章節 7: Establishing the Marines
The members of the 1st Marine Regiment came to a halt approximately two kilometers out from Boston. Despite Colonel Kim's wishes to travel immediately after gathering their belongings, he allowed the marines to celebrate in Boston with the locals. Hundreds of locals celebrated and threw festivities due to the British retreat, which the unit was invited to join. The colonel recognized that the unit needed some time to unwind before their long march and permitted them to take the night off and enjoy themselves (without their uniforms or bags). However, he gave them stiff warnings against excessive drinking and causing fights with others. In addition to this, he told them to return to the barn area by one in the morning as they had a long march ahead of them.
While most of the marines celebrated, the colonel himself reviewed the various supplies he had at hand and took inventory. The number of uniforms and bags exceeded the number of men he had under his regiment by 50, and he recognized that they were most likely spares. In addition to the uniforms, bags, and his own supplies, he discovered a sizeable stack of additional medical supplies, various books, water filters, weapons, and ammunition hidden away in a room towards the back of the barn. The most important items he found from the pile were the boxes filled with hundreds of vaccines for smallpox and cholera. Additionally, there was a sizeable amount of antibiotics and medication to treat common diseases such as influenza and malaria. The medicine and vaccines weren't 100% effective, but they would go a long way to help his regiment stay healthy and functioning. He also made a mental note to write down information about the production of smallpox vaccines for future reference.
When he finished up taking inventory of the items, Colonel Kim pulled out150 ounces of gold from the pouch for finances and asked General Putnam to convert them into currency and to buy some needed supplies for the regiment (horses, wagons, additional ammunition to be used for training, camping gear, etc). After revealing how he had gotten the money, General Putnam inspected the "magic pouch" for a few minutes but left shortly after to acquire the supplies the regiment needed. The colonial militia general returned to the barn two hours later, with eight horses, four wagons, and more perishables and supplies than expected. When General Putnam asked around to trade for currency and buy supplies, locals that were sympathetic to the patriot cause and colonial militiamen donated food items and scavenged ammunition. However, the horses and wagons were purchased outright. Additionally, the general traded the remainders of the gold for large amounts of the Spanish dollar and the British pound.
Afterward, he ordered some of the marines that remained behind to start pitching tents and setting blankets. By the time everyone had returned, most of the sleeping gear was already set up, and the regiment was told to sleep after the last few men returned. Thankfully, he did not hear a peep of complaint from the locals, and the men readied themselves rapidly after the Asian officer woke them at eight o'clock sharp. The wagons were loaded up, and the regiment was well underway towards New York by nine.
Colonel Kim was at the head of the group and saw that some of the men were already winded from the march. The regiment would need several months to reach the physical and combat capabilities of boots (new marines joining a unit). Additionally, he suspected that not all of the men would accept his forms of training and spent the majority of the previous night planning a new training regimen and manual for the marines. While the new physical training was much more relaxed (to some degree) than the one he was used to in the future, it was still physically taxing, especially with the amount of marching the troops would need to carry out. He viewed the training as necessary to instill discipline and build up the marines' endurance and strength.
But he would take things slowly, for the time being.
"Alright," Colonel Kim stated as he looked around the group, "We've been marching for barely over half an hour, yet I see some of you are already tired. I hope you know that the march to New York will take approximately a week, even if we march eight hours a day. Unfortunately for you that hate physical exercise, you will be doing much of that under my command."
"As your commanding officer, I will inform you of our training regimen, my expectations for all of you, and the words you will live by as marines. Now for some of you, you may think you're ready or capable enough to become a professional right away, but even those of you that fought on Bunker Hill will find yourself pressured from the expectations I have set. I will warn you now: the training will be physically and mentally demanding. You will be required to run early in the morning, which is separate from the march. You will be required to exercise your arms and chest and improve your hand-to-hand combat capabilities. You will be training with your muskets daily and will be forced to learn drills, formations, and tactics. For those of you that are illiterate, you will be taught how to read and write. Some of you will be more ready than others in various areas. However, after three months of training, I expect every one of you to meet the minimum standards."
As he had expected, he saw several of the men looking skeptical and even downright petrified at what he was listing. Even so, he carried on as he knew what he was about to state would change many of the skeptics' minds. "However, you will not go unrewarded for your services. For the enlisted men, you will be paid £3 per month (nearly double what the Continental Army regulars are paid). The officers, once they are assigned, will be paid £6. As time goes on, I will make a comprehensive list of all the payments for all the ranks, but that will be the standard pay for now. I will also personally use my own money for all your equipment, supplies, and pay. You will never go hungry under my command. And I have medications that will make you immune to smallpox and treat most diseases as well. If you endure my training and exceed my expectations, you will not only enjoy the benefits I have listed above but be rewarded with bonuses and honors as well."
Now that certainly did grab the attention of his men. While the more hardened and patriotic soldiers remained unwavering even before he announced the pay rate, nearly everyone was surprised and jubilant at the amount of money they would earn per month. In addition to this, the notion that Colonel Kim himself would pay for their supplies, food, and well-being and even make them immune to smallpox was a complete shock to all the soldiers in the regiment. The atmosphere of uncertainty and skepticism was replaced with determination and hope.
He paced in front of them back and forth, inspecting the uniform and looks of the marines in the front, "Under my command, I promise that you will become even better soldiers than any soldiers the British have to offer. My expectations are set sky high so that you can exceed the abilities of a typical Redcoat at a faster rate. As you may already be aware, I am not a very traditional or ordinary officer. I will not train you orderly or fancily as the British Army trains their soldiers. I do not fight "gentlemanly" because my job is to train you to become a professional marine and to train you to stay alive so you can become a professional marine. My way of running this unit will be completely different than any other unit, but because of these reasons, we will become an elite unit that will ruin any British soldiers that face us."
"Now, before we begin our march to New York once more, I will like to make sure to do your best to remember everything I will tell after this moment. Because I will now explain our motto and our main regiment rules. Do not worry; I will have them printed for your convenience in the future, but for now, listen carefully."
"Semper Fidelis will be our motto. In Latin, this means "Always Faithful." You will remain faithful to three things while in the marines: to the marine's fighting cause, the marine regiment, and your fellow marines. As stated, remain faithful to our fighting cause because we are fighting for not only ourselves or our unit but also for the people of the colonies. Remain faithful to the regiment, even in times of great hardships. Remember that if you decide to abandon your duties or turn tail, you will affect the capabilities of the entire regiment. No matter how small your role is, neglecting your role can cause our entire regiment to fail or crumble at the worst times. And most importantly, remain faithful to your fellow marines. No matter where they are from, no matter what their beliefs are, and no matter what they look like, over time, you will learn that they will always fight by your side and watch your back. Adding on to this, while you are now "soldiers," remember what we are fighting for. If civilians require our assistance, we will help them. While winning battles are important, we must also win the hearts and minds of the people to truly win the war."
Colonel Kim scanned the men's faces with his eyes to see if the men were paying attention. Upon noticing he had the attention of nearly everyone, including General Putnam, he continued, "My rules for the regiment are strict but also fair. You are not to drink while we are "deployed." This means if we are involved in a campaign or near a battlefield, we will not be allowed to drink. Smoking will be tolerated, but that will be out of your pocket. You are expected to carry out any daily duties and tasks assigned to you, which will range from cooking to washing clothes. You will carry out every duty with the maximum amount of effort, even sleeping. You will call your superior officers "sir" and any enlisted men by their rank. All of you are expected to be well-groomed, though beards and mustaches will be allowed. I expect all marines to wash their hands several times a day and take a bath at least twice a week."
"You will not shoot any soldiers that are surrendering and treat any prisoners with respect, regardless of their rank. You will not harass any civilians at any given time. You are to look after your fellow marines and ensure their well-being; you do not leave any marines behind. You are to care for all the wounded, even wounded enemies. You will not fire upon any medical personnel or structures. You are not to loot any dead bodies, civilians, or cities, but I will provide you with according bonuses to ensure that you are properly rewarded. You will not steal either."
"The reason why there are many rules that you have to follow is simple," Colonel Kim stated to the crowd, "If we are formally commissioned by the Continental Congress, we will be a military unit directly representing the struggle against the British. Like any other officially commissioned units, we will become the faces of the colonial cause. By now, the word of our regiment will be spreading throughout the northeast and while most will not know our individual names, they will be aware of our unit's existence. That means we must act and look professional. Above all else, we must remain disciplined and show our enemy that we are able to become more disciplined than them, even if we are just "colonial rabble."
A few scattered laughs rang out the crowd as the commanding officer of the regiment smiled, "That is all I have for right now. We will keep marching. Training will officially begin tomorrow and I will explain your daily schedule at a later time. For now, let us move forward. Onward, marines!"
Instead of the loud "Oorah!", he heard hundreds of times per day with the future marines, these marines were silent.
"From this point on, our battle cry will be "Oorah!" You will say it when we charge into battle and in normal settings like this when I give out a group command. Now again: onward marines!"
"Oorah!"
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