by Geoff Wolak
‘Because when they get to the SAS they adopt old habits and bad habits,’ he put in.
‘Indeed, sir, you understand the problem, and the solution seems obvious.’
He nodded. ‘Your Bob Staines, ask him for what you need, make some plans, don’t hold back. Let’s make the most of you before you’re shot, eh.’
I cocked and eyebrow and then laughed. ‘Thanks.’
‘Oh, I almost forgot, you’re now Acting Captain, they’ll sort it today.’
‘Captain?’
‘You’ll have courses to do apparently,’ he said as he turned, and off she went.
‘Captain?’ I muttered.
Back inside I found Bob and his team arriving, and repeating the royal wander around the various groups, with him several senior RAF and Army officers.
I stopped next to Moran, the Major and the Colonel. ‘Apparently I’m to be made up to Acting Captain today.’
‘You are?’ Moran and the Major puzzled.
‘Can they do that?’ I asked.
‘Field commission,’ the Colonel stated. ‘And time-served NCOs skip a few ranks in reflection of the years served.’
‘I haven’t served many years, sir,’ I pointed out.
‘You’ll be a captain in Echo Detachment, not the real world,’ the Colonel suggested.
‘A pretend captain,’ I quipped.
‘A big fish in a small pond,’ the Major said. ‘Eight men under you.’
‘Am I still Troop Captain?’ Moran asked.
‘Yes,’ I said.
‘No,’ came from the Colonel, and Moran and I faced him.
‘Wilco has to be seen to have the seniority to plan missions and interact with other units.’ He shrugged. ‘Practicality.’
‘There’ve been a few odd developments today,’ I began, wondering about the background politics here. ‘First the SBS offer me men, on loan or otherwise, then the RAF Regiment offer me men, then the Prime Minister is keen to see each suitable unit have an elite team on standby to support our operations.’ The last part had not been true an hour earlier, but was now, and I was keen about it.
The Major and Colonel exchanged looks.
‘Odd,’ the Colonel stated. ‘That could take jobs away from us.’
‘Support ... was the key phrase,’ I put in. ‘They hold the airfield, etc, make the tea.’
‘Still,’ the Colonel began. ‘Don’t go taking that role from us.’
‘If such units existed they can support you on jobs, as well as my lot,’ I pointed out. ‘As with Northern Ireland, 14 Intel do the house observation, your lot storm in. Only let’s hope they’re more reliable than 14 Intel – and make good tea.’
Bob eventually found us and chatted to the guys for a while, time spent with Tomo and Smitty. He took the Major to one side for a long ten minute chat as I joked with the RAF pilots, then he called me over. I knew exactly what had transpired from the look on the Major’s face.
Bob began, ‘Major Bradley is due to leave the SAS soon -’
‘Staff college, sir, or New Zealand?’ I queried.
‘New Zealand eventually,’ the Major responded. ‘Wife is not keen to see me go further in the military, and after the Regiment it would all seem dull.’
‘That it would,’ I agreed with a nod.
Bob said, ‘I asked if we could make use of him for a while, keep him in Hereford.’
‘Anything or anyone that helps with the paperwork and logistics is a good thing, even for an Acting Captain like me.’
‘They told you?’ Bob queried with a smile.
‘Prime Minister did. I thought maybe Cranwell, then Second Lieutenant Milton for a while.’
‘Waste of time,’ Bob said. ‘They would try and teach you basic first aid and how to shoot. You’ll do the Captain courses, probably Greenwich -’
‘Greenwich, not Camberely?’ I queried.
‘No, Greenwich, which will become the joint services staff college, intensive course for you. We need you available, not studying.’
‘That a short-term consideration, Bob?’ I asked, and he was caught off guard, and looked worried. ‘Make the most of me whilst I’m still alive?’
The Major put in, ‘You might drive over a mine. Again.’
I nodded. ‘I should be worried, but I’m not. Maybe I need my head fucking examined.’
‘Anyway,’ Bob cut in. ‘We were thinking of making better use of the Major whilst he’s around, year or two. He could help out with your detachment and “E” Squadron.’
I faced the Major. ‘You could stomach some of those old wankers?’
‘We’d thin them out a bit,’ he responded.
I nodded. ‘Not before time, and you’re better suited than most for that. As for helping out, a bigger unit needs a proper CO, yes. I’ll be in the field mostly, so will Moran, and neither of us really want to be troop captains, we like to lead from the front.’
‘You’d be happy to work with the Major more?’ Bob asked.
‘Work with him now, what would be different?’ I pressed.
‘He could give you orders, alter plans,’ Bob tentatively suggested.
‘As he does now, and if the plan has holes in it then I’d rather have someone disagree with me, the lads don’t disagree with me enough. But what about you two, you haven’t always seen eye to eye on operations?’
They exchanged looks.
Bob said, ‘I respect the Major’s experience, time served, and I’ve worked with the Major for almost three years now, more given his time as troop captain. I see no issues. Now I give you a job, but not the detail, that’s down to you, as it would be with the Major.’
I made a face and shrugged. ‘If you want the unit to grow, then it needs someone like the Major, and if the Major goes off to New Zealand in time then we need the best officer to replace him, not just a pen pusher, and – no – I don’t see myself in that role, even if everyone else does, not yet at least.’
‘In time, maybe,’ Bob said.
‘There have been a few ... developments today, Bob,’ I started, and he looked worried. ‘Even had the PM put his seal of approval on them. SBS are jealous, they offered me men on loan – so long as they get a good newspaper headline now and then, and the RAF Regiment have also offered me men, similar deal, but what the PM and others suggest is that each unit has an elite team, joint training and exercises with us, and when we do a job like Angola they come out in support of us.’
Bob responded, ‘Such support teams could only be a good thing, especially if they train with you, but my view would be dedicated men and a small tight unit, two troops.’
‘Bit late for that,’ the Major quipped.
I said, ‘Well, Bob, your successes – our successes – have made people jealous. They want in on the action and the success, so ... give it some thought. And it does help if we have a good working relationship with these units, and pinch their men, like Rocko and Slider, and Elkin, and Tomo. You see where this is going, Bob?’
He nodded. ‘The detachment is made up of men from all services.’
‘Those other units, and the PM, will allow us to pinch the best men if we give something back, so let’s not bite the hand that feeds us, eh. Some joint exercises and training, and we pinch the best lads away.’
‘Yes, would seem logical,’ Bob agreed, a glance at the Major.
Major Bradley began, ‘Attitude is key, and although I’m time-served SAS, what Wilco did from the start is break the mould, and drop the lads with bad attitude, or he converted them. Even Rizzo is better now.’
I said to Bob, ‘With the Major involved, myself and Moran, the unit will always foster a good attitude, and it won’t get away from you Bob and bite you on the arse down the line. No one wants to go back to how “E” Squadron was.
‘So let’s give the PM what he wants, whilst getting out of it what you want, Bob. You set the parameters, design the future direction, and let’s see where the synergies are, eh. Then we try and keep every fucker hap
py, all at the same time.’
They exchanged looks and jointly rolled their eyes.
When our coaches arrived back in Hereford I stepped across to the Major. ‘We need to talk, sir. Later, my place.’
He nodded, and I wandered back into the detachment room, checking with O’Leary and Moran about courses and training schedules. I had a few ideas in my head, quite a few, in fact a long list of them.
At 8pm the Major rang my buzzer and I let him up, getting the kettle on. He sat, jacket off, tea accepted.
‘You’ll work under Bob, sir?’ I asked.
He took a moment. ‘I’d still be on the base under the Colonel, and the major who works with “E” Squadron part time now is technically SAS, so it is all paid by us, just that it’s outside ... and available to Bob. It’s “E” Squadron SAS, not “E” Squadron Mi6, despite what Bob would like it to be.’
‘You might clash with him, we have in the past.’
‘Not in a significant way, and if he asked me to arrange the assassination of someone I thought was a bit naughty I’d say no.’
‘Some of the jobs done by the old “E” Squadron men are dodgy, to say the least.’
‘They’re dealt with directly by Bob, I’d not see the detail till there’s a fuck-up, someone in jail or dead. And I doubt he’d let me know of a dodgy job.’
‘You don’t call going south of the border dodgy?’ I pressed.
‘SAS have done worse, no big deal. It’s the political stuff that would worry me; kill the head of some French conglomerate.’
‘I’d refuse such a job as well, and I hope that Bob knows it.’
The Major nodded. ‘Be mostly regular work.’
‘The Prime Minister is keen, so I think we can get a good budget, and I have some ideas, but this last job brought together a lot of units, we just need them doing more regularly what it says on paper they can already do.’ I studied him. ‘You’ll be happy in your new role, sir?’
‘As opposed to staff college, yes, as opposed to retiring and looking for civvy work, yes. And the fact is ... as you moved away I was jealous. You brought me the successes, and now for Bob, although most outside the SAS still see them as my successes.
‘Each job is down as an SAS rescue, and the Colonel is treated far better than two years back, so am I; such newspaper headlines gives us power. Retirement aside, if the job as head of your detachment was going I would apply, it’s where the action is.’
‘You’re the only person I could see telling me what to do day to day, so don’t be shy, sir. But I know that it’s a house of cards at the moment, because if me, Rizzo and Swifty were killed there’d be no unit.’
‘That’s why you need more men, fixed officer roles, standards of training. That way, if you’re killed, it carries on.’
‘The Somalia job was regular “E” Squadron stuff, but the West African rescues should have been regular SAS.’
‘Agreed. But we’ve done a few such rescues in the past, and fucked up quite a few, lost men. You have a small good team, and your planning works well, and your decisions in the field work well. I’ve seen patrols bickering with each other on live jobs, a fucking embarrassment. If our lot had your attitude then life would be easy, but they don’t.
‘Your fame and ability has attracted men, and they love working for you, and that helps get the job done, not men being shouted at to do the job well – when they should want to do the job well in the first damn place.’
‘I’m sure Margaret Thatcher would have agreed,’ I said with a smile.
‘That episode almost cost us dearly, she almost shut us down, gave work to the SBS. When she wanted one of ours disciplined the colonel of the day told her to fuck off, literally.’
‘The special forces in other countries don’t act like that, those French lads don’t act like that, what’s so different about your lot?’
‘Tradition and culture, and a bad attitude perpetuates itself down the lineage.’
‘Have a think about what you would want done differently in my detachment, sir, and let’s talk privately, I’ll break the news to the lads tomorrow, who’ll accept it or get a punch to the head, but they’re a good bunch on discipline mostly.’
I called Bob after the Major left. ‘Bob, can you be a love and get me eight of those half decent running machines, delivered to the Regiment, to the PTIs, help to do fitness tests indoors.’
‘Leave it with me.’
In the morning, everyone met for the usual orders and chit-chat.
‘OK,’ I began. ‘Lot to go through, lots happening, lots changing. As of ... sometime today I guess, I’m Acting Captain.’
‘Captain?’ Rizzo queried.
‘Yes, a captain, but that will not ... affect Captain Moran’s position with us, it’s just that the politicians and army staff find it very odd that a job like the last one was planned by a lowly sergeant, not an officer. So ... within these walls I will be a captain.’
‘We salute?’ Tomo asked.
‘If there are people around we don’t know, yes, just us then no unless you’re walking across the parade ground and spot me, and you have headwear on. And even then it’s not essential on this base.’
‘What the fuck we call you?’ Rizzo asked.
‘What the fuck do you think, dumbass?’
‘We call you sir?’ he queried with a frown.
‘As with my last comment, only when around strangers, and don’t call me Wilco on operations when there are other units around. In here you call me Boss, after work it’s Wilco. Anyway, Rizzo, what do the lads call you now?’
‘Me? They ... call me Rizzo,’ he puzzled.
‘Well you’re now troop sergeant, so they can call you Chief maybe.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes, because you’re senior and have the years in. Get used to it. If I’m shot, and Captain Moran is not around, you’re in charge of the detachment.’
‘Oh, er ... right.’
‘Rocko, you’re 2ic for now, you were a sergeant with a lot of years back in the Paras.’
He nodded. ‘For ... now?’
‘There’ll be more men with us, and maybe very soon, a second troop. If so, you’ll be troop sergeant of that troop ... because you’re big enough and tough enough to keep them in line. You can refuse the post if you wish.’ I waited.
He made a face, a look exchanged with the lads. ‘If you want me for it, I’ll do it, yes.’
‘I’ll try and get you both more pay.’ I faced Swifty. ‘Swifty, you have a great deal of experience and years, but I have another job in mind for you other than troop sergeant. We’ll discuss it later.’
I focused on Moran. ‘As soon as there are enough bodies to justify calling it a second troop you’ll be the troop officer for them, so no change, and when there’s a job on you’ll come along as now. If there is a job with two troops eventually, you would lead one with Rocko.’
I faced the group. ‘In the near future, Major Bradley will be helping out more, and when he’s replaced in “D” Squadron he’ll take over here as CO, and you will stand and salute, or I’ll kick the shit out of you as you leave this base.’ I focused on Rizzo. ‘You worked well with him in the past, you will do so again, or go back to regular SAS work.’
He shrugged. ‘We got on alright, yeah.’
‘He’ll replace the part time Major that looks after “E” Squadron now -’ I faced O’Leary. ‘- and he’ll work closely with you.’
O’Leary nodded.
‘Ask Bob for more money for our troop sergeant and a step up in rank, please.’
I faced Captain Harris. ‘You and the Major go way back, so it should be a seamless change.’
He nodded.
‘OK, what happened at the big show yesterday ... was that a lot of units complained about us.’
‘They did?’ people queried.
‘Yes, we’re too successful ... and they want some of that success for themselves.’
‘Fuck ‘em,’ came from a few of
the lads.
‘So ... the SBS have offered us some of their best men on loan, so too the RAF Regiment and others, and in addition to men on loan I’ll be speaking to those units about them creating elite small units to train with us and then support us on jobs like Angola. You saw 2 Squadron RAF Regiment there, but in future there may be a flight of eight of their men we know and trust who would watch our airfield for us.
‘If there was a good group in the SBS, they could set a diversion someplace whilst we do a rescue. Some of those types of tasks will be regular SAS, when the need suits, but the powers want other units involved if we’re to pinch men from those units.’
Moran said, ‘They did all that anyhow.’
‘Yes, but in future we would know that the teams had trained with us, had done the three-day course, etc, and that we knew them and trusted them. Some of the 2 Squadron lads were jealous of us, some would have liked to see us fail – me especially. I want teams we can trust, volunteers who want to work with us, not trip us up.’
Moran nodded and eased back.
‘What you need to understand ... is that in the past a series of successes - as we’ve achieved - were not common. It was more common to fuck up the job. Up till now the politicians were very hesitant, and would never have organised a rescue in Angola. Here we have a good team, and we’ve racked up the successes, and the powers trust us.
‘That gives us clout, so we can ask for more and get more done, and not have the RAF dropping fucking cement -’ They laughed. ‘- but have ground attack fighters or something in support of us. We could get better kit and better support in future, and pick and choose jobs. But to get all that we need to keep the powers happy, and we do that by involving ourselves with other units, myself and Captain Moran being ambassadors to travel out – not you Rizzo.’
They laughed at him.
‘So, lots changing, and more and better exercises, and hopefully a few jobs in the pipeline. In the meantime, keep yourselves fit, and I’m working on a few new training scenarios. Tomo, Smitty, lots of hard training. Rocko, Rizzo, keep them busy if you see them slowing down
