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The Social Security Forces-Land

The Social Security Forces are the basic combat formations of the Free State. They form a well trained combined arms force equipped with some of the best equipment available today. The SSF was assembled after the war from Free State Security, fragments of U.S. Army and National Guard units, company security and local police and sheriff SWAT teams. Over the years, this polygot force has become a ruthless, battle-hardened and extremely capable organization. When not engaged in pushing the frontiers back, the SSF is kepy busy suppressing border raiders and river pirates, crushing the occasional Elsie revolt as well as conducting most of the major engineering projects within the Free State.

The Social Security Forces maintain high standards and more volunteers are turned away than are accepted. The minimum enlistment age is sixteen. There is no draft. Accepted recruits are sent to Camp Hunter (near Danville, Kentucky) for their basic training. During basic, the recruits receive many surprises. No matter how tough they are, no one "walks" through the training. They are taught to march and to shoot. To survive under the harshest of conditions. They are taught to act, think and fight as a team. Recruits spend four months in basic and sleep soundly every night.

After basic, the new soldier is sent to one of the SSF Regimental Headquarters. Here, they are issued their weapons and additional equipment (basic uniforms and gear are issued at Camp Hunter) and he is assigned to his battalion, company, platoon, where the finishing touches are placed on his training.

Each regimental headquarters maintains a barracks, workshops and other administrative paraphernalia. The various battalions rotate through this area for rest and reorganization when they are not based further forward on the line. In any battalion on the line, half of its companies are out on patrol at any time; such patrols live in the field and are frequently involved in border skirmishes.

Recruits earn eight credits a month; privates earn thirteen credits; corporals twenty-two; sergeants forty; section sergeants fifty-five; platoon sergeants seventy-five, first sergeants one hundred and sergeant majors one hundred and sixty. Lieutenants get eighty; captains one hundred and forty-five; majors two hundred and fifty; lieutenant colonels three hundred and twenty; colonels four hundred; brigadier generals five hundred and major generals six hundred. Nobody gets rich on SSF pay, but overall, it's not bad. The SSF provides all of the soldier's basic needs. Thirteen credits a month is enough to keep a soldier in beer, tobacco and other minor luxuries. The average civilian laborer sees forty-five credits a month in pay. With his day-to-day needs of food, clothing, shelter and medical needs covered by the SSF, this makes the lowly private fairly well off by the living standards of the Free State. This is a very powerful recruiting inducement and is one reason why the SSF can pick and chose its recruits carefully.

Uniforms are olive drab and patterened on the Vietnam-era jungle utilities. Rank is sown on both sleeves using standard U.S. Army rank (circa 1955). Officer rank tabs are worn on the collars. Each soldier is issued four cotton summer uniforms, three wool winter uniforms, two field jackets, load-bearing equipment, entrenching tool, messkit, bayonet, poncho, three wool blankets, two pairs of combat boots, one campaign hat and one steel helmet (U.S. Army M-1).

The Free State can manufacture both resistweave and kevlar, but the cost is too great for them to issue it to common soldiers. Officers and senior NCOs often purchase resistweave uniforms and kevlar vests and thigh pads. The vests made by the Free State are slightly inferior to modern kevlar. Often, an officer's family will purchase his set of body armor as a commissioning gift.

Recruits enlist for a period of six years of active duty, followed by twelve years in the reserve. After two years of service, the soldier becomes eligible for advanced training. This is conducted either at the regimental headquarters or at the university. Advanced training provides the SSF with its radio operators, armor crewmen, gunners, armorers, engineers, mechanics as well as a host of other skills. Trained soldiers return to their old units and they earn an additional five credits a month.

Upon the end of his enlistment, the soldier returns his weapons, but keeps his uniforms and basic gear. Any soldier who completes his enlistment may reenlist or get preference treatment in applying for any government job. If the soldier reenlists, he makes an additional ten credits a month and may now marry. Quarters and rations are provided for him and his family either on or near the post. After thirty years of active duty, the soldier may retire. He keeps his gear, weapons and equipment; receives a plot of land (typically forty acres), a mule, a plow and other farming tools and a cash bonus (currently 4,000 credits). The retiree receives a pension based on his rank (60% of his base pay) upon his retirement plus an additional five credits per year of service. In any case, retirement is mandatory at forty years of service.