are about to undertake, extreme confidence is of paramount importance.”
This woman impressed KC in more ways than one.
“Let’s talk salary, vacation days, and benefits.” KC smiled.
In a matter of minutes, KC and Nellie had an agreement.
“OK.” KC said, “Peeps will fill you in on all the other details of our benefits program. I think you’ll like them. Just like with everyone who comes to work here, we’ll both have a ninety-day getting acquainted period. If, after that time, both of us want to continue, then our deal will become more permanent. After ninety days, we’ll re-assess your pay rate. Also after ninety days, you’ll begin to accrue vacation at the rate of thirty days per year, just like in the Corps. That includes weekends. OK?”
“When can I start?”
“Just one last question. Did you ever teach Krav Maga?”
“Sure. It’s fantastic for field personnel to use in certain situations and it’s great for conditioning, no matter what level of expertise you have. The training on avoiding confrontation, maintaining awareness of your surroundings, available avenues of escape and sources of potential threats, the psychology of a confrontation, are all valuable things to know. Regarding what you’re looking for, it would be of use for conditioning and possibly as a good introduction to martial arts and a few good techniques for some people.”
“Good answer. Let me introduce you to Peeps.”
Nellie sat down in the leather chair in front of Peep’s desk. Peeps greeted her with a big smile. “Welcome aboard, Nellie. KC tells me you’re going to whip these ragamuffins into shape.”
“Yes sir, I sure am.”
“I applaud your confidence and enthusiasm in accepting this challenge. I can’t emphasize enough how serious KC is about achieving the performance standards he went over with you last night and this morning. When things go according to his requirements and expectations, he’s the greatest guy in the world to work for. But if something doesn’t go exactly like he wants it, he becomes very unpleasant to be around. But, I guess that’s nothing new for you. It’s pretty much how all Marine Corps leaders are. It’s built into the culture. In the Corps, you’re always expected to perform just a little beyond what is humanly possible. KC’s expectations are higher than that. What he wants won’t be easy to achieve, but when you do achieve it, you’ll find that this is a very nice place to come to every day. So, let’s get you started. Any questions?”
“Just one,” Nellie said. “KC said that you would tell me the story about how he got his nickname.”
“He probably said that I tell the story better than he does, right?”
“Yes, he did.”
“OK, here it is. I’ll try to keep it as short as possible. But be warned, I love to tell a good story.” Peeps smiled.
In Vietnam, the Third Force reconnaissance platoon of the Third Force Reconnaissance Company worked out of Dong Ha near the DMZ. The rest of the company worked out of Phu Bai where the Third Marine Division was headquartered. The platoon leader of third platoon was 2nd Lieutenant Keith Huntington. One of his recon patrol leaders was a young buck Sergeant named Charlie Windsor. This was in the early days of the war and the NVA were just starting to sneak into the Sout
h, in the DMZ area, in force. Third platoon sent out eight-man recon patrols, usually led by a Sergeant, all over the DMZ area. Whatever intelligence they gathered was reported to Division, who then forwarded it to the Third Marine Regimental headquarters at Camp Carroll. Camp Carroll was also called the artillery plateau. Many of the patrols they ran were called “Sting Rays.” They would locate the NVA and then call artillery strikes on them that frequently originated from the artillery plateau.
One of the things most Americans don’t know is that the Vietnamese couldn’t see very well in the dark. The notion that they had superior night vision was a misconception that was reinforced by the fact that the North Vietnamese Army almost always maneuvered under the cover of darkness, thus the saying, “They control the night.” The reason they moved at night was to avoid aerial surveillance. But that didn’t mean that they could see where they were going. Actually, Americans had far better night vision than the Vietnamese did. The Vietnamese diet of primarily rice, with a little bit of fish, didn’t provide the nutrients required to produce the chemicals in the body that go into developing good night vision. What we came to find, is that the NVA used different kinds of small lights to see at night. These were mostly torches and sometimes flashlights. With the heavy foliage created by the trees and dense plant life in the mountainous jungles South of the DMZ, it was very difficult to spot the lights, even on the darkest nights.
Through experimentation and mostly through trial and error, the Marines discovered some techniques that enabled them to, when they were lucky, spot the NVA lights. The Marines would then try to determine the size of the NVA force, its direction of movement and how it was configured. Now, let me assure you, much about these determinations was purely conjecture because of the limited lines of site. In any event, with patience and some luck, the Marines would determine what they thought was the best location for an artillery strike and then call it in. A big disadvantage the Marines had was that they never knew how much damage the arty did nor did they know what unit they’d targeted.