GUNG HO

Chapter 1

D-Day Plus 5 - Captain James Richard Lewis cleaned his Thompson as he watched his squad sleep. He was on watch duty so that they could sleep for the first time in two days. At the moment they were in a small shack not too far away from Utah beach which they had landed on just days before. Their orders were to clear out the many mine fields that surrounded the area so that tanks and other equipment could be set up past the beaches. They were also to find an area that a temporary base could be built on. This base would be where senior officers could study and evaluate strategies. The only problem was that there were Germans everywhere. There were seven other men in his squad. They were:

Captain James Richard Lewis: About 6 foot and athletic with brown hair and a scruffy beard. His men never question his orders and he gets to know each one of them. He was born and raised in northern New York and lived all his life on a farm. He uses a Thompson and is looked up to.

Sergeant Jim Wilson: He's a bigger guy, about 6' 4", and has brown hair and a beard. He always carries a pack of cigarettes with him and is known for his bad temper. He's from Pennsylvania and spends a lot of time with Lewis. They had gone through basic training together and got to know each other very well. He favors an M1 Garand. He's second in command of the squad and can keep them all in line.

Corporal Harold Myers: He's about 6' with black hair. He's well known for his bravery and he carries a BAR. He's also known for being a loud mouth, arrogant jerk, but he has his moments. When the captain needs him, he's there. Anyways, he's from Kansas.

Corporal Reene Fredrick: He's average size and weight too but he isn't the guy you want covering your back in a battle. He always gets scared at the first sound of gunfire. Fredrick's from Maine and he's very quite. He has an M1 Garand but he never uses it.

Private Jack Sorpelly: He's, again, an average sized guy. Tough looking but he really is a good guy. He's from Louisiana and sports an M1 Carbine. He's always got chew in his mouth and acts like he's walking through a park as bullets whizz past his head.

Private Dave Burns: He's the squad's sniper ands sports a Springfield. He's very loyal and will back up any friend. He's from Texas and gets along with everyone.

Private Keith Henry: Average sized and nice. He's a medic and a lot of guys owe their lives to him. He's got a lot of heart and is even sad when the enemy is killed. He's from Iowa.

Private George Davis: A bigger guy, like Wilson. He's a translater and can speak German and French. On top of that he's a great soldier and will be there to help out anywhere. He carries an M1 Carbine and is from Kentucky.

Captain Lewis un-screwed his canteen and took a sip of water. You couldn't exactly call it cold but it was the greatest water he ever tasted. The whole squad was extremely tired and needed the rest. The fatigues they were wearing were covered with dirt and grime from the hard day's work. He took one more gulp and then screwed the cap back on. I need a shave, He thought as he rubbed his chin. And a bath,He added. Sergeant Wilson stirred and then sat up. He looked up and said, "Hello, Cap."

"Hello, Sarge. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine. You wanna sleep and I'll keep watch for a while?"

"Nah. I'm wide awake."

"Suit yourself," The Sergeant replied before laying back down and falling asleep.

Lewis got up from his seat, a little wooden barrel, and looked out the small dirty windows. He didn't see any Germans and really wasn't expecting to untill tomorrow. They had pretty much wiped all of them out around here. He crossed the small shack and picked up his Colt M1911. He checked if it was loaded and then set it back down. He checked his ammo and then glanced at his watch, 0500 hours. They had been sleeping for three hours.

"Get up! Get up or extra work today! Last one up cleans the Jerries and buries 'em!" At that the whole squad jumped up and raced to put on their boots, bandoliers, and other gear. Lewis chuckled as he watched the men push each other down, trying not to be last. In the end, Fredrick was stuck with last place. Lewis grabbed his infantry shovel and threw it to him. "Get started."