Author's Note, 18 August 2014: This should be an added improvement, and, Guest, there is no more Ralph Spina (for now.) Although you said the nurses needed two years of experience prior to enlisting in the ANC, this testimony shows that allowances must have been made:

www dot med-dept dot com/veterans-testimonies/veterans-testimony-f-evangeline-blauvelt/

She only had a few months of work experience, and had graduated in September of 1942. If Caroline, according to my edited story, started working in May of 1941 and left the hospital in May of 1942, that gave her about a year of experience.

Thanks, everyone, for your continued support.

-BB


3
"Education, education, education and war."
Camp Toccoa, August-September 1942


Caroline had never been so exhausted before in her life. She thought the worst she'd ever have to go through would be her final examinations during her last year at Bryn Mawr, but she immediately changed her mind after almost two months of PT with her fellow nurses, as well as numerous medical courses taught by Nurse Edwards. The nurses were rather bored by the classroom aspect of the training, after all, they'd learned most of it in nursing school, but reminded themselves that it served as a helpful refresher course.

Soon, Nurse Edwards divided up the nurses amongst the companies of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Holly and Caroline were sent to Easy Company, along with another nurse, Ruth Phillips, who hailed from Savannah, Georgia. They grew closer as the days went on, and Caroline found herself making acquaintances with the other nurses. They were all there for the same purpose; to be professional nurses, capable of providing excellent care and comfort to the fighting men. Caroline, though, had no time for Annabelle McLean, stationed with Able Company. Registered "professional" nurse, was what she claimed to be, but she would still act like a flirt amongst the men, especially one particular soldier that Caroline had avoided since her first day at Toccoa. It, however, was impossible to miss Annabelle flinging herself desperately at the red-headed officer. She grew tired of seeing Annabelle flip her blonde tresses vapidly at Winters, or giggling incessantly at something he said, all while being handsy and placing her palms on his chest.

Caroline was complaining about Annabelle to Holly and Ruth, but unbeknownst to her, Nurse Edwards overheard the conversation. Nurse Edwards, for a few days, kept a close eye on Annabelle, and must've witnessed something inappropriate, for one afternoon, Caroline saw Annabelle leaving their superior's office with a sour look on her doll-like face. Annabelle glared at Caroline as their paths crossed, and after that incident, Caroline was on the receiving end of Annabelle's ire. Comments like "tattle-tale" and "goody-two-shoes" were hurled at her from Annabelle and her fellow Able Company nurses. She tried not to let it bother her, and refused to tell Nurse Edwards, for it would only make the commentary worse.


So throughout September, they taught the men basic medical procedures, from administering morphine to bandaging techniques. The medic of Easy Company, Eugene Roe from Bayou Chene, Louisiana, thanks to his training from military doctors, assisted them. Caroline was grateful for "Doc" Roe, as the men called him He took his positions as medic seriously, and were not afraid to ask questions about what they were learning for the day.

They got to know the men very well through their daily contact. Caroline had to admit; it had been difficult at first. Easy Company was not an "oversexed" unit of men, but they were cocky and flirtatious nonetheless. Luz was constantly after Holly, and both Caroline and Ruth had their share of ogling. They didn't know how to nip it in the bud, and were going to ask Nurse Edwards for advice one evening after dinner.

Unfortunately for them, a trio of privates from Baker Company decided to approach them as they were eating. If they thought Easy's flirtations were inappropriate, they were nothing compared to what the Baker boys were doling out.

"How is it that Easy Company got stuck with the prettier nurses?" asked one of the privates, as he draped an arm around Ruth's shoulder. She rolled her eyes in disgust, as Holly tried to ignore the puppy-eyed stare of another soldier that took the empty space next to her.

"All we got were the old maids! Say, green eyes, you wanna get outta here sometime this weekend? Go into town?" asked the third soldier to Caroline, moving her bag aside and sitting just a little too close for comfort. She was about to rudely decline, but someone else answered for her.

"Hey, maybe she doesn't want anyone to see her walking around Toccoa next to your ugly mug!"

Wild Bill Guarnere insulted Caroline's "admirer," and he was accompanied by a seething Chuck Grant, Joe Toye, and George Luz.

"How about you let the ladies decide who they want!" exclaimed the soldier next to Ruth.

"How about you all back off, leave our nurses alone and we'll pretend this didn't happen…" said Grant.

"Or we go find our CO…" finished Toye.

That line got to the Baker Company soldiers. They'd heard about Sobel's disciplinary tactics and did not want to be on the receiving end of them. They quickly rose from the girls' table, and scurried out of the mess hall. The girls stared in awe at their boys.

"Thank you," breathed Holly.

"Anytime, ladies. No one messes with our nurses," said Luz, giving Holly a genuine smile that caused her to turn pink.

"You all alright?" asked Guarnere.

"Indeed we are," said Ruth. "Thanks to you all."

"At your service," said Grant, giving them an exaggerated bow. They bade the girls goodnight and headed off for their barracks. Caroline let out a sigh.

"I don't think we need to talk to Nurse Edwards about anything. What do you think?"

Holly and Ruth simply nodded in agreement to Caroline's suggestion. The Easy Company boys were flirtatious, yes, but loyal as hell.


Towards the end of September, Nurse Edwards called the nurses in for a meeting. She asked them all to don their service uniforms, causing the nurses to wonder what on earth she wanted to discuss with them in such an official manner. Nevertheless, they gathered in their classroom, perfectly coiffed and cleaned up in their uniforms, as they waited for her appearance. She came in, stern-faced and sat down at her desk. Not a word was said, but Nurse Edwards smiled, and took out an envelope from her pocket.

"You can stop looking so scared, ladies. I'm not here to reprimand any of you. In fact, one might say this might be a chance for celebration…"

Caroline arched a suspicious eyebrow, but continued to listen to Nurse Edwards.

"We have finally been granted rank. You are all now, officially, second lieutenants* within the Army Nurse Corps, and I am now Captain Edwards**, to you all. Congratulations, ladies. As a result of this congressional action***, you will also be given pay equal to the male officers."

One by one, she called them up in alphabetical order, as she pinned their second lieutenant's bars to their lapels. The nurses were not expecting this outcome from the meeting, but it was a welcomed surprise all the same.


The euphoria of being given "rank" within the army lasted only a few days for Caroline. Annabelle's bullying seemed to intensify, despite the whole month it had been since Caroline told Captain Edwards about Annabelle's behavior.

"Be on your best behavior, ladies! Wouldn't want Tattle-Tale-Lina to tell Edwards if we're out of line," said Annabelle say as Caroline made her way to Holly and Ruth, a tray of food in hand, for dinner at the mess hall. An echo of laughter erupted from the other Able Company nurses, as Annabelle smirked evilly at Caroline. Caroline angrily slammed her tray down on the table, earning a look of sympathy from her friends.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" asked Holly.

"I just don't understand why Annabelle has to keep this stupid vendetta against me! Okay, so Captain Edwards overheard me complain about the way she was acting around them men! I didn't mean for her to go and call Annabelle out on it! It's been a month, and she needs to get over it!"

Ruth and Holly exchanged glances, and Caroline noticed.

"What do you two know?"

"Should we tell her?"

"I think so," said Holly.

"What? Tell me what?"

"Annabelle's got a thing for Winters."

"I'm quite aware of that, Ruth. I see her drooling after him every single day. It sickens me," she deadpanned.

"It's not just that, Lina. Ruth's heard that Annabelle hates the fact that Winters always seems to have his eyes set on you."

Caroline began to laugh.

"Winters? Winters?! Looking at me? That man is so invested in making his men into super soldiers! I haven't even spoken to him since I got here!"

"He may not speak to you, but that doesn't mean he hasn't looked at you, Lina! Holly and I have caught him in the act. Believe me."

Caroline sighed.

"He's handsome, Ruth. And he seems to have his men's best interests at heart. But I'm not going to get myself involved in Annabelle's non-existent love affair or with him. I'm quite sure he won't get himself involved with me."

Caroline excused herself, and claimed she was going to the PX to collect her mail. On her way out, Annabelle and her friends were on their way to empty their trays. She "accidentally" bumped into Caroline.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to hit you! Please don't go tell Captain Edwards!" sneered Annabelle.

That was too much for Caroline to take in that evening.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean for Winters to like me better than you, Lieutenant McLean. Toodles."

She left a stunned Annabelle frozen in the middle of the mess hall, at the mercy of her vapid "friends" giggling wildly at her. Caroline rushed off in a fury, and snappily asked the poor private on duty at the PX that evening, if she had any mail.

"Let me check, Lieutenant Summers," he replied, rather shakily, as if fearing for his life.

"Thank you."

He went to look for her post. Caroline drummed her fingers lazily on the desk, and was broken from her reverie by a steady, teasing voice.

"Trying to scare the poor private into giving you your mail?"

Winters.

Caroline turned around and glared at him, arms folded across her chest.

"I'll have you know that I am not having a very good day, sir, and I'm not in the mood for the teasing."

He stepped closer to her, dare she say, with concern etched on his chiseled face.

"Care to take a walk and talk about it?"

"I—"

The mail clerk, though, interrupted her and handed her an envelope.

"Thank you. Sorry for being so blunt. Having a bad day."

"Don't worry about it."

She turned back to Winters.

"Yes, let's."

They quietly strolled around in the humid Georgian evening, as Caroline recounted the tale of Annabelle. She mentioned the part about the soldier allegedly liking her instead of Annabelle, but took care not to mention any names.

"Lieutenant Summers, from what I've noticed, the nurses have been trained well so far. You should be proud of being a part of that…not worried about what someone thinks about you. You know it is not true, Captain Edwards knows that it is not true, and, just so you know, I don't think it's true. If she is acting inappropriate, then her behavior needs to be addressed. There is no room to disregard professionalism in the army. Lieutenant McLean needs to be made aware of that, and although she may be upset with you now, it is for her own good...before she gets into serious trouble."

Caroline stopped dead in her tracks.

"Thank you. I needed to hear that, Lieutenant Winters."

"Believe me. I know where you're coming from. We've been having problems with our CO, but we know, deep down, that all we need to do is focus on the bigger picture. War. That's what you need to do too."

She smiled widely at him.

"Have your men told you that you give excellent advice?"

"Thank you, Lieutenant Summers."

"Caroline. You should call me Caroline. Well, when we're not amongst our superiors, I suppose."

"Then call me by my given name, too…Caroline."

"I know everyone calls you Dick, but I think I prefer Richard, if that's alright with you."

"Whichever you want."

"Then 'Richard' it is."

They continued walking around Camp Toccoa. Caroline finally took a glance to see who sent her the letter, and grinned when she she saw an address from Fort Des Moines.

"Boyfriend back home?"

"Hmm?"

"The letter. You seem very excited about it," he said, gesturing to the envelope.

"Oh…no. No boyfriend. Not anymore, at least. No, this is from my sister, June. She's at Fort Des Moines with the WAACs, but Colonel Sink wants her stationed as his secretary once she gets through training. Keep her out of trouble, you see."

This prompted Winters to ask why she and June decided to volunteer, and soon they were talking about how they got involved with the war effort. Caroline was surprised to find out that he had volunteered before Pearl Harbor, hoping to get his military service in before the United States went to war.

"Unfortunately, we ended up getting involved in the conflict, and I was stuck in the army. I went through Officer Candidate School, and ended up wanting to join the paratroopers. I'm glad to be with a group of highly motivated and dedicated men…these are men I can trust with my life when we go to war. I'm sure of it."

"Easy Company's got loyal men. If you're sure of it, then you're probably right. I think I'd trust them with my own life as well," she said, mentally recalling the incident in the mess hall with the Baker Company boys.

Soon they found themselves back at the nurses' barracks, fifteen minutes before curfew was imposed.

"I hope you enjoy your letter, Caroline. Good night."

"Good night, Richard."

She looked at his retreating form as he headed back to his own barracks, and had to force herself to turn away and go inside.

Now that was unexpected, she thought as she prepared herself for bed.


Dear Caroline,

Hello dearest! I've settled in at Des Moines at last! I miss you, Little Sister, and I cannot wait to be reunited soon. Give my regards to Uncle Bob—I actually miss him too (if you can believe it!)

There are a lack of good-looking GIs here, and I'm hoping you've got better prospects over at Toccoa. It's been so boring here, and while I've made friends, their company does not compare to yours.

Write me soon, and take care, my Lina!

With love,

Junebug

Caroline had read the letter before she'd gone to bed, but was in the midst of re-reading it a second time as she had breakfast. She began to contemplate about what she'd tell June in the return letter, when she was joined at the table by Winters, a cup of army-grade coffee in hand.

"Good morning, Caroline."

"Good morning, Richard."

As she took him in, sharp-looking in his service uniform and garrison cap, she made a mental note to reassure June, that yes, there were some handsome paratroopers at Toccoa…


This website has been awesome in providing me with historical information: www dot med-dept dot com/articles/the-army-nurse-corps/

*lowest 'officer rank' granted to incoming nurses

**Edwards is now a "captain," based on her experience and longer time of service when compared to the nurses like Caroline, that have just arrived at Toccoa.

***Congressional action was dated on 16 June 1942, but for drama's sake, we'll blame Congress for being slow and say that the changes have officially gone into effect at the time occurring in this chapter. Full officer status, though (retirement plans, etc.) was not granted until 22 June 1944, just a few weeks after D-Day.

I cannot believe the feedback I've been given so far! I've had some major writer's block, so I apologize for the delay in updates, but a recent visit to the Major Winters exhibit in Hershey, PA gave me the confidence to pick up the pen and start writing again. Looks like Caroline's got a bit of a crush...

Thanks to guest, guest, and guest for their reviews! Thanks to…

Absentees: I truly didn't mean to make it dialogue heavy, but I hope this chapter will "soothe your ruffled feathers" ;) with more narrative! I appreciated your honesty and lovely feedback. Hope to hear from you soon!

JujuA2002: You'll be getting more shortly!

Dottiechan: Aww! That's awesome! I'm glad you like 'Summers & Winters'! I'm hoping to keep it unique and shape it into a "lovely" story. To anyone who has favorited this story, thank you as well!

This chapter title comes from a line from a song called "Cannons" by Kaiser Chiefs. I have a feeling they'll be making more lyrical references in subsequent chapters. Off to chapter four!

What to expect: A march across Georgia only to arrive at Ft. Benning, some paratroopers earn their wings, and a little party brings a certain couple a little closer together.

With love,

-BB

Currahee!