Gentlemen:
Let me take the time to introduce myself to you. My name is Alastair M. Lyons and I have been in the reenacting game for the past 20 years. I have taken this command at the request of Bill Bethke and David Shaw.
We are continually striving to make this event better each year, so I am tasking all of you with this mission to help make this the best Battle of the Bulge we have had. The commanders and staff can only shape the framework – it is the individual efforts of every single re-enactor out there who will make it happen collectively.
Some you know me through the hobby. Most of you do not. This is a monumental task this I have been handed, and I will rely on all of your collective experience in the reenacting and military field. We will continue to improve this event every year, as did my predecessor, and as my successor will.
I have assembled a good working team, beginning with the solid foundations laid in previous years. We can – we will – make this Bulge the one that everyone talks about for years to come. Your suggestions and input are most welcome, but should be submitted through your unit commanders. However, my door is always open, subject to availability.
However, the path to improvement includes a certain amount of order. We will follow the chain of command, we will observe proper military courtesies, we will conduct ourselves as disciplined soldiers, and we will take the initiative to enforce the highest standards on ourselves. If your mate is getting out of line, you deal with the situation before any officer, NCO, or MP has to “take notice”. If your mate (or a strange officer or NCO) corrects you for being out of line, take his advice.
Information intended for all personnel will be posted here or on the Federation Forum as it becomes available, as well as being passed down the chain of command.
Alastair M. Lyons
Colonel, Scot Guards
Officer in Command, 2nd Allied Infantry Regiment (Provisional)
IGMR 2008 Joint Allied Regiment
Gentlemen,
Colonel Lyons has appointed me as his Second in Command and Chief of Staff. Specifically, if you need to speak with the Colonel, you’ll probably end up with me at first. The Allied HQ staff are here to assist you, and we will.
I am not going to elaborate on what the Colonel has said, other than a few specific matters.
Safety. Safety is everyone’s first, last, and primary mission. If you see an unsafe act or situation, take whatever steps are necessary and prudent to correct it. Do not blithely ignore orders and regulations – many rules seem silly, until you know the safety issue behind them.
Discipline. Each man should police himself. Privates should police each other. Officers and NCOs may, and should, make on the spot corrections of grievous issues, even when it involves men not directly under them. A soldier shuffling past, hands in his pockets, uniform undone, ignoring senior officers – that is a grievous issue. A soldier tossing rubbish into the company street – that is a grievous issue. However, there is a line between “firm correction” and “harassment”, and “harassment” is also a grievous issue.
Courtesy. “When in doubt, whip it out.” In other words, if there is any doubt in your mind as to whether someone is entitled, salute him (or her) smartly. If you are saluted, you are to return the salute smartly – an officer who fails to return a salute is just as slovenly as the private who fails to render one.
Authenticity. Proper wear of the uniform, proper grooming standards, proper kit. These are all part and parcel of discipline. Officers and NCOs – it is your job to see that the MPs and Authenticity Officer never see any errors, as your men are corrected before they leave their barracks. Privates – it is your job to make sure your mates don’t get caught.
Richard A. Randall
Lieutenant Colonel, 1CanPara
2IC, 2nd Allied Infantry Regiment (Provisional)