At the age of five, Murphy's parents lost everything.
The Company her dad worked for shut down and he couldn't find work after that. They went on the dole, but it was never enough, seeing as half of Ireland went on the dole too. Ireland just couldn't provide for its people. And soon, they were hit with starvation, crappy housing, cheep beer and many deaths. A lot of deaths hit Murphy's house. Her mother lost the most, her dad told Murphy that God wanted to take His angels back to heaven. But he was drunk at the time, Murphy figured he could have been lying.
Noah came along when Murphy was six. When he reached the age of one, their mother relaxed, knowing Noah was safe. And Noah was safe, if not a little annoying for Murphy. He was always following her around, getting her into trouble and crying when he didn't get his own way. Murphy didn't like Noah following her around and she tended to tell him off more than she would have liked to. There wasn't a lot for a kid to do in Limerick and because their parents were too poor for toys, they had to create their own games. On the days Murphy allowed Noah to tag along with her, she'd create them both an imaginative world to play in. She was very good at that, creating stories and making up characters. Noah loved her for that.
When Murphy was ten, her dad got a job in London. He promised to send the money back and he did but just the once. For two years their dad was in London, earning money and spending it all down in the pub. Their mother moved them in with Murphy's Granny, who was strict and very Catholic. Murphy didn't like her Granny much, but she did do them a favour by letting the three of them live with her for two years after they lost the tiny apartment. When their father came home, Murphy's mother lost another baby. And when Murphy turned fifteen, they moved across the Atlantic and immigrated to Brooklyn.
Murphy liked school but school didn't like her. The teachers weren't nice to Murphy. And her mother was also so concerned by her grades.
"She's very dense, your daughter. She talks too much".
It was always a bad report. Until Murphy reached the age of sixteen and one teacher liked her. He didn't fabricate her grades and allowed Murphy to attend after school activities. Life in Brooklyn was brilliant, Murphy loved America. And then America decided to join the war, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour. Ireland didn't play much part during the war. But Murphy was very concerned. Young men enlisted into the marines, naval forces, regular army, air force and a brand-new concept, the Airborne infantry; Paratroopers.
"You see this, Maggie?" Her dad was telling their mothers, "they get an extra one hundred dollars a month".
"You're too old to be joining the army, Michael".
By that point, Murphy's mother had given birth to twin boys and their father still didn't have a job. Murphy thought maybe the reason her dad acted the way he was, was because he was so disappointed in himself. He was letting his family down and old habits die hard, so he continued to drink daily and get drunk at night.
"I am, yes". Michael said, "but Murphy's not".
"She just turned nineteen!" Maggie wasn't impressed, "you'd let your daughter die!"
"If we don't get money, we'll all die!"
"I'll do it". Murphy agreed because she was sick of seeing her family suffer. "I'll join".
The process of joining was a lot easier than they thought.
Females weren't allowed to join as a combat role. However, there were ways around it. Murphy's teacher just happened to be an officer, a very high-ranking officer during the Great War. As a respected man in the army, he managed to worm Murphy into volunteering for the Paratroopers. It was a good thing he liked Murphy, but he was sad to see her leave. He had hoped she'd stay and get into a good college one day but people as poor as Murphy, didn't belong in colleges. That's the way she saw it because it helped ease the disappointment of wanting to achieve but knowing she could never reach that high.
"Be good, Murphy". Maggie warned her daughter, "do as your told".
Murphy kissed the twin's goodbye and hugged Noah.
She was going to miss Noah the most.
On the twenty-second of August, Murphy Flynn arrived at camp Toccoa.
She was placed into Easy Company, 2nd Platoon. With forty to fifty men per Platoon, no one seemed to notice that someone new had joined them, and that someone just happened to be a girl. Murphy slipped passed the men and reached the back of the barrack. There was an empty bed, she hadn't slept on a bed since they lived with Granny. Murphy put her bag down and started to sort out her uniform and PT gear. They weren't allowed to bring personal items.
Though loud and busy, the barracks were spacious and brand-new.
It beat the apartment back in Brooklyn anyway.
Murphy hadn't been a sporty person previously, but she did know that training to be a paratrooper was going to push her to the very limit. With strict discipline, constant pressure and physical excursion, Murphy didn't know how she'd handle this. But she had to stick at it because her family was counting on the money and she couldn't let them down, she couldn't be like her father.
For her first short day in Toccoa, Murphy didn't talk to anyone.
And the next morning, everything was done in double-time.
Five o'clock wake up call.
Quickly change into uniform, making sure everything was cleaned.
Six o'clock inspection with their Company Commander, Lieutenant Sobel.
Have weekend passes revoked for infractions.
Change into PT gear, for a six-mile run up a mountain.
Murphy almost died up Currahee. Her lungs burned, her throat was dry, and everything ached.
She was right in the middle of the Company, disappearing in the crowd. But she made it up. She realized then, that Murphy would have to use the mind over body tactic and convince herself that she could run, and she wasn't about to pass-out from exhaustion. Once the run was done, Lieutenant Winters, her Platoon leader, led PT, physical training. Jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups. It was hard and Murphy knew she was behind. Still, no one noticed her struggle because a lot of new guys within the Company were struggling like her.
At nine, they ate breakfast in the mess hall and drank a lot of water. Murphy was more excited about drinking her weight in water. It was a rushed breakfast because straight after, they had half hour to get ready for the assault course. Sobel wanted them to complete the course in under seven minutes. Murphy thought the man was insane but the men who had been in training for over two weeks, managed to complete the course in five minutes. She struggled with the monkey bars and the wall. Those were two obstacles which required a lot of guts and upper body strength, which Murphy lacked with. Still, just seeing the other men complete the course with ease, made Murphy more determined to keep on trying.
By the afternoon, Murphy was tired. They had lectures after lunch with Lieutenant Nixon. Murphy sat in the middle of the lecture hall, while Nixon went over map reading and military tactics. She took notes and listened to him carefully. Nixon also led her Platoon with Winters. She thought they were both a lot better than Sobel. Because her first impression of Sobel wasn't a very good one. He seemed petty, unfair and shouted instead of talking normally. Murphy knew he was only doing his job, but it became apparent that Easy didn't have much respect for him.
Murphy got to fire her rifle the next day, it was her first time firing a gun. Lying on her stomach, she got into the firing position and looked across the field. There were sand-bags in the shape of men, with a sign saying, "Jap", or "Kraut", hanging from its neck. Murphy wasn't a natural, she was okay, but she wasn't as good as the men. Murphy was average at best. She wasn't sure how well she was doing but they hadn't kicked her out yet, meaning Murphy wasn't doing anything too badly.
However, the worst thing came later that afternoon. Sparring. Murphy had never been in a fight before, but these men looked willing and ready. They were pairing each guy up with someone of similar size and build.
"You and you". Sobel would go around, pointing to each man.
And one by one, they'd enter the circle, put on their gloves and helmet and fight.
The main purpose of sparring was about controlled aggression. One of the officers would stop the fight after a few minutes, before someone was knocked out. If the guy didn't stop fighting despite being told, then it was an automatic fail. Controlled aggression was something they'd all need to have during combat, if you went out there, guns blazing and looking for a fight, then you'd get yourself and your friends killed. Knowing when to stop, was a great lesson Murphy learned while training.
Sobel paired her up with a guy called Robert Bloser, a smallish man from her Platoon. Murphy just had to be good enough to get through this training exercise. At five-foot four, she was the smallest member in Easy and the skinniest, due to being so poor and not having enough to eat. Murphy wondered if this guy would have refused knowing he was about to fight a girl. Gender didn't matter in combat; the enemy would kill you regardless. And it didn't matter in Toccoa.
"Touch gloves". Winters told them.
Murphy and Bloser touched gloves and Winters put his hand between them.
"Go!"
It seemed Bloser was eager to impress the other guys, Murphy didn't blame him. The guys who had been in Toccoa longer than them, were as tough as nails. But she didn't want to get hit. So, when Bloser took the first swing, Murphy ducked and moved to the side.
"Come on, Rob! Get him!"
Murphy wasn't put off by the cheering, she just didn't want to get hit. It didn't look very pleasant. Some of the guys had blood running from their nose and mouth, one of them had even chipped his tooth, he looked like a pirate.
"Take a shot, come on!"
Bloser was doing well in taking a swing at Murphy whenever he could, though she was always doing well in avoiding them. It was probably a very frustrating match to witness. Especially for Sobel, who looked utterly disgusted by this fight, or lack of fight. Bloser was getting annoyed as well, his buddies weren't impressed because Murphy was quick at avoiding his punches.
"Quit moving!" Bloser yelled, "fight back, come on!"
Murphy was a little confused. Why did he want her to fight back?
"You're fucking impossible!"
She wasn't angry but Murphy's tactics on avoiding hits, were starting to drag unwanted attention and Sobel would surely yell at her; she didn't want that. So, Murphy would have to fight back and hope for the best. Biting down on her lip for a moment, she straightened herself out from the hunched position and looked up at Bloser. He was grinning.
"Alright – let's go!"
Murphy stepped forward, just a little and Bloser took a quick swing. She got hit, on her right cheek. It didn't hurt but she didn't want it to happen again. But it did happen again, this time, right on the nose. Murphy thought she was doing to be seeing black, it was very hard, and she could feel blood start to drip from he nostrils. She didn't want that to happen again. When Bloser pulled back a little, Murphy aimed low and punched him in the stomach, harder than expected. Bloser hunched over for a moment, so, she gave him the uppercut and punched him in the chin. Bloser's head flew up towards the sky, Murphy punched his stomach again.
This was turning into a good fight.
Bloser gave his head a shake and got back into position.
Murphy did the same, he took the first swing. She avoided it and he did it once more. Murphy raised her right hand, he avoided it, but her left hand was waiting for him. She smacked the left side of his face and then hit his right, when his face turned.
"Stop!" Winters got between them.
Murphy lowered her hands.
She actually enjoyed that.
Bloser smiled, "good fight".
Murphy nodded, they both walked back towards the others once their gloves were off.
"You're new, right?" He asked, "me too, arrived last week. Pretty crazy".
Sparring might be her new favourite part of training.
Murphy wiped the blood off her face and watched two others enter the centre.
"What's your name?" Bloser asked.
"Murphy".
His face fell and he turned a shade of pale. Murphy looked up at him, shaking her head.
"Oh my God". Bloser mumbled. "Holy fuck – you're a-"
"come on". She said lowly, "don't make a spectacle out of this".
He almost laughed, "what the fuck are you doing here?"
"What do you think?" Murphy said, "I'm here for the money".
He laughed that time, "really?"
She nodded, "yeah, 'mam needed the money".
"When did you move to the States?"
"Few years back".
Bloser shook his head, "unbelievable". He whispered, "ah – shit. I just hit a girl". He then added with a laugh, "I just got beat up by one too".
"Yeah, you did". Murphy agreed with a tiny smile.
"Wait – do they know?" Bloser asked.
"Not sure". She replied, "Col Sink does, anyway".
"And no one else?"
Murphy shrugged, "honestly, I don't even think they know I'm here".
Bloser smiled, "yeah…I never noticed you either. You just sort of – blended in, I guess".
Soon, word spread around of Murphy Flynn.
"I can't believe we didn't fucking notice you". Guarnere said to her. "Where the fuck were you hiding? Under your Goddam bed?"
Murphy smiled and shook her head, "no – I suppose I just blended it".
"My families from Ireland". Malarkey said, "where you from?"
"Limerick, southern Ireland".
"Catholic, huh?"
Murphy shrugged, "yeah, I suppose. Dads a Protestant".
Muck hissed, "ouch. And your mom married him anyway?"
She nodded, "yeah. He's from Belfast".
"I don't envy those Christmas dinners".
Murphy chuckled softly. "Yeah, they're a 'fecking wreck".
"Hey – we 'gonna get on at Rob yet?" Toye asked, "getting his ass beat by this little mick".
Bloser shook his head, "she's got a good uppercut, Joe".
Malarkey grinned, "it's the Irish spirit, huh, Murph?"
She smirked, "the Irish spirit is whiskey, Malarkey".
"What about Dutch courage?" Penkala added with a grin.
"You drink, Murph?" Guarnere asked, "heard they're 'gonna let us have a beer on Sunday".
"God's day off". Muck nodded, "appropriate. Drinking when the big guys taking a nap".
"Why they doing that?" Toye asked.
"Cause we passed phase one". Guarnere replied. "We beat those other chuckleheads, huh?"
"We did".
It was a lot easier to train in Toccoa when you had people on your side. Especially when it came to Sobel. Murphy still kept her head down and followed orders. It turned out she had a pretty passive nature to her, which was probably why no one noticed her at first. Murphy liked the men in Easy, they all had vibrant and colourful personalities and not one was the same. They all had a different reason for joining the paratroopers. Some of them wanted to fight with the best, some needed the extra money and others just had a lot to prove. But they did share one collective thing in common; they all hated Sobel.
Out in training, they did what was asked and tried to stay away from his ever-glaring stare.
Back in the barracks, they all shared their hatred towards the man. It's how they bonded.
Sobel was horrible and it became more apparent to Murphy, with one incident.
There was a guy named Aaron Keith and he had arrived two weeks before Murphy. Apparently on his first day, Sobel ordered to empty his bag and Aaron had brought everything but the kitchen sink. Books, clothes, shoes, a portable radio – everything. Sobel took all his items away and yelled at him for a good two-minutes before he made him do push-ups in front of the entire Platoon. From that moment, Aaron developed a stinking attitude. A few of the guys warned Murphy to stay away from him because he was "odd". She decided to stay away from Aaron, trusting their warnings about him. Aaron stood up after three days into phase two of training and asked to quit. Sobel wouldn't let him, for whatever reasons. Murphy figured Sobel still wanted to punish Aaron for when he arrived, but it turned out to be a terrible decision.
At two in the morning, Sobel woke up their Platoon and ordered everyone outside. Tired and confused, the volunteer Paratroopers followed his orders and stood in formation outside, where Sobel then proceeded to tell them that Aaron had taken his own life. The way Sobel worded it wasn't in a respectful manor. He berated Aaron even after his death. Murphy's stomach bubbled with anger towards their CO because it was his fault Aaron had killed himself to begin with. He should have let him leave, this wasn't a prison, after all. Men were free to quit if they couldn't do it anymore because training was tough and mentally challenging. The next morning, Winters walked into their barrack and addressed them about last night, with a different approach. He was kind and spoke quietly. It was a sensitive matter and he knew how to handle it.
"Hang tough". He told them, "you're all here for a reason. Keep proving yourself".
The morale was lifted after that and things went back to normal.
They didn't mention Aaron Keith again.
On the Sunday after the incident, the men opened letters from home and shared photos of their girlfriends. Murphy had a few letters stacked up in her footlocker, which she refused to open. It would be too easy to get homesick, crave home and wash-out. Some of the other guys didn't read their letters either, though Murphy still sent the money back to her family. She just didn't write to them. Guarnere had a picture of his girl back home, she was wearing a grass Hawaiian skirt and he was very proud of it. The other men seemed to like it as well.
"Your ten seconds are up – fuck off". He'd tell them, once their eye lingered for more than five seconds. Frannie was a pretty girl. Guarnere was lucky. So the guys told him.
Sunday's were always a day to look forward to because it was there only day off. But with little to do around camp, they had to make their own entertainment. Some of them played cards, others went down to PX and listened to the radio and the camp had organized a few sporting teams. Most of the guys from Easy played sports. Baseball, basketball and football. Murphy wasn't a sporty person, but sparring had reached a certain amount of interest. She liked the discipline involved with the sport and she liked trying to figure out the components next move. But she wouldn't sign up for the team, Murphy would only spar during training.
They started to jump off from mock platforms, to get them ready for the real thing. Landing properly was a skill they all had to master, unless they wanted to break a bone or die. Sobel demonstrated first and then they'd take it in turns, while he assessed them. Of course, nothing was ever perfect with that man, but he never said anything after Murphy completed her first jump from the platform.
And then, came the trainasium. A sixty-foot high jungle-gym on steroids. It was structured with ladders and nets on the side. On the very top, was two metal poles, a stretch apart from each other. Each guy had to climb up and cross the top. If someone refused, it was a fail. They had three attempts. Murphy would admit, it did look intimidating, standing there so tall and unstable. But if Sobel had done it, then so could the rest of them. So, with 1st Platoon going first, one by one, each young man walked up the ladders to the very top.
"Stand by!" Sobel would yell, when they were on the two poles.
You had to keep your arms out and stand there, trying hard to balance on the poles, sixty feet above the ground.
"Go!"
And then, you walked. As slowly, or as quickly as you liked.
"Stand by – touch your toes!"
When you crossed, Sobel would tell you to get down and the next guy would head-up.
Phase two was tougher because it was more about confidence and facing any fears you might have had when coming into Toccoa. Murphy watched a few guys from 1st cross the top and decided not to watch the rest. She'd rather figure this one out for herself and besides, if Murphy watched more and more men cross, it would make crossing it herself harder. Eventually, it was their Platoons turn. And first up was Lipton, their Platoon Sargent. Of course, he crossed it no bother, Lipton had to show everyone that it was fine and as easy as walking down a street. And Guarnere was next because he was their other Sargent from 2nd. Most of them didn't wobble, one or two refused at first but went on the second go. Murphy was next.
"You - go". Sobel told her.
She climbed up the many ladders first, looking up and not down; not yet, anyway.
Once at the top, she stood on the poles, one foot on either side and spread her arms out, facing the front.
"Stand by!" Sobel yelled from the bottom.
Balance was key here. If you were clumsy, you risked a wobble or two.
"Go!"
Murphy moved forwards, pretending she was walking on a kerb on the side of the pavement. When she reached the centre, Sobel ordered her to stop and touch her toes. She stopped and very slowly, reached down towards her toes, glad that she didn't have to reach very far. Murphy straightened herself back-up, Sobel didn't give her the order to go. She didn't know how long she had stood there for but eventually the man told her to go. When she joined her Platoon, some of them were laughing quietly.
"He forgot you were up there". Malarkey told her.
Murphy smiled, "oh, right".
It was okay, if you weren't afraid of heights. If you were, then it was perfect to get a hold of that fear. A few of them came down shaking. Murphy smiled and gave Bloser a pat on the back.
"You did it, Rob. That's the main thing".
Bloser shook his head, face still pale. "I feel like I'm 'gonna puke".
Murphy winced a little, "yeah? Ah – you'll be alright, Rob. Bet your parents will be thrilled".
"You think?"
She nodded, "yeah, for sure. You should tell them all about it, pally".
Bloser smiled small, "thanks, Murph. I'll tell 'em".
"Take some water". Murphy told him, "you might feel better".
"Thanks, Murph".
The day after Sobel was promoted to Captain and Winter 1st Lieutenant, Murphy suspected something was off. For starters, Sobel had told the Company that they would be given light lectures after lunch and for lunch, they were having spaghetti, one of their favourite meals. Murphy didn't trust this, she figured it was some sort of test and didn't eat any of it. And she was right to refuse the meal because just as they were finishing up with lunch, Sobel barged into the mess hall.
"Orders changed! Get up! Easy Company is running up Currahee. High-ho silver!"
Though, just seeing her friends get sick was hard enough. The run was horrible, Sobel made it worse. He taunted those who were vomiting, offered them a trip back in an ambulance. But they weren't stupid enough to fall for that trick; the ambulance was a sure threat to get them kicked out of the airborne. And Sobel could be cruel and single each guy out. He did it to Christenson after their annual Friday night twelve-mile march in full gear. Sobel told them not to drink but of course, Christenson had to take a drink. Sobel ordered him to do the march again by himself. If he felt like being cruel, Sobel would punish men with digging holes in the ground, running up Currahee or garrison duties, such as cleaning the latrines or polishing everyone's rifles. But it wasn't the punishment itself, it was why they were being punished to begin with. Sobel would find one tiny little thing wrong and then give you a terrible punishment, as if you had just committed the worst crime possible.
So, getting sick up a mountain, wasn't necessary, it was just cruel.
…
"Ah, fuck".
"What?"
"My knees are shredded".
"Well, Joe…see a medic". Guarnere told Toye.
"He'll tell me to take it easy, I can't do that".
Murphy looked up from her rifle, which she was polishing. "Willow bark is good for pain relief".
Toye looked at her, "a tree?"
She nodded, "yeah. Used to give it to the babies when they were teething". Murphy put down her rifle and got up, "I'll go get you some".
"Right now?"
She nodded again, while putting on her jacket. "I won't get caught".
Murphy didn't get caught, despite walking a few feet away from some of the officers on patrol that night. She took a few pieces of bark from the tree and placed them into her musette bag, before walking back into her barrack, twenty minutes later.
"Just chew it".
"Thanks". Toye smiled and chewed on the bark, "that's fucking disgusting".
Murphy huffed out a tiny laugh, "yeah but it helps".
"Hey, can I have some, Murph?" Muck asked, "ankle still a bit tender".
She handed a piece to him, "just chew it, Skip".
"Thanks".
"Hey – what about me?"
Murphy had to take a few trips towards the tree-line that night. A lot of the men had been hiding injuries, not wanting to risk their position within Easy. She didn't mind, Murphy didn't want to see any of them go either. Even Lipton had some bark.
"Listen, you don't 'wanna be getting caught". He told her, "you've kept your head down so far, don't ruin it, Murph".
"No more runs, Sarge". Murphy promised him with a toothy grin.
Lipton smiled back at her, "I still can't believe we didn't notice you".
She shrugged, "I've always been invisible, Sarge".
"Maybe you're just quiet, huh?"
"Maybe".
Their time in Toccoa was closing to an end. Murphy had enjoyed getting to know the guys and learning more about herself that she didn't know before. But she was happy to be leaving this place. However, the 506th were soon set for their most gruelling training exercise yet.
A 118-mile march to Atlanta.
Col Sink had heard that the Japanese had completed a one-hundred-mile march in just three days, he reckoned his men could do a better job. So, on the 1st of December, they began their march up Currahee, when it started to snow. For many of them, it was going to be a miserable experience. In order to break the record, they'd need to do around thirty to forty miles a day. That was a lot, and they had all their gear as well. Murphy felt terrible for the mortar squads, they had it the worst of all.
They covered forty-four-miles on the that fist day and slept in pup-tents that night, which didn't shelter them from the furious wind hammering down on them. Murphy was lodged between Lipton, Smith and Hendrix. They had some bread and jam for supper that night because they couldn't get a fire going to heat up any rations, as the wind was too strong. It was very strange for Murphy, though it was gruelling and hard, she found comfort in the cold and having a hungry belly because she was so used to it. And the same went for Sobel, she was already used to being yelled at, it made no difference to her at Toccoa.
"You got that bark?"
Murphy shook her head.
Malarkey sighed, "alright".
It was the next morning. The temperature had dropped below freezing and the mud had frozen. Some of the men had slept with their boots off and when they woke up, their boots had frozen and they could hardy get their feet back inside.
"What's wrong?" Murphy asked him.
He shook his head, "I'm fine".
He wasn't, he had shin splint.
Malarkey sighed again, "shins are swollen".
"Right – well, you always have an option if it gets any worse". Murphy pointed out.
"No way, Murph". He mumbled, "I ain't giving up".
She smiled a little, "your courage is admirable…if not a little silly, Malark".
He snorted at that, "well – thanks, Murph".
They didn't have much of a break, it was only fifteen-minutes and then back on their feet again. Murphy preferred that. The quicker they got moving, the quicker they'd reach Point Five. Not a lot of men broke during that march. Though, some did complain about the weather, cursing every word they could think of under the sun. Whatever helped them through it. As long as they all crossed that line together, that's all that mattered to Murphy.
"How're you holding up, Murph?" Guarnere asked her.
"Fine". She replied quietly, "I'm used to the cold".
"Irish weather, huh?"
Murphy nodded.
"Some of these kids ain't even seen snow". He said, "imagine that, huh?"
"They missed out, Bill". She said, "but snow is always better, when you have a warm house after".
Guarnere grinned, "true, Murph. Could use a warm house right about now".
"Yeah".
He sighed and wiped his nose, "got any brothers, Murph?"
"Hm – oh, three". She replied, "all younger…what about you?"
"Youngest of ten brothers and sisters".
Murphy's eyes widened a little, "ten?"
Guarnere nodded, "yeah, guess I'm used to this bullshit".
She smiled, "guess you are, Bill". Murphy said, "any of them serving?"
"One in Africa, the others in the Pacific". He told her, "Henry's four years older than me, closest to my age. A baseball nut, he plays the sport like theirs no fucking tomorrow. Knows every player on the Goddam team. Now, Earnest, he joined the Goddam navy. Can't read or write, you know but the guys got some brains about life".
Murphy shrugged, "you don't put your brains on paper, Bill. You use your mouth".
Guarnere grinned and clapped her shoulder, "you get it, Murph. You're street smart too".
"What about your parents?"
He chuckled, "Pop's Joe the tailor. Wanted me to carry on, huh? But it wasn't for me. And mom's an angel. Typical Italian women don't take no shit from nobody".
Murphy nodded, "my 'mammy's the same". She said, "batters 'da across the head with a frying pan".
He chuckled again, "yeah?"
"Oh yeah. When he comes back from drinking the dirty water, as 'mam called it. Drunk as a fucking skunk".
Guarnere sighed, "yeah…you Irish sure can drink".
"It's the depression, Bill". She shrugged, "gets to them all, eh?"
"Hey, that's what keeps us smart, Murph". He told her, "you 'gotta know shit to survive".
They covered forty-miles that day and eventually settled down for the night.
"Murph?"
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, "yes, Sarge?"
Lipton let go of her shoulder, "Lieutenant Winters wants a word".
That confused her a little, Murphy quickly got out from the pup-tent, leaving Guarnere and Toye both fast asleep. She followed Lipton past the sleeping men from 2nd and soon found Winters Nixon, who were both sitting outside their tent. Lipton gave them a nod before he turned and walked away. Murphy didn't look concerned, her face remained natural.
"Private Flynn". Winters addressed quietly.
"Yes, sir". She replied evenly.
He smiled a little, "it appears your presence within this Company and my Platoon, has gone unnoticed". He said, "which remains a mystery, seeing as you're the only female in the 506th".
Murphy didn't know how to respond to that. So, she kept quiet.
"Well, you've done a good job at keeping your head down, Private". Winters said, "if it wasn't for Col Sink asking me of your well-being, I don't know when I would have noticed you".
"It's not a bad thing, Private". Nixon quickly added, "it's actually pretty good".
"How are you finding training, Private?"
"Fine, sir". Murphy replied, "it's fine".
Winters lips twitched, "good – you're bonding with the men?"
She nodded, "yes, sir".
"Well, it was good to meet you, Private Flynn".
Murphy smiled a little, "like-wise, sir".
When she left, Winters turned to look at Nixon.
"How the hell did we miss her?" He huffed softly, "she's in our Platoon, Nix".
Nixon shook his head, "it's always the quiet ones, huh?"