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Sorry for putting this up and then take it Down, I realised I put up my unedited version
February 1945 somewhere in France
Easy Company Where orders on board the 40-and 8s the French rail boxcars that held forty men or eight horses. The weather was sunny and warm the 40 and 8s were knee-deep in straw, there was plenty to eat and nobody was shooting at them.
Winters, Nixon who were drunk as a skunk, Katie and Amy were gathered around the rail depot.
Nixon pulled out a small box "Before I forget, Colonel Sink has been unhappy with the appearance of your uniform, says it's not befitting your rank" Nixon threw Winters a small box.
Winters looked at Katie who shrugged, she had no idea what the S3 officer were talking about.
Winters opened his box and revealed what was in it "Oak leaves" Winters said
Nixon jumped to attention and gave Winters a small salute.
The train ride lasted 18 hours and Amy was getting jumpy. She had a surprise for Speirs in her footlocker; it was his Christmas present. She just never got the chance to give it to him, with them being in Bastogne and all.
In Moumelon, the company were billeted in green twelve-man tents. Once again, Amy was sharing a tent with Katie and Mia. The nurse and the doctor were busy at the hospital, so Amy spend most of her time with the men and Speirs.
The first task was to get clean. There were showers, although the water was lukewarm at best. However, for the men and women who had not a shower since leaving Mourmelon ten weeks ago it was heaven.
Amy and Mia was standing outside waiting for the men to finish on occasion they yelled for them to hurry the heck up.
Once the last man, who was a poor private from D Company was done Mia and Amy hurried in. Amy just stepped into the shower with her uniform on and started to strip. The dirt mixed with blood of her killed and wounded friend mixed with the water. A flood of dirty water ran down Amy.
Mia looked over at Amy and noticed the dirty water, she nodded towards Amy's legs and Amy looked down at the water that ran down her legs and down the drain, in way it was very therapeutic and Amy felt refreshed and cleansed by the time she stepped out of the shower.
With the peace and comfort of Moumelon came the task of integrating the new replacements into the company. The replacements arrived, duffel bags slung over their shoulders. Full of piss and vinegar ready to jump into berlin and take on Jerry.
Winters were sitting at his desk at HQ, he was grumbling and Katie who were half-asleep on the couch swore she heard him let out a few choice words.
"Dick what's wrong" Katie asked him
"I need to bolster up my staff, but I can't figure out what way to go" Winters answered. He let out a sigh and put his hands behind his head.
With Welsh serving as battalion S3, his choice of officers for the XO position were limited. He could promote Cox and let him take the position as XO, but that would mean he had to reel in Speirs and Amy and that was not something he wanted to do.
Now McMillan from D. Company, now there was an officer, you knew you were talking to a man when you talked to him. McMillan was a great leader and he was there for the men the whole time.
"I am going to promote Amy to XO and leave McMillan with Dog," Winters mumbled and signed the rooster.
"Best decision ever," Katie said
…
"Lieutenant Hunt…You're wanted at battalion HQ" Vest handed Amy a piece of paper and left.
Amy unfolded the paper it said that she was to report to HQ immediately. Amy got on her feet and walked over to the open tent door, she looked around, and Mourmelon was buzzing with bored Easy company men. The morning callisthenic and the mind numbing drilling wasn't cutting it for them. On a maneuver Liebgott about lost and charged at a fixed position with fixed bayonet like a crazy person.
Stepping out of the tent and passing the square had Amy thinking about the last time she was there and a shiver ran down her spine. Dike the fucker wasn't there to bother her this time and things with Speirs was a good.
When she arrived at HQ someone opened the door for her, guess they were expecting her. She stepped into Winters office and about had a heart attack, when she saw all her fellow officers there. She looked around, when her eyes met the smiling eyes of her best friend she calmed down.
"Lieutenant Hunt, you are here by promoted to Captain and you are to serve as battalion XO" Amy could feel her heart drop, that meant she had to leave the men
"With all due respect…I" Amy started to protest
Winters motioned for her to stop "Captain you can't turn this one down"
Amy could tell there was no way getting around this one "Thank you Sir I am honored"
Speirs pinned her captain's bar on her uniform and Nixon thought this called for a celebration. He didn't noticed the worried look on Mia's face when he pulled out a bottle of Whiskey.
…
Nixon's drinking problems didn't go unnoticed at Regiment. Sink sought out Winters.
"I have a problem Dick" Sink said and sat on the chair in front of Winters desk.
Winters knew what would come next so it was no surprise when Sink told him that Nixon was drunk all the time "I mean, I certainly knock down a few myself at night and when off duty, I can't get any damn work out of him. How did you find him to work with?"
"Well Nixon and I get along very well" Winters told Sink and thought it was funny as hell, that Sink was complaining about Nixon's drinking when Sinks nickname was bourbon Bob.
"Well you can have him back, hell every time I need him he is here anyways, so you might as well keep him" Sink left and Winters now had to tell Nixon about his demotion.
Operation varsity...The 101st thought it would be theirs, but at the last minute it was given to the 17th airborne. Sink decided to send Nixon along as an observer.
Nixon was jumpmaster and in the first seat by the door on his plane. As they took off, they could see the boys from Easy yelling and giving them the V sign.
Nixon opted to remove the door after take-off; he was looking out the door, so he could see when they reached the drop zone.
Nixon motioned for the men to "stand up, hook on, and sound of for equipment check"
Nixon waited for the green light to come on; seconds after they got the green light, the plane took a direct hit over the drop zone.
Nixon grabbed the man next to him and threw himself and the man out of the plane, all he could think about was getting to safety.
Both their chutes opened and they watched how the plane crashed, only one other soldier had made it out.
When they arrived at the assembly, point Nixon informed the CO of the battalion what happened and returned to the CP to drink himself to sleep.
Nixon was hung over was send back over the Rhine and flown back to Mourmelon.
On the way back, just a little outside the camp, he drove past Mia and Lipton, "Was that Captain Nixon?" Mia asked Lipton
"I think so," Lipton said
"What the hell is he doing in his harness?" Mia asked
"I don't know, but let's find out" Lipton said and started to walk back towards camp
Nixon didn't speak a word on the way back to camp; he was thinking about Lane and all he men who died in vain. When he drove into camp, he almost hit Speirs and his most recent loot.
Nixon just got out and walked inside his billet, he went straight for the booze.
"Do really think that is the answer?" Mia, who had followed asked him
"Yep" was all Nixon said
"I don't and if you don't talk to me, you are going to be a very lonely soldier soon" Mia took of her helmet and started to shrug of her jacket.
"I just don't know what I am doing here anymore, why do we fight, can you tell me that?" Nixon asked her
Mia shrugged I don't know, but I have feeling we will find out soon enough.
Dick walked into the room, Mia picked up her jacket, she gave Winters a look that said I tried, but failed. Winters looked at the drink Nixon had just poured and then look at Mia, who just threw her hand up, to motion she wanted to stay out of whatever was coming and then she left.
"So you are making combat jumps with the 17th, while I am in supply briefings all morning"
Nixon started to take off his boots "Yeah lucky me"
"Well congratulations, you are probably the only officer in the 101st with three stars over your jump wings"
Nixon just looked at winters "Yeah I never fired my weapon in combat ha"
"Really? Never not even with all the action we seen?" Winters asked him
"Not a round" Nixon said and walked over and poured himself another drink
"So, how did it go this morning? The Jump?" Winters asked
"Great, fantastic, we took a direct hit over the drop zone, I got out, and two others got out" Nixon said
"And the rest of the boys?" Winters asked
"They blew up over Germany somewhere, boom" Nixon said
"Yeah, I am sorry" Winters answered him
"About what?" Nixon asked
"About the boys' tough situation" Winters answered
"Oh yeah the boys, yeah terrible, oh well it wasn't me" Nixon said
At this point Nixon took his drink and gulped it down.
"The real tragedy is, they also lost their CO, so guess who gets to write all the letters home?" Nixon threw his empty bottle in a bucket besides the door to the living room and walked thru it.
Dick followed him; Nixon scrounged for some more Vat 69 and found some in a near empty bottle.
He then sat down on a chair; Winters turned and looked at him "I got a visit from Colonel Sink this morning"
"Yeah, how is the good colonel" Nixon asked
"Concerned, still drinking nothing but the Vat 69," Winters answered him
"Nothing but the finest for Mrs. Nixon's baby boy" Nixon said and saluted Winters with his drink
"Is that a problem up at regiment?" Winters asked him
"What this? Is that what he said? I just don't like up there" Nixon asked him
"Good, you be glad to hear Sink is transferring you back down to battalion S3" Winters told Nixon
"What do you think I should write to the parents?" Nixon asked his friend
"Did you hear what I said Nix, you been demoted" Winters asked him
"Demoted, yeah got it, because I don't know how to tell them their kids never even made it out of the god damn plane," Nixon retorted
"You tell them what you always tell them, their sons died as heroes," Winters told him
"You really still believe that?" asked Winters
"Yeah, yeah I do, don't you?" Winters asked Nixon
…
As March ended so, did the pleasant stay at the old garrison. The men of the 101st climbed back onto the trucks, this time bound for the west bank of the Rhine, the last obstacle to the heartland of Germany.
A couple of days later and for Nixon a couple of bottles later, Speirs, Amy, Welsh, Lipton, Mia and Nixon was gathered in the living room of Nixon's billet.
The boys was playing poker, well the boys and Mia, and she was cleaning them out. Welsh and Speirs was talking about how they couldn't believe, how Ike was going to let the Russians get Berlin.
Nixon was running out of Vat 69 and suddenly got up "Deal me out" he said and walked out
Welsh looked around at the others "Are we waiting on him again?"
"Yeah, we're waiting" Lipton said
Nixon walked out of the house, it was pouring rain, he was officially out of Vat69. It was pouring rain. Nixon didn't notice, he was numb and he wallowed in the feeling he was drinking to keep himself from feeling his loss.
His loss of purpose, of the love of his life and the loss of control over his own life. He picked up a garbage can and threw it thru the window causing the owner to open the window and scream Wie ist da.
A MP patrol pulled up. Nixon felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned his head and looked into the eyes of Amy, and she motioned for him to follow her. Amy led Nixon into his room and got him out of his wet clothes.
"Do you think she will be back?" Nixon asked
"I know she will" Amy answered, not sure if she was lying or not.