The Jump
"Iron bird up in the sky, all will jump and some will die; who'll be there when the morning comes? I don't know but I'll be one."-US Army Airborne Cadence
November 14th, 1943-
The droning noise of the C-46's engines coupled with the cramped conditions inside was not enough to lull Private Ernie Spiller into sleep. The young soldier took yet another glance around himself to see that the overwhelming majority of his fellow soldiers had their heads resting on the tops of their rucksacks. The tension and apprehension of invading the Ligurian Island of Sisilly was no match for the mind-numbing sound of the engines. A few others were in fact awake. Among those were Ernie's platoon leader, Second Lieutenant Worthy, and his grizzled platoon sergeant Sergeant First Class Sheppard. The young rabbit officer looked skittish, no doubt caused by the impending drop but his senior Noncommissioned Officer had an impassive expression that said to Ernie that he could care less one way or another if they were going into combat or not.
Ernie saw a couple of others who were also awake: Sergeant Morrison was sitting across from, and three soldiers down from him, and was looking like he was about to throw up. The buffeting the plane was taking from the turbulence was obviously not being kind to the lion sergeant. On the end of the row in which Ernie sat was PVT Collier who was nervously fidgeting with the Saint Christopher's medal that he wore around his neck. Ernie had his own medal of the patron saint of travelers as well as a necklace with a cross which his mother had given him before he shipped off for his basic training. The hyena wasn't a particularly religious person but he felt like having a little holy protection couldn't hurt. As his company's senior noncom, 1SG. Baylor said, "There's no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole." Given the fact that Charlie Company 377th Engineer Battalion was shortly going to be jumping into enemy territory along with the rest of the 72nd Airborne Division, the All-Uslanders, Ernie decided that he had to agree with his first sergeant's view.
The plane rose and then fell with a quick jolt that startled Ernie, woke up several other troops, and caused SGT Morrison to empty his stomach contents into a paper bag that he had brought along with him. This brought laughter from several of the other paratroopers and lowered the level of tension. Even 2LT Worthy had gotten a laugh out of the sergeant's display.
Ernie shut his eyes, not to sleep, but rather he thought about his life before the war brought him into the Army: He had turned 18 in February, managed to graduate early (he was a stellar academic, and given the state of the war many young men had been allowed to graduate early in order to fill the demand for troops. Ernie's friends were some of these) and had done his patriotic duty by going to the local recruiting center and enlisting into the Army. His parents, like all parents, were worried but they understood that the military needed as many able-bodied men to fill its ranks. He had decided to enlist rather than wait around until he was drafted plus he didn't feel like missing out on the biggest war in the history of the world. His initial bravado was dampened however as he was quickly ordered to report to boot camp where he discovered that being a soldier was less about taking on the enemy and wearing a uniform that girls digged than following orders and doing seemingly pointless things.
His Army career took him to a post that was jokingly known as Fort Lost in the Woods due to it being right smack dab in the middle of the forest. He dealt with the hot and humid weather, waking up at 0400 in the morning, doing strenuous physical training, marching all day, enduring late nights, fighting off insects, spending time in the field, and worse of all: Drill Sergeant Fowler.
Flashback to Boot Camp-
"PRIVATE SPILLER!" roared Drill Sergeant Fowler.
"YES DRILL SERGEANT!" replied PVT Spiller who along with the rest of his training company, stood in front of the three-story brick barracks.
The tall and sinewy duck looked over the roster of trainee names that he had in his hands and focused on PVT Spiller, "Private Spiller you look like a little kid!"
A couple of trainees snickered at the drill sergeant's remark and were immediately set upon by two angry drill sergeants who started chewing them out.
Drill Sergeant Fowler walked right up to Ernie and looked down at him, "Sweet Mother Mary, you must be 12 years old Private Spiller!"
Ernie felt his temperature rise. He didn't like the fact that he had a boyish face and he loathed it when someone bought it up. He did take some measure of satisfaction however in that two of his closest friends had equally boyish faces: his best friend Kit Cloudkicker and Sam Hopson could both easily pass for minors.
"He looks like he should be at home with his mommy Drill Sergeant Fowler," said a short and compact cat drill sergeant.
"Do your parents know you're here Private Spiller?" asked Drill Sergeant Fowler with an unfriendly grin.
"Yes Drill Sergeant!"
"Then where is their permission slip?"
Ernie felt embarrassed and bit his tongue. He didn't want to reply to the question because he was afraid he'd say something wrong and be punished. Unfortunately not answering proved to be equally wrong.
"Oh so you're too good to answer me then Private Spiller?"
Ernie was going to respond but Fowler went on; "I guess I'm just some insignificant piece of garbage that isn't worth your time!"
Ernie began to shake as he tried to think of how best to respond to Drill Sergeant Fowler while at the same time the other drill sergeants turned their attention to the scene.
"He must be some upper-class rich snob's kid Drill Sergeant Fowler!" said the cat drill sergeant.
"Is Drill Sergeant Pounce right Private Spiller?" asked Fowler with a malicious smile, "Are you a rich little snob who's too good to talk to me? Or are you just a spoiled little momma's boy?"
"I, uh…" Ernie began but was immediately stopped by Fowler.
"DROP!" roared the duck, "Get down and start pushing until I get tired!"
"YES DRILL SERGEANT!" Hollered Ernie as he got down and began doing push-ups.
Fowler knelt down and spoke quietly yet menacingly into Ernie's ear, "I don't like privates who don't answer me Spiller. People like that rank right up there with those sauerkraut eating Reichlanders and those rich eating Pandas and the pasta eating Ligurians. Now you better learn how to answer me when I speak to you understand?"
"YES DRILL SERGEANT!"
"From now on when I say something to you, you answer me…got it Spiller?"
"YES DRILL SERGEANT!"
"Just remember private," Fowler let his words hang in the air a moment and then continued, "You belong to me for the next four months…Now recover."
Ernie did as told and stood up, quickly snapping back to attention. He had four months of being dealt with by Drill Sergeant Fowler. Little did he know just much he would change.
Within the matter of a month Ernie had noticed a dramatic change in both his persona as well as his body. He had finally (grudgingly) adapted to late nights and early mornings, he had taken to the idea of working as part of a team, and he was getting stronger. He was a whip-thin young man with little inclination toward physical exercise but he had discovered that he was a pretty good runner and he could now knock out 60 pushups without rest. He noticed that his scrawny chest was beginning to fill out and that the heaviness of his rucksack seemed to matter little to him anymore.
He spent long days marching, conducting drills and maneuvers, and hours and hours of time firing his M1 rifle. He even had to endure a day at the gas chamber which was something that he didn't look forward to going through again anytime soon.
The Gas Chamber-
"All right troops," said Drill Sergeant Pounce from beneath his gas mask, "At this time you will move one at a time to me and grasp the straps of your mask, loosen them, and remove them."
The privates slowly obeyed the drill sergeant's command and moved toward Pounce.
"HURRY UP PRIVATES!" yelled a wolf drill sergeant named Wolinsky who stood in a separate and chemically-free control room, "GET TO IT OR YOU'LL BE DOING THIS AGAIN!"
"Listen to what Drill Sergeant Wolinsky says privates!"
"Each of you will walk up to Drill Sergeant Pounce, open your eyes, and tell him your full names and serial numbers," said Wolinsky, "Do it now."
The first private, a pudgy pig went up, took off his mask and managed to get out his first and middle name before the chemical scalded his throat and neck, teared up his eyes, and assaulted his mucus membranes.
The pudgy pig hacked up and then made for the door. He was quickly followed by a tall stork who barely got out his first name.
About 30 seconds later it was Ernie's turn and to his surprise Pounce was replaced by Drill Sergeant Fowler.
"Well hello there Private Spiller," Fowler said in a mocking tone.
"HELLO DRILL SERGEANT!" Ernie yelled through his mask.
"Hurry up private, I haven't got all day!"
Ernie quickly undid his straps, took a deep breath, and removed his mask.
"Private Ernest Henry…" the acrid gas filled Ernie's mouth and invaded his nostrils. The particles attached themselves to his eyes causing them to tear up and sting. His body stung as the CS gas particles moved past his fur and adhered to the skin underneath. He felt pressure in his chest and stomach and felt the need to burp but try as he might he couldn't. The burp seemed to be lodged midway from his stomach to his mouth and caused a great amount of discomfort. Despite the discomfort Ernie forced his body to calm and he continued, "…Spiller…Serial number 239-66-431.
Fowler cocked his head to the side and then said, "Move out Spiller."
Right outside the exit of the gas chamber was a large tree. If one didn't maneuver to the left or the right they would walk right into it. This didn't happen to Ernie however, the next private, a lanky otter named Tideman came running right out of the gas chamber and straight into the tree. The hapless trainee collided with the tree hard enough to knock himself out. A roar of laughter from the other trainees as well as a couple of drill sergeants was followed by another drill sergeant calling for a medic. A pig medic ran up to Tideman and dragged him off to a set of nearby bleachers.
One of the two drill sergeants who witnessed the event pulled out a $5 bill and handed it to the other, "OK, you win."
"Told you," said the other drill sergeant who had wagered the brand-new drill sergeant that at least one private would hit the tree, "Happens every time we come out here."
As soon as the gas chamber training had concluded Drill Sergeant Pounce said to Drill Sergeant Fowler, "I see you're all-star private managed to deal with the gas rather well."
Fowler grinned with a small measure of satisfaction and said, "He's the only one in the entire company who managed to say everything he was told to say."
Combat Engineer Training-
A heavy, yet muffled blast and a subsequent shockwave pelted the reinforced concrete bunker where the privates had taken refuge in before the detonation of the explosives that they, under the supervision of their drill sergeants and other instructors, had placed.
The sound of dirt and rocks hitting the top and side of the bunker came and went. "ALL CLEAR!" came a voice over a megaphone. With that the troops filed out of their respective bunkers and followed their drill sergeants to the blast sight.
A few minutes later the privates stood looking down into a muddy, water-filled hole that had been blasted out of the ground.
"Whoa," said a skinny beaver as he gazed into the hole.
"It must be at least 20 feet across," commented a stocky bagder.
Ernie smiled at the sight and then said to his fellow platoon members, "This is what we're gonna do to the Axis guys!"
The other privates cheered at this. Like most patriotic Uslanders these young men were more than ready to get their chance to take on the Axis Powers, just like many of their older brothers were doing.
"Private Spiller," said Drill Sergeant Fowler with a wink, "Somethin' tells me you're gonna get your chance real soon."
Ernie and the others laughed but were quieted by Fowler who called, "AT EASE!" as the company's first sergeant pulled up in a Jeep.
The drowsy looking Basset Hound walked up to the privates and looked down into the hole. He spat out a wad of tobacco and then spoke to the platoon in a heavy southern drawl.
"Men," began the first sergeant, "This blast comes on the concluding day of your field training exercise. In an hour you will ruck march 20 kilometers back to the barracks. At the end of this week you will become full-fledged Army soldiers. The company commander and the battalion commander will speak to you about all the glories of the service. Things may be sugar-coated for the sake of you and your families on graduation day but I am here to tell you the cold reality of what lies ahead.
The privates listened in rapt attention as their first sergeant's words hung in the air. Drill Sergeant Fowler looked around at his platoon and singled out a young hyena who was staring at the first sergeant with anticipation.
The first sergeant continued, "There is nothing easy ahead of you. The majority of you will go to units that are fighting overseas. Not all of you will return."
Those words caused Ernie's stomach to sour. He knew that he would end up in battle and like every soldier he knew that there was a chance that he wouldn't make it out alive, but hearing this from the wizened-old first sergeant brought the point home with a vengeance. It was one thing to hear it from the drill sergeants who hammered the realities of war into the trainees heads but it was something else to hear it from 1SG Bassey, a man who had hardly spoken to the privates at all.
"Many years ago I was like you," said 1SG Bassey, "I was a young man who signed up to do his patriotic duty and go fight the Huns in the Great War. Unlike the other countries who's troops had been fighting in the trenches for 3 years we had no idea what was in store of us. Many of us thought of how much glory there would be in battle and we did find glory…but at a price. I've seen things that will stay with me for as long as I live; men being cut down by machine gun fire, being blasted by artillery shells, I've heard their screams of anguish as they lay wounded in mud-filled holes like this one that you've just blasted out of the ground. I have witnessed people's inhumanity to others…I've even seen my fellow troops die…but I've also seen things that have shown me the good in people. I've seen men braving withering fire to pull the wounded to safety, I watched as men were merciful to surrendering troops, I've seen men give comfort and aid to wounded enemy soldiers.
The wide-eyed trainees were completely entranced and waited for the first sergeant to continue.
"The point I am trying to make," continued Basset, "Is that you will soon be called upon to do violence on behalf of everything that the free world and our nation stands for. You may not make it back or you may come back wounded and those of you who do come back, the majority of you I'm sure will, will be different, you may have shell-shock or come home perfectly fine but you will be changed. What lies before you will forever change you but it is up to you as to what that change will be. Remember this gentlemen and remember it well…You are soldiers, you will always be soldiers no matter what and in the end the men to your left and right and front and back will be there with you and will do everything in their power to bring you home alive. In war all you have is eachother."
1SG Basset looked at his troops who stood engrossed by his words and smiled a small smile in satisfaction and thought to himself, They're ready.
Graduation Day-
A week after the blast and the first sergeant's speech Ernie and his fellow privates stood at attention in formation on a wide grass parade field and waited in anticipation for the official pronouncement of their graduation.
Each of them stood in the morning sun and looked crisp and professional in their "Pinks and Greens" Style uniform of an olive-greenish jacket and light colored pants with peaked garrison caps on their heads.
"I think I can get any dame on the block in this uniform!" said a dog private named Cooper who hailed from a small town somewhere in the Mid-West.
"I don't know Coop, said Private Kowalski with a laugh, "That nose of yours might scare em away!"
Cooper got annoyed at the comment about his oversize snout and said to the wolf, "At least I didn't barely pass the final PT test…with the drill sergeant's help!"
Kowolski bristled at the insult and was embarassed by the fact that he had narrowly missed being held back from graduating by his subpar performance on the last physical fitness test.
Ernie chuckled at the two soldiers and then quieted as Drill Sergeant Fowler approached.
"You slime-balls had better not be talking in formation," said Fowler in his menacing voice, "It'd be a shame to have to drop you all and roll you around in the grass in your dress uniforms with your families watching!"
The privates stood ramrod stiff, their faces set in stone.
"Now keep quiet and you can graduate and I can take my much deserved leave."
Two minutes later the graduation ceremony began. It included a pass and review of the troops, a list of their accomplishments, a speech by the company and battalion commanders, and a benediction by a chaplain. Finally the ceremony was ended and each soldier was released to their families, or to their own devices if no one had come to visit them, for the day and were told to return to the barracks at 2200 hours so they could be shipped off to their duty assignments the following day.
Ernie looked around at all of his fellow privates as they rushed into the arms of their loved ones. He saw parents hugging their soldiers and girlfriends and wives kissing their men in uniform. Unlike these soldiers Ernie had no one to see him graduate. He, like a handful of others, had no visitors. His parents were unable to make the trip to see him graduate due to money constraints. The cost of traveling from Cape Suzette to Usland proper were too much for the Spiller family to afford. Besides his dad's work kept him busy and allowed little time off.
Private Spiller saw a cat private named Marlowe grab his girlfriend, life her up, and kiss her. He looked away with a guilty feeling as he felt the jealousy rise up in him. He wished that his girlfriend Emily had been able to come and see him but she was busy training to be a civilian nurse. He let out a sigh and began to think about the last time he had been with her, how he had held her in his arms and told her how much he cared for her but his thoughts were interrupted by a voice he knew all too well.
"Private Spiller!"
"Yes Drill Sergeant!" said Ernie as he went to parade rest for Drill Sergeant Fowler.
"Why are you still standing on my parade field private?"
"I'm just watching everyone drill sergeant."
Fowler looked around and saw that most of the privates were standing with their families around the bleachers that were next to the field. He then looked back at Private Spiller and understood why he was standing by himself.
"Your folks didn't come out to see you?"
"No Drill Sergeant."
Fowler appraised the young hyena for a few quiet seconds and then said, "Well something tells me that if they were here right now they'd be proud of what they'd see."
Ernie's ears pricked up at the remark, "Think so drill sergeant?"
Fowler smiled at the young man and said, "Yes I do…It wasn't too long ago that I was in your shoes Private Spiller. I stood on this same field and did they same thing that you're doing now."
Ernie realized what Fowler was saying, "No one came for you either drill sergeant?"
"Family couldn't afford it…the depression wiped us out and we lost the farm," Fowler paused a moment and looked off toward the horizon for a few seconds and them looked back to Ernie, "Ever wonder why I singled you out Spiller?"
Ernie was taken aback by the drill sergeant's words as he realized that he was now on the verge of knowing what made Fowler so tough on him. All the drill sergeants seemed to have one particular private that they paid 'special attention' to and Fowler was no exception.
"Why Drill Sergeant?"
Fowler smiled a genuinely kind smile, something that Ernie had never seen the duck do, "Cause Private Spiller, you remind me of myself when I was a private."
Ernie's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?"
"Yes, I looked like a little kid too and my drill sergeant said the same thing to me that I said to you about looking so young. I was a scrawny kid who'd never been away from my family and could barely do a pushup. That drill sergeant singled me out and kept on me until I became one of the best in the company and so I make sure to do the same thing to one private every cycle…that private is you Spiller."
"Me?" asked Ernie in amazement.
"Like I said Private, that drill sergeant of mine saw the same thing in me that I see in you. Now go and do great things for the Army."
"YES DRILL SERGEANT!"
"Oh and Private Spiller," said Fowler.
"Yes Drill Sergeant?"
"Don't go telling any of your fellow privates I said this, I have an image to uphold."
"Yes Drill Sergeant!" said Ernie as he watched Drill Sergeant Fowler walk away. A thought then hit him, "Drill Sergeant?"
"Yes Private?" said Fowler as he stopped and turned around, "What?"
"What was his name? I mean your drill sergeant?"
Fowler smiled, "He's a Great War vet named Basset," with that Fowler turned and walked off the field.
Airborne School-
"I don't think I like heights," said a petrified private named Sullivan to Ernie.
"This is a bad time to figure that out Sully," Ernie said to the nervous bobcat.
The two Airborne trainees were on the top floor of a 34 foot tower that was used to simulate the exit by parachute from an airplane. Trainees were hooked onto cables which led a few hundred feet away to a berm where stood a group of other trainees who waited to slow the jumpers down.
A sergeant airborne hooked Sullivan up and after a few moments slapped him on the rear. Sullivan jumped out and sailed away down the line. Ernie could hear the bobcat screaming as he went.
"Hey Airborne," said the sergeant airborne to Ernie (most of the instructors referred to the trainees as 'Airborne'), "Are you gonna scream like your buddy or are you gonna be a man about this?"
"I'm gonna be a man about it Sergeant Airborne!"
"We shall see!"
A moment later Ernie leaped out of the tower, his head tucked to his chest, hands on the sides of his reserve parachute, and legs together. He immediately counted to four and then grabbed the risers of his simulated chute, looked around, and tore down the line to the berm. As he reached the berm he set his arms and legs wide and moved past the waiting berm crew. He continued on and then came back toward the berm where he was grabbed by two trainees.
"How was it?" asked a beaver trainee.
"I wanna do it again!"
Ernie's three weeks in Airborne school were divided up into Ground Week which dealt with learning about the parachute, putting it on, and most importantly: learning how to properly execute a PLF or Parachute Landing Fall. Next was Tower week where trainees leaped from the 34 foot tower as well as a 250 footer that had an actual parachute on it. Training finally culminated in Jump Week. Trainees had to make a total of 5 jumps and correct landings. Actually one only had to make 5 jumps, including a night jump, and 4 proper landings to earn their wings. A person could break their legs on their last jump and still earn their wings.
"There is something seriously wrong about this," said Private Sullivan to Ernie.
"What is that?" he asked the cheetah.
"We are going to be jumping out of a perfectly good airplane on parachutes that are made by the lowest bidder."
Ernie laughed at his friend. The nervous bobcat was the company's biggest pessimist but he did have a point: It was completely unnatural to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
"TEN MINUTES!" Roared a hippo sergeant airborne.
"TEN MINUTES! TEN MINUTES! TEN MINUTES!" Repeated all the jumpers.
A similar call of preparation came at five minutes and then the outboard personnel were told to stand up. The outboard personnel were those who sat on the benches that lined the walls of the airplane. The men stood up and hooked their static lines onto a cable above their heads. The static lines were connected to their parachutes and would cause the chutes to deploy at four seconds from the jumpers exiting the plane if not then they'd have to open their reserves. Each man checked his gear and the gear of the man in front. A call came at one minute and then the signal to jump came.
Ernie watched as the first wave of jumpers filed on out the door of the plane. The aircraft then made another pass over the drop zone and now it was his turn to jump.
The call of 'one minute' was given and now Ernie stood awaiting his turn. He figured he had less than one minute to go until he went out and right now his heart was beating so hard that he felt like it would break out of his chest. Behind him Sullivan's knees almost buckled in fright.
"I hate heights!" said Sullivan to himself but at the same time he reckoned that this was the best way to overcome his acrophobia. Plus airborne troops made more money than non-airborne troops who were unaffectionately known as 'legs' by the airborne corps.
"GO!" Roared the hippo sergeant airborne as he slapped a rail thin leopard on his bottom. The leopard leaped out and was followed by the rest of the group's jumpers.
Ernie was number 5 in line and followed the other four jumpers to the open door. It was then that a funny thing happened to him: He stopped thinking. His mind switched to autopilot and he felt as if he were sitting in a movie theater watching someone else jump out of a plane. The whole moment didn't seem real to him. It seemed like he was a spectator.
His next moment of clarity was of grabbing his risers and looking up into the parachute and checking it for any damages and defects. He then looked around, behind, and below him and grabbed his risers and pulled them to the right to slip away from a jumper who was nearing him. He realized that he had automatically jumped out of the plane in the correct body position and did his count to 4 without even thinking about it. It seemed that all of his training had been ingrained into him to the point where it came as second nature and it was only the shock of his chute opening that brought him out of his trance.
As he fell he heard a holler of excitement from behind him that sounded like Sullivan. He turned his head around and looked up behind him and saw his friend coming down whooting and hollering in joy.
Ernie smiled and let out a laugh of enjoyment.
Seconds later he hit the ground. First his heels touched and immediately he went to his right and allowed his ankles, knees, thighs, and side to hit the ground. He rolled over and then quickly unhooked himself from his chute to avoid being dragged away by any gusts of wind. As soon as he was free he stood up triumphantly and watched as his fellow jumpers came drifting to earth.
On graduation day Ernie and his fellow airborne soldiers stood in formation where they had their jump wings pinned on their chests. He had to pull his out of his body as the sergeant airborne who had pinned them had hit the wings so hard that they pierced his flesh. This was all part of a rite of passage where the graduates were given their 'blood wings'. Ernie beamed in pride.
Leave-
Ernie's next thought took him back to Cape Suzette where he had leave before reporting to his duty assignment. His parents were so proud of their son who wore his dress uniform with his shiny metal wings on his chest. They took he and his older sister to dinner and then home where he would stay for the next two weeks.
He was somewhat dismayed that Emily was out of town and wouldn't be back in Cape Suzette for another four days but he figured that he could manage another four days without her. Besides he could reread the letters that she had sent him while he was in training. For now he would spend time with his family and with the Jungle Aces.
The Jungle Aces Secret Midnight Club, or Jungle Aces for short, was formed when Ernie was twelve. He and his best friend Kit Cloudkicker had started the club which had three other members at its inception: Felix Hipp, Sam Hopson, and Bert McCrane. The wealthy Oscar Vandersnoot joined a few months later and was followed by Tommy Pachydermopolous and Chip Ostreicher on Halloween Night following an incident at the Art Museum. Each of young men shared an interest in flying and had had an adventure which were the two criteria for club membership. All of the members had hoped to become fighter pilots once they entered the military but it hadn't worked out that way. Of the eight Jungle Aces, only Kit and Bert had become Army Air Corps fighter pilots-of course at this time they were still in flight training. Tommy and Felix had enlisted in the Marine Corps while Sam and Chip had entered the Navy. Even Oscar, who came from a prividleged family, had done his duty and signed up into the Army where he was put into the intelligence corps, not bad for a boy with a severely overprotective mother.
Right now Ernie sat in the Jungle Aces' favorite booth at the Malt Shop with the only two other Jungle Aces who managed to get on leave at this time. Sam Hopson slurped a strawberry malt which he hoped didn't stain his Navy whites while Kit Cloudkicker enjoyed a caramel malt. The three young men were in uniform which was common for service members in public places in that it garnered them attention and sometimes free drinks and meals.
"Too bad the others all are away," said Sam.
"Yeah," said Kit, "I can't wait until we get all the guys back together."
It had been right after their early graduation that the entirety of the Jungle Aces had been together. They had all gone out for one last night on the town before they shipped off to their respective training and they had all come here to the Malt Shop and then had been flown by Baloo to Louie's.
On the wall behind the bar was a photo of all the Jungle Aces in their usual booth. They had spent years coming to the establishment and had become regular fixtures and were honored with a group portrait. In the picture were 8 fresh-faced young men enjoying the last days before they went off to war.
Ernie gazed at the picture and thought a quick prayer that he and the rest of the Jungle Aces would be able to take another group picture when the war ended.
"What are you thinking about bud?" asked Kit.
"How great of a night that was," Ernie answered as he nodded in the direction of the picture.
Kit smiled warmly, "That it was."
"It was one heck of a night fellas!" said Sam.
"I just hope we all make it back alive and well," said Ernie.
"I don't know how," said Kit, "But all the the Jungle Aces will make it…I know it."
An idea formed in Ernie's mind: "Lets make a toast!"
"To what Ernie?" asked Sam and Kit simultaneously.
"To the Jungle Aces!"
The boys raised their glasses and Ernie continued, "To the Jungle Aces Secret Midnight Club, may they stay strong, beat the odds, defeat the Axis, and make it back safe!"
"HEAR HEAR!" said Kit and Sam as they and Ernie clinked their malts together and drank to their friends.
The Present-
"TEN MINUTES!" came the jumpmaster as he threw open the door which through the jumpers would be going out of shortly.
The entire element of jumpers responded with three calls of ten minutes.
"THIS IS IT BOYS!" Yelled SFC Sheppard to his platoon, "GET READY!"
Ernie looked down the row he was on and saw that Private First Class Leopardi was looking at him with a grin of anticipation on his narrow face. The leopard was a good friend of his from Cape Suzette who spoke the language of the Ligurians by virtue of the fact that his parents had come from there earlier in the century. The mobster's son had the responsibility of acting as a go-between for the members of the mafia that were on Sisilly and the Allied troops. The different 'Families' in Usland saw the benefit of helping in the war effort and the son of Jimmy 'the Gent' Leopardi was going to be one of their aces.
Ernie smiled at Jimmy and the leopard winked back.
Ernie then looked over at the soldier next to him, a chimpanzee corporal who had his hands folded in front of his face as he prayed, and his right hand immediately went to the cross and Saint Christopher's medal that were on the same chain as his dog tags. Across from him a mountain lion private held a number of religious medallions in his hand that included not only a cross but a Star of David, a crescent moon, a Hindu Ohm, and an image of the Buddha.
No such thing as an atheist in a foxhole, Ernie thought as his hand then moved to his left breast pocket. He reached inside and pulled out a picture. The smiling image of Emily looked up at him. In the picture she was wearing a summer dress and smiling while he stood behind her in his uniform with his arms wrapped around her waist. The picture had been taken by his parents during his leave and was one of his most prized possessions. He smiled at the image of he and Emily. He had met her when they were thirteen and they had been together ever since. His thoughts turned back to his leave and his time with her.
Leave-
Ernie and Emily walked arm in arm through Cape Suzette Bay Park without a worry in the world (although Ernie was nervous). Even though Ernie had less than a week left on leave he could care less. The only thing that mattered right now was being with Emily. Being with her made the war seem so far away and having her with him brightened his day and made him feel as if he was the luckiest guy in the world.
There was one thing that was gnawing at him however: he had something that he wanted to give Emily but he was having trouble finding the right words. Three days ago he, Kit, and Sam had gone down to the jewelry section of Richelieu's Department Store where he purchased a modest-looking engagement ring. The ring had taken up a good portion of his money but to him it was worth it. He had told his parents of his decision and had taken their advice and went to Emily's parents, without her knowing, to ask them for their blessing. After awkwardly getting his message across to them, Mister and Missus McAllister gave their future son-in-law their blessing and ever since he had been struggling to find the right time, place, and words to pop the big question.
"It's a beautiful day isn't it?" Emily said as they neared the waterfront.
"Not as beautiful as you," said Ernie.
Emily smiled, "You're so sweet."
"That's me, Mister Sweet!" he said nervously.
Emily giggled and noticed the look of nervousness on Ernie's face, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Ernie said a little too quickly, "I was just thinking of where to take you to eat tonight, that's all."
Emily took a deep breath and said, "I know you're only here for a few more days but you shouldn't have to spend all your money on me."
"But I like to do nice things for you!"
"I know but I enjoy being with you more…it makes me happy."
"It makes me happy too."
Ernie's knees began to shake. He looked out and noticed the sun beginning to set over the rim of the natural wall that enclosed the city. They were directly in front of the narrow entrance and the two sides of the rim framed the sun as it went down, casting long shadows behind them. This was it, this was the moment. It was now or never.
"Look," Ernie said, "Look at the sunset."
Emily turned her back to Ernie and watched the sun as it went down. "Its beautiful," she said happily.
Ernie reached into his pocket and withdrew the small case containing the ring. He took a deep breath and put his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her right shoulder.
Well here goes, "Look down."
Emily cocked her head and then looked down at Ernie's hands. She saw the small box and she felt her heart begin to beat. She turned and faced Ernie.
By this time a small crowd of onlookers had taken notice of the young pair and stopped to watch the scene unfold.
Ernie took a knee and brought his hands back in front of him. He opened the box, took another deep breath and said, "Emily Rachel McAllister, you mean the world to me...you have ever since we met." He gulped and went on, "Whenever I'm around you we're happy and I want us to always be happy…I love you…will you marry me?"
Tears of joy welled up in Emily's eyes and Ernie saw the happiness on her thin face, the reddish spots of fur on her cheeks adding to her countenance.
"I love you too Ernie…yes, I'll marry you!"
As soon as she said those words, Ernie slipped the ring onto her finger, stood up, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He held her for a second as they looked into one another's eyes and then they kissed.
Behind them the passersby smiled and clapped in approval at the young soldier and his bride to be.
The Jump-
A flash of light tore Ernie away from his thoughts of Emily and brought him back into the reality of what was going on. He looked to the small window across from him and saw one of the other transports go down in flames, falling from the sky and taking its doomed passengers with it.
"ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS!" screamed someone as dozens of anti-aircraft batteries shot up at them.
"EVERYBODY OUT! EVERYBODY OUT!" Yelled the jumpmaster.
Ernie now felt himself pushed out by the troops behind him. He jammed the picture back into his breast pocket and attempted to attach his static line to the cable but it was no use. The pressure from everyone else pushing carried him toward the door. He'd have to rely on his reserve parachute to bring him down safely.
The plane violently shuddered as an anti-aircraft shell exploded directly in front of it. The shrapnel caused by the explosion tore into the cockpit and instantly killed the pilot and copilot and severely wounded the navigator. The dead pilot slumped forward in his seat and onto the controls, pushing the them down and taking the plane into a dive.
"GO GO GO!" Yelled the jumpmaster as the plane began its rapid descent. The jumpmaster had a sinking feeling in his chest as he realized that not everyone was going to make it out of the bird.
Ernie moved forward and watched as the men in front of him leaped out into the early morning sky. He saw Jimmy Leopardi hustle to the door and disappear into the pale light of the early morning. His turn was coming up and his heart pounded in fear but he quickly regained his composure and with a steely gaze of pure determination, stepped into the open doorway and jumped out to the battlefield below.
Author's Note-
Although this is a one-shot story that ends in a cliff-hanger, Private Ernie Spiller will return in a later story.