Bab 42: A Kim and A Washington Join the Marines
Near Augusta, Georgia
July 12th, 1776
"And I said, "Well, you've ever seen a Negro with a musket before? You see one now." And the poor sod ran off with his tail between his legs after General Kim came around him and asked him what was going on." Corporal George Brown finished his story with a grin.
The other marines in his laughed at his statement as they ate lunch for the day. The members of the 1st Marine Regiment, 6th Company were sitting in their part of the temporary marine camp and were enjoying some roasted corn, wheat bread, and grilled chicken for lunch. They had raided another plantation earlier that morning and had the rest of the day to train and rest. The two marine regiments swelled in size due to the recent raids, as many liberated slaves joined up with the marines. As a result, nearly two thousand five hundred marines were now under the command of General Kim. More than a quarter of the regiment consisted of freedmen or former slaves and unsurprisingly, some of them were the most motivated fighters in the marines.
Near the place where the 6th Company was enjoying their meal, the American flag, consisting of fifteen stripes and fifteen stars, flew proudly in the air. Other companies were also nearby, enjoying the food and mingling with one another to enjoy their meal before they were expected to return to their duties.
"Elizabeth! Can we get more bread over here? We're plowing right through them!" Sergeant Benjamin White hollered to one of the women that was serving the food to the marines. Some of the 6th Company members were recently liberated slaves and had a larger appetite than the others.
"Gimme a second, and I'll be right with you!"
As the woman strolled off to grab more bread for the men of 6th Company, the more talkative members of the company gathered around closely. Sergeant White whispered to the other marines around him, "I've heard rumors that Elizabeth is trying to get close to our general."
Corporal Brown's eyes widened as he chewed a piece of chicken, "Really?'
"So I've heard."
"Well, good for him then," Private First Class Timothy Reed stated as he finished up the final piece of bread on his plate, "The man deserves it. He's been fighting without a break for the past year. Elizabeth is a good girl too; she's been with us ever since we marched into North Carolina."
Elizabeth Green was a rather independent, pretty twenty-year-old white girl from a farm in North Carolina. While General Kim and his men were marching through North Carolina in order to suppress the Loyalists in South Carolina, a number of North Carolinians joined up with the general. Elizabeth was one of the few women that joined the marching army and had served as one of the cooks and inventory managers ever since.
"Gossiping about the general again, gentlemen?" A voice rang out from above the men.
Some gathered men had to suppress a groan as they saw Captain Hamilton, the company leader, standing over them. Sergeant White and the others stood up and saluted, "No, sir. Just discussing lunch and our future raids, sir."
Captain Hamilton gave the men a crisp salute and nodded, "I don't mind if you talk about the general, sergeant, but do remember not to spread false rumors about his personal life."
"Will do, sir."
As the captain walked away to join a conversation with the other marines of the 6th Company, Sergeant White and the others around him sat down again to eat, "He's too uptight sometimes."
"Nah, just overprotective about the general. He greatly respects our commander," Corporal Brown shrugged, "Hey, new recruits! Introduce yourselves a bit! You've been quiet since the beginning!"
The three recruits looked at their seniors nervously. One barely looked like a teenager while the other two were former slaves that had joined recently.
"Private Hugh Jackson, sir!" The kid saluted clumsily.
Sergeant White snorted, "No need to call us "sirs" if we're not officers, Private Jackson. Just call me "Sergeant" or "Sergeant White." The same goes for the others like Corporal Brown here."
Jackson nodded and turned to the two other recruits expectingly. One of them spoke up after a few moments, "I is Private, Private Tom."
"You have a last name, Tom?"
"Er..." Tom looked around and caught his sight on General Kim, who was eating with some of the most senior officers of the marines, "What's his name?'
"You mean General Kim? His first name is Samuel, and his last name is Kim." Sergeant White replied. He didn't make fun of the former slave's odd manner of speaking, as their general was a bit odd with his way of speaking as well. And it was understandable why Tom spoke strangely; he was a slave until several days ago.
"Then I is Kim, Tom Kim," Tom declared.
Sergeant White looked at PFC Reed and then at Corporal Brown. They all looked surprised as he was, "You sure?"
"Yes."
The sergeant laughed a bit before settling down, "It's just... his name isn't that common. If anything, he might be the only one to have it."
"Then they is two Kims now," Tom insisted.
"Nothing bad about that," Corporal Brown said with a grin. He turned to the last new recruit, "And you?"
"Private Elijah Washington."
This time, nearly all the senior marines laughed. Sergeant White wiped a tear from his eyes as he looked at the two former slaves, "We're not laughing at you two... It's just, we have two marines with the same last names as the two highest-ranking generals in the Continental Army. If that isn't amusing, I don't know what is. We have Private Kim and Private Washington, and General Kim and General Washington lead us."
The other marines nearby heard the sergeant's words and chuckled in amusement.
"6th Company, gather around the flag! It's time to get back to duty!" Captain Hamilton shouted.
Per their training, the marines immediately cleared their plates and readied in front of the flag within three minutes. The 150 marines of the 1st Marine Regiment, 6th Company stood at attention while their captain inspected them, "Before we go to the firing range, General Kim has something announce to our company."
The members of the 6th Company saluted when they saw the general and General Kim saluted to the men as he walked in front of them. After clearing his throat, the officer spoke to the group of men in front of him, "With the approval of the Continental Congress, I will now ask the marines of 6th Company to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The marine regiments as a whole will recite the pledge daily, but if you still have reservations about pledging full allegiance to the United States as an entity, then you may excuse yourself to the side while the Pledge is recited."
None of the marines fell out of line and waited patiently for the general to continue. They had heard about the Pledge from the other marines before they even ate lunch, and all of them were willing to take the Pledge. General Kim looked proud as he placed his hand over his heart, "Then place your right hand over your heart, turn towards the flag, and repeat after me."
"I pledge Allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America. And to freedom and independence, for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
"Let us not forget that we are fighting not for the flag itself but for the ideals that flag represents. Do not worship the flag or the Allegiance. Worship the principles which they stand for." General Kim announced, "Dismissed. Return to your duties."
And with that, the marines of 6th Company jogged towards the firing range to being target practice.
Status Power Mingguan
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