AATiPDC Chpt 44

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==Chapter 44 - An American Tanker in Prince Davion's Court==
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===On the campaign trail===
September 8th, 3052-November 5th, 3053
By the end of September 3052, Field Marshal Hodges makes his decision in regards to his political future and decides to undertake the race for the Star League Senate. Over the next year, Hodges crisscrosses the Crucis March, visiting the main worlds and making numerous campaign stops. His opponents are in the race not so much to win as they are to keep Hodges form running unopposed. On Election Day November 5th, 3053, Hodges returns home to Bristol to cats the very first vote; then to his house to watch as the returns start to come in. Due to the vast distances involved, it takes the better part of the next two weeks to tabulate the vote. Not surprisingly, the run-up to the election, the election itself and the tabulation of the vote attracts a great deal of attention from the several news organizations across the Inner Sphere.
On November 19th, 3053, the results are announced. To no one's great surprise, Hodges wins the vote by a virtual landslide; the percentage in his favor being 68.8%. To their credit, Hodges' challengers gracefully acknowledge his victory. In a post-election interview on INN (Interstellar News Network), Hodges thanks his wife and family for standing by his side during the election, as well as all of those who worked on his campaign. In closing, Hodges states emphatically that affairs of government won't just be business as usual, and that he'll play no favorites.
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January 4th, 3054
Having previously arrived on Terra, Senator Hodges is in Washington D.C on this date to be sworn into office. The occasion is a matter of immense public interest, so there are dozens of reporters on hand from the various news services all across the Inner Sphere and the Periphery. The ceremony takes place in the Senate chamber in the old U.S Capitol Building, the site of so much history. After the necessary preliminaries, it is time for Hodges to take the oath of office. Kym Hodges holds the family bible; Hodges places his right hand upon it and solemnly intones "I, James Hodges do solemnly swear that I will preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the Second Star League against all enemies foreign and domestic and that I will bear true faith and allegiuance to the same. I take this oath freely, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office in which I am about to enter, so help me God."
The other members of the Senate are sworn into office in due course while in the House of Representatives, the same is being done with that body's members. Once the last oaths have been sworn, the Senate and the House of Representatives are gaveled into session and the Inaugural Congress of the Second Star League begins its work. While on Terra for the business of the Senate, Hodges will reside in Willard's Hotel (another D.C landmark that had bene preserved by Comstar. This building is located at 1401-1407 Pennsylvania Avenue; the present structure having been built back in 1906.
The Senate of the Star League is scheduled to be in session until December 29th. When not engaged in Senate business, Hodges occupies his time with writing new training & education syllabifor use by the SLDF at various installations that have been re-opened by order of the SLDF's commanding General Hanse Davion; among these are the old U.S Military Academy at West Point, Fort Knox Kentucky (armor), Fort Sill Oklahoma (artillery) and Fort Benning Georgia (infantry). Additionally, the old U.S Air Force Academy has been reestablished to provide an addtional training venue for aerospace pilots, while the Command & General Staff College is being reestablished at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Lastly, for warship officers, the U.S Naval Academy has been reopened to train warship officers. 
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