overseas captain

[meliss]

Hi. Two young Macedonians were trying to get enlisted to Alexander's army with no luck. Finally a compatriot, "a Line Sergeant from Pella" helps them. But why then he calls himself an "overseas captain"? Why overseas? Why captain?
"At the last hour we went seeking the recruiting general himself. Of course we couldn’t get near him. A Line Sergeant from Pella kicked us out. “Wait a minute,” he said, hearing our accents. “Are you boys from Apollonia?” ...The sergeant drew up our papers on the spot and wouldn’t take any money either. ... He had put us on the rolls because we were Macedonians, amid all these foreigners. “No overseas captain ever turned down a lad from home.” (The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield)

 

[Tarheel]

Hi. Two young Macedonians were trying to get enlisted INTO Alexander's army with no luck. Finally a compatriot, "a Line Sergeant from Pella" helps them. But why DOES HE CALL himself an "overseas captain"? Why overseas? Why captain?
(The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield)

I can only guess. Does he serve overseas?

They will need training, won't they?

 

[meliss]

I can only guess. Does he serve overseas?

They will need training, won't they?

I don't know whether he serves overseas or not. Maybe. Yes, they will need training. Why?

 

[Tarheel]

It's just a thought. You have more context to look at than I do. Reading further might help with the "overseas captain" thing.

 

[probus]

In this context it is possible that overseas just means very far from home rather than literally across the sea. After leaving his home in Macedonia Alexander had to use ships to cross the Dardanelles strait, but apart from that small step his army marched overland all the way from Greece to India.

 

[probus]

By the way, don't forget @meliss that in questions subject and verb are inverted. You wrote:

But why then he calls himself an "overseas captain"?

It should have been:

But why then does he call himself . .

 

[PeterCW]

I haven't read the novel but the plot summary in Wikipedia has the two friends enrolling in what is now Lebanon.

Ancient Greek expansion was largely by sea around the Mediterranean so any service outside of Greece could be regarded as "overseas".

 

[Tarheel]

Ancient Greek expansion was largely by sea around the Mediterranean so any service outside of Greece could be regarded as "overseas".

I think that refers to the time before Alexander the Great. The Greeks had colonies in various places -- Sicily, for example.

 

[SoothingDave]

Is it possible that he means "captain" in some generic sense to mean "boss" or "military boss"?

 

[probus]

Is it possible that he means "captain" in some generic sense to mean "boss" or "military boss"?

I think so. The text also mentions a "line sergeant", who would be outranked by a captain.