A Military Position - Plural or Singular?

[BudMcMann]

I think I know the answer to this, but no matter how I write it, it doesn't look right.

A soldier has been scouting enemy positions, and now he's headed back to the front lines, where his friend, a lieutenant, is waiting to hear from him. Here's one version of the line from the story :

"Bob packed up his kit and slipped out the back window, staying low to the ground. He headed for one of Brad’s positions, who were expecting him. (plural, defining the position as a group of soldiers.)

Here's another:

"Bob packed up his kit and slipped out the back window, staying low to the ground. He headed southeast toward one of Brad’s positions that was expecting him." (singular, a position as a sentient being.)

Neither one of those looks right to me. I guess it boils down to the definition of a military position, and the personification and capabilities of that entity. Is a position a group of soldiers, i.e., plural? Or is it a singular entity, and if so, could that singular entity be capable of "expecting him", or can only the soldiers at the position do that? It's got my gray cells all in a tizzy.

Or course, I can rewrite the whole line to sidestep the issue--"Bob packed up his kit and slipped out the back window, staying low to the ground. He headed southeast. The soldiers at one of Brad’s positions had been told to expect him." That doesn't really resolve my question however, which is not an isolated case. Take a flock of birds, for example: "The flock of blackbirds twisted and turned as one, then they swooped low over his head." (singular, then plural) Can it be both or either, depending on the context?

Does this make sense? What am I missing here?

Thanks for your opinions--pragmatic, erudite, pedantic, or any combination of those.

-Bud

 

[CMBright]

Do the two sentences work without the bolded clause? I think they might.

I am wondering if a soldier would report to a position(s), at all. Or if they would report for duty at a military position or ask the first soldier they see who the commander is so they can report to the officer in charge at a military position.

 

[ironmikezero]

Positions can be points along a line and/or troop elements geographically assigned for a particular mission. If you've not previously explained this, some readers may become confused.

Try . . . headed for his primary designated exfil location; personnel at that position should be expecting him.

 

[frimble3]

How about:
He headed southeast toward one of Brad’s positions where they were expecting him.

 

[-=K2=-]

This is likely just the difference between our voices.

"Bob packed up his kit and slipped out the back window, staying low to the ground. He headed for one of Brad’s positions, who were expecting him. (plural, defining the position as a group of soldiers.)
Here's another:
"Bob packed up his kit and slipped out the back window, staying low to the ground. He headed southeast toward one of Brad’s positions that was expecting him." (singular, a position as a sentient being.)

Bob packed up his kit and slipped out the back window. He stayed low to the ground and headed for Brad’s position, where he was expected.

I used a singular -position- in that it is where the group is clustered. They may be spread out over a 1/2 mile front, a whole hill, or whatever, yet Brad (as the commander?) is the focal point of that group. However the men are situated, it is still the position/area under his command.

K2

 

[frimble3]

After all, 'the position' as a thing, doesn't care if you come, go or die trying.
It's the epitome of 'neutral'.

 

[Maryn]

Maybe I'm still sleep-deprived (36 hours in the air and airports, including a night spent at O'Hare and a flight over my destination without landing there), but it seems to me the heart of the matter has nothing to do with positions and everything to do with prepositional phrases.

The rule, if your authorial voice follows the rules, is that your verb matches the noun that the preposition further describes. Since one is singular, the verb would be singular, never mind that the prepositional phrase ends with a plural noun, positions.

The rule to check it is to delete the prepositional phrase entirely.

He headed southeast toward one of Brad’s positions that was expecting him.

It's a common enough goof that slips past many editors. The longer or more prepositional phrases separate the noun and its verb, the easier is it to not see the disagreement.
The color of the rugs have to be changed when the furniture is replaced. [wrong]
The color [of the rugs] has to be changed when the furniture is replaced. [color {singular} has to be changed]
The color [of the rugs] [in all the rooms] [at all our hotels] [in the US, Canada, and Switzerland] has to be changed when the furniture is replaced.

Easy to miss, yes?

I agree that this reads kind of bumpy, correct or not. I like frimble3's revision, myself.

 

[BudMcMann]

Thanks for the excellent summary, Maryn. Laughed at your signature line.

 

[Al X.]

Think a little bit of the organizational structure of your operation.

The scenario you describe is that of an infantry platoon, led by a platoon leader, who would be the lieutenant and the sole officer in the platoon, and the three or four squads would each occupy a different location (position) with the lieutenant being at one of them.

Ordinarily, a sole scouting assignment would be done by an experienced junior enlisted (E4/specialist) or a junior NCO (E4 corporal or E5 sergeant) neither of whom would be considered a 'friend' of the lieutenant. The scout would logically return to the lieutenant's position so that he could relay his observations.

Also, the scout would likely relay the information to the platoon sergeant, who would be in his direct chain of command, and would normally be at the same location as the lieutenant, as they co-lead the platoon. In a tactical environment, the lieutenant takes charge off the platoon. In an administrative environment, the platoon sergeant leads the platoon.

 

[BudMcMann]

Ordinarily, a sole scouting assignment would be done by an experienced junior enlisted (E4/specialist) or a junior NCO (E4 corporal or E5 sergeant) neither of whom would be considered a 'friend' of the lieutenant.

You're correct on the importance of chain of command. However, I wasn't completely forthcoming on the relationships because it would cloud the central grammatical question, and I didn't expect it would be relevant. In this case. the 'scout' works for an independent contractor (think Blackwater, or some similar private intelligence outfit). He and the lieutenant have a history back in college.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful responses..

Best Regards,
Bud

 

[Al X.]

You're correct on the importance of chain of command. However, I wasn't completely forthcoming on the relationships because it would cloud the central grammatical question, and I didn't expect it would be relevant. In this case. the 'scout' works for an independent contractor (think Blackwater, or some similar private intelligence outfit). He and the lieutenant have a history back in college.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful responses..

Best Regards,
Bud

Contractors generally don't use military style ranks as position indicators - more like operator, lead operator and senior operator. When we use the term contractor, we generally mean sanctioned private security forces operating in conjunction with military forces, vs. outright mercenary groups. Blackwater got in deep trouble in Iraq for overstepping their security role.

The CIA's SAD (Special Activities Division) is an example of a civilian paramilitary group that does do sanctioned combat operations, and they train and operate very much like army Special Forces, e.g. small covert teams.