SPECIAL THANKS to Vumanchu for providing my dialogues and notes of Saving Private Ryan!

Pardon my grammar and any misspellings. Point those out so I can fix them.


Saving Private Ryan: D-Day


"Are you alright?" Glynda and Ozpin asked James Ironwood in unison. They may not always see eye to eye with each other, but they are friends.

"Sir?" Winter frowned, ready to assist her superior at a moment notice.

Ironwood looked somewhat pale, clutching his robotic arm. "I… It's my arm, acting up again."

Glynda knew that wasn't the case, but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned towards the ceiling. "Our Hosts. Are you able to assist James with his troubles?" She asked politely.

"Of course."

Ironwood felt his unexplained anxiety and tension leave his body, like a person looking back at their nightmare and questioned themselves what was so bad about it. He gently released his robotic arm and softly pat his chest.

"Thank you." Addressing both the Hosts and his friends.

"Our pleasure. If anyone else is feeling distressed or pain, we shall assist you in alleviating it. It is in our best interest to ensure that you all remain in good health." The massive black screen flickered, "Without further ado, we shall begin. Brace yourselves."

Roman breathed out, wishing he didn't finalize his resolve to quit smoking not long ago. "Here we go again."

The room darkened, and the screen flickers to life.

The sky was clear blue. The roaring waves of the ocean calmly masked the storm that was brewing not far from its own shores. Anti-tank obstacles were planted around the beach, impeding any armored assault that was to be carried out.

Saline water continuous flow through the metal obstacles, neither rough nor soft. The air was still and cool. It's the calm before the storm.

June 6, 1944

Dog Green Sector

Omaha Beach

The Hosts read out as the words in white seared into the scenery. "The month, day, and year that this battle takes place. There are ten sectors divided among the invading forces. We shall be witnessing one of them."

Oobleck nodded, "We also have a similar calendar system like theirs back on Remnant."

Numerous of landing crafts were making their way towards Omaha Beach, carrying American soldiers. Throughout the other sectors, Allied forces were also mobilizing; forming the largest amphibious invasion in military history.

The landing crafts sped through the rough sea, spraying water as the bow of the boats dipped and leveled.

"Interesting concept these vessels are. Not practical for our uses considering it's the Grimm we're mostly concern about." Pietro babbled with a hint of uneasiness.

The scene focuses on an individual on one of the landing craft; his hands trembling intensively. He unsteadily grasps his metal canteen with both hands, unscrewed the cap, and lift it to his mouth.

Qrow nodded, taking a swig from his flask. "To soothe the nerves. They're going to need it."

"Poor guy…" Harriet sympathizes with the plight of the enlisted.

Captain John Miller drank from the canteen, the camera zooms out revealing several other soldiers. Technical Sergeant Michael "Mike" Horvath is putting chewing tobacco into his mouth and several soldiers are throwing up due to seasickness.

"Aw, gross." Vernal grimaced at the vomiting soldiers.

The Landing Craft Coxswain glanced behind him before turning to his charge. "Clear the ramp! Thirty-seconds! God be with you!"

"Port-side stick, Starboard-side stick. Move fast and clear those murder-holes." Captain Miller ordered his soldiers. His instructions are clear: all you guys on the left; all you on the right, I want you to move as quickly as you can and clear out the enemy's bunker.

"I want plenty of beach between men. Five men is a juicy opportunity; one man is a waste of ammo." Sergeant Horvath is referring to the German machine guns. He wants the men to spread out to better withstand German machine gunfire.

"Keep the sand out of your weapons, keep those actions clear!" Captain Miller paused briefly, "I'll see you on the beach!"

"Did you understand any of their lingoes?" Marrow asked Clover, who shook his head.

"I think I got the gist of it."

"The second one was self-explanatory." Winter had a solemn look on her face, "Don't group up."

The soldiers are nervous, anxious because for many it was their first time in action. For some, they are only 18 years old. One is crossing his chest, praying to God, and Daniel Jackson (the sniper) kisses his cross necklace and mutters a prayer.

The assault whistle is blown, the handwheels on the bow door metallically rattle as the Coxswain lowers the ramp.

"Clear the murder holes!"

Minute the ramp drops, soldiers are immediately gunned down by MG42s. Bullets whizzed through the air, embedding themselves into the skulls of the soldiers that were to be first out from the ramp. Swaths of landing crafts quickly had their soldiers cleared out by MG42s, soldiers dying in droves.

Robyn swallowed at the instantaneous death that took place in less than seconds. "S-so many…!"

Several students lowered their heads and looked away, not able to bring themselves to witness the untold amount of life lost per second. The Ace-Ops took it better, but their bodies were tensed at the sight that unfolded before them.

The view changes to within the German bunkers, showcasing how much of an easy target the American soldiers were to the German defenders.

"They're exposed." Marrow said in a low voice.

Captain Miller grabbed a soldier, forcing him to the side of their landing craft. "Over the side!"

Causalities were quickly mounting as soldiers continue to advance towards the German's defensive positions, cut down by hails of bullets.

Ren squeezed Nora's hand tightly, "Why… Are they so adamant in…? In…?"

Nora didn't respond, neither did Pyrrha. They didn't know what to say.

"I don't k-know." Jaune replied shakily.

"Over the side! Over the –" The sound of war was muffled as soldiers hit the waters.

Bodies and equipment sank into the sea, bullets tore through the dense water leaving a fine trail in the body of water – blood blooming out from their bodies, dyeing the sea in red. The equipment, alongside overeating before the invasion, sees many men struggle to get it off and gunned down in the water.

It gets worse for one soldier who drowns.

Neptune let out a shaky breath, his fear of water quickly resurfacing.

"Easy, buddy. Easy." Sun patted his friend on the back.

Captain Miller wobbled through the chest-high water, carrying the soldier who he threw overboard with him. They stumbled over the uneven ocean floor that's littered with bodies and equipment, passing by soldiers taking cover behind the anti-tank obstacles the Germans laid out.

Flocks of soldiers advanced in waves, continuously replacing those that have fallen.

The soldier, Private Delancey, whom Captain Miller was carrying, looked relieved having survived the first ordeal.

"T-Thank you, thank –" He was instantly shot dead by a bullet from a Kar98K, sinking back into the water.

"Oh, shit." Coco hissed under her breath.

Ruby nearly let out a small whimper, but swallowed it and steely her resolves. This didn't go unnoticed by her older half-sister, who felt a sense of inspiration and determination formed up inside her.

Captain Miller stared back at the private, gripping the deceased soldier by the arm before letting him go. He hastily moved through the Czech Hedgehog to find better grounds, all while incoherent chatters and bullets ricocheted around him.

The beach was quickly turning red. German MG42s mowed down the advancing Americans, artillery barrages made landfall on the sandy beach, blowing sands and bodies in all directions.

An artillery shell fell into the shallowed sea, not far from where the captain was moving, causing him to drop into the bloodied water. Another shell exploded on two Americans, killing and dismembering one while severely crippling the other.

"There's seemingly no end to this," Penny said sadly. If she could cry, she would had long done so.

"It is one of many." Said the Hosts, "There is no shortage of people and conflicts to expend in this world."

"Cynical." Read Neo's sign. The usual glint in her eyes was missing. A sign of unease, tiredness, or discomfort.

Painstakingly did Captain Miller picked himself up and crawled towards the shore, hiding behind a metal beam. He numbly watched the chaos and destruction that was playing out in front of him like a silent horror movie. He witnessed a young soldier crying, cowering behind cover.

"Shouldn't have enlisted," Roman said quietly to the young soldier on the screen, who undoubtedly didn't hear him.

"W-what's that ringing sound?" Velvet's rabbit ears flickered around, "And why can't we hear anything?"

"The audio perception is currently from the man that you see before you." The Hosts explained, "Combat stress and deafening sounds have temporarily impaired his hearing. Of course, we've also lessened the audio you all will perceive to ensure your hearing does not wane."

He turned his field of view and saw two soldiers and a flamethrower operator running through the beach. The gas tank burst open, spewing flames that devoured the three of them.

A nearby explosion caused the captain to flinch – Blood raining down on his face. The experience was surreal to the officer, watching reality played out in deafening silence or muffled tumults.

"This is a nightmare," Glynda whispered.

"And a real one at that," Ozpin said sadly.

Slowly, he pries his eyes wide open, not bothering to wipe the blood that trickled down his face. A soldier was aimlessly searching through the beach for his missing arm, finding it in the sand to which the soldier picked it off and hurried off to the frontline with it.

"Did that guy just…?" Emerald was in shock by how 'casual' the one-armed soldier retrieved his missing limb.

"He did." A disquiet Mercury rubbed his thigh. "I don't think his mind is registering the pain."

Cinder didn't make any remarks, keeping her expression neutral and unreadable.

Captain Miller tore his gaze away and looked to his side, witnessing a landing craft and its occupants burning.

He then looked down at his helmet and shakily picked it up, pouring some of the bloody water out and placing it on his head. Captain Miller came face to face with a soldier and stared numbly at him. The soldier was trying to address him over the sound of heavy fighting, but the captain was unable to make out his words.

"What do we do sir?!" The soldier mouthed. Reality slowly came back to Captain Miller as his hearing returned. He was instantly greeted by the voice of said agitated soldier. "I said, what the hell do we do now, sir?!"

"It must be demoralizing if their leader is in that kind of state," Elm said with a serious expression.

"It seems he's starting to regain his senses," Vine remarked.

"Captain Miller! Captain Miller! Captain Miller!" Sergeant Horvath's voice managed to carry over the sound of gunfire.

"So, he's a captain…" Ironwood mused.

His training immediately kicked into place, "Sergeant Horvath! Move your men off the beach!"

"Go?!"

"Go!"

Sergeant Horvath immediately pointed at his men "Okay you guys! Get on to my ass! Follow me!"

"But sir! What's the rallying point?!" Another soldier asked the captain.

"Anywhere but here!" The captain advanced alongside his men. Other soldiers nearby immediately took notice of this and advanced as well to keep up the offensive pressure. They paused to take cover behind the giant metal beams of a Czech Hedgehog that offered limited protection. "To the sea wall! Move up to the sea wall!"

"Sir, I'm staying!" A soldier who had taken cover behind the anti-tank obstacles shouted back.

"Reasonable, not wanting to ditch cover and be shot at," Vernal commented.

"Clear this beach, make way for the others!" If the soldiers don't move up, eventually they'll clog up the beach making reinforcements easy pickings.

"This is all we got between us and the almighty!" Another soldier protested, fearing for his life.

"Every inch-explosion-of this beach has been pre-sighted. You stay here, you're a dead man!" He didn't stick around to argue with the soldiers and continued to advance, leaving them to decide their fate.

"If they stay, they die. If they move forward, they'll die." Raven said monotonously, "Their chances of surviving are low regardless."

"The choice is up to them." Said Ozpin, eyeing Raven with a stony expression.

Raven glared at the headmaster, resuming her attention to the screen. "Choice, huh?"

Bodies continue to fall from the firefight from the entrenched Germans, who expended their ammo on the onrushing army of the Allied power. As of now, it's a battle of attrition to see who would wear down the other.

"Mama! Mama!" He came across a wounded soldier who was crying out in pain, clutching his exposed abdomen. "Aaaaggggghhhhh!"

It was unfortunate. He was not a medic, nor can he find any nearby. Picking up a plastic-wrapped rifle of the wounded soldier, Captain Miller wordlessly continued on.

"H-he's not helping him?" Jaune's face grew paler as blood and gore slowly bled into his mind.

"I do not believe he's a medic and with those wounds, he'll probably do more damage if he tried to move him." Vine rationalized, though it still didn't sit well with him.

"He could have called for a medic."

"Perhaps."

The captain waded through the beach – a soldier accompanying behind him was unlucky enough to be shot multiple times. His death went unnoticed by Captain Miller, crouching and moving through the hail of gunfire, finally meeting up with a group of soldiers behind a Czech Hedgehog, carrying typewriters.

"Who are you guys?!"

"104th Medical Battalion, sir!" The soldier answered, not realizing there was a soldier in front of him who died taking all the bullets fired at their direction, essentially saving his life. "Here to set up field operations!"

"Lucky guy, unlucky fella." Qrow shook his head, pondering if he should drink some more from his flask. He decided against it.

"Get rid of that crap! Grab yourself a weapon and follow me!" The soldier complied with Captain Miller's order without any complaint and took up a rifle that was dropped by the very same deceased soldier that unintentionally saved his life.

"Is that a good idea? Discarding setup of field operations?" Weiss asked herself, though the question was mostly geared towards Winter.

"I wouldn't know." Winter answered, "Their military doctrine is different than ours."

A small following of soldiers instinctively went along with Captain Miller. They came across Lieutenant Briggs screaming, looking at the hand that's supposed to be covering his abdomen.

"Briggs!" Captain Miller dropped to the ground and crawled towards the lieutenant.

"Get me outta here!" Lieutenant Briggs groaned in pain, "I'm hit low! God!"

"Medic! Medic!" The captain tried calling for medical assistance but didn't have much luck.

"Now he calls for a medic…" Nora mutters under her breath.

"He seems to know him and the markings on his helmet must have significance." Said Pyrrha.

"The marking is that of a lieutenant." The Hosts confirmed Pyrrha's assumption.

Roman clicked his tongue, "Means he's important than your rank and file."

A soldier took up position behind a Czech Hedgehog and got the captain's attention. "Navy Beach Battalion, sir! I gotta clear these obstacles, make holes for the tanks!"

The captain pointed towards the sea, "All the Armor's floundering in the Channel!"

"Orders, sir! You go somewhere else! I'm clearing this one!" The soldier shouted back before getting to work.

"They'll have to move." Elm said gravely, "Doesn't matter if he outranks him, that soldier has a job to do."

"I wonder how their chains of command work…" Harriet thought out loud to herself.

"Come on Briggs!" Captain Miller dragged the lieutenant through the beach, calling for a medic until a mortar gibs Lieutenant Briggs. The explosion knocked the captain over, muddling his mind, and deafening him for several seconds.

He dragged the body of Lieutenant Briggs, not knowing that the man is now gone – Leaving only a mangled upper body behind.

Mercury flinched at the sight of the lieutenant's legs blown away. "And he's gone."

"It's for the best." Cinder said softly, "In death, there's no pain." Her remarks caused her underlings to gulp.

He staggered forward and fell to the ground as his hearing returns, turning around to see how the lieutenant was doing.

Dead.

Captain Miller stared numbly at the body before steadily crawling towards the frontline, muttering himself to move and get off the ground.

"An awful, horrible feeling… Knowing that the person you were trying to save died and you even didn't notice it." Robyn said sadly.

He forced himself to his feet and begin jogging towards the seawall where the German's defensive positions are, prompting the other soldiers to follow him. Their advance was met with heavy gunfire from German machineguns, mowing a chunk of them down, but not enough to stop all of them from continuing the advance.

"Brave lads." Port gave his respects to those on-screen. "Very brave lads."

Oobleck nodded, "Indeed. I cannot fathom what every single one of them went through."

"More so when this conflict is over," Ozpin mutters softly.

The view shifts to Captain Miller, running through the battlefield behind two other soldiers, one of them carrying a flamethrower.

"Move, move!" Captain Miller said in-between heavy breaths as they got closer to the tower seawalls. Thick white smoke and bullets garnished the shallow sandy trenches a few meters away from the German's position. "Alright, move!"

He passed by a wounded soldier that was screaming but resumed his focus on what is ahead of him. A sandy cover that's inches away from barbed wires meshed with wooden poles.

"A possible impasse." Ironwood grunted, "Anti-personnel obstacles deployed to hinder any advancement."

"Cheap, but effective deterrent." Clover agrees.

Captain Miller threw himself to the ground, landing safely behind the sandy cover while others were not so lucky, being mowed down by gunfire or shredded by explosives.

A radio operator was beside him, prompting the captain to grab the radio operator to send words back to whatever chains of command are on the other side.

"Communication devices. What were these called? Radios?" Oobleck scratched his head.

"Rather antique in appearance." Pietro absentmindedly remarked, trying to take his mind off the blood and gore. "I wonder how it functions. Their engineering is intriguing."

"Shore party! No armor has made it ashore, we got no DD tanks on the beach, Dog One is not open!" He then turned towards his men, "Who's in command here?!"

A soldier glanced at the captain, taking note of his helmet's marking that designate Miller as a captain. "You are, sir!"

"Not something you'll want to hear in a situation like this," Blake said with a serious expression. "Having all their lives, responsibilities… Dropped on you."

Captain Miller took a moment to gather his thought, spotting a familiar face. "Sergeant Horvath!"

"Sir!"

A spray of bullets kicked up sand into the air, forcing them to lay down lower, but that didn't stop their dialogue.

"You recognize where we are?!"

"Right where we're supposed to be, but no one else is!" The sergeant responded.

"Nobody's where they're supposed to be!" Another soldier shouted over the deafening sound of MG42s.

"Expect everything to go wrong." Qrow said wisely, "Because nothing will go your way."

"Can say the same thing from my own experience," Tai grumbled.

"Ain't that the truth." Harriet scowled, remembering some unexpected trip-ups in their missions.

The captain immediately turned around and grabbed the radio operator by the shoulder, pulling him close to his face. "Shore party! First wave, ineffective! We do not hold the beach, say again, we do not hold the beach!"

"We are all mixed up, sir!" A soldier explained their situation, while Sergeant Horvath moved while keeping his head low, rolling through the sand towards his commanding officer. "We got the leftovers from Fox Company, Able Company, and George Company! Plus, we got some Navy Demo guys and a Beachmaster!"

"Their chains of command are undoubtedly tangled up there." Elm cupped her chin. "Different companies and units mixing together in a volatile and hostile environment? Pure chaos."

"Sounds like a huge mess…" Said Sun.

Captain Miller processed this new information and turned back to the radio operator.

"Shore party!" He turned the radio operator over, "Shore party!" He stopped, noticing that the radio operator's face has completely caved in.

Vernal leaned back into her chair with a grimace. "Damn."

"Oh, god." Jaune covered his mouth, his eyes trembling.

The students reeled back from the gruesome sight, all making a series of hurling or coughing noises.

"Ugh…" Tai winced, nervously looking out for his two daughters to see how they are faring. A lot better than expected, especially Ruby who was shaking Oscar out of his stupor.

Captain Miller pushed the corpse aside and grabbed the radio pack, lifting the receiver to his face to contact Cat-F: Commander Amphibious Task Force that's overseeing the Allied Invasion of Normandy.

"Cat-F, Cat-F, Ca–"

He stopped upon noticing smoke trailing out from the radio. With a frustrated and resigned look, he discarded the broken radio to formulate another plan.

"Whatever their plans were, it's literally shot to hell." Raven bluntly remarked.

Two privates sprinted through the rain of bullets and explosions, finally reaching their destination, throwing themselves behind cover. "Reiben here, sir!"

"Anybody else?" Sergeant Horvath asked, reloading his rifle.

"Jackson, but that's about it."

"Mellish here!"

"Caparzo!" Another private named Caparzo sounded off, "We got DeForest's back there with Wade. He's hurt so bad he says he sprung a hundred leaks! Wade says he's all used up."

The scene transitions to Wade and a medic.

"Find somebody you can help! Let's go!" The medic ordered.

"He's battalion surgeon, sir!" Wade continued to assist the medic, wrapping bandages around the soldier while the medic used a hemostat to control the bleeding.

"Combat medics… And they're tending the wounded out in the open?" Elm said in awe, admiring their tenacity. It's one thing to keep cool and fight back, it's another to keep cool and help the wounded while under fire.

The focus shifts back to Captain Miller and his men. "Get his attention."

They all made an attempt to get Wade's attention, shouting his name "Wade!"

Wade and other medics continued operating on DeForest, going far as using a corpse and rolling it over to cover the wounded man.

"Alright, get him off the beach." Captain Miller ordered, causing Mellish to ditch his cover and retrieve their medic.

"He's helping someone." Nora growled, "Can't they see that?"

"They don't want to leave him behind." Ren quietly said.

"I got it! We stopped the bleeding; we stopped the bleeding!" Wade said with hope in his voice moments before a bullet hits DeForest's head.

"All for naught." Read Neo's sign.

Roman nodded, "He suffers no more, at least. This is probably for the best for the guy.

Wade froze for a moment before angrily throwing the bandages to the ground, "Just give us a fucking chance you son of a bitch, you son of a fucking cunt!"

"Wade! It's Mellish!" He grabbed the medic by the arm, urgently pulling him back to the group. "Wade! We found Miller! Let's move, let's move!"

Mellish dragged Wade towards the elevated cover while the latter continued to hurl profanity at the Germans, and began weeping once he reached the seawall.

"Oh, God. Oh, God."

Ironwood lowered his head sadly, feeling the man's anguish.

"This is all? Is this all that's made it?" Captain Miller asked calmly over the volley of gunfire.

"We got scattered pretty bad, sir. There's bound to be more of us."

"Not enough. This is not enough."

Glynda's eyes held great sorrow, "It's a miracle there's enough of them alive, to begin with."

"No kidding." Qrow unscrewed his flask and drank from it.

"This is Dog One exit." Sergeant Horvath pointed at his right. "It's gotta be the cut on the right or on the left! Shit!"

"No, no, no, no. The airfield is to the West," He gestures with his hand to form a picture of the locations. "this is Dog One."

A soldier nearby grabbed planted a firm hand on the captain's shoulder. "They're killing us! And we don't get a fucking chance and that ain't fair!"

"There's no such thing as fairness in war," Ozpin said sternly with hints of pain in his steely tone. The ancient wizard suddenly looked exhausted and turned his attention to from his mug.

His peers eyed him with concern but didn't know what else to say or do.

"Gather weapons and ammo!" Captain Miller's voice cracked slightly as he tore the plastic package to access his rifle. They'll have to clear the bunkers, with or without the numbers.

"Gather weapons and ammo!" The sergeant loudly repeated.

"C'mon, bring that –" An explosion tore through the seawall, killing a handful of American soldiers, proving that they need to press on or die on the spot.

Jaune gulped, "They need to get out of there soon."

"The next calibration will inflict grievous losses." Penny nodded in agreement.

The soldiers hastily ditch their covers to run back to gather ammo and weapons from deceased soldiers and the wounded.

"Reiben! Hey, Reiben! Reiben, Reiben, wher-where's your BAR?" Sergeant Horvath asked the private.

Private Reiben glances back at the sea. "Bottom of the channel sir, the bitch tried to drown me."

"Swear…" Ruby said her running gag half-heartedly, earning herself a head pat from her sister.

"Go find a replacement" Captain Miller ordered, to which the private complied, scooting down to find replacements. "Bangalores! Bring up some Bangalores!"

"Engineer's coming!" A soldier announced as soldiers carrying Bangalores moved in. "Grenades, grenades! Bring us some grenades, get them over here!"

"Bangalores up the line! Bangalores up the line!"

"Bangalores?" Marrow asked quizzically.

"Bangalores are explosive charges utilized in clearing obstacles without risking exposure." The Hosts explained, "They take on an appearance of one or several connected tubes as seen on-screen."

"Oh. Thanks."

Elm's arms were crossed, "Sounds useful. They're going to need those."

"Bangers coming your way!" Sergeant Horvath handed his team the equipment. "Come on, come on, come on!"

"Jackson here, sir!"

"Reiben back, sir!"

The two privates kept their heads low, having safely made it back from gathering ammo and weapons.

Screams of pain and weeping mashed with the sound of explosion and gunshots as the soldiers strained to remove one of the German's defensive positions so that they can continue their offense.

"One more, give me one more!" A soldier handling the Bangalore shouted.

"Oh, my God, it hurts!" A soldier screamed in pain as his arm was being worked on by two medics. "I'm gonna die! Oh, my God! Oh, Jesus! Oh, my God!"

A portion of the audience flinched at the gory sight.

"I'm squeamish now," Neptune said weakly.

Tai hissed at the sight of the soldier's wounds. "I can imagine how painful that is."

"Keep it moving. Keep it moving. Almost got it." A crew of four soldiers manning a Bangalore worked quickly to set it up explosive charge.

A bullet ricochets off one of the soldier's helmet, startling him.

"Jesus! Lucky bastard." Caparzo said to the soldier.

"Skirting death there." Qrow chuckled.

The soldier in question took off his helmet and examined it for any holes, then his head. At that moment a bullet caught him in the forehead and the soldier slumped over, rolling down the sandy dunes.

Qrow's face fell, and seriously consider if he should even open his mouth anymore.

"He… Shouldn't have taken his helmet off like that." Clover reluctantly said.

The crew working on the Bangalore continued despite being one man short. "Keep it moving! You got it?"

The focus cuts back to Wade tending the screaming soldier.

"You're not gonna die. You're fine. Don't look at it!" Wade shielded the wounded soldier's eyes with his arms while he worked on his torn upper arm.

"Glynda," Ozpin said privately.

"Yes, Professor Ozpin?"

"Please make a note to expand our funding for our medical facilities and first-aid training for the students."

"Right away, sir."

"Bangalores!" Captain Miller shouted over the firefight, assisting Corporal William Sampson in prepping the Bangalores. "Clear the shingle!"

"Fire in the hole!"

"Fire in the hole!" Sergeant Horvath put a hand on his helmet and duck.

"Fire in the hole!" Corporal Sampson shouted one last warning, sliding the Bangalores over the top.

"Fire in the hole!" Wade repeated, covering the wounded soldier with his entire body.

The Bangalores went off, destroying the barb wires, wooden posts, and any other obstacles that were nearby – Clearing a path for them to advance. Meanwhile, German soldiers were taking up positions to halt their advancement, nestling down behind sandbags.

"Kaboom." Nora softly mimics.

Robyn eyed the German soldiers, "That certainly caught their enemies' attention."

Sergeant Horvath scooted slightly to get a better view, quickly backing down. "We're in business! Defilade! Other side of the hole!"

Everyone went over the top, sprinting in full gear towards the seawall, or ducking behind what little cover they could find while enduring heavy gunfire. Those remaining behind were mainly the wounded, the dead, and the medics.

Wade remained, injecting medicine to the wounded soldier before moving onto the next with the Senior Medical officer.

"That's it! Let's go!" Said the Senior Medical officer. They steadily went over the wounded soldiers laying on the sand. "Inspected, morphine!" He went and check on another. "Routine!" Another soldier, who appeared to be having trouble breathing, or is in great pain. "Priority!" The next one wasn't moving as he felt his hand. The Senior Medical officer glance back at Wade, who had his head turned back, causing the officer to whack Wade's helmet. "He's gone!"

"I wonder how they'll get the wounded off the beach" Yatsuhashi somberly asked himself.

Fox shook his head, "It doesn't look like they'll be able to evacuate any of them."

"That's awful." Velvet's rabbit ears drool.

"It is." Coco acknowledged with a grim expression, "Gotta be glad it isn't anymore worse."

The focus returns to Captain Miller and his men taking cover behind a large concrete wall laced with some barbed wires. He pushed a corpse off the rubble so he could peak behind the wall.

He immediately pulled back, narrowly avoiding a string of bullets and a rocket-propelled explosive.

"That's a close call." Emerald breathed upon realizing she was holding her breath.

"Son of a…" Sergeant Horvath didn't complete his curse and placed a hand on Mellish's helmet "Get in here."

Private Mellish squirmed a bit, "Fuck, I can't move."

"Mellish." The captain seemed to have an idea despite their tight positioning.

"Yes, sir?"

"Give me your bayonet."

He retrieved the bayonet and wordlessly took the gum that Mellish was chewing from his mouth. By wrapping the gum around the tip of the bayonet, Captain Miller can attach a mirror to it, allowing him to safely observe the German's entrenched position.

Qrow had an approving look, "Smart. Making use of anything you have."

"A desirable quality." Oobleck bobbed his head nervously. "Thinking outside of the box."

"Two MG42s and two mortars. Add 20, left 30."

Sergeant Horvath crawled forward to take a look for himself using the mirror. "There's a little defilade, but it's the perfect position if we got any God damn armor on the beach!" He said the last part of his sentence with sarcasm.

"'If' is a strong word here." Ironwood grimaced.

"Yeah, well… Not everything goes as plans, huh Jimmy?" Qrow nudged the Atlesian general.

"No, it never does."

If only they had armor on the beach, then this wouldn't be a problem.

"Well, we gotta open up this draw! Get this draw open." He turned his attention to his men, "Reiben, Mellish! Let's get into the war! Grab some cover and put some fire on that crew! Davis, DeBernardo, Young, Valk, get ready!" They got into position; their guns trained on the German crew manning the defilade. "Covering fire!"

Everybody opened fire on the defilade, ultimately allowing their brothers-in-arms to advance.

"Go, go, go!"

They soon overwhelmed the German defenders, forcing them to hide behind the sandbags.

"God damn firing squad." Sergeant Horvath quipped to his commanding officer.

Winter looks confused, "I wonder what he means by that."

"He must mean the systematic method when they were providing covering fire." Clover gave his thought to the specialist.

"It's the only way we can get everybody the hell outta here. Short, Payton, McDonald, Parkes! You're next!"

The sergeant made another wisecrack, "Why not hand out blindfolds cap?"

"All we'll do here is die." Captain Miller entertained before jutting his submachinegun out, "Covering fire!" Letting loose a spray of bullets before retreating behind cover. "Go, go, go! Come on! Come on!"

"Go! God damn it!"

With the four soldiers got past the firing sight of the German's defilade, only a handful of soldiers were left. Captain Miller observed the defilade with his mirror, calculating his next step in dealing with the German's defense.

"Jackson."

"Sir."

"I've seen that kind of look before." Ironwood said thoughtfully, "He's going to do something foolish."

He lifted the mirror for Jackson to see. "See that impact crater?"

"Yes, sir."

"That should give complete defilade from that machine gun so just get in there and give me some fire. Wait for my command." He gripped Jackson's backpack, ready to push him out. The young man held his cross necklace tightly, kissing it in silent prayer. Captain Miller stepped out from cover, exposing himself directly in front of the defilade to draw fire. "Go!"

Qrow eyebrows shot up, "Using himself as bait?"

"He's prioritizing his men over his own life," Ironwood said with respect.

The crew manning the machinegun nest wasted no time shooting at the captain just as he briskly dropped behind cover, allowing Jackson to barely slip by. They quickly changed target, but the young soldier managed to evade the hail of bullets, throwing himself into the impact crater.

"Captain if your mother saw you do that, she'd be very upset!" Sergeant Horvath half-heartedly admonishes his captain.

"I thought you were my mother!" Captain Miller joked back.

Elm allowed herself a small smirk. "There's no better time to joke than in the middle of combat."

Marrow snorted, "It's an acquired habit."

"Oh, please. You're always the 'serious' one." Harriet shot back.

Stationed in the impact crater, Jackson steadily trained his rifle at the German soldier operating the MG42. "But be not thou far from me."

He took the shot, silencing the German machine gunner.

"Headshot," Mercury said to himself.

The focus shifts to the soldiers on the beach as more troops arrive on Omaha Beach.

"O, Lord. My God, I am sorry for offending Thee. I detest my sins for having offended Thee, O Lord. Listen to me, Lord." A military chaplain and a wounded soldier were praying amid the battle.

At another part of the beach, a scared soldier was praying on the rosary in Latin.

Yang frowned, "That soldier with the cross marking on his helmet… What was he doing? He didn't look like a medic."

"A military chaplain. They are military personnel who are trained in serving the spiritual needs of the armed forces."

"We have something similar back in Atlas." Winter paused and frowned, trying to recall if they do have chaplains in Atlas military. She didn't delve much into the other dealings of the military, solely focusing on the tasks General Ironwood assign to her. "At least… Believe we do."

Vine nodded, "It's a minor part of Atlas forces."

"Considering how people aren't religious these days," Qrow added.

The focus returns to Jackson, calmly quoting Bible Psalm 22:19. "O my strength… Haste Thee to help me."

He fired at a weak point in the German's defilade, causing the sandbags to fall apart and collapse down the hill. A German soldier was unfortunate enough to be among the falling sandbags, immediately getting gunned down as he fell to the ground.

"Dog One exit… Right here!"

"We're in business!" The sergeant throws out his chewing tobacco as he climbed over their cover.

"Move, move!" They hastily charged up the hill towards the bunkers and trenches, followed by a throng of soldiers.

"There are still many soldiers standing… It's a wonder how they haven't thinned out seeing what they went through." Said Blake.

"Just throw enough soldiers and hope they'll breakthrough." Raven flatly stated, "Isn't that what war is all about? Sacrificing people to win?"

"There's more to it, than just sacrificing soldiers," Ironwood said in a low, dangerous tone.

"It's the principle of things," Raven replied coldly, glaring at Ozpin. "I think you of all people should know that, general."

The Allied troops fought their way through hills, meeting small resistances along the way. The Germans were quickly overwhelmed by the numbers of Allied soldiers pouring through their defenses. The tide of the battle was sharply turning to the Allied powers, but it's a long way before this battle, much less this entire war will end here.

Captain Miller and his men reached the first bunker, taking cover behind a concrete bunker door.

"Reiben." Sergeant Horvath called out the private to prepare a grenade.

"Let's go, sarge. Go!"

"Reiben!" The private pulled the pin on the grenade and toss it to the sergeant, then another one for himself to throw.

The two lobbed the grenades into the trenches of the bunkers before diving for cover. Chunks of solid concrete and dirt flew up into the air as the grenades exploded. They sprang out from behind cover and secured the area, training their guns down the trench that's perpendicular to another bunker's doorway.

"That should keep their enemies' heads down enough for them to get an upper hand," Mercury said as he carefully observed their actions.

"Those bunkers and trenches can be a claustrophobic's worse nightmare." Coco shivered, having been trapped in a cupboard during a game of hide-and-seek. "Now, imagine being trapped and surrounded by people or creatures trying to kill you."

"Coco…"

"I'm okay." Coco quickly assured them. "I'm cool."

Not soon after a German came running out from the bunker and was shot. Two more tried to flee but were also gunned down. They quietly closed in on the bunker intending to clear it out.

"Come on Doyle!" Captain Miller urged their flamethrower operator into the trenches while they toss a grenade into the bunker.

Doyle paused upon seeing Sergeant Horvath unintentionally blocking his way. "Sarge?"

The man quickly moved out of the way for the flamethrower operator to move. Everybody pressed themselves to the walls, waiting for the grenade to detonate. A small shockwave shook the bunker as the grenade went off, sending clouds of smoke through the bunker door.

"Doyle, do it!"

The bunker immediately lit up in a spectacular roar of orange flames. German soldiers silently screamed in agony as they burned, throwing themselves out of the portholes in a desperate attempt to escape.

Robyn gritted her teeth, not in anger but in horror. "A terrible way to die."

"It is." Qrow nodded, gulping down his drink.

Just below the bunkers, Allied soldiers watched their enemies wither and burned away. "Don't shoot! Let 'em burn!"

"Prolonging their suffering, or not wasting any effort on a dead man?" Cinder quietly mused to herself, audible only to her two underlings. Whatever she was thinking, it sounds disturbing.

Throughout the sector, the Germans were slowly losing ground; surrendering or retreating.

A German soldier was the first to surrender, only to be shot.

"Why did he shoot him?" Nora growled, "Didn't he see him surrendering as clear as day?!"

Ironwood offered an explanation, "Combat stress can cause people to act… Irrational."

"Especially after what they went through," Qrow added in.

The other German soldiers followed suit, though they were more fortunate than the first one. Allied soldiers moved in to secure the prisoners of war while the rest spread out along the German defenses to continue the fight.

The Allied soldiers mowed down their fleeing enemies with impunity. Routed German soldiers were chased and gunned down, eventually finding themselves surrounded by a swarth of Allied troops.

"Cease fire! Ceasefire! Cut it out!" Sergeant Horvath motioned for his soldiers to stop firing on the cornered Germans. "Cut it out! Ceasefire!"

"The battle seems to be in their favor," Ironwood noted, sounding very drained.

Glynda shared a similar expression as Ironwood. "So, it would seem."

"Sugar Cane, Sugar Charlie Three." Captain Miller cupped his mouth cover the radio. "Say again, Dog One is open. Send in the doers. I'm waiting to tie in my flanks. Over!"

He took notice of two seemingly German soldiers approaching a pair of soldiers with their hands in the air.

One of them appears to be speaking in Czech. "Please don't shoot me! I am not German, I am Czech, I didn't kill anyone! I am Czech!"

"What?" One of the American soldiers shouted back, guns pointed at them. "What? I'm sorry, I can't understand you!"

The two mercilessly gunned down the surrendering soldiers, calmly strolling over to loot their bodies.

"Wh-why?!" Ruby wailed.

"Honestly, can you even blame them?" Roman started, "Wading through the sea, nearly drowning, getting shot at? All their sufferings, losses and they finally meet the people who caused it. Who wouldn't pull the trigger in return?"

Nobody refuted what Roman said. Even Ozpin chose to remain silent.

"What'd he say? What'd he say?"

"Look, I washed for supper." The soldiers laughed and started taking what they can find.

Captain Miller witnessed the entire ordeal and didn't look very pleased about the war crime that was just committed in front of him. He forced himself to look away and regroup with his men.

Ironwood shook his head with disapproval. His peers and subordinates shared similar sentiment but ultimately couldn't bring themselves entirely to vilify them. After all, it wasn't them who had their lives on the line and survived the brutal battle that took place minutes ago.

The Allied forces have secured Omaha Beach, demolishing all of the German's massive field guns and artilleries should it ever be retaken.

"Hey, Fish."

"Yeah?"

"Look at this, a Hitler Youth knife." Caparzo handed a knife he took from one of the German soldiers and handed it to Mellish, who took it with interest.

"Now it's a Shabbat Challah cutter, right?" Private Mellish starts laughing before breaking down into tears. His silent weeping turned into soft sobbing, finding it hard to believe that he survived what could be described as hell... And the fact that he might have killed a child in the process.

"The pain and guilt that arrives… After the battle is over." Ozpin softly said.

Ironwood turned his head slightly away from the screen, glancing down at his robotic arm. Painful memories revisiting him. Then like a dream disappearing, the dreadful feeling washed away as the Hosts alleviated his distress. He gave them a silent thanks and returned his gaze to the screen.

Caparzo looked somberly at his teammate before looking down on the ground as Mellish fiddled with his helmet, seemingly wanting to take it off but is too fearful to do so.

Several students shed a few tears, caught up by Mellish's emotional breakdown. Even those who were normally apathetic, cruel, or uncaring remained silent. Their eyes refocused at the edge of the screen while they continue to hear the private's sobbing.

Not far from his men, Sergeant Horvath was somberly scooping up dirt into a small metal container. He closed the lid that contained the words FRANCE written in blue marker and placed it into his pouch that had more metal containers containing dirt of other countries and continents.

"Souvenirs from his tour of duty." Clover murmurs softly.

The sergeant kept his eyes on the beach, looking downcast. "That's quite a view."

Captain Miller shakily and slowly unscrewed his canteen to take a drink. His eyes were wide and attentive to what laid before him. "Yes, it is… Quite a view."

The ocean water was red from the blood of soldiers whose blood was spilled on that beach. Corpses of Allied soldiers littered the beach. Their bodies swaying gently to the ocean waves or remained still in the sands.

As far as the eye can see, the sea was crimson red and the bodies of their fallen comrades laid there at rest, blissfully away from the horrors of war that will continue on amongst the living.

The screen darkened and the light returns to the room.

"It's… Finally, over." Pyrrha shakily breathed out, clutching her partner's hand.

"But not for them," Ren said sadly.

"Their battle continues, though we will not witness it." Said the Hosts.

Near the front seats of the theater, Ironwood seemed to be lost in his thoughts, eyes not quite there.

"James." Glynda tentatively touches his hands, snapping him out of his inattention.

"I'm alright." Ironwood calmly breathed out, "Thank you, Glynda. I'm okay."

Marrow leaned towards Clover, "Is it me, or is the general and Beacon's deputy…?"

"Yup." Qrow butted in, with a soused grin. "Or, use too. They don't always get along these days, but it's still there."

"Really?"

"We shall let you collect your thoughts before we move onto the next viewing." The Hosts interrupted, "The next viewing can be… A bit of an oddity like many other worlds."

"It won't be like what we just watched, will it?" Ruby asked meekly.

"It will not."


NEXT: Team Fortress 2: Expiration Date


Again, SPECIAL THANKS to Vumanchu for providing my dialogues and notes of Saving Private Ryan!

Pardon my grammar and any misspellings. Point those out so I can fix them.


I have weekend classes, so any stories from here on out will be painfully slow to update...