I do not own Band of Brothers. This story is based upon the mini-series; not the real men of Easy Company.
Over the last three weeks, Fort Benning had been like Purgatory to us. The camp itself was worse than Toccoa - with little wooden huts set on barren, sandy soil. Despite this, it simultaneously brought a sense of relief as we were finally getting practical training compared to all the physical that we'd done so far. At last we were being prepared for our roles in the war.
Reaching the end of the third week, all we had was one last jump which would take place tomorrow, December 26th. So far we'd made it through, only a few members dropping out due to their refusal to jump - although they had been drummed out in disgrace. Our training here was supposed to be for weeks with stages A,B,C and D all taking up a week each. However, with 1st Battalion arriving before us, our reputation had been set. It had been said that we put the training staff and sergeants to shame with our physical ability. First Battalion had apparently ran circles around them - taunting the staff with every step. After hours of exercise which would have the training staff panting, first battalion would ask when the warm up would end. As a result of this, we started directly on stage B so not to embarrass them further. In the end, being stuck with Sobel had paid off in a way.
For the first week we were leaning how to fold and pack our parachutes. We'd double time to the sheds in the morning and to the cook house at meal times. We'd spend the afternoons jumping into piles of sawdust from mock fuselages raised four feet from the ground and practice controlling our parachutes from suspended harnesses or jumping from thirty foot towers in parachute harnesses suspended from a steel cable. Each day we all grew a little bit better, slowly allowing us to transform into paratroopers.
In the second week, we moved on to making controlled jumps from two-hundred and fifty foot towers. Four of the towers had chutes that released the chutes when we reached the suspension arm but one tower had seats, shock absorbers and even chute guide wires - mimicking the C-47 that we'd soon be jumping out of. It reminded me of when we'd practice at Toccoa, learning exactly how to land so not to break any limbs. All of our training was now pulling together and all the knowledge we'd acquired slotted neatly into place. During this week, a wind machine was used to help us practice how to control and collapse our canopies after landing. It was also sometimes used on jumps, helping simulate the possible conditions that we could be faced with. With each passing day I grew more confident in myself again - starting to believe that I was just as capable as the men beside me.
After that, it was the final phase of training before we were given our wings. Our Wings were so close to becoming ours and we'd all strived to meet this point from the moment we set foot on Camp Toccoa. It almost seemed surreal that after a hard six months we'd have made it.
The night before our first jump we'd gone well into the night both packing and unpacking our main chute and the reserve. We'd been up early in the morning and marched down to the hangars. We had all been bustling with excitement and nerves as all of our training came down to this one moment. As we waited, a nervous hum filled the space around us. There was nervous laughter, jokes, bold tales been told and many a trip to the latrine as we all continued to nervously check our chutes frequently. On the first jump, I'd been on the last plane. As each plane boarded up, my nerves only grew. I'd preferred to have gone first and got it over with. The anticipation was killing me. If somebody had told me when I was a little girl that in my adult life I'd have been a soldier jumping out of planes, I certainly would have laughed at them. The whole situation was extraordinary and by merely jumping out of the plane, us females will have taken a huge leap forwards in proving that we belonged.
Despite the nerves, the first jump had been exhilarating. A sense of nirvana washed over me when I first jumped and when my chute finally opened, it was a breathtaking view. I'd drifted down towards the ground, taking in all the scenery below me. I could see for miles across open fields and even see cities peaking in the distance. I just wanted to do it again. With the first jump I just knew that I'd never grow tired of the feeling that came with jumping.
After our first jump, most of us couldn't wait to do it again. Our second jump came on the same afternoon - not giving us enough time to think about what we were doing as the adrenaline still lurked in our systems. The third jump was a mass affair, coming a mere few days later. Our fourth jump was yesterday on Christmas Eve. Jumping seemed to be a Christmas present for me as I'd never felt such a freedom in my life and I relished in the feeling. Excitement washed over us at the prospect of us making our final jump on Boxing Day and finally becoming Paratroopers.
The only thing was, Christmas didn't exactly seem like Christmas. There was no snow, no tree, no presents and no family. It was clear that this was the first Christmas that many of the soldiers had spent away from home and I knew that as we approached our entry into the war, it wouldn't be the last. On the up side though, we had been given the day off. Many of us moved around the base in our dress uniform, happily enjoying the leisure time we were given. I myself had chosen to use the day to catch up with my girls. This was the first real opportunity that I'd had to talk to them since my transfer into Easy Company and in my heart I certainly missed them and the men. If we passed on camp the men would great me warmly but that was the extent of our conversation. My girls however were a different story. We were united by our common purpose of proving that women could make it in a man's world and we were determined to stay together - or most of us anyway.
I sat cross legged on the end of Dot's bed with her. Katherine, Florence and Henrietta were also with us - only Susan being absent. She'd declared that she wanted to spend time with the men more than us. I knew that unlike me she was a regular soldier so it was more acceptable for her to be closer to the men but my mind constantly worried about her fraternizing. As the other girls told me stories of what had occurred in Dog Company during my absence, I only grew more worried. By the sounds of things Sue was walking a very thin line and if she wasn't careful she'd end up being the first one of us to leave the Army. She wouldn't only disgrace herself but she'd also permanently mar our reputation and damage the idea that women could make it in a mans world. For all of our sakes I just hoped that Sue would be able to hold it together and make it through.
I couldn't help but smile at the girl's stories though. It was clear how protective the men of Dog were of their ladies and it was good to hear. It also dawned on me how similar the situation was in Easy Company. As I grew more accepted, the men also grew more protective of me. I was their officer and they respected my orders but simultaneously they were ready to stand up for me should they need to. With the girls' words, their actions became clear. I'd seen it recently when a Sergeant from Benning had frowned at me, the men had returned his gaze. Their actions became clear and my heart swelled with pride and adoration for the men who had become my family in the last five months.
The conversation soon shifted from our Army life back to our home life. As the conversation shifted, I found myself speaking less and less. These girls had a happy home, many of them having sweethearts waiting for them. I think they all had a sweetheart except for me and they delighted in sharing stories of them with the rest of us. They reminded me of Skip speaking of sweet Faye Tanner and it brought a smile to my face knowing that all of my girls had something to keep fighting for. One thing that came to light during our conversation though was that Katherine Becket was in fact married. This revelation had got us all talking, eager to find out as much as we could.
"I didn't know you were married!" Dot had exclaimed excitedly. The absence of a ring on Kat's finger had certainly thrown us off guessing. Kat smiled cheekily at us, pulling her dogtags out from beneath her shirt. Her ring hung next to the silver metal and we all smiled. By doing that she literally kept him close to her heart.
"Yeah we got hitched just over a year ago now." She smiled, playing with her ring with her fingertips.
"Who is he?" Florence asked eagerly as we all lent forward, eager on finding out as much as we possibly could. "What's he like? What does he do?"
"He's called Thomas and he's in the Navy." She smiled proudly at us. "He's honestly a real sweetheart."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Henrietta inquired, raising one eyebrow at Kat.
"You never asked and I didn't think you all wanted me banging on about my husband." She snorted.
For a while the conversation flitted between the girls telling us stories of their beloved. Eventually though, as I had feared, the conversation turned to me.
"Viv, do you have anybody waiting for you back home?"Kat asked me with a sweet smile. At her words I instantly clammed up. Home was certainly a topic that I did not like to breach. Normally I would go as far as to avoid it at all costs. My army days had been the best since I was young and with Sobel's constant bullying, that was saying something.
"Viv's still looking for the right man." Florence cut in for me as I tightly clasped my hands in my lap. My blue eyes looked at her, silently thanking her for saving me.
"There's quite a few catches in Easy Company, don't you think?" Henrietta winked at me. I nearly choked on my breath at her words. I wasn't expecting it from her - especially when she wasn't single.
"Keep your eyes on your boyfriend." I laughed, easing up a bit as the conversation became less directed at my life.
"I may be taken but that doesn't mean I can't look." She smirked, causing me to jokingly roll my eyes at her.
"She's right y'know." Dot nodded, playfully nudging me in the ribs. "I'm sure by the end of the war you'll have found somebody."
"That dark haired Lieutenant who came to see you in the Infirmary seemed nice." Katherine winked. At her words my cheeks were on fire. Instantly I knew who she was talking about.
"Lew's married!" I exclaimed, causing Kat to burst into a fit of giggles.
"Okay." She laughed. "Maybe the other one or one of the privates that came to see you."
"I'm not letting you shape my love life." I laughed. "You'd try and pair me with a married man."
"How was I supposed to know?" She gasped, placing a hand over her heart as she feigned hurt. "Your lack of trust in me hurts."
I was about to open my mouth to continue when there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Florence announced, throwing her arm up in the air before scrambling off her bed. She walked over to the door and opened it a crack before peaking out to see who it was.
"Who is it?" Dot asked as we all stared at the door.
"Speirs." Flo hissed back before opening the door fully. "Afternoon, Sir. Can I help you?"
"I just came to check that you girls knew that Dinner's been brought forward an hour." He smiled at her. I glanced down at my watch, realising that he meant that dinner was actually now ready.
"Come on then, girls." I smiled, placing my headdress on my head and scooping Flo's up for her as I passed her bed. I handed it to her as I passed, earning myself a thank you. Speirs hovered by the door, falling in step with me as the girls went on ahead.
"So I see you've been using your free time to catch up with the girls." He observed. I nodded and smiled up at him.
"I'm glad to hear that you've all been taking care of them." I beamed. He nodded.
"So how's Easy Company treating you?" He asked as we walked to the mess hall slowly. He clasped his hands behind his back as dark eyes stared down at me.
"They're great." I smiled up at him. "I miss you guys but they're treating me just fine."
"That's good to hear." He told me, the corner of his lips tugging up slightly into the smallest of smiles. I was about to ask Speirs how he was doing but I heard approaching footsteps. More people were gathering around now as we grew closer to the mess hall but these feet were running slightly as if they were trying to catch up. I turned around, being met by yet another tall, dark haired figure.
"Hey, Princess." Lew smiled, causing me to groan slightly.
"Afternoon, Lew." I greeted him, raising one eyebrow at him.
"I'll leave you guys to it. It's been nice speaking to you again, Vivian." Speirs nodded before leaving Lew and I to walk together.
"So where've you been all day?" He inquired, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I raised one eyebrow at his actions but decided not to question him. "Dick and I were wondering."
"I told you this morning that I was going to see my girls." I stated, looking up at him.
"But you said you'd only be a few hours."
I shrugged at his words. "Well there was a lot to talk about."
I decided to shift the topic away from myself so after a slight silence I asked Lew a question. "So you enjoying your Christmas?"
"I'm kind of missing my kids." He told me, offering me a small smile. "and the dog."
I laughed as he added the last bit. "And your wife?"
"I miss her too but y'know. If I could see anybody it would be the kids."
"That's sweet, Lew." I smiled up at him. He smiled back down at me. I lent my head on his shoulder, enjoying our slightly peaceful walk. Truth be told this was the best Christmas I'd had since being a kid. I was surrounded by friends and my Uncle was somewhere near by.
Over dinner I sat sandwiched between Lew and Dick. A hearty atmosphere had filled the room as many of the men talked happily about how tomorrow we'd receive our wings. It felt more like we were celebrating getting our jump wings than Christmas but either way I didn't exactly mind. In a way though, tomorrow would symbolise our transition from civilians to paratroopers and that was definitely worth celebrating. We'd survived Sobel and we were one step closer to fighting for our country.
After dinner I found myself being summoned by my Uncle. I tried to come up with some sort of an excuse to excuse myself from Lew and Dick. I loved them to bits but they did not yet know that the Colonel was in fact my Uncle. Nobody really knew and I didn't want them to find out as I feared that they wouldn't look at me in the same way. My rank, my transfer to Easy Company - many people may argue that this was down to my Uncle although it wasn't necessarily the case. If anything he'd tried to dissuade me from joining in the beginning.
With a suitable excuse I managed to justify my absence after dinner. I walked through camp to my Uncle's office, barely passing a soul. Camp was quite as the men continued to enjoy their day off. I also knew that they'd be somewhat mentally preparing themselves for tomorrow as it was a big day for all of us. As I walked, the cold air nipped at my skin. It was certainly cold despite the absence of snow.
When I eventually arrived at my Uncle's office, I knocked confidently upon the door. I couldn't help but smile slightly as I remembered how nervous I'd been the day he summoned me to his office to announce my transfer. My confidence had certainly grown over the past few months. Rather than being called inside though, my Uncle opened the door for me. He stuck his head out of the door, peering around before engulfing me in his arms. His chin rested on my forehead as he held me tightly for a moment. He let go and I straightened up, glancing around. The corridors around us were empty which I was glad for. I certainly didn't need any gossip passing around camp.
My Uncle let me inside his office, closing the door behind him. I stood still by the door, watching as he walked over to his desk to pour us both some whiskey. He raised a glass, holding it out to me. I slowly moved across the room before gingerly taking the glass from his grasp.
"So tomorrow you're a paratrooper." He spoke finally, a smile tugging at his lips. I nodded, my fingers flexing against the glass. I watched as he took a sip of the whisky, not being quite sure what to say. I rarely got to speak to my Uncle and I thought of him more as a commanding officer now - which was both good and bad in a way.
"You've worked so hard for this." He continued after a moment. "I'm so proud of you, Vivian."
"Thank you." I whispered, finally taking a sip from my own glass. The alcohol burnt my throat but I barely reacted. Over the years I'd grown accustomed to it's taste. My Uncle perched on his desk, his eyes smiling at me.
"Your parents would have been proud of you y'know. It's amazing how far you've come."
"I suppose they would have been." I sighed, looking down at the floor. The last thing I wanted reminding of on Christmas was my parents. We had great memories together but the bad ones were smothering. The pain engulfed my chest, suddenly making it hard to breathe.
"Your mother would have wanted you to have this." My Uncle whispered, picking up something small from his desk. My eyes looked at him with curiosity, wondering what one earth my mother could have bestowed upon him that could have been concealed or so long.
"I found it in your Aunt's draw but I thought you'd want it." He told me, handing over a small, silver brooch with a small, white pearl in the centre. I held it gently in my palm for a moment, knowing that it had been my mothers favorites. For years I'd wondered what had become of it. My Uncle took it from me once more before pinning onto the back blade of my tie. He smiled at me, pressing his lips softly to my temple.
"Merry Christmas, Sweetheart."
