Zoro did not explain further, but Marvin knew he must have been through a great deal to go from captain of a logistics transport team to militia battalion commander in charge of a POW camp. It could not have been as simple as Zoro made it sound.
So Marvin did not think Zoro had stumbled into the post by chance. If anything, he approved of the militia supervisor's choice. "You were a cavalry squadron commander. Your rank was only half a grade below detachment commander. If you'd stayed in the army, you'd have made detachment commander long ago. Putting you in charge of a militia battalion is almost a waste of your talents!
"But you've done well, Zoro. You've kept this entire temporary POW camp running smoothly. Was it your idea to have the prisoners build their own cages?"
"I'm not that clever. I'm just following the Army Department's contingency plan. They gave every militia battalion commander in charge of a POW camp a camp procedures manual. All I had to do was follow it step by step. Saved me a lot of thinking!"
Marvin nodded. He had heard about it. The Staff Office at the Army Department had drawn up a complete set of post-battle procedures, covering everything from prisoner management to clearing the battlefield. From what he could see, they worked well.
"Whatever the case, Zoro, taking part in this battle as a militia battalion commander is a worthwhile experience. It might make up for what you missed out on back then.
"If I remember right, your military merits left you just short of a lifetime title. I think this battle will earn you plenty more. You might even manage to land that title after all. It would be a fine way to cap your military career."
Zoro