"You people are at the position of attention!" Sobel shouted.
It was Monday morning and Easy company was in formation waiting for inspection. Nixon had given Elsie a run down on what she could expect. She had bumped into him while on another walk around the camp the night before. She had the layout memorised now.
"Alone again?" Nixon teased.
"I like the quiet." She lit a cigarette.
"Don't get use too it." He smiled lighting his own smoke. She just snorted. "You have no idea what you're in for tomorrow do you?"
"I suspect training and classes."
"Sobel's training," He laughed. "It's a little more difficult."
"I look forward to it," She said. He snorted and informed her of what sort of training they would be doing, when she would be in classes, and about the daily inspections and routines.
Sobel was shouting something about bullshit at Malarkey, then revoked his pass. He then turned his eyes on her. Here we go- she thought.
"Name?" He yelled in her face.
"Montgomery, Elsie, sir!" She said steadily.
"You really think you belong here?"
"Yes sir!" She replied confidently.
"Your shoes are dirty private."
"No excuse sir." She knew they weren't, she double checked everything before heading to inspection.
"Pass revoked. You wont last long here," he shouted, then leaned in and said quietly, "I'll make sure of it."
She wasn't the least bit surprised at his comment. This was the sort of treatment she was expecting. The men of easy company may not be striking up conversation with her all the time but they were being more than nice to her. She still thought they were up to something and decided to avoid them as much as she could until she figured out what it was.
Sobel was yelling at Liebgott now about a rusty bayonet, although she didn't see any rust at all. Sobel hit him on the helmet with the bayonet and walked to the front of the group.
"I wouldn't take this rusty piece of shit to war, and I will not take you in your condition!" He threw the blade into the ground. "Now, thanks to these men and their infractions, every man in the company who had a weekend pass... has lost it. Change into your PT gear, we're running Currahee."
Easy company scurried back to their barracks to do just that. Elsie wasn't thrilled to be changing in front of the men. It was something that had come up in discussions before she joined, so at least she had time to mentally prepare herself for it. She did not, however, expect the men in her barracks to avert their eyes and give her some form of privacy. Was it decency? No, it was more likely they found the scars on her back repulsive. She certainly did.
Elsie filed out of the barrack a few seconds after the men left and followed behind the line. Liebgott was up ahead having words with a couple of men from another company. He then ran past them and knocked one guys hat off. The rest of easy followed suite. Knocking off hats as the ran by. She walked past quickly but was grabbed by the arm unexpectedly.
"Holy shit there really is a girl in easy company!" The man shouted. She ripped her arm away from the man but before she had a chance to do or say anything Martin had stepped up beside her. He hadn't said anything to her since they met.
"Yeah, and you'll back off if you know what's good for ya." Martin narrowed his eyes at the men. They nodded their understanding but didn't take their eyes off her, she continued to glare at them. Martin gently took her arm and lead her in the direction of Currahee. Liebgott and Tipper had stopped up ahead and saw what had happened.
"Everything good princess?" Tipper asked when they caught up. They continued towards the group ahead.
"Yes." She gave a reassuring smiled.
"You're gonna cause a lot of trouble," Liebgott said with his usual smirk. She just snorted and picked up her speed. She caught up to the main group just as they reached the bottom of Currahee. She looked appalled when she eyed it.
"Regretting your decision to join the paratroopers?" Luz laughed beside her.
"Not one bit." She smiled. "I look forward to the challenge."
She wasn't an unexperienced runner- the first three months of training before Taccoa she'd been running laps around the camp. That wasn't too hard for her, but she had never run uphill before and it was taking a toll on her. Her breathing was heavy, her lungs were burning and her calves were aching. She wasn't in as good of shape as she thought. Keep going! Keep moving! She mentally told herself. Sobel was yelling at the company, not in an encouraging way. She tuned him out and kept running. She matched speed with the majority of easy company.
After the run, they were instructed in physical training. Lucky for them Sobel wasn't leading it, Lieutenant Winters was. It was a vigorous work out, but she did better than everyone thought she would. She struggled with the push-ups, but everything else was easy enough for her. After PT, they had an hour to rest before lunch.
She lingered behind to talk to Lieutenant Winters, while the rest of the company headed in different directions.
"What can I do for you private?" he smiled.
"I was just curious when we were going to do the obstacle course, sir." She wasn't doing terrible in the training so far but she knew she would thrive at the obstacle course. She wanted to show the men she belonged there just as much as they did.
"Eager, are we?" He gave a small chuckle.
"I just know I will do well on it sir."
"We'll be running it tomorrow." He informed her. "And private?"
"Yes sir?"
"I'm sure you've impressed a lot of the men today."
"It's not about impressing them sir, it's about showing them I am strong enough to be here."
"They'll come around." He nodded then walked towards the officers' barracks. She decided to head back to hers. She thought about having a shower but saw some of easy company heading that direction. She figured it was best to do it first thing in the morning before anyone else woke up. she hated waking up that early but it was better than having someone walk in on her. As she reached to open the door of her barracks she heard a bark of laughter from inside. She paused and realized they were talking about her.
"There's no way she lasts that long." Guarnere's accent was unmistakable. "Keep me down for next Monday."
"I say she's gone by Friday." She thought that might have been Liebgotts voice.
Is this what they've been up to? -She wondered. They were being nice because they didn't think she had it in her. They just figured she would be gone soon and they wouldn't have to worry about it any more. More laughter from inside grabbed her attention. Did they really think it was funny she was there? She almost laughed, she expected something worse, like pranks or physical attempts to chase her out. She wasn't expecting something as tame as a bet on when she'd leave.
She pushed the door open and walked in with her head held high and smile on her face. She would show them. The room fell silent when she walked in.
"If you boys are going to bet against me- stupid idea by the way- at least give me the opportunity to put my own money down."
"awkward." Skip muttered in the corner.
"Uh… yeah… sorry." George was stuttering. She just laughed.
"something funny princess?" Guarnere asked.
"Yeah, you lot." She grabbed a cigarette and lit it. "I already know no one thinks I can make it. However, I know I will. So, if you're putting money down on it, I deserve the chance to take it."
It was their turn to laugh now.
"You've got confidence, I'll give you that," Tipper laughed.
"I say we take her bet," Liebgott said. Everyone agreed except Guarnere, he stayed quiet. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah, why not?" He said.
"You seem a little uncertain," She teased.
"Not one bit." He returned her smile. "You haven't been through the obstacle course yet. That's sure to send you running."
Her smile grew wider. The one thing she was guaranteed to succeed at. "I bet you a pack of smokes I'll do better than you."
"Such arrogance." He laughed along with the other men. "You're on."
"Not arrogance, confidence," she assured before turning around to get changed. After lunch they had classes, so their PT gear was no longer needed.
"Where'd you get those scars?" Liebgott asked the inevitable question. Her eyes grew dark as the memories flashed in her mind. No, that was behind her, she didn't need to think about it anymore. Her smoke hung from her lips as she buttoned up her shirt.
"None of your business," she stated as she walked towards the door.
She was seated at a table closets to the back entrance of the mess tent. There were a few Easy Company men she hadn't officially met sitting at the other end. She knew them as Sisk, Perconte and Grant. She noticed Grant glancing at her ever so often but chose to ignore it. Not an easy task since he slid over and was now sitting across from her. She nodded as a form of greeting and took another bite of food.
"I'm Grant, or Chuck if you want." He smiled politely. She nodded again, but this time because of food in her mouth. "You're Montgomery, right?"
"Elsie," She said after she swallowed, though she figured he already knew who she was.
"How'd you like the first day of training?" She eyed him curiously. Was he striking up polite conversation? Or was he trying to figure out when she'd leave. When she didn't answer right away he added, "You did great by the way."
"Thank you," she said with a small smile. "And training was a lot of fun."
"Really?" He crinkled his face in disgust.
"No!" She laughed. "Currahee is the devil."
"I actually thought you might be crazy." He was laughing with her.
"Who says I'm not?" She winked.
"I don't think you are." He said. She raised a single brow and he smiled. "Okay maybe a little."
The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Easy company spent most of it sitting through lectures on tactics and weapons. After classes, she was back at her table in the mess tent, eating dinner. She saw luz headed her way, followed by Malarkey, Skip and Penkala.
"Hiya princess," Luz said dropping his tray loudly beside hers. Malarkey sat on her other side while Penkala and Skip took the seats across. She greeted them as they sat down.
"So, you really think you're gonna beat Guarnere tomorrow huh?" Skip asked getting straight to the point of their visit.
"Yes."
"Have you seen the course yet?" Malarkey asked between mouthfuls of food.
"Yes." She continued eating.
"And you still think you can beat him?" Penkala asked skeptically.
"yes."
"I like your confidence kid," Luz said. He gave her a pat on the shoulder, which caused her to flinch. She hoped none of them noticed. "But, I hate to inform you, he's one of the best at the obstacle course."
"I'll just have to be better then, I guess." She smiled and took another bite of her food.
"I'll give you a little tip," Malarkey said. "When you get to the rope squares make sure to lift…"
"I got it, thanks though." She cut him off, she was still smiling.
"You don't want our help?" Luz asked amused.
"More like I don't need it." She said. "At least not in this particular situation."
"Ya know, I'm starting to really look forward to tomorrow." Luz laughed. Her smile grew wider as she continued eating.
It was her fourth day at Camp Taccoa, and like her previous days she was up extra early to have her shower before any of the men. She made sure to keep her showers short to reduce the chance of someone walking in on her. She was feeling good today, despite her sore legs. She was excited for the day, mainly for the obstacle course. The men were just starting to wake up when she returned to the barracks.
"Morning boys," She said as she walked in.
"You're awfully cheerful this morning," Guarnere grumbled from his bed.
"I'm just looking forward to my free pack of smokes today." This got a round of laughter from the men.
"I don't think so princess," Guarnere said. He sat up exposing his bare chest. Her eyes lingered a bit too long, she hoped nobody noticed. But she had to admit, she liked what she saw.
"I've done this sort of thing before." She replied sitting on her bed.
"What, make bets you can't win?" Liebgott snickered from his bed. The men just laughed.
"I've done obstacle courses before," She informed them. "Just like this one."
"I hate to burst you bubble, but this one is one of the hardest out there," Guarnere said. "It was designed by a general or something, some years back."
"Are you trying to intimidate me?" She raised a single brow.
"Absolutely not." He smiled. "Just giving you the low down on the course."
"How thoughtful of you." She feigned gratitude. The men had all started getting out of bed to head to the showers. She got up to but headed to the mess tent instead. Breakfast wasn't ready like she had hoped though, so she took a seat at her usual table tucked by the back entrance. Some men started filing in but she didn't recognize any of them. They were from different companies than hers and she hadn't been introduced to any of them.
Four of those unknown men took the seats around her. She had a feeling they were about to start some shit. She kept her eyes averted, not wanting to trigger the inevitable quicker. They watched her for a couple of minutes. They were all smirking as they watched her tap her finger lightly on the table. Finally, the man on her left spoke.
"So, who'd you sleep with to get in here?" The four of them laughed.
"No one. I wasn't aware they took those kind of applications," she replied calmly looking him in the eye. The corner of her mouth twitched upwards. "Is that how you got in?"
His buddies laughed but he didn't find her remark funny. His eyes narrowed and she thought she saw the left one twitch. She knew she shouldn't have said anything, especially since she was trying to avoid any conflict, but something about him bothered her. The words just slipped out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop herself.
"Listen bitch, the only thing you're good for around here is a nice fuck."
"Someone's a bit touchy," she smiled. She knew she was pushing it. "You're putting a damper on my morning. You should probably sit somewhere else."
"You heard the lady." A Philly accent growled. "Move it!"
Guarnere and Toye had snuck up behind them. The guy next to her opened his mouth to argue but noticed a few more additions to the group. Martin, Liebgott, Tipper and Alley had positioned themselves around the table. The men from the other company wisely got up and left.
"I told you, nothing but trouble," Liebgott said taking the spot on her left. He was smirking behind the cigarette hanging from his mouth. Guarnere, who sat on her right laughed.
"No kiddin." He nudged her arm. "We're gonna have ta keep an eye on you."
She snorted in reply. The call for breakfast was shouted above all the noise so she hurried away from the conversation before anyone could say anything else.
They were changing into PT gear on Sobel's orders. The men in her barracks had their backs to her again giving her a fraction of privacy. However, she did not get that decency from Liebgott. She met his eyes and raised a single brow. He winked and had a smug look on his face when she blushed. She was starting to find his smirk annoying.
The run up Currahee was as dreadful as the day before, if not more so because of her sore legs. Her pace was slowing. Keep moving- she told herself.
"Gonna make it princess?" Hoobler puffed next to her.
"Why? Your money on today?" She joked.
"Nah, I got till next week." He smiled. His cheeks were red and sweat trickled down the side of his face.
"Thanks for the confidence," she huffed. "Sorry to disappoint you though, but I'm not going to fail."
"Well it will definitely be entertaining to watch." He was breathing as heavily as she was. She picked her speed back up, as much as it hurt to do so. I won't fail- she told herself.
Easy company was standing in front of the obstacle looking sour. Elsie, however, had a grin stretched across her face. Colonel Sink had joined them, everyone stood at attention and saluted.
"At ease gentlemen." He smiled." And lady."
"What a pleasant surprise, Colonel," Sobel said. He looked a little surprised to see him. Elsie new he'd come to see her first run of the course. She smiled, thinking back on the night before her uncles left.
"I'm not saying you can't do it, I just don't like the fact you'll be the only woman in a camp full of men." Tony confessed. They were sitting in the study at James' house the night after she was accepted into the army.
"I can take care of my self," she said.
"We know you can sweetheart, we trained you. We just don't like the idea that you might have to." This from James. She smiled at all of them. They made her feel safe. They were her family, her home. She would still have Robert, though it would be different at war. He wouldn't be Robert anymore; he would be Colonel Sink.
"Just wait until after the obstacle course, they'll be too impressed with her to try anything." Robert smiled mischievously. "It's an exact replica of the one out back."
"Really?" She smiled. The three men laughed at her excitement.
"We wanted the best of the best for the men at Taccoa. I couldn't think of a harder obstacle course than the one you three built."
That was the last night she spent with them. Robert left a couple of days after that, and she left a week later. She spent three months in a private camp just to prove she was physically capable enough for the training she'd endure at Taccoa. That camp had an obstacle course as well but it was half the size and held no challenge for her. The course in front of her was a total of one hundred and fourteen yards and had ten obstacles with a running space of seven yards in between each. Each obstacle was wide enough that at least three men- or women- could fit at a time.
"I've just come to see how easy company is coming along," Colonel Sink said. "Get them ready."
"Yes sir." Sobel turned to easy company. "Easy Company get in formation."
They did as they were instructed and lined up at the start of the course which was marked by a wood post. Guarnere and Elsie were at the very front with Cobb, whom she hadn't officially met yet. He sneered at her but said nothing. Her smile still didn't falter. Sobel made the call and they were off.
She ran to the first obstacle, keeping neck in neck with both Guarnere and Cobb. All three leapt over a four-foot-high fence and ran towards the next challenge. It was a seven-foot-high frame with horizontal bars across the top. The boys were a head of her due to their longer arms, but she new she would catch up easily. She was only a couple of seconds behind them when they hit the rope wall and the two-foot-high wall made of sandbags after that. They hit the rope squares next and she could see the boys slow slightly. They still had to think about where to place their feet. She kept her knees high and passed Cobb. Guarnere was still a step a head of her. She was side by side with him as the reached the end and headed to the balance run. There were three set up along side each other, Elsie was on the middle one, Guarnere to her left. The runs were twenty feet long and a foot wide. She had the size advantage now and she took the lead. She was only a couple of steps a head but gain another foot as they crawled under the barbwire. She was over all three hurdles by the time Guarnere got to the first one. The next obstacle was three boxed tunnels that were fifteen feet long. She crawled through it quickly and rolled out of the end. The last challenge was the seven-and-a-half-foot wall they had to climb over. She picked up her speed despite her throbbing muscles. She jumped about a foot away from the wall and caught the top with her hands. She swung her legs up and spared a glance behind her. Most of the men weren't too far behind but wouldn't catch up to her. Guarnere and Cobb were halfway to the wall, she smirked at Guarnere and let go of the wall. She landed on her feet on the other side and ran as fast as she could to the post that signified the end.
She was hunched over with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. She glanced up as the men started to reach the end. Most of which were in the same position as her, all red in the face and huffing for air. She stood up straight as Guarnere, Liebgott, Tipper and Martin walked over to her. They were all smiling.
"Christ woman, how the hell did you do that?" Guarnere asked bewildered.
"I told you, I've done an obstacle course just like this one before." She smiled.
"At the camp you trained at before here?" Martin asked.
"No, the one there was about half of this." She explained.
"where else could you have possibly done this?" Tipper asked.
"Home." She smiled at the look of confusion on their faces.
"That general who designed this course, he built it on his property after his goddaughter moved in with him." She explained.
"He built it because she needed some discipline." Colonel Sink had joined their conversation smiling. They stood at attention. "At ease."
"I Just wanted to say you all did an excellent job out there." Sink added.
"Thank you, sir." They said simultaneously before he walked away.
It was an hour before lunch but Sobel dismissed them early, under Sinks suggestion. She left before any them got a chance to say something. She thought maybe it would put a stop to the conversation- It didn't.
"A general's goddaughter eh?" Liebgott threw his arm around her shoulder. "Is that how you got here?"
"Partially." She ducked out from under his arm. He just smirked at her.
"What's the other part then?" Tipper inquired.
"Hard work and dedication." She answered honestly. "They weren't just going to let a girl in the army because she's an important mans goddaughter. I had to prove I was capable, and I did. Same as I'm doing now, with you lot."
"There's more to war than being physically fit ya know." Guarnere said as the walked into the barracks. "You have to be able to handle it mentally to. It's kill or be killed out there."
"You don't think I know that?"
"Alls I'm saying is that women don't have that same mental ability to deal with stuff like that." He said. She let out a small laugh. It wasn't exactly a humorous laugh, her eyes were dark and narrowed.
"All's I'm saying is you don't know the first thing about what a woman can handle mentally." She walked towards her bed. "we have to put up with a lot more then men do."
She started changing out of her PT gear. Her snippiness caught the men off guard.
"Sorry I said anything." Guarnere grumble, feeling defensive. He threw her a pack of smokes before heading to the showers. She lit one immediately.
