Today was a cascade failure of epic proportions. For those who pine for a bit of clarification, a cascade failure is when a seemingly unimportant task goes undone and results in a catastrophic failure farther down the timeline. This is the origin of the old "for want of a nail the kindom was lost" saw.
It is very difficult to determine the exact beginning of any real life cascade failure due the inextricably linked causal chains that influence our every behavior in life. Everything from deciding which cola to buy all the way to deciding whether you should pull the trigger on that gun has linked casuality far beyond human ability to discern it. I would submit that the real origins of today failure started as far back as the time described in my article Deadly Charisma 1. The developmental patterns we as a unit learned from this time haunt us to this day.
If you are still reading by this point I am sure you are wondering what today's failure actually was. Be pateint gentle reader, I will find my locus eventually I assure you.
The morning started so congenially that I was lulled into a false sense of security. I had been slated to escort one of my fine American soldiers before a board of review which would determine if they should be promoted from the rank of Specialist to Sergeant. This is a task I have performed many times over the years and is not usually a terribly onerous chore. Contrarily, today's experience should be given it's own tiny niche in an outer ring of Alighieri's Inferno at the very least.
I entered the day with confidence due to the fact that he soldier I was escorting, one SPC Cannabis, is an excellent soldier. Her military bearing is consistent and courteous, her uniform always looks a thousand times better than my own, she sets about the tasks I appoint her as though there were no other activities she would rather be doing, she never uses her free time to spread malice or dissent about anyone publicly (a habit I must own up to), her SIGINT collection abilities are top-notch (ranking among the very best signal hounds in the unit), and lastly I knew she had been diligently studying for this promotion board appearance from reports given to me by multiple sources but most notably from my compatriot SGT Negrodamus.
When subjected to a few general queries on various topics before the boards convenance she performed well and I was wholly satisfied that she would perform to the standards expected. The Board evaluators were largely known to me numbering SFC Vince Calangelo (now frocked to 1SG), our own 1SG Pliable, 1SG Macedonia, CSM (Command Sergeant Major) Mendacious, and an additional SSG about whom I know nothing.
There were 13 candidates standing for examination today which upon reflection should have pinged the country hick instincts I keep hidden so well. Sadly it did not.
As we were prepping for the opening of the scrutinization process I had occasion to exchange a few friendly words with SFC C (how long is that electronic leash Vince?) which left me feeling even more confident that my chosen protege would be given every chance to succeed. (Call it nepotism or networking or whathaveyou but there it is.) I was further bolstered by the presence of SGT Negrodamus who was sponsoring his own soldier the wunderkind SPC Lovechild and also by the presence of Cochise whose today served as the patron of The Pokekorean.
CSM Mendacious gave a brief monlogue of the procedures to be followed for the day and handed the proceedings off to his underlings. Thereupon the testing process opened with a group inspection of the formal Class A uniforms worn by our candidates. Everyone looked good so I was not worried about this process. It went well with SSG C surreptitiously making amusing comments to me as he grew bored with inspecting the soldiers suits. My confidence level had reached it's zenith which should have told me that Karma was about to come crashing down upon me and mine. Alas I was deaf and blind to the warnings of the Cosmic Circle today and we all would pay for my stone ears and scaled eyes......
Tomorrow... The Collapse of Reason.