School's over! I apologize for the bit of a wait. Finals are finally over and I should have more free time this summer. Here's a new chapter! Enjoy! :)
Congrats to all the graduates out there! This chapter's for you! :D
Chapter Twenty: The Graduation March
Lemay and Garcia were not kicked out of the army. Instead, two MPs joined the barracks and watched every training session to make sure Lemay and Garcia behaved. Extra duties kept their schedule too busy to have time to bother Suzie.
After everything that happened in the past few months, Suzie allowed herself to celebrate the small victory. She slept better at night and her energy showed in training. It must have impressed Stone enough to send her, Richard, Miguel Vazquez—the winner of the fighting tournament and the first man to earn a promotion in Suzie's unit—and two other soldiers in her unit to search and recapture escaped German prisoners.
Early morning at the beginning of March, the small group drove out of the camp to find the escaped prisoners. Armed each with their issued handguns, a small supply of water and food, first aid kits, and supplies for the prisoners, the group followed Vazquez's lead toward the nearest town, Abilene, where the prisoners hid.
When they reached the outskirts of Abilene, Miguel turned the Jeep's engine off and ordered everyone out of the vehicle.
"Okay, soldiers. Lieutenant Stone put me in charge, so here's what we're gonna do." Vazquez stood in front of the quartet and waited for everyone to nod. "The Germans are probably not armed, but for the safety of the citizens of Abilene, we must assume they are armed, dangerous, and unwilling to return. Barnes and Miller, I want you to go to the right. The rest of you are coming with me to the left. We'll meet back here in two hours, prisoners or not. Any questions?"
"No sir!" the group chorused.
"Good. Check back here in two hours and be careful. We don't want to have any panicked citizens," Miguel said.
Suzie and Richard saluted and headed southeast, following the curve of the city's limits. Vazquez led the other two soldiers in the opposite direction.
On high alert, Suzie brought out her handgun while Richard struggled with a map of Abilene. The wind kept blowing the large map and dust into Richard's face. A mile into scouting the outskirts of the city, Richard dropped to the ground in frustration and pinned the unruly map onto the dirt underneath his hands and knees.
"Our first mission and I can't even handle the map," Richard complained. "If I were an escaped prisoner, where would I be?"
Standing over him while scanning the map, Suzie said, "I'd probably pick somewhere secluded but easy to access. It'd also be near food and water."
A moment passed while the duo scanned the map for any possible hideouts. The wind tugged at the corners of the map, threatening to pull it from Richard's grasp.
"What about the park?" Richard said. He pointed at the central park of the city. "It's near the grocery store so they could get food and whatnot. There's shelter too."
"I don't know," Suzie said. "It's not that secluded but we can try."
"If we take this route," Richard said while tracing his finger over the map, "we can reach it without walking right through the city. The fewer people we bother, the better."
"Sounds good."
Not bothering to fold the map again, Richard balled it up and shoved it into his pants pocket, much to Suzie's discomfort.
"Why'd you do that?" Suzie protested and gestured at the wad of paper in Richard's pocket.
"If you want to try folding that thing in this wind, be my guest," Richard retorted. When Suzie frowned in response, he stuck out his tongue at her, only to earn a gust of dusty wind into his face.
Richard squawked in surprise and spat out the dirt. Suzie rolled her eyes and playfully punched him on the arm. "That's what you get for ruining the map and acting immature, dummy."
"We can still read it, you know."
Suzie hummed and turned toward the city. Letting Richard sputter behind her, Suzie led the way through the city. Taking the backstreets took up most of their time as the duo tried to avoid any citizens of Abilene.
Camp Barkeley had a strict policy about escaped prisoners. Causing unnecessary panic amongst regular citizens would create a pile of paperwork, several meetings, and a campaign to calm down the population. It took too long and cost too much, so Stone had gone on a lecture about the importance of taking all necessary precautions before the group left the camp.
Around the corner of the grocery store, Richard and Suzie stepped out of the alleyway and scanned the nearby park with their binoculars. From where they stood, the park appeared empty, surprising for a city of Abilene's size.
"Whatcha doing?" a child's voice asked, startingly the duo.
Suzie let the binoculars drop from her eyes and hang from the cord around her neck. A little boy and a younger girl stood in front of them. The children had tan skin and dark brown hair that matched their brown eyes. They looked like siblings about the age of eight and ten.
"We're...uh…" Suzie muttered, unable to think of a response.
"Mama said we're not allowed to talk to strangers," the little girl said and tugged at her older brother's arm. The little boy did not budge.
"Well, kiddos, I'm Richard Miller and this is Riley Barnes." Richard crouched down to the kids' eye level as he introduced himself and Suzie. "What are your names?"
"Jack," the little boy said. Hidden behind him, his sister muttered, "Penny."
"See we're not strangers anymore."
"So, whatcha doing?" Jack asked again.
Richard glanced up at Suzie who shrugged. Turning toward the children, Richard placed his hands on their shoulders and gave them a cheery smile. "We're soldiers and we're on a special mission to search for treasure. We think it's at that park over there." He pointed across the street. "But before we can find that treasure, we need to find a few people to talk to. Have either of you seen any weird people around here?"
"Are they pirates?" Jack asked, his brown eyes lighting up.
"Arr, matey, yes they are," Richard replied. "They talk in a foreign language and might be wearing strange clothes with a 'P.W.' on the back of their shirts. They guard the treasure we're looking for."
Jack paused in thought. "There were a few weirdos yesterday who came into Mama's shop. They went to the park. What's the 'P.W.' mean?"
"Uh, 'Pirate…uh…Warrior,'" Richard lied. The "P.W." on the prisoners' uniforms separated them from the rest of the camp. The kids didn't need to know that. He glanced up at Suzie again, who nodded toward the park.
At that moment, a woman in an apron, a faded yellow dress, and the same brown hair and eyes as the children came out of the next-door shop. "Jack, Penny, I told you not to talk to strangers!"
The children's mother stopped short when she saw Richard and Suzie. A frightened expression crossed her face. "What's going on here?"
Richard held up his hands with his palms facing out. "Woah, ma'am no need to panic. We've got everything under control."
"They're looking for pirate warriors and treasure, Mama!" Jack exclaimed. His mother grabbed him by the arm and tugged Jack and Penny behind her.
"It's those damn Germans, ain't it?" the woman spat. "We don't mind having Camp Barkeley so close to us, but keeping those filthy vermins near our city is appalling and against our wishes. Those prisoners are a danger to us, and you soldiers need to learn to keep them under control."
"Ma'am, it's okay," Suzie interrupted. "We know where they are."
"It's your duty to protect America, not to bring the enemy over here!"
"Ma'am," Richard sighed. He still held his hands out to show he meant no harm. "I don't think this is a conversation we should be having in front of your kids."
"Then find those pests and shoot them where they stand! That'll get rid of the problem!" The woman grabbed the children by their wrists and dragged them inside.
Richard gave Jack a quick salute and wink before letting out a deep sigh. "That went well."
"We should get going, matey." Suzie patted Richard on the shoulder. "We don't want those 'Pirate Warriors' running away."
Richard snorted and followed Suzie across the street. Once they stepped onto the grassy area, they fell silent and pretended to be on a stroll on the paved pathways while carefully avoiding the few people enjoying the sunny day.
Keeping their weapons holstered, the duo searched for any possible sign of the escaped Germans. They explored almost the entire park before Richard spotted a secluded bandstand on the far side of the park, tucked behind a row of trees. The bandstand faced a quieter street—a perfect spot for escapees to use.
The duo hid behind one of the trees to discuss their finding.
"There are people in there," Richard whispered.
"I take right, you take left," Suzie replied and drew her handgun. After glancing around at the open landscape in front of her and seeing nobody nearby, she slinked away from the tree.
Richard copied her, heading left. Together, the duo snuck closer to the bandstand. At ten yards away, Suzie spotted part of a "W" sewn on the back of one person curled up on the wooden floor of the bandstand.
Catching Richard's eye, Suzie nodded, stepped closer, and shouted, "US Army! Do not resist!"
The sudden shout startled the sleeping men, who jumped up in surprise. Upon seeing two guns pointed at them, the three men raised their hands in surrender. Two of the men appeared older, roughly thirty. The third man looked younger than Suzie, almost Becca's age. All three had varying shades of blonde and light brown hair, dirty clothes, and tired expressions.
One of the older men said something in German while Richard and Suzie walked up behind them and led them away from the park.
"We don't speak German," Richard said. He motioned for Suzie to steer the men toward the way they came.
"Amercian savages," the German man spat in heavily accented English.
Suzie rolled her eyes and pressed the barrel of her gun into the man's spine. She had no real intentions of shooting the man, but the touch of metal caused the man to settle down. "Behave and we'll be nice."
The threat shut the escapees up and they allowed Richard and Suzie to march them away from Abilene. They finally reached the parked Jeep where Vazquez and the other two soldiers stood waiting.
"Great job!" Vazquez exclaimed once Suzie and Richard reached the meeting point. "Where were they?"
"A bandstand in one of the parks," Suzie replied. Both she and Richard saluted after holstering their guns. "Richard figured it out."
"Excellent work, fellas!" Vazquez checked his wristwatch. "At this rate, we'll be back before lunch. Climb in, boys, we'll make them walk."
The soldiers climbed into the Jeep, leaving no room for the prisoners. Vazquez started the Jeep and trailed behind the Germans. He reeved the engine whenever one of them started to slow down.
Two and half hours and nine miles later, they rolled through the camp's front gates. Once inside, the former escapees dropped to their knees and begged for water in broken, accented English. A team of MPs arrived to return the exhausted Germans to the prisoner section of the camp.
"That's what they get for escaping and endangering Abilene," Vazquez said as he hopped out of the Jeep.
Suzie's boots hit the dusty ground with Richard close behind. She watched the MPs drag the Germans away. Against her wishes, a pang of sympathy tugged at her. The youngest of the escapees—the one who reminded her of Becca—had started crying halfway through the march to the camp. Although they were on opposite sides and the Nazis committed unspeakable evils, Suzie could not help feeling sorry for the teenager.
"A penny for your thoughts," Richard said. He followed Suzie's gaze and gave her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. "We did good today. We found them and brought them before they hurt anyone."
"He's just a kid," Suzie muttered more to herself than to Richard.
Richard followed her gaze toward the exhausted prisoners. The German kid started crying again. The noise pricked Suzie's heart like Becca's sewing needles. Instead of patching together a hole, the needles of pity stung and ripped tiny threads apart.
"We can't control his decisions," Richard said. "We can only control ours, and that's all that matters right now. The only way we can win this war is if our choices are better than theirs and we never lose sight of what's good and moral. If he can't see that, then that's his problem and not something you should be worrying about. You can't fix everyone. We're not gonna save everyone either. The best we can do is try."
Nodding in agreement, Suzie turned where Stone strode over to the group. As they saluted, Suzie whispered to herself, "The best we can do is try."
Stone's voice cut through Suzie's whirling thoughts, snapping her to attention. "Good work today, boys! We cannot express how much we value your hard work and dedication to serving and protecting the American people. Take a break for lunch, you've earned it."
The soldiers saluted again. They whooped and pushed each other playfully as they headed to the mess hall. Lively conversations in the mess hall drowned out any prior thoughts of the young, German boy. Still, Suzie forced herself to swallow the food. Richard chatted throughout the entire meal, talking about Jack and Penny and how he would love to have kids of his own one day.
The rest of the day passed in a hazy blur. On command, she followed the instructions for the obstacle course, calisthenics, and a quick march around the perimeter of the camp. Supper, showering, and getting ready for bed followed suit. She skipped writing a letter to Becca, opting instead to lie on her bed and stare at the ceiling.
In the quietness of the barracks, the German's crying face returned to haunt her thoughts. Did normal German people understand what Hitler had planned? Why would they be okay with it? Did Hitler force underage kids to fight? Did the boy enlist on his own, deluded in a false sense of pride and nationalism by the blatant propaganda the Nazis plastered everywhere overseas?
That night Suzie dreamt of Becca enlisting and fighting in the army in place of the young German prisoner. The enemy in her dream captured Becca and marched to her doom by the enemies—a child fighting in a tyrant's war.
March blew by like the dust on the ever-present breeze of mid-spring Texas weather. Training became more grueling and demanding than prior sessions. Muddy puddles tugged at their boots like a tantruming child clutching onto his parent's leg. The wind pelted their faces with stinging dust. Still, the soldiers persevered through it all.
Finally, training drew to a close. Stone led the unit through a final series of exercises. The exercises summarized their training and reiterated the necessary skills needed to graduate. They went through the obstacle course again, fired off dozens of shots at targets painted to look like Hitler, and ran several miles in the dusty heat.
It all came to a close when Stone announced that the Army Ground Forces Test (AGFT) would determine the soldiers' readiness. He gave a demonstration and explained how the test and scoring system worked. Most of the men in the unit already showed their abilities to work as a team, use and clean their weapons, and perform other vital tasks. The AGFT would only solidify their position in the army and allow them to travel overseas.
The wind blew dust devils everywhere, pelting the men standing at attention. Somehow unaffected by the weather, Stone led the group through the AGFT: a series of pull-ups, squat jumps, push-ups, sit-ups, and a three-hundred-yard run. Those who did not earn enough points failed the test and would have to take extra training.
Despite the duststorm, Stone and several other ranking officers supervised the test. Two dozen men went at each time, equal to the officers scoring the tests. Those not testing watched and listened to the suggestions the officers provided to correct any mistakes. Although they had to perform the maximum amount of exercises in the allotted time, the officers scored more for quality than quantity.
An hour into the AGFT, Suzie finally reached her turn. Once commanded by Stone, she strode over to the pull-up bar and waited for Stone's go-ahead.
"Do you know what to do, Barnes?" Stone asked. He held a clipboard in one hand and a watch in the other.
"Yes, sir," Suzie replied. She had proved herself capable of completing a mission when she and Richard found the escaped prisoners. This test gave her the chance to show she could manage the physical demands of war.
"Ready whenever you are," Stone said and motioned at the pull-up bar standing next to him.
Stepping closer to the equipment, Suzie shook out her arms, let out a deep breath, and positioned herself underneath the bar. On her tiptoes, she reached up and gripped the metal bar. It burned a little from the heat it had soaked up from the sun. She ignored it and adjusted her hold to the correct form. She spared a glance at Stone who nodded.
"On three," Stone said. He raised his watch. "One, two, three."
At that, Suzie pulled herself up, her chin brushing the top of the bar. Letting herself ease down, she dropped to a dead hang with her elbows and legs straight before pulling herself up again.
On the fifth pull-up, Stone reached out and placed a hand on Suzie's back, preventing her from unconsciously swinging.
"No swinging," Stone said. He remove his hand and allowed Suzie to finish the pull-up correctly.
Focused on the exercise, her arms burned with repeated movement. Suzie forced herself through as many pull-ups as she could manage. When she finally dropped to the ground and shook out her arms again, Stone jotted down a few notes on his clipboard.
"Twelve full pull-ups. That'll earn you seventy-four points. Well done," Stone said. He motioned at the open ground next to the pull-up bar. "Squat jumps are next."
Squatting down against her right heel and her left foot slightly ahead of the other, Suzie clasped her hands palm-down on top of her head. Stone counted down again and Suzie sprang upward until her feet cleared the ground and her knees straightened. She reversed her feet to squat down onto her left heel. She managed thirty-nine squat jumps before she stopped.
"Thirty-nine means fifty-nine points. Keep up the hard work."
Next were push-ups. Once in position with her palms flat on the ground and directly below her shoulders, Suzie straightened her body like a board. Stone sat on the ground beside her and placed a hand on the ground beneath her chest.
At the go-ahead, Suzie lowered herself to the ground. Her chest briefly touched the top of Stone's hand and she pushed herself up again. Stone offered a few pointers whenever her hips or abdomen did not sync together.
"Fifty-two!" Stone exclaimed when Suzie could no longer hold the correct form. "Ninty-seven points! That's your best one yet."
Two more to go. Suzie thought as she lay flat on the ground and laced her hands behind her head. Her arms shook a little from the strain of the previous exercises. At least, she could give her arms and legs a little break as Stone held Suzie's ankles for the sit-ups.
After Stone counted down, Suzie raised her upper body and rotated it to the left far enough to touch her right elbow to her left knee. Lowering her body flat to the ground, she raised herself and touched her right knee with her right elbow. The repeated motion continued for two minutes until Stone called time.
"Sixty-six earns you eighty points. You're almost there." Stone stood up and extended a hand to pull Suzie to her feet.
Sweat poured down Suzie's face. The sun blazed upon her exposed skin and soaked into her tank top. She could feel the sweat roll down her back after she struggled to her feet and brushed off the dirt that clung to her sweaty top.
"Last one, Barnes. You can do it."
Twenty-three other men lined up at the makeshift track outlined into four-foot wide lanes that were sixty yards long. Small, wooden stakes stood at a right angle to each lane, marking the designated targets.
Suzie stepped up to the starting line and nervously glanced at the men around her. Most of them towered over her. All the men at the starting line were shirtless, exposing their rippling figures. Sweat glistened on their bare skin. Suzie tore her eyes from the nearest man's rock-hard abs and swallowed whatever spit she could muster down her parched throat. The men were attractive, and rather intimating. Now she could understand what Steve felt, being the smallest person present.
"You're competing against yourself, not each other," Stone reminded, easing some of the tension in Suzie's stiff body. He directed the reminder to the group but he held Suzie's eyes while he said it. Like the other officers, Stone braced a foot sideways against Suzie's rear foot as the runners crouched into a starting position.
A leading officer shouted, "On your mark; get set, go!"
At "go", Suzie pushed off from Stone's foot, running about ninety-percent max speed. She reached her lane's wooden stake a few seconds behind the other men and ran around it from right to left. Heading toward the start line, she curved around the other stake and ran for the first one again. She completed that turn, ran to the start, turned once more, and ran across the finish line opposite from where she started to complete five total turns to run a total of three hundred yards.
Blood rushed through her ears and she sucked in several winded breaths. She immediately placed her hands on her knees and coughed to ease the hammering in her chest.
"Hey!" Richard exclaimed. He dashed over to join Suzie and helped her stand upright. "How are you feeling?"
Suzie huffed out a groan and squeezed her eyes shut as she clasped her hands on top of her head.
"Wait 'til your turn," Suzie muttered through deep breaths. She walked around in a circle, copying the other men who finished their testing.
"Well done, Barnes!" Stone said. He remove a scorecard from his clipboard and handed it to Suzie. "You finished the run in fifty-one and a half seconds, earning you fifty points, totaling three-hundred and sixty. Congratulations, you passed."
"Thank you, sir," Suzie wheezed and gave a shaky salute. Her limbs shook like noodles, too sore to cooperate.
A corner of Stone's lips curled upward ever so faintly. "Go stretch with the others and get some rest." To Richard, he said: "Miller, get back in line. I hope you're ready for your turn."
Richard nodded and gave Suzie a pat on the back. "Congrats!" he whispered into Suzie's ear.
Suzie smiled through the aches. "Good luck, carrot-top!" she called after Richard.
Richard spun around and gave her a quick, two-finger salute before disappearing into the crowd.
Pride swelled in Suzie's chest as she hobbled over to the other men stretching in the shade of a building.
She did it. She passed.
And she was one step closer to finding Bucky and raining down hellfire upon Hydra.
"We are gathered here today to recognize the hard work and dedication you have displayed throughout your time here at Camp Barkeley," Stone announced to the men gathered in the main training area of the camp. "I've been witness to the training and camaraderie. Seeing you start from nothing and develop into strong, capable soldiers makes me hope you are proud to serve the United States.
"I would like to congratulate all of you for completing your training here at Camp Barkeley. It'll be tough over there and ya'll will continue to train and learn new skills necessary for winning this war. I officially welcome you to the 358th Infantry Regiment of the 90th Infantry Division. Go make your country proud!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd. Stone stepped away from the microphone and stood at attention, facing the raised US flag. The military band began to play the National Anthem while the new members of the 358th Infantry Regiment stood in salute.
Suzie watched the flag ripple in the wind, the fabric snapping like bullets pelting the wooden, practice targets. The music of the band washed over her, lifting her spirits to the sky.
The war had raged on for far too long, claiming lives and tearing families apart. Yet, the flag still flew—a beacon of hope in the dim future of the world. The stars on the flag shone in the sun, illuminating the soldiers' future battles.
United as one, fighting as one—the Allied Forces would win this war. It would take valor and hardiness—the red on the flag dark like the blood shed for the freedom of this nation. In the white stripes of the flag stood the purity and innocence of people who the soldiers sought to protect. Blue like the dark sky dotted with endless stars illuminating the path of vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
Now an official soldier of an infantry division, Suzie hummed along to the national anthem.
Let the enemies come and the bombs burst into firey explosions—Old Glory will still stand and fight through it all.
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph will wave,
Over the land of the Free and the home of the Brave.
The last two lines are from Francis Scott Key's "Star Spangled Banner." I vaguely knew there was more to the song than what we (US people) usually sing. It's a beautiful song and I wonder why we don't sing the full thing.
Camp Barkeley did house German prisoners, who did escape and were found sleeping in Abilene's central park bandstand. Also, the 90th Infantry Division and 358th Infantry Regiment are real. (In case you were confused, the 358th is a smaller part of a larger infantry division: the 90th.) I plan to roughly follow the 358th missions and whereabouts to the best of my ability and research. Keep in mind, there will be creative liberties, so not everything is 100% historically accurate.
Anyhoo, I am not an expert in military proceedings, training, and whatnot. Lemay and Garcia are still in Suzie's unit simply because I want them in a future scene. Plus, it's not a Captain America story without a bully. I mean, that's the whole central idea behind Cap's story/motivations (aside from his movies/actions being centered around saving/protecting Bucky). He doesn't like bullies and he doesn't care where they come from. I'm sure, in real life, Lemay and Garcia would probably be kicked out of the army. At the very least, they have MPs watching them and keeping them away from Suzie and Richard.
On another note, I did a lot of research about Army basic training graduations. The AGFT is real although the Army adjusted it to a modern Amry Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). This website ( health-fitness/fitness/are-you-as-fit-as-a-world-war-ii-gi/) gives a lot of information about the AGFT. I'm not quite sure what exactly happens next after soldiers move on from basic during WW2. Due to my lack of knowledge (and Google not giving me the answers I want), please don't be confused if Suzie is immediately overseas in the next chapter. I want the story to move along. Trust me, we're getting to the good stuff soon. :)