HOME | DD

Description
"Reborn to lead my brothers once more. Reborn to serve the nation once again."
~ Commissar-Lieutenant Zhang Jainsari El-Ba, after receiving his psionic implants.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Historical Background

Chaplains initially were banned in the early years of the armed forces due to Ayzen’s concerns over religious rivalries and conflicts that were still fresh after WW3 and in the nascent years of RANGSI. The military needed to be a secular institution in order to protect the multiculturalist ideals of the country, thus religious beliefs and rituals were pushed to the private. However, the absolute horrors of the Markenn Wars caused command to reverse this decision and introduce religious mass events for various faiths in order to alleviate the psychological traumas inflicted upon soldiers when seeing their homeworlds scorched and burned before them. Because there were no trained chaplains, civilian religious leaders were called upon to perform this duty as unarmed civilian personnel onboard ships.

The 2nd Ancerious War however, drew attention to the dangerous conditions faced by these religious leaders when operating in ships that were right in the warzones. The utter destruction of a number of RANGSI fleets inadvertently caused civilian casualties of these leaders, and thus command looked to take steps to reduce such casualties in the future.

-------------

Pyzon Commissars and Chaplaincy

Such measures coincided well with INSECOM’s forrays into psionics. The psionic monk-commissars were much more effective in their roles, able to use telepathy to inspire ideals and positive emotions. The previous generation of commissars was indeed essential for the political education of the first generations of colonists, but as they develop the classic style of overly zealous nationalist speeches and gestures became an acquired taste. Psionics also made them more useful; the same telepathic abilities can be used to inflict mental panic among the enemy and extract information from POWs in a painless manner and their telekinesis can be used to provide cover for advancing troops, either by deflecting incoming bullets or lifting objects as cover. Where the old commissars were seen as overzealous nuisances, these new ones were highly regarded and well-sought after by many military units.

The monk-commissars’ training in the Indrayama Sangha importantly exposed them to various faiths in the Sangha’s work to promote inter-faith peace and understanding. Thus, they began to take on the roles of proper military chaplains to the soldiers they administer, carrying out rites and prayers. It is also especially important to note that the new commissars are also able to administer the rites of a religion different from their own, if circumstances require it and as long as they have had the necessary instruction from the Sangha. This is particularly so when the battle ends, as there are not often enough chaplains to administer every single funeral rite to every soldier of every single faith. Where the commissar does not possess the necessary official training to administer the rites properly, they are allowed discretion to exercise whatever rites to the best of their abilities or administer secular rituals instead. Despite obtaining endorsement from official religious organisations themselves upon completion of a religious instruction module, the lack of proper ordainment still technically makes them imposters and this has been a source of controversy among some of the other ultra-fundamentalist groups who see this as an act of blasphemy. The Pyzon Corps defended themselves by stating that the administering of the rites of a different religion would only be done in times of exigency. For example, a Muslim commissar having to administer Christian funeral rites for a Christian soldier because the only Christian commissar is dead.

-------------

Uniform

The mark of a commissar’s training in various faiths is manifested in a form of a red sash known as the ‘Regimental Sash of Rites’. On it, inscribed in gold, are badges marking whatever religions the commissar has been trained to administer, accompanied with the litanies and prayers of every faith in word, making the Sash, in effect, a sacred item similar to a Unit’s Colours. To obtain the Sash, the commissar must be trained in at least 3 religions, and it is open to all ranks. The Sash is often either worn with the standard No.1 uniform for official parades and ceremonies or worn on their body armor when administering rites just before a deployment.

Speaking of the No.1 Dress, Commissars use the same uniform but with some distinct variances. Firstly, they swap their officer sabers for their own issued superheated katanas. Secondly, they also swap the standard peak cap for a unique headdress inspired by the Five Buddhist Crowns worn by Buddhist monks of the Sangha, though with secular rather than religious iconography.

--------------

Training

Training remains the same as the old commissars, with the same dual-track scheme that allows both soldiers and INSECOM personnel to be trained as commissars. Soldiers will have to attend an INSECOM Institute of Ideological Studies to learn the deeper principles of the SPPI Thought while INSECOM agents attend the Officer Course of a Tactical Command Leadership Academy (TCLA) to learn how to lead soldiers in battle. What results is a well-balanced leader who can both lead and inspire troops into battle. The only difference between the new and old training phases is the addition of a third 'Basic Psionic Training Course' managed by the Sangha, where they are then grafted their psionic implants and taught on how to control their powers.

After graduation, all commissars are promoted to the military rank of Third Sergeant (3SG) as a minimum. However, more often than not, most are officers as those from INSECOM will be commissioned as 2LTs after completing the TCLA's Officer Course while officers from the military retain their former ranks, for example a Captain who went through commissar training would come out as a Commissar-Captain. As for postings, it depends on the military. Some are given new postings as part of a unit's command staff, others return to their former units and get their old postings back.

Description
"Reborn to lead my brothers once more. Reborn to serve the nation once again."
~ Commissar-Lieutenant Zhang Jainsari El-Ba, after receiving his psionic implants.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Historical Background

Chaplains initially were banned in the early years of the armed forces due to Ayzen’s concerns over religious rivalries and conflicts that were still fresh after WW3 and in the nascent years of RANGSI. The military needed to be a secular institution in order to protect the multiculturalist ideals of the country, thus religious beliefs and rituals were pushed to the private. However, the absolute horrors of the Markenn Wars caused command to reverse this decision and introduce religious mass events for various faiths in order to alleviate the psychological traumas inflicted upon soldiers when seeing their homeworlds scorched and burned before them. Because there were no trained chaplains, civilian religious leaders were called upon to perform this duty as unarmed civilian personnel onboard ships.

The 2nd Ancerious War however, drew attention to the dangerous conditions faced by these religious leaders when operating in ships that were right in the warzones. The utter destruction of a number of RANGSI fleets inadvertently caused civilian casualties of these leaders, and thus command looked to take steps to reduce such casualties in the future.

-------------

Pyzon Commissars and Chaplaincy

Such measures coincided well with INSECOM’s forrays into psionics. The psionic monk-commissars were much more effective in their roles, able to use telepathy to inspire ideals and positive emotions. The previous generation of commissars was indeed essential for the political education of the first generations of colonists, but as they develop the classic style of overly zealous nationalist speeches and gestures became an acquired taste. Psionics also made them more useful; the same telepathic abilities can be used to inflict mental panic among the enemy and extract information from POWs in a painless manner and their telekinesis can be used to provide cover for advancing troops, either by deflecting incoming bullets or lifting objects as cover. Where the old commissars were seen as overzealous nuisances, these new ones were highly regarded and well-sought after by many military units.

The monk-commissars’ training in the Indrayama Sangha importantly exposed them to various faiths in the Sangha’s work to promote inter-faith peace and understanding. Thus, they began to take on the roles of proper military chaplains to the soldiers they administer, carrying out rites and prayers. It is also especially important to note that the new commissars are also able to administer the rites of a religion different from their own, if circumstances require it and as long as they have had the necessary instruction from the Sangha. This is particularly so when the battle ends, as there are not often enough chaplains to administer every single funeral rite to every soldier of every single faith. Where the commissar does not possess the necessary official training to administer the rites properly, they are allowed discretion to exercise whatever rites to the best of their abilities or administer secular rituals instead. Despite obtaining endorsement from official religious organisations themselves upon completion of a religious instruction module, the lack of proper ordainment still technically makes them imposters and this has been a source of controversy among some of the other ultra-fundamentalist groups who see this as an act of blasphemy. The Pyzon Corps defended themselves by stating that the administering of the rites of a different religion would only be done in times of exigency. For example, a Muslim commissar having to administer Christian funeral rites for a Christian soldier because the only Christian commissar is dead.

-------------

Uniform

The mark of a commissar’s training in various faiths is manifested in a form of a red sash known as the ‘Regimental Sash of Rites’. On it, inscribed in gold, are badges marking whatever religions the commissar has been trained to administer, accompanied with the litanies and prayers of every faith in word, making the Sash, in effect, a sacred item similar to a Unit’s Colours. To obtain the Sash, the commissar must be trained in at least 3 religions, and it is open to all ranks. The Sash is often either worn with the standard No.1 uniform for official parades and ceremonies or worn on their body armor when administering rites just before a deployment.

Speaking of the No.1 Dress, Commissars use the same uniform but with some distinct variances. Firstly, they swap their officer sabers for their own issued superheated katanas. Secondly, they also swap the standard peak cap for a unique headdress inspired by the Five Buddhist Crowns worn by Buddhist monks of the Sangha, though with secular rather than religious iconography.

--------------

Training

Training remains the same as the old commissars, with the same dual-track scheme that allows both soldiers and INSECOM personnel to be trained as commissars. Soldiers will have to attend an INSECOM Institute of Ideological Studies to learn the deeper principles of the SPPI Thought while INSECOM agents attend the Officer Course of a Tactical Command Leadership Academy (TCLA) to learn how to lead soldiers in battle. What results is a well-balanced leader who can both lead and inspire troops into battle. The only difference between the new and old training phases is the addition of a third 'Basic Psionic Training Course' managed by the Sangha, where they are then grafted their psionic implants and taught on how to control their powers.

After graduation, all commissars are promoted to the military rank of Third Sergeant (3SG) as a minimum. However, more often than not, most are officers as those from INSECOM will be commissioned as 2LTs after completing the TCLA's Officer Course while officers from the military retain their former ranks, for example a Captain who went through commissar training would come out as a Commissar-Captain. As for postings, it depends on the military. Some are given new postings as part of a unit's command staff, others return to their former units and get their old postings back.