"Dear Soldier"

Note: Credits go to Nevermore_red who's amazing story 'Written In Ink' on AO3 has greatly inspired me to write this story of my own and who graciously permitted me to publish it with those parts I borrowed from her story.

Check out her story 'Written In Ink' on AO3 in the fandom of Game of Thrones. You find it under her name Nevermore_red.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Band of Brothers' – mini-series or the book, nor do I mean ANY disrespect to the men of Easy Co. All that is mine are the OCs and a deep, profound respect for the real heroes.

Judy read, and then reread the letter she held in her hands, the spikey, yet oddly uniformed script unmistakably masculine. For some reason her throat felt tight. She hadn't actually expected her mystery soldier to write her back, so she was rather surprised when she went to check her post box earlier today that there had been a letter from him. She had sent her letter about two months ago and where it took some time for mail to get shipped overseas, after two months without a reply she gathered that her mystery soldier must have took her up on her offer to toss the letter out. That would have totally been alright with her, but oddly enough she was happy he hadn't, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

She was even more surprised when she saw the return address on the back of the envelope. There was no whole name written, only Lt. R.S., but what surprised her was the regiment and battalion he seemed to belong to as it was the same as her cousin, only the company was a different one. What a coincidence. It could very well be that her mystery soldier and her cousin might know each other, even more so because they are of the same rank.

He seemed rather stiff and formal, but she hadn't minded. Underneath that he seemed genuine in his words. And that he had taken her words, words she had written without much thought, and the words of her father to heart the way he had, warmed her greatly. So of course she would write him again.

June 18th 1944

R.S.,

Or should I address you as Lieutenant? If we're going to be pen pals, it seems we should at least know each others names, instead of just initials. For this letter, I'll stick with initials and wait until I hear your opinion on the matter.

Do you want to hear what a funny coincidence is? When I saw your return address on the envelope, I instantly knew that you are a paratrooper even though you used only acronyms. How I know this? Well, that's the funny part, my cousin serves in the same regiment and battalion as you, albeit in a different company. So you very well might know him ... I'm not going to tell you who he is though (insert an evil smirk here). Maybe when we get to know each other better you will be able to guess who it is should you know him.

You are right, many people would probably say that your brother is a coward, but I understand why you don't think so and I agree. I only have to remember the conversation my father had with both of my brothers before they signed up in the Army. He basically told him the same you wrote in your letter, that war is better navigated without those who don't belong there. He asked them if they were absolutely certain that they can handle the strains of war, to see their comrades and friends get killed and not having time to mourn them because you have to keep a clear head in order to stay alive, to look the enemy in the face and to pull the trigger without thinking if they maybe have a wife and kid waiting at home because when you think about those left behind you would hesitate and that would get you and the men around you killed. My father asked them if they could live with not being able to wash properly for sometimes weeks, to live with little sleep and only meagre, horrible tasting rations as food, if they could sleep night after night on the cold hard ground with one eye always open to wait for the enemy to attack again, or be huddled in a foxhole while around them artillery was exploding and so on. I guess I don't have to write more about what my father asked them as you likely experience all that first hand as I write this letter. In the end my father said if they couldn't do all that, then they better stay as far away from a battlefield as possible.

I remember my older brother objecting that they would get drafted either way, but my father just said there are ways to serve in the Army without being in an actual battle and if they would tell him that they couldn't handle war as he described it to them, he would help them to find a way around it. It was my younger brother who then said that he didn't want to be seen as a coward to which my father replied that strength and bravery does not begin and end with the sacrifices made in wartime.

I must say, what you wrote how a soldier is supposed to function and that the only hope in war is to accept that you're already dead ... well, it is a harsh and absolute way of thinking and truthfully it shocked me. But I thought a while about your words and I came to not only understand them, but to comprehend them. I know why you would think this way and yes, they probably mean the same what my father told me, but I can't wholly agree with them.

If the only hope you have is to accept that you are already dead, then why continue to fight? If there is no other hope, then where is the point in being there to begin with? I think there has to be something that makes it all worth it. Be it the hope of keeping your loved ones safe or to make the world a better place. Or even just to see the sun rise again the next day. Life without hope is meaningless. Imagining myself in your situation, being at war, makes me realize that it probably is hard to hope for anything. I guess war makes the line between hoping and being hopeless pretty thin and though we still don't really know each other I can't help but to worry about what could happen to you if you loose all your hope. So please, don't loose hope, don't get lost in the horrors of war. Remind yourself that, despite all that is happening around you, there is still something worth living for, that there is hope, even if you have to put it far away in your mind for the time being.

Coming to think about it, you already did. Haven't you written that the four words at the end of my letter helped get you through a difficult day? Isn't thinking about staying safe and staying strong also a kind of hope?

You have no idea how happy it makes me that my words were able to help you get through such a difficult day. I won't press, but just know if you need, or want, to talk about what happened, I'm more than happy to be the person you vent to. Not only happy, but I would be honoured. Maybe it's just me, but there's something special about letters that allows a person to be more open. Just know that I'm always here, and I'll be patiently waiting for whatever you decide to write.

I thought a lot about your offer to critique my artwork, even though you say yourself you know nothing of art. Sometimes that's even better, I think. It gives me perspective on what the average person thinks when they see my work. I have decided that I'll do it, but it might be a while before I have the time on starting a piece as I have currently a job as photographer in prospect that would take me away from home and leave me with little time to paint, if at all. Until then you could tell me if there is any preference of what you want. I can do landscapes or portraits. Any scene you would like? Or maybe a certain location? If there is a person you'd like me to do, I would need a picture of them, unless they're famous, of course. Then I can find an image on my own.

As for my job prospect, I won't tell you what it is about, at least not yet as nothing is official so far. It was offered to me shortly after my first letter to you and since then I have been preparing to meet the job's requirements. In fact, I only just got home a few days ago from where I had to go to prepare for it. If I am accepted or not I should know soon and when I do I'll let you know if there is a change in my return address or not. Either way, know that I look forward to a reply from you.

Stay safe. Stay strong. And thank you for all that you do.

J.H.

PS, I find it very hard to believe that you are uninteresting and 'usual'. What is usual, anyway? We are all interesting and unusual. That's what makes us 'us'. I'd very much like to know more about you and make those judgments for myself.