Badstoriescometome is in charge of working on this segment of the series, but he is currently preoccupied with college (cheers to him). This chapter was written by me and is a short one, hope you will enjoy
Chapter 8: From the Shadows
May 1942
Sam was sitting on a bench on the edge of the quad as he continued to stare down at the uniform he was wearing. It looks nothing like the ones he saw in the post office, posters of men who were strong leaders. Men who went beyond the call of duty to serve both the country and the people.
Men like Sam who had just graduated from officer candidate school.
And the fact terrified him.
The major was blunt; he made it clear that Sam and the other men in the class were being steamrolled through the courses because the military desperately needed officers fast.
And it was, because of Sam's big brain he got selected to go to OCS. Apparently, the school in Nome had reported that he was the best student in his graduating class. He privately wondered if the school forgot to mention there were only seven other people in said class.
Sam thought it was terrifying enough to know he was going into war, where it would be kill or be killed. Yes, he felt that the United States was wronged with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but he wasn't sure if he was the killing type.
But now, as an officer, he found he had new things to be scared of.
Chief being; commanding soldiers in battle.
"The men you will be leading will be putting their lives in your hands," the major had said to the graduating officers. "They will look to you for instruction, inspiration, and courage. Do not lead them astray, do not show any fear, and do not forget the mission. The mission must always come first."
With those words ringing in his ears, Sam looked down at the silver pin he held between his fingers. He was a first lieutenant in the army now, meaning he would be given command of a platoon, a unit of at least 30 men. 30 men who will be relying on him to get them through war.
Sam felt his stomach churn at the thought.
How was he supposed to keep his men safe? Logically the best way to keep his men alive was to keep them away from the battlefield. Why not go the full mile and petition Congress to make peace?
Sam sighed at that thought. People say they don't want war and yet it happened anyway.
He needs to keep his men alive, but then again, he had to complete whatever mission he was given. How was he supposed to manage that? Maybe if he gets assigned to an HQ company and works with logistics that could work. But that seemed unlikely. The major said they needed officers on the front line now.
"Look outside and you'll see men lining up at the recruitment office," the major said. "There can be over a hundred men in that line, but I guarantee you only a handful of them will make it as officers. We can find soldiers, but what we need are leaders. What the United States army needs now, more than ever, is you."
Sam never wanted to let anyone down, but with this responsibility…it just might break him.
He often thought back to home, to his parents and to his pack. Back in OCS fellow cadets would snicker and call Sam a "mama's boy" when they saw him reading through five letters from home. But all of that writing wasn't just from his parents; they're also from the pack members. Mostly from his young friends like Kadin, who were curious about what Sam was doing in the world and fighting for the large human packs.
Drawing parallels between his life as a wolf and the life of a man always made Sam smile. It brought bittersweet moments as he thinks back to home, to his grief-stricken mother as she lost all her children to the human conflict. Of his foreboding father who had given him a rib-breaking hug. To his pack who all huddled around the giant bodark and whimpered and cried as he left.
He thought of old Sitka, the wolf who taught him how to hunt. Or rather the wolf who often yelled at him for missing his target. Sam was the weakest of his siblings, but surprisingly he was held in high regard among the pack. Including Sitka. Knowing his old teacher was proud of him was enough to bring tears to his eyes, especially considering how the aging wolf was having more trouble getting up now.
In his mother's last letter, she reported that Sitka was spending most of his days inside his den now. Sam desperately hoped that Sitka would be there when he came back. Besides his father, Sam felt great admiration for the beta that co-ruled the pack in his younger days. Then he spent his older years training the cubs of the alpha. If there was anyone he wanted to make proud, it was Sitka.
The cawing of birds pulled Sam from the past as he looked up at the seabirds that flew towards the great lakes. Michigan wasn't all that different from Alaska, at least the woods weren't. But the city…that took a long time for Sam to get used to. He's seen a car before, but never with so many of them in the streets. The air also smelled fouler and a lot noisier.
Finally, he got up from the bench, put the pin back on his collar, and returned to the school. There were only a few other classmates there, more cheerful than he was. The rest of the class was probably on their way into the city to party, but not Sam. Even if he was invited, he would have declined. He'd much rather stay in the dorms and read the books he checked out from the library.
He was almost to the dorms when he heard someone calling, "Shames!"
He turned and saw an older man marching towards him. Captain Hanaway, a man approaching his sixties and current instructor for their cartography classes. Out of all the instructors, Sam felt closest with this one as they both shared a fondness for nature.
Sam snapped a smart salute, "Captain, sir."
Hanaway gave a rare smile as he saluted back, "at ease Shames."
He waited for Sam to relax before speaking, "Not going into town?"
Sam shook his head. "No sir. I…well sir I much rather stay in for the night."
Hanaway gave a small chuckle at that. "You know, you're not the only kid from the woods. Plenty of your classmates are from rural parts of the country and they seem keen on experiencing the city life."
Sam could only give an embarrassed smile. He's not sure if it was his bodark sense or if it was just him, but the closeness of the people, the buildings pressing together, and the overall overwhelming stench were too much for him. His senses got overwhelmed just by going out to the corner store to find a postcard to send his parents.
"Well, I always preferred to be on my own sir," Sam said before adding quickly. "But I'll fix that soon. Once I get squared away with my unit, I'll be more involved."
He has to be. He had to maintain a respectful distance from his soldiers, but it never hurt to share a beer with them once or twice. Drinking beer was another thing Sam had to work on seeing how he can't stomach the stuff.
It also didn't help that he…didn't exactly see eye to eye with some of his classmates. There was a tension in the air between them. Some thought war was a adventure and they had nothing to worry about. Others thought this was a good way of making cash. Others thought being an officer will just be a breeze and that they will be home soon enough. If any of them were scared of dying or killing another human being like Sam was, they didn't show it.
Sam didn't want to think he was better than those men, but the thought had encroached on him more than once during class.
"I don't doubt that," Hanaway said, his smile fading as he got a faraway look on his face. "So have you given thought to what unit you want to join?"
Sam nodded immediately. "Any unit going to the Pacific sir."
"Really?" Hanaway asked, a little surprised by the quick answer. "You want to take the fight straight to the enemy then?"
"Something like that," Sam with a shrug. "But honestly sir, my brother is a marine and…guess I just want to see him."
It sounded silly and stupid saying those words out loud. But that was Sam's thought process. He could always depend on his older brighter to have his back no matter what. He didn't like to play the role of victim and rely on Tom to save him every time. But now during war, maybe this time he could save Tom and look after him.
"The Pacific is a big place you know," Hanaway said. "You running into your brother would be pretty slim."
Sam couldn't argue with that. It would be hard enough to find his brother on a battlefield, made even more difficult with the fact that they would be in different military branches that wouldn't coordinate well together.
And that's if his brother was still alive. It's been so long since they heard from him in the Philippines. His mother just about fell into hysterics after they heard of the invasion. He wondered how she was now with months of silence from the eldest sibling.
He shook that thought away. No way, as far as Sam knew his brother could survive anything. Bullies, rogue wolves, grizzlies, nothing could kill Tom.
"You know," Hanaway's voice centered on Sam again. "I got a letter from an old colleague; said he needs some strapping officers for his experimental new unit."
Sam made to protest, but Hanaway heled up his hands.
"Just hear me out first Shames," he said in a friendly tone, but the use of Sam's surname reminded the younger man that, as friendly as Hanaway is acting, he is still his superior and thus Sam remained silent.
Seeing no further interruption coming, Hanaway continued.
"An old colleague of mine has been given the order to form the United State's first airborne unit, you have heard of the airborne divisions, haven't you?"
Sam eyes widen. Of course he heard of the airborne. Everyone was laughing about it when they saw the newsreels of soviet soldiers floundering on the wings of airplanes and rolling off of them like barrels and landing in a messy heap on the ground. It wasn't until the Germans used it during their blitzkrieg did people realize how dangerous it was.
If the rumors were true, the German Parachute Regiments held some of the best fighters in the world. And seeing how they single handily took the island of Crete all by themselves added to their legend.
Sam should have guessed America would try and have their own airborne division and it doesn't take a genius to know what the major wanted to ask him about.
"The experimental airborne division is being formed as we speak," Hanaway said. "Naturally we are looking for the best fit men. They'll need to be strong, but further, they need to be smart. They will most likely be fighting behind enemy lines with no support other than what they can carry." Hanaway took a moment to assess Sam's uncertain expression. "Shames, I believe you would fit perfectly for the role. Not only are you a bright kid, but you are also very athletic and stronger than you look."
Sam felt himself flush in both embarrassment and shame. It was thanks to his bodark abilities that he passed boot camp. He put everyone beside him to shame and he didn't even mean to, he almost apologized to the gob-smacked sergeant every time he broke a record.
That being said, just as Sam didn't want to be the center of attention, joining an experimental unit where he would be in close proximity with other people could be troubling. Especially during a full moon.
"Thank you for the offer sir," Sam said, "But I really want to-"
"Go to the pacific?" Hanaway interrupted. "I can understand why you want to see your brother, but Shames if you go there, I can guarantee it will be the marine's show. You won't likely see much action out there and if you do it's most likely the marines take all the credit."
Sam opened his mouth to respond, wanting to say he didn't care about seeing action (as far as he was concerned, he wants to stay as far from the action as possible).
"But," Hanaway said raising a finger to silence Sam. "Is that really what you want? To be in the shadow of your brother?"
"Sir?" Sam asked, taken aback by the sudden shift in topic.
"What I mean is your brother must be tough to be in the marines," Hanaway explained. "And pardon me if I'm offensive Shames, but you don't look like the tough guy sort."
Sam felt a stab at his pride but kept silent.
"If you go to the Pacific, any and all achievements will be outshined by the marines, and if you will forgive me for sounding cynical, that would be unfair to any man, let alone a talented one such as yourself."
"That being said, you should head to Europe along with the rest of the army." The major leaned in closer as he whispered. "This is confidential, but it is more likely that the airborne division will be deployed to Europe."
Hanaway leaned back. "The division will be filled with the best of the best. Men who are as strong, if not more so, than the marines. They consist of the brightest soldiers as well for we need men who can keep their wits about themselves. I know it's been a while since you went through boot, but if your test scores are anything to go off of, I'd say you are capable of thinking while under pressure."
Sam didn't say anything. His plan was to go to the Pacific, find his brother and…and what? Hide behind his brother the whole time? Let him fight the war for him while he worked from the back somewhere?
A feeling of shame suddenly built up inside the young man. All his life he always ran to his siblings for help, for protection. And if truth was to be told when Tom left to join the marines Sam wasn't scared because his brother was leaving. He was scared of what would happen if his brother wasn't there to help him.
I was helpless, Sam suddenly realized. And he always been helpless, his time in the army was the only time he ever truly wanted something, the only time he strived for something.
In school he got the best scores in class so his parents could pat him on the head. It gave him satisfaction, especially when he graduated top of his small class. A pride, a feeling of accomplishment that he rarely felt when he was with his siblings.
Then when he got to boot camp and completed his physical training, he can't deny it felt good. Embarrassing standing out, but good nonetheless.
Hanaway must have seen the conflicting look on the lieutenant's features as he begins talking again.
"What did you think of the men in boot Shames?" Hanaway asked. "Good men? Tolerable men? Men you would like to serve alongside?"
No. Definitely not.
Most of the guys in boot didn't have ambition. Some were downright lazy and kept getting everyone else in trouble and yet somehow, they got in. What are the chances of Sam seeing them again, being put in charge of men he couldn't trust? Couldn't trust with doing their jobs, especially if their jobs were to fight in a war so that they would all survive?
"You won't have that problem in the airborne," Hanaway said as if he could read Sam's mind. "Only the best will get in, only those who want to be the best. The best soldiers, the best men. People you can rely on, people you can trust. People, who will change history."
Hanaway may be laying it on thick, but those first few words alone already got Sam's mind spinning.
The best soldiers. The best men. Change history.
He thought of his time back home, how he always played it safe if not for himself then for his parents' sake. He was always the weakest of his siblings, the one every mother daunted on and smothered. The one who never stood out or did anything remarkable while his siblings did everything.
He was always held back, hiding. While in the shadow of his siblings.
Would it be petty of him to accept this though? Just to get some recognition? It does sound childish, but on the other hand, what would it mean if he went in search of his brother? Yes, he could help him, but how would he if he went to war with men he didn't trust?
As for the airborne aspect…could he, do it? Could he jump out of airplanes?
And what about his bodark side when it was the full moon? Well Tom somehow managed, maybe he could as well.
He didn't know how long he was silent, how long he had been staring into space. Hanaway hadn't moved once during that time, just regarding Sam the whole time, waiting for a response.
Finally, Sam took a deep gulp, but using what conviction he could muster he looked the major in the eye and nodded.
"I'll do it sir."
Hope you enjoyed this short chapter, wished it was longer but what more needs to be said? Next Chapter will be back on the eastern front. My schedule is still hectic but I'm aiming to try and update again, maybe two weeks? No promises but I do want to try and update twice a month. Hope you enjoyed this installment and thank you for your patience, stay safe