Last Time: Rebecca and Michelle talk with James.

"The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates

Now: Rebecca gets her letter.


Chapter 5 - Toccoa

Rebecca stood in the middle of her hotel room, feeling completely glued to the floor weighed down by the small object she held in her hands. She rubbed her fingers over the embossed United States Army logo on the envelope, checking to see if it was real.

"Are you going to open it?" A familiar voice asked, calling Rebecca back to earth.

Rebecca turned the envelope over, preparing to tear it open.

"Anything that happens, I'm here for you." Michelle assured.

Rebecca's hands began to shake as she hastily opened the letter. She pulled out the folded the paper, opened it, and began reading. As she skimmed over the words her heart skipped a beat. Rebecca placed her hand over her heart.

"You didn't get it in?" Michelle asked, disappointment evident in her voice.

"No, I did." Rebecca whispered.

Rebecca didn't quite understand why she felt this way, well, she didn't know how to feel. This was supposed to be good news, but the sudden realization of what going into the Airborne, hit her like a ton bricks. Rebecca and Michelle would be separated. She would be going into combat.

"This is great news, Rebecca!" Michelle exclaimed trying to seem happy, but she understood what this meant too. "It's great!" She said again, this time her voice shaking and tears forming in her eyes.

Michelle took her friend in her arms and held her tight. She wouldn't be seeing her for a long time.

"I have my orders. I'm going to Toccoa, Georgia."

XXX

"The Airborne?" Rebecca's CO exclaimed.

Captain Marlene Weaver looked at the young Lieutenant before her, confusion laced on her brow.

"Lieutenant Clark, this requires you to apply and the chance you'll make it in are slim to none."

Rebecca shifted in her chair and pulled out her letter of acceptance, handing it over to the older woman.

The Captain's eyes widened and she took the letter and read it. "Oh my God."

She read it over once, twice just to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Weaver couldn't believe this was happening so out of the blue let alone the fact Lieutenant Clark made it in.

"You had informed me you were thinking about shipping to Europe in a few weeks to work in a field hospital there. What happened between then and now that you're all of sudden changing your mind and joining the Airborne?"

Rebecca quickly sighed, a bit of guilt forming in her. She liked Captain Weaver and felt bad for ambushing her like this. "My situation changed. I recently found out that my father is very sick. I need the extra money and if I don't get it, I have to go home."

Captain Weaver didn't want to have to let her go. One, because she was an excellent nurse, and two, she didn't want Rebecca to get ripped to shreds. She took in a deep breath and signed her transfer papers.

"Lieutenant Clark, you were always my favorite. I wish you the best of luck. Do us proud." She smiled, handing Rebecca the papers.

XXX

Rebecca and Michelle stood and the train platform waiting for the train to make its inevitable stop. Rebecca gripped the handle of her suitcase tight and inhaled a deep breath of train fumes, trying to calm herself.

At long last the train came to a complete stop and so did Rebecca's heart. She turned to her dear friend and grabbed her hand.

"Well, this it." Michelle sighed.

Rebecca put her suitcase down on the concrete and took her friend into a hug. "I'll be okay, I promise. Just keep in touch with my dad. I'm sure he'll pitch a fit once he finds out what I'm up to." Rebecca smiled through tears.

"I will, but for the love of God, stay in touch. Write to me every chance you get, to James too!" Michelle urged.

Rebecca only could nod, speaking was too painful and threatened to bring more tears.

"Please don't die."

"I won't."

Both friends quickly hugged once more and Rebecca finally managed to board the train. Once on, she stopped at the first seat and looked out the window to her right, waiving once more to her dear friend.

As the train starting moving from the platform, she saw Michelle get farther and farther away.

Rebecca now truly felt alone.

XXX

Atlanta, Georgia

After a long eighteen hour train ride, Rebecca was just itching to get off the metal prison. With her suitcase in hand, she practically ran to the train's door hankering to stretch her legs.

However, the minute her dress shoes hit the pavement, Rebecca was accosted with the dreadful Georgian summer. Her skin immediately began to sweat under her thick dress uniform and she felt her breath quicken as the humid air entered her lungs.

Not wanting to spend another moment under the fierce sun, Rebecca quickly took shelter under the bus station's canopy and waited for the the vehicle that would take her to her new adventure.

XXX

Looking out the bus's dirty window, Rebecca saw a sign that signified her arrival: Camp Toccoa read proudly on roadside sign outside of the base. She quickly fished out her orders from her dress coat pocket, ready to give to the guard at the checkpoint outside the base.

As Rebecca stepped off the bus, she noticed no one did with her. She at least expected a few men on liberty to be returning at the very minimum.

The bus started up and zoomed off, kicking up a cloud of dirt in it's wake.

Rebecca felt out of place. Had no other civilian men been expected to arrive with her? Did they even know she was coming?

Her misplaced demeanor must had been evident as a man in a military police uniform stepped out of the guard booth.

"Ma'am, is there something I can help you with?" The young man with firm features asked.

Rebecca met his gaze and sheepishly smile. "Yes," she admitted, presenting the guard with her documents, "I have orders."

The guard looked down at her papers, eyes widening. "Yes, ma'am! I'll show you to Colonel Sink's office."

The MP lead Rebecca to a jeep and even took Rebecca by surprise when he opened the door for her. She supposed the formalities around the fact that she was a woman didn't change despite the fact she was an officer. However, she highly doubted the Germans would treat her with such manors once she made it overseas. Rebecca quickly dashed the thoughts out of her mind; that wasn't the objective. Right now, all she should have her focus on was making it to see Col. Sink.

As the jeep continued on its path, barracks, training courses, and men in their PT gear or uniforms appeared out of the distance with various other buildings. The base was bustling with activity. Men with army haircuts were leaping and bounding through the obstacle courses; jumping over walls and high kneeing through ropes; others in calisthenic training. Some even seemed to be on break, playing basketball and other sports.

Rebecca's head was in a whirl. This was nothing like her training. They were sprinting, jumping, sparring, and doing all other various activities that was pretty much unfamiliar waters to her, save for the running.

The MP driving Rebecca to see Col. Sink, braked in front of a building that had HQ etched on the bricked side.

"This way, ma'am," The MP lead.

She was lead into the building and through a labyrinth of corridors. It would be nearly impossible for her to remember the way back outside. Rebecca gripped her suitcase even harder as she approached a door that read "Colonel Robert F. Sink". Her heart rate picked up and her hands began to sweat as the MP knocked on the door.

A male voice called out. "Yes?"

He opened the door for Rebecca. Steeling herself, she placed her bag outside of the office and walked in. The office was small and cumbersome with just a small window allowing a sliver of light enter the room. The desk took up a good majority of the room, that and the two plush leather armchairs Rebecca assumed was for people who has an audience with the Colonel like her, or were about to get bitched out for screwing up.

"Lieutenant Rebecca Clark, reporting for duty as ordered, sir," Rebecca said, giving her most heartfelt salute.

Colonel Robert Sink looked up from his paperwork, saluting the woman in return.

Rebecca looked at her new commander, quickly becoming familiar with his features. He was obviously old breed Army, with stern features, dark thinning hair and a well cultivated mustache.

"Lieutenant, please sit." He offered.

Rebecca was once again a little surprised by the formality the Colonel showed towards her. Surely he didn't offer any other soldier such things. However, she obliged him and took a seat on the ritzy looking leather armchair.

"First off, Lieutenant, I would like to congratulate you on being selected for this program," Col. Sink resounded.

For some reason, the man seemed genuinely happy for Rebecca. She thought that this program came straight from the White House from lack of enlistees. Rebecca didn't think that old breed military men like Sink would approve of such things. Then again, who knows who would green light such a project that allowed women into combat.

"Thank you, sir." She blurted, not expecting his genuineness.

"Now, time to get down to the nitty gritty details." He said. "You have been chosen for this program because of your outstanding performance in OCS. I'm not going to lie, this is going to be difficult for a woman to get adjusted to the routines of the men; however, there's no doubt that the skills you showed in your training as an Army nurse, that helped you achieve the top spot in your class, will aid you in training here."

Rebecca watched anxiously as Col. Sink fingered through her file and what was undoubtedly her application.

"Now, the relative rank you were given as an Army nurse will be replaced with full rank that any other male in the Army has. I'm sure we don't have to debrief you on the behaviors of an officer."

"No, sir," Rebecca added.

A sudden rush of excitement and pride washed over her. Moving from relative rank that women in the military customarily obtained, to a full rank comparable to that of a mans was a massive accomplishment.

"An officer in the Airborne is a massive responsibility and is a highly esteemed job. If you don't live up to the expectations we have for you, I guarantee you will wash out just like anyone else here. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Rebecca nodded.

"Lieutenant, you will be placed in Easy Company. This company is projected to have highest dropout rates due to the harsh physical requirements. You're being placed here because you need to be the best of the best."

"Most of the men have just gotten here, so you are in the same position as them, more or less. Now," he continued, handing Rebecca a laminated pamphlet, "here is a list of requirements for you to follow General Lee and I formulated regarding medical needs, uniforms regulations, and protocol to follow if there's an incident with any of the men, officers included."

Rebecca took the glossy trifold from his weathered looking hand and quickly glanced down at it, not really registering any of the words that were printed on the page.

A brisk knock on the door drew Rebecca's eyes.

"Come in," Sink called.

A tall man with red hair and the most beautiful blue eyes Rebecca ever saw, entered the room. He had a very handsome and gentle look to him; his uniform was in pristine condition. He politely nodded and smiled at Rebecca. She found herself floored by this gentleman and unable to reciprocate.

"Ah, Lieutenant Winters," Sink said, ushering the man into the room to sit in the second chair. "This is Lieutenant Rebecca Clark, our latest medic and paratrooper."

Rebecca and Winter's eyes met and she knew at that moment he respected her as an equal and not just a woman. "Lieutenant Clark," he addressed, putting forth a hand to shake.

Rebecca shook herself out of her stupor and extended her hand out. The Lieutenant gently and respectfully shook it. Rebecca tried to do the same; she didn't want her nerves to break his fingers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Winters started.

"Likewise," Rebecca smiled trying not to let her face blush as she met Winters's blue eyes.

Rebecca couldn't deny his handsome features. She found Lt. Winters very attractive. However, she knew such things simply weren't allowed. Instead, she simply stepped on any feelings she may be budding for the man.

"Lieutenant Winters here is the man in charge of Easy's second Platoon. He will be your platoon leader. Lieutenant Sobel, your new CO, oversees the training of the men and now of course, you," Sink continued, indicating Winters with his hand.

Rebecca nodded, agreeing. She hoped Lieutenant Sobel was as welcoming and polite as Winters appeared to be.

"Lt. Sobel was unable to meet with us today. I believe he's training the men in PT today, is that correct Lt. Winters?" Sink asked.

"Yes, sir. Lieutenant Sobel sends his apologies," Winters clarified, facing Rebecca.

"Don't worry. You'll get to know Sobel well. He's Easy's a damn fine CO and I think you'll soar under his command." Sink assured.

Rebecca however, wasn't exactly buying it. She didn't know if her new CO was actually busy at the moment or he just wanted to get out meeting the new woman that would be joining his ranks. Rebecca wasn't dumb, she knew what a weasel of a CO looked and acted like.

"Now, Lieutenant Winters," Sink began, collecting a stack of papers and placing them on the corner of his desk, "Please show Lt. Clark to the officer's billet. You two are dismissed. Settle your gear and and go over the expectation manual I gave you."

Rebecca and Lieutenant Winters got up and saluted the stern Colonel. Both about faced and left.

Rebecca finally felt her heart rate begin to go back down to a normal pace as she exited the office and picked up her bag. She looked around the small waiting area for the MP but he was gone. Rebecca at least wanted to thank him for going out of his way for her.

She turned around and smiled at her new counter partner; Rebecca knew however, that he couldn't replace Michelle by any means.

"So, Lieutenant, let's get you settled." Winters suggested.

Rebecca inwardly laughed. He was still being so formal despite that they were alone. Lieutenant Straightlaced. She thought to herself. She could feel the awkwardness begin to set in. Rebecca suddenly felt fear run through her. She didn't want things to be estranged around her fellow officers because she was a women. Crushing this feeling was the only thing she could think of at the moment.

"Please, call me Becca, or Rebecca is you must ." She insisted, smiling.

He looked at her, smiling curiously. "My apologies, I wasn't sure what you would prefer."

"No apologies are necessary. I would want all the men to be comfortable enough around me; I want to be treated just like any other medic in the company."

Lieutenant Winters smiled at that and lead Rebecca away from Col. Sink's office and through the weaving halls of the HQ. Once outside, the sunlight and heat hit Rebecca instantly, making her want to get to the barracks even quicker.

"They just recently finished building the billets. Before, all we had were pup tents."

Rebecca glanced around. Everything did look very new and pristine. Rocks were laid down on the ground with little wooden borders to act as walkways and the wooden buildings that served as housing for the trainees looked hardly worn by the Georgia weather.

The base was still abuzz with men training in various ways and as she walked with Winters, some caught a glance of the only woman in a uniform and quickly did a double take. Rebecca would have thought every company on the base would know she was coming, not just hers.

"Do all the company's know about this integration program?" She asked Winters.

He turned his head to meet her gaze as they walked. "Not that I know of."

Rebecca sighed. "They all look surprised."

"It doesn't matter what they think, Rebecca. You're here to do a job; if they can't respect that, that's too bad for them."

That resonated with her a little bit. What did it matter if other companies knew she was here? Easy was her only concern, no one else.

After passing a few barracks, Winters stopped at the officer's housing.

"Here we are," He said, stepping up to the door, opening it, and allowing Rebecca in first.

The barrack seemed nice enough. There were rows metal beds with thin mattresses on the frames with even thinner sheets. Good for the summer. Rebecca surmised. Above each bed was a shelving area with a hanging rod, not doubt for dress uniforms, and at the foot of the bed was a wooden footlocker.

Not too bad. Rebecca thought, even nice, if she dared, especially since this was the army.

"Your gear is on your bed, dinner is at 1800. If you need anything, please let me know," Winters told. "If that's all, I'll be on my way."

"Thank you Lieutenant, I look forward to working with you," Rebecca thanked, shaking his hand.

Winters smiled at the woman. "Please, call me Dick."

She nodded at the him and waited for Dick to leave the barracks before she made a full on dash to an empty bed. On top of the freshly made bed was her gear. For some reason, getting new gear was exciting to her.

On top of some clothes were her new dog tags. Rebecca picked them up and examined the shiny metal. They shined brilliantly compared to that of her old her pair. As she set aside her new tags, she picked up what looked like her PT uniform which came with a white t-shirt with a parachute on it and "U.S. Paratroops, Camp Toccoa, GA." proudly on it and a very short pair of black cotton PT shorts. Rebecca prayed to God that they didn't come up too short on her. She didn't want to give the men she was training with a show. She considered herself a modest woman and wouldn't be caught dead in something too short and revealing. However, she couldn't complain if she wanted to be treated equally. Rebecca put her PT uniform aside and examined her new olive drabs and boots. The drabs were familiar to her, but the boots however, weren't. The were made of hard, corrugated leather and were very heavy.

Rebecca changed into her olive drabs, all the while hoping that no one would enter when she was doing so, and attempted to put on her boots. She winced in pain as she forced her foot into the boot. They were massively uncomfortable and needed to be broken into like a new pair of ice skates. As she tied them up the laces dug into the palms of her hands. She swore they would be virtually indestructible once she got into combat based on how they felt like cinder blocks attached to her feet. As Rebecca began walking up and down the corridor of the barracks to attempt to break in the boots a smidge, she felt the leather pinch her toes and rub up against her skin. Blisters would be inevitable.

All the other gear Rebecca recognized and moved aside, so she began to unpack her suitcase and placed everything else away in her footlocker and hung up her dress uniform.

Finally settled, she grabbed the pamphlet given to her by Sink and examined the glossy paper paper. Rebecca scoffed as she read of over the cover.

"Being a woman in the Airborne is very prestigious, so act it!" It said in jaunty font and a woman in uniform on the cover.

Only a man could've thought of this.

Rebecca opened the pamphlet and began browsing over the "expectations" the pamphlet had for her.

1. Hair must be kept cheek length and out of one's face at all times.

2. Feminine hygiene product must be neatly and discreetly stored.

3. Fraternization with any of the men will result in expulsion from the Airborne.

4. Any unbecoming attitudes from any of the men must be reported to a commanding officer with names and specific grievances.

At that point Rebecca tossed the pamphlet straight into the trash.

"What a waste of trees." She mumbled.

Suddenly, a grumble erupted in her stomach. Rebecca glanced at her watch and panicked that it was already 1605. With a fire lit under her ass all at once, she strode out of the barracks, a strut in her step, boots still still pinching her feet. It was time to meet the men.

- End Chapter -


A/N: Sorry this chapter is up so late. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed. We finally get to meet the boys! Please let me know how I'm doing so far and if you like the changes I've made.