A militia unit composed of "freeks, misfits, and neer-do-wells"

Part of the story I am working on deals with a militia and a civil war that happens. I was thinking, well let's see a militia unit formed of weird people. See how they function. Part of it comes out of the 'neurodiversity' movement AND stuff like militias in the Spanish Civil War and February Revolution of 1917 in Russia.

Basically as they're militia they wear a single armband, and other than that....not much else in common as a uniform. Some have camo, others dress like punks/goths/etc, other people dress 'very bummy' (e.g. mechanics' jackets modified, using cones as helmets, football armor as protection, etc). I was thinking of something like they start/get formed out of revolutionary students in a Chicago college, or 'hipster neighborhood', or something - people who knew each other already as a clique of friends, send them on Amtrak trains south to the Frontline on the border of northern and southern illinois. Or they're defending the city itself from attack and take buses that have 'Front Line' as a stop and are stuck on the grungy atmosphere.

Here's a sample paragraph I tried to write. There's other stuff but I can't find it in the clusterfuck of my library now :/

"the feeling was great. I was ELATED. Everything seemed bright and shiny, or it was the building I was in. It was humid, warm, and you could see the rays of sunlight in the building. It was early spring, and had that nice smell of rain. We were all walking around, loitering around the ad hoc base, discussing things, coming back from parties, all that."

"I got promoted to officer. I was the lieutenant of a unit. Well not PROMOTED, I was ELECTED the lieutenant. Our revolutionary forces were consisted of artists, misfits and hipsters. Some similar 'new model' units were autistic nationalist and 'icarus project' filled people. It was interesting walking through the station with all the people around me, in this newly formed unit, getting into a train taking us a few hundred miles away to the front lines. I remember that, and see how most of my unit is dead now from artillery barrages, and yeesh...."

edited 5th Mar '11 10:48:47 PM by BalloonFleet

I was actually doing something similar, except in an Alternate History World War Two.

Looks like you're keeping the casualty rate high. Maybe write it so that the militia is constantly on the verge of devolving into infighting, but are held together by one person they all rally around, or that they lose nearly every engagement, save a couple of key ones.

Can you tell me more about your alt history story?

It's about World War Two fought with modern tech and with some concessions given to the Axis so they have a very real chance of winning the war.

It follows a battalion of Allied "regular" military, but mostly composed of fuck-ups, insubordinate soldiers who can't be court-martialed for one reason or another, people who reaaally wouldn't fit in with a normal military unit (nerds, hipsters, scientists, programmers, artists, musicians, writers, ex-jounralists, college drop-outs, former teachers, men conscripted from areas that aren't very military-like), more than a few crazies, small PM Cs, lone bounty hunters and terro... "freedom fighters" who turned their guns against the Nazis instead, the odd Special Forces member and Government Conspirator.

Their official purpose is a propaganda unit - give them shiny weapons and armor to show for the cameras and to look good when on camera, see how the underdogs and weirdos are succeeding even against the Nazis - but they're really just a glorified dumping ground.

edited 22nd Mar '11 1:41:10 PM by Jackerel

Its funny as there was a US Army unit deployed in North Afrika that was similar, it was made of musicians and artists and theater people. They did deception (set up dummy tanks and armies, helped with smoke screens in battles, etc etc).

The other stuff reminds me of Wraith Squadron from the X-wing books as well as Soyokaze from Irresponsible Captain Tylor.

But yeah. Misfit battaloions or just "Weirdo Squadrons". Theres a good name I can use for these types of militias that I cant think of now.

edited 22nd Mar '11 7:03:14 PM by BalloonFleet

There's also Phules Company, but I haven't read that series.

Whatever it is, try and subvert "we're a team!" camaraderie that arises. Even close-knit platoons still have dislikes and infighting, but they still function well enough to not die.