“Sure, but with the training, will he have time to see you?”
“Well, in the evenings. I’ll take the kids to visit friends during the day and we’ll go to his parents over the weekend. Afterward he plans on staying and taking a week of leave.”
“Oh, so how long are you going?”
“Two weeks total.”
“Wow, I’m jealous. Do you need a ride to the airport?”
Melanie put down her tea and smiled. “That would be nice.”
TWENTY-ONE
After the IED curriculum Det Four moved on to the surface division, followed by small unit tactics (SMUT). The SMUT instructors provided lessons on land navigation, patrolling, and small arms employment. They also trained on insertion techniques via small boat, fastrope, and rappel.
The det was told that the class would culminate in an exercise where the detachment was inserted onto Fort Story at night by boat. They would be expected to patrol across the base to their objective, a weapons cache found by “Marines” that was booby-trapped. To make the scenario more challenging, there was an opposing force composed of TEU TWO instructors acting as the enemy.
During the practical training, Jazz contemplated the chaos and confusion that would ensue during a firefight. He also came to realize the importance of being able to navigate unknown terrain, especially at night. The ability to shoot straight and true would be wasted if he was unable to get his detachment to the objective. It was another reminder that it was imperative that the det be a cohesive unit.
Keating and Denke were cordial but it was clear that they were not getting along. Keating was still smarting from Denke’s attack on his abilities, plus Denke continually asserted himself as the only competent authority on the det especially regarding SMUT and IEDs.
While Jazz was considering what to do he even heard the other men of the det making comments. They struggled with their admiration for Denke and their loyalty to Keating.
Jazz knew that the key was Denke. He hoped that he had established a new rapport with his senior chief that would carry him through. Again, Jazz remembered his father’s advice.
“Don’t worry as much about being a good EOD Tech because you’ll never measure up. Be a good officer, a good 1140, a good OIC.”
He realized that the same rule applied to Denke. He was on this det not to be a Master Tech, but a senior chief.
Solve the problem, not the conflict.
Foregoing formality, Jazz approached him in the hallway during a lunch break.
“Senior Chief, do you have a minute?”
“Sure, LT. What’s up?”
“I want to talk about how we are doing things in the det, specifically between you and Chief Keating.”
Denke visibly stiffened.
“Hear me out, Senior Chief. Here’s the deal. You guys are obviously of two minds and come from two different schools of thought.”
“He’s just a diver, sir,” Denke said with condescension.
“Excuse me?”
“He’s a diver, sir. There are two kinds of people in EOD, operators and divers. The divers never quite get the EOD thing. They don’t know how to do the other stuff. Patrolling, shooting, moving, communicating, it’s all foreign to ‘em.”
“Senior, I have heard this discussion before. I agree that we seem to have two flavors. But here’s the thing — we are on an MCM det. Mine Countermeasures. We are all about diving, diving in minefields mind you, but diving. Now the other stuff is equally important. I would submit that while Chief K may be too close to the Fleet Divers on the EOD spectrum, you may be too close to the Frogs.”
Denke tensed again and crossed his arms.
“I believe that we should be operators and divers, Senior Chief. I do not know where that happy medium is, but I do know that I can’t get us there… only you and Chief K can do that. Do you get me?”
“I get you, sir.”
“Why did you come here?”
Now Denke uncrossed his arms, he appeared a little defeated.
“I’m sure you heard, sir. The detailer and community manager have said that if I want to make master chief that it would help to have an MCM ride.”
“Why is that if you already have your Master crab? Why is it important for a guy who is already a Master Blaster to go to an MCM team in order to make master chief? I’ll tell you the answer… because they want you to lead an MCM det. Someday if you are going to be the Group Master Chief, they want you to have MCM leadership experience. Otherwise sailors under your purview will look to you and say, ‘Master Chief Denke doesn’t get it… he’s just an operator, a Frog-wanna-be.’”
Denke was silent. Jazz realized that he turned Denke’s own threat about making commodore against him.
“Well?”
“I see your point, sir.”
“Senior Chief, we have two choices before us. The three of us can fight and argue for the next two years. If we do that nobody will win and we will make the best job in the Navy a drag. Or, we can figure out how you, me, and Keating are going to get along and run this det. A Master Tech may not be able to figure out how to do that, but a master chief, a real leader, can.
“I want to become smart on the ‘operator’ skills, Senior Chief. And I am happy to have you on this det for that reason. But, I suspect that we will never use those skills. I think we are going to spend most of our time in that Mark-5 and the RHIB. Keating is the det expert in those arenas.”
Jazz noted that Denke was now rubbing his head. Maybe it was a sign that he was struggling with what Jazz was saying.
“Senior, this det was running fine before you arrived. I’d like you to make it better not worse.”
Denke looked at Jazz a moment, then nodded his head silently.
Before class the next morning, Denke walked to the front of the room.
“Gents, I’ve got something to put out before we start today.”
Denke looked directly at Jazz as the others quieted.
“One of the most important things to do while the detachment is going through READIMPT is to develop our SOPs. We have not really been doing that, have we Lieutenant?”
Jazz was not sure what Denke was saying but he sensed it had to do with their conversation the previous day.
“Uh, no, Senior.”
“Well, we are behind the power curve then. You do have SOPs for each mission area, right?”
“Yes, they are Warrant Officer Fontaine’s… I have not really changed anything.”
“Well we need to review them all and improve them where possible. Here is what I suggest we do.”
Everyone noted Denke’s use of the word, “suggest.”
“I think we need to assign each man a mission area in which he is to become the subject matter expert. As such that man will be responsible to you, Lieutenant, for the applicable SOP. Additionally, while everyone needs to be proficient at all skills, I think we need to develop a notion that certain members are the P1 for a particular mission area.”
“Interesting,” said Keating.
“Here is my recommended breakdown. I think Sinclair should be in charge of surface ops, Quinn takes chem and bio, okay?”
“Sure, Senior,” said Quinn.
“Delgado, as pubs and CMS handler, I want you to write an SOP for use of all our crypto and comms gear. I also want an SOP for small boat ops. I want specifics on how to load the boat, how to swing it over from a ship, how to perform basic troubleshooting for the engines.”
“No kidding, Senior?” replied Delgado.