Another chapter out faster than I originally anticipated - I hope ya'll don't mind me updating so quickly! I've been very inspired, even though looking back at my old writing is quite cringeworthy haha. Regardless, reviews are always appreciated!
Shout-out to my pal from Tumblr icanttellthemthatsir for helping with the German translation! You're the best!
Also, thank you to both BabyT2699 and Byron W.4 for being my two biggest supporters! XOXO
Chapter 8: Familiar Faces
Normandy, France
June 6th, 1944
Marie's eyelids fluttered open, she rubbed them drowsily, realizing that she was still sitting in the dark and noisy C-47. She looked down at her hand; it was still entwined with Toye's and clutching his for dear life. Her hand had become numb for holding his for so long, but she saw that he was asleep so she didn't want to move and disturb him.
Marie glanced around the plane seeing that most of the guys seemed content. Some were smoking, most resting their eyes, she saw that even Malarkey had fallen asleep, too. Dozing had helped ease some of Marie's anxiety, but she could still feel the bit of nervous butterflies in her stomach. It was either the butterflies, or feeling queasy from the airsickness pills; she didn't know which she'd prefer.
The plane began to jitter a little, making Marie hop in her seat. Marie shrugged it off as a bit of turbulence, and then shut her eyes to catch up on some more sleep. The sound of explosions and distant gunfire made Marie's eyes shoot open once again. Marie peered at the end of the seats to the exit where they'd be jumping out of. Buck was looking outside - flashes of red and orange reflected off of his pale skin, and mystified blue eyes.
Something bad was happening outside.
The plane jerked and rocked more, causing everyone to become violently stirred awake. The sound of the antiaircraft artillery was deafening, even more than the sound of the C-47's engine. Buck turned to the platoon of wide-eyed soldiers, and motioned for them to hook up. The red light suddenly flashed on; the sight of it made Marie's stomach drop to her knees. The plane was traveling way too fast to jump out at this speed, but the piolets were desperate to get them out. As the light turned green, solider after soldier leaped out the exit Marie saw Malarkey and Guarnere already jump out of the plane and disappear into the fray.
Marie's place climbed up in line when the plane lurched, knocking everyone over as they hung suspended by their hooks. For a split-second, Marie was afraid the plane had been hit. She gained her footing again then stood up, readying herself to jump out of the plane. Buck motioned her to move up, waving his hands frantically as she struggled her way up the line, dragging her hook on the static line. Staying on the damned plane was even more dangerous than actually jumping out into the artillery littered air.
Marie made it to the exit and peered outside. Bombs, fires, explosions, planes going down, and hundreds of men gliding down to the earth in parachutes – it was hellish, but poetic at the same time.
"You have to jump, Marie!" She heard Buck scream into her ear over all the noise.
Marie's feet were planted at the edge of the doorway, her eyes peering into the darkness that occasionally flashed with bouts of fire. Marie saw that the plane was losing altitude at an alarming rate. The lower the plane got, the easier a target it was for the Germans.
"Are we close to the drop zone?" Marie screamed back at Buck, trying to strain her voice over the gunfire.
"No! We've just passed Sainte-Mère-Église, but that doesn't matter! You have to go now!" Buck was ready to push her out if she didn't go.
Marie jumped out of the plane, waiting for the static line to open up the cover chute. Marie had so much adrenaline rushing through her veins that she almost forgot to count how long until the chute opened.
One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi…
She felt herself being suddenly hitched upward, and prayed that a piece of shelling wouldn't hit her chute. She frantically glanced around, realizing that no one was landing around her; she could barely even see the ground as she approached it, her eyes squinting in meek desperation to see in the dark. She saw the light from the explosions reflecting off of something on the ground. She felt her heart skip a beat. It was water.
For a few agonizing moments of her descent, Marie thought she was going to land directly in the water. She thought of Malarkey, Muck and Emilia landing in the water, and drowning from being pulled under from all the weight they were carrying. She shook the horrific thoughts of death out of her head, and steered herself the best she could to avoid landing in the black and murky unknown. Eventually she hit the bank, her boots squishing under wet mud. She rolled off her ankle and landed softly on her side. She laid still a moment, drenched in mud, listening for close gunfire and voices from enemies lurking nearby.
When Marie thought it was safe, she stood up and packed her chute. She glanced around frantically, but even after all the studying of the maps and landscapes, everything appeared foreign to her. She had no idea where the hell she was, or if she was even remotely close to the DZ. Marie spotted some shrubs, and made her way over to them for cover. Hunched over in a hedgerow, she started to go over her limited options:
I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with no weapons, no map, no one from my platoon, in the dark, she thought ruefully to herself.
Marie's heart hammered in her chest, as her head buzzed and her ears rang with tinnitus from the aftermath from all the noise from the plane and explosions. Her eyes were sharper than they ever had been before, and her instincts heightened while sitting in enemy territory in the blackness. She knew that she couldn't wait at this hedgerow forever - she needed to find some fellow paratroopers, and make her way to the DZ.
Her BDUs clung to her body with a mixture of mud and sweat. Even in summer, she never imagined France to be this hot and humid, she felt like she was trapped in Georgia all over again. She took out her canteen and hastily took a swig of water, forcing herself not to gulp it all down in one shot.
Unfamiliar voices were suddenly carried in the wind. She froze like a frightened rabbit, holding her breath.
"Ich dachte, ich hörte etwas." (I thought I heard something)
"Ich habe nichts gesehen. " (I don't see anything)
"Halten Sie Ausschau nach den Amerikanern. " (Keep your eyes open [for] the Americans)
Marie listened to the voices pass by, growing further and further away.
Le Grand Chemin, 0700 hours, she reminded herself.
Marie stuck her head out of the hedgerow to make sure she was alone. She adjusted her helmet that was sitting askew on top of her head, and then hustled her way out of the hedge. Marie spotted some brush about ten yards from where she was standing, then scurried her way over to it, seeking refuge. When she got to the brush, she kneeled down again, making it a routine to stay as quiet as she could.
Buck mentioned Sainte-Mère-Église. That's miles away from the DZ. I hope I'm not too far off, she thought to herself, feeling worried.
If what he said was accurate, then she had a lot of walking ahead of her. She scurried out of the bush when she felt her foot catch on something. She started to tumble forward, but she caught herself in time before she completely toppled over.
Dammit! Marie swore to herself, glancing down at what tripped her.
It was a train track. Marie squatted down, looking at both ends of the track running in opposite directions. She had to pick a way to follow, but she wasn't sure which one.
Lord, I wish I could track like Em, she thought to herself.
Marie started following the tracks toward her left, hoping this decision wouldn't lead to a disaster. She trudged along until she started feeling her feet and legs started to ache. It vaguely reminded her of the great march to Atlanta that 2nd Battalion had to do. That felt like a lifetime ago.
Marie heard boots coming toward her. She immediately crouched down to the tracks. She saw a group of figures approaching her, counting at least five or seven of them. She knew it was too late for her to make a beeline back to the bushes, if she moved now they would notice her. The figures had stopped moving and looked startled like they'd seen her.
Marie gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the worst to happen.
"Flash," a voice whispered through the darkness. The voice sounded familiar to her immense relief.
"Thunder," she called back with an equally lowered voice.
The figures appeared through the darkness, as they drew closer Marie stood up, trying to make out who it was. The familiar face of Dick Winters came into view, followed by some other men that were still too much in the shadows for her to recognize.
"Lieutenant," Marie exclaimed in a hushed voice, "boy, am I glad to see you!"
"Sergeant Docherty, it's good to see you safe. You alone?" Winters asked her, shaking her hand as they reunited.
"Yes, sir. I landed by some lake and made my way here," Marie informed him.
Marie peered over Winter's shoulder to see Lipton come into the dim moonlight. She smiled at the other friendly, familiar face.
"Lip," She greeted, shaking his hand, "I'm glad you made it down!"
"Likewise," Lipton responded, "you're not with 2nd platoon?"
Marie frowned and shook her head. Marie looked as the rest of the men came into sight. She didn't recognize any of them, they all looked like they were from different companies. Some of them weren't even from the 506th, some were from the 101st and possibly the 82nd. Marie wasn't positive, it was hard to make out details in the dark. One soldier standing in front she saw had the Able Company insignia on his helmet.
"Wow, we're scattered all over the place, huh sir?" Marie commented as she scanned over the other men.
"You have no idea," Winters sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We're miles away from the drop zone. We're about three-quarters of a mile east from Sainte-Mère-Église. That makes us five miles away from Utah Beach. I threw together this mixed unit, and now we're making our way to the rallying point."
Marie nodded in response. She was glad he knew where he was going. Marie looked back at the men, noticing that they were giving her bemused looks.
"So, it's true. the 506th did allow girls into certain companies," one soldier said, giving her a strange grin that made her skin crawl with discomfort.
Another one smirked next to him, letting out a low chuckle.
"You lucky dogs must be enjoying a nice roll in the hay every night," he looked her up and down, his tongue curling with delight as his eyes roamed her body.
She hugged herself, trying to shield her body from their prowling eyes. Marie felt herself blush from embarrassment and shrink back. The strangers continued to smirk, except for the young soldier from Able Company, he stared at her with large and sympathetic eyes.
"That's enough," Lipton snapped, reeling his head around at the jeering men. They all fell silent instantly. "Sergeant Docherty outranks all of you, is that how you talk to an NCO?"
"Sergeant Lipton is right, show some respect," Winters added, eyeing the men with disappointment.
"Y-Yes, sir," they piped up nervously, snapping salutes.
As Winters and Lipton started to lead the way, Lipton squeezed her shoulder in comfort as he walked by, flashing one last warning glance at the other men. Feeling a sudden burst of boldness, she smiled at them and triumphantly, then flicked them the bird.
Emilia and Florence would've loved to see that.
0000
They marched along for about twenty or thirty minutes in the darkness, following the railroad. The longer the night dragged on, the more worried about her friends she became. With everyone scattered to the winds, she wondered if anyone would actually make it to the DZ in one piece.
"What's your name?" A soft voice said.
She looked up to see the private from Able Company staring back at her. The other men were avoiding her eye contact completely.
"Marie Docherty," She answered, extending her arm.
"John Hall," He said, shaking her hand.
He was about to open his mouth to say more, when a rustling sound came from the hedgerow on their left sides. Winters signaled for all of them to stop.
"Flash," Winters said into the shadows of the hedgerow.
"Thunda," A familiar voice replied.
A figure came out of the darkness, Marie recognized that it was Bill Guarnere, Joe Toye and Donald Malarkey followed him out.
Marie's heart did somersaults of joy to see her dear friend alive and well.
"Don!" Marie went over and wrapped her arms around him in excitement.
Their helmets clinked together as she made contact. Malarkey stumbled backwards, taken off guard as she threw herself on him.
"Marie! You're okay," Malarkey exclaimed as he got his bearings back, wrapping his arms around her as she clung to his neck.
Guarnere cleared his throat. They broke their embrace instantly. Marie felt like a fool for acting like that in front of Winters, her squad leader, and the rest of the guys. That wasn't how professional soldiers were supposed to act.
"Welcome back, kid," Toye muttered to her, tapping on her helmet as he passed.
She quickly caught up next to Malarkey, ignoring the sneers from the men that had tagged along with Winters. Marie caught up with Malarkey, who gave her his signature boyish smile. She took his hand by impulse and entwined her fingers with his, surprised once again by her boldness. She wondered if it was the endorphins effecting her assertiveness tonight. Malarkey didn't pull his hand away at first. He laced his rough fingers around hers, unbothered by the mud and sweat that had accumulated on her palm.
"I need both hands to hold my M1," he whispered to her apologetically, letting go of her hand, "we shouldn't let our guard down."
"Oh, right. Sorry," Marie apologized, quickly bringing her hands back to her sides.
"Will you two quit fraternizing, and catch up," Guarnere barked from ahead of the line. Irritation rang clear in his voice.
"Sorry about him. He just found out he lost his brother. You know he doesn't mean it," Malarkey mumbled to her.
Marie knew that his brother died, but she only nodded her head. Before she could open her mouth, the sound of neighing horses pierced the air.
"Lipton, go!" Winters signaled Lipton to go ahead, and take some men to see where the noise was coming from.
Marie was right on Malarkey's heels as the unit quickly made their way to a bush overlooking a street. Marie saw a group of Germans on a coach being pulled by some horses. Winters gave the signal to ready their guns.
Marie listened to them casually speaking German to each other, not expecting that they were right under some paratrooper's noses, about to be ambushed.
"Wait for my command," Winters whispered.
Without warning, Guarnere suddenly started shooting at the Germans, mowing them down and screaming with satisfaction with every pierced bullet. Marie watched him, stunned as he kept his finger on the trigger, pumping out round after round. Because of his impatience, everyone else had to start firing at the Germans. It was a massacre. The Germans bodies were falling over, horses were neighing in distress, and blood was splattering on the stone streets. Marie could only watch, wide-eyed in horror at the sight of the group of men getting killed.
"That's enough, Guarnere!" Winters yelled, pushing Guarnere's rifle down.
Guarnere looked relentlessly back at Winters, bloodlust radiating off of his body.
Marie's eyes were still on the dead bodies. She trembled as she watched blood seep from their bodies and continue to stain the pavement crimson. A wounded horse whinnied in pain as it struggled to stand up after being shot in the leg several times. The sound was torturous to the ears, not because it was loud, but because it was so heartbreaking.
"Everyone okay?" Winters asked, glancing around at the soldiers that were still huddled by the bushes. Some grunted 'sir' in reply, not sounding very convincing.
"Next time I say "you wait for my command", you wait for my command, Sergeant," Winters scolded Guarnere.
"Yes, sir," Guarnere answered testily.
A sudden gunshot made Marie nearly jump out of her skin. She whirled around to see that Toye had shot the injured horse, putting it out of its misery. Marie and Toye both locked eyes for a second in a mute understanding of grimness.
"Quaker," She heard Guarnere mutter as he continued to walk on.
Marie didn't like seeing Bill this way – so angry and full of resentment. Malarkey came up from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. His touch startled her, making her whip her head around. He gave her a sad smile, and motioned that they should keep moving.
"What's that guy's problem?" Hall asked them in a low voice. He stared at the back of Guarnere's head as they cleared the area.
"Gonorrhea," Malarkey answered with Bill's nickname, questioning the young private if he was talking about him.
"Really?" Hall asked, surprised.
Marie couldn't help but suppress a laugh.
"His name, dummy. Guarnere - Gonorrhea, get it?" Malarkey replied impatiently.
"So besides having a shitty name, what's his problem?" Hall asked again.
Guarnere had heard him this time. He glared back at the young private. "None of your fucking business, Cowboy," he snapped.
Marie felt the atmosphere grow tense. Hall and Malarkey didn't say another word, and Marie didn't feel like she should open her mouth. Bill was really on edge after losing his brother, and Marie was afraid that if she added anything else to the conversation, he'd be pushed over the edge once again.
"All right, let's move out, quietly," Lipton ordered, trying to ease the tension.
"Sir," Everyone muttered in unison.
0000
They trudged along for hours, stopping and taking breaks every once in a while. Winters didn't want to stay idle for too long, so he kept the unit moving all the way until the sun started to rise. Marie's head was buzzing with fatigue as her muscles pulled, aching from walking for so long. The swampy area they were currently in was peaceful, but the mosquitos and no-see-ums were a terrible nuisance. Marie swatted at her neck as they bit and stung her, attracted to her sweat.
Guarnere was griping about Winters the entire time, complaining to Toye, who tried to debunk his theories on the Lieutenant. Marie started to grow grouchy from the lack of sleep, and from listening to Guarnere complain literally for hours. Malarkey and Hall walked in sullen silence next to her, their tense faces telling her that they felt the same way.
"You see him? He just sat there," Guarnere said to Toye, still talking about Winters.
"He didn't have a weapon, what's he gonna do, shout at them?" Toye retorted.
"Yells at me for killing Krauts."
"He just wanted you to wait for his command," Toye reminded his irritated friend.
"Joe, he don't even drink," Guarnere sneered.
Marie couldn't take any more of the banter, "I don't drink either, Bill," she cut in.
Guarnere and Toye looked back at the medic, surprised by her addition to the conversation.
"They were Germans, we were gonna shoot them anyway," Guarnere snapped, blowing off her comment.
"Orders are orders. Besides, what you did was out of anger, not the objective," Marie said, knowing that she should watch herself, but she was too annoyed to care.
"I don't need you gettin' on my case, too, okay?" Guarnere warned.
Marie only shrugged her shoulders, raising her eyebrows at him to test him if he'd go further. He grumbled and turned away from her, not wanting to deal with her mood. The short-lived confrontation only left her feeling more agitated.
"Watch yourself," Malarkey whispered to her, "I don't agree with him either right now, but he's still our squad leader."
"Whatever. Watching him kill those Germans was horrible and scary. I don't care how upset he is, there was no need for that," Marie hissed back.
"I shot at them, too."
"That was different, Don."
The unit came across an open area with an abandoned barn, and what looked like the remains of soldiers, both American and German, and equipment scattered about. Winters signaled everyone to stop and sent Lipton ahead to check if everything was clear. Lipton and one of the soldiers that had joined Winters and Lip, scouted on ahead. After waiting in silence for a moment, Lipton motioned to them that it was safe to proceed.
Marie looked up at the tree that towered above them on the vacant property. A dead paratrooper with a missing leg hung from the branches, slightly swaying side to side in the wind. She shuddered at the memory of Malarkey telling her that he'd almost gotten stuck in a tree during one of his practice jumps. This could've easily happened to him, although this poor soul had gotten trapped right above some Germans that had fired upon him while he was stuck in the tree.
"Anybody needs supplies or ammo, now's the time to get it," Lipton announced, kneeling by another dead paratrooper.
The group started to turn over the bodies and search for supplies, taking anything they could salvage. Marie decided she'd do the same. She searched one of the bodies for any medical supplies that she could add to her pack, while Malarkey rolled another body over.
"I promised my kid brother I'd fetch him back a luger. So, I got first dibs, okay?" Malarkey addressed the group. Malarkey looked over at Marie and a body she was crouched by, "check that one."
Marie nodded, rolling another body over, checking the pockets. "Sorry, Malark. No luck with this one."
The rumbling sound of a plane passing by made everyone flinch and instinctively duck for cover. Marie looked up at the sky as the plane zoomed by them.
"It's the Navy," Lipton reported, much to everyone's relief.
"The landings have started, let's go!" Winters ordered, already starting to move on ahead.
D-Day for Utah beach was officially a-go.
"Right on time," Hall commented, checking his watch.
"Yeah, tell that to him, Cowboy," Guarnere said, blazing past him.
"My name's Hall."
"That so?" Guarnere sneered, still walking on ahead.
Marie sighed, shaking her head. She wished that the old Bill would come back, this short-tempered version of Bill was really getting on her nerves.
"You just gotta learn to return his fire, is all," Malarkey told the young private from Able Company.
"Just gotta realize it ain't about you," Toye added.
They all started to follow Winters and Lipton. Marie walked behind Malarkey, feeling another wave of fatigue wash over her. She wanted nothing more than to curl up on the ground and go to sleep. She was almost too tired to even take part in the conversation.
"He just heard his brother-" Malarkey started.
"Malarkey, shut your yap," Guarnere demanded from ahead of them.
Malarkey paused a moment, waiting for Guarnere to be out of earshot before continuing on: "His brother got it in Cassino, found out before he jumped," Malarkey informed Hall.
Hall pondered this for a moment, finally coming to understand Guarnere's attitude. Hall didn't say anything else, afraid that Bill would hear him if he asked anymore questions. Instead he looked back at Marie, whom was struggling to keep her heavy eyelids open.
"If you don't mind me asking, ma'am, what made you join the front?" Hall asked.
"I wanted to help," Marie answered simply.
"You couldn't help in the hospitals? Or stay over in England? There are a lot of positions in the States that you could've assisted with."
Marie was used to this question, but she could never fully explain why she wanted to so desperately be a part of the war.
"Jumping out of planes is way more fun," Marie joked casually, "and besides, I wouldn't want to be anywhere without these guys." Marie said, while patting Malarkey and Toye on their backs.
Malarkey and Toye chuckled at her, and returned the gesture. Hall studied their camaraderie in awed silence.
"Aww, how sweet," Malarkey gushed, teasing her.
"What about your mother? I'm sure she's worried sick about you," Hall asked.
Marie's smile faded. Marie's posture grew rigid at the mere mention of her mother. The boys watched her carefully as she grew tight-lipped. Her mother was a sour subject she preferred not to explain; truth was she didn't even know where her mother was.
"Pick up the slack, guys," Lipton yelled from ahead of them.
Marie was thankful for his interruption.
0000
The unit made it to a forest, and met up with some more Easy Company men, and more soldiers from other companies. They were getting close to the rallying point, but Muck and Emilia were still nowhere to be seen. Marie was growing less and less hopeful as the hours went on without a word from her dear friends. It was still quite early in the morning, but Marie was expecting the worst. Most of Easy Company, hell, most of the 2nd Battalion was still MIA.
As they reached battalion, the air was filled with the distant sounds of bombs and gun shellings from Utah Beach. There was barely a moment of silence in the French countryside; even the air smelled thick with gun powder and lead.
As they walked on, a group of German POWs was sitting on the sidelines in the woods. A lot of the men jeered at the captured enemy as they walked by, but Marie remained silent. Malarkey on the other hand was in a joking mood.
"Top of the mornin' to ya fellas, enjoying the war?" Malarkey jeered in a thick Irish accent.
The passing soldiers laughed, but the POWs only stared at him with emotionless, devoid eyes.
He leaned close to one of the POWs that was sitting closer to the path. "Where you from son?" Malarkey asked with a laugh and continued to walk on.
"Eugene, Oregon," the POW responded in perfect English.
Marie stopped in her tracks and looked back at the man, shocked by his American accent.
"Eugene? You gotta be kiddin' me!" Malarkey exclaimed.
Popeye Wynn walked by, Malarkey tapped him on the arm to get his attention, "Popeye, you hear this?"
Popeye only shrugged at him, not really showing any interest in a captured POW.
"I'm from Astoria," Malarkey turned his attention back to the captured German.
"You don't say," the soldier answered coolly.
"Yeah! Orange street. What gives, what're you doing in a kraut uniform?" Malarkey questioned.
Marie stayed back with Malarkey as the rest went on ahead. She felt anxious to keep moving, but she was curious as to why an American was fighting with the Germans.
The soldier mumbled something in German.
"Come again?"
"My family answered the call. All Aryans should return to the fatherland," the soldier said.
"You're shitting me, right?"
"Hey, Malarkey, Docherty, stop fraternizing with the enemy, get over here," Lipton called from up ahead.
Malarkey signaled him to go on without them, while Marie waved at him apologetically.
"What got you to Eugene?" Malarkey asked.
"I was born in Eugene."
"For real?" Malarkey smiled.
Malarkey sat beside the POW, carrying on a conversation with him as soldiers passed by, eyeing them with distaste. Right up ahead was Le Grand Chemin. Marie fidgeted awkwardly, waiting for Malarkey to finish up chatting with the enemy. Malarkey looked back at Marie's anxious face and knew it was time to go.
"Well, I gotta run, see you around," Malarkey said, sitting up and joining Marie.
"See you around," the man echoed distantly.
He gazed at Marie with a mild curiosity before she broke his stare by turning around and heading up to the rallying point.
"Small world, huh?" Malarkey said cheerily to Marie.
"Yeah…" Marie muttered.
She noticed Lieutenant Ronald Speirs heading towards them. She wondered why the 2nd Lieutenant from Dog Company was headed in the opposite direction, but Malarkey didn't pay him much mind when he stalked by. Marie's eyes fixed on his tanned, handsome face, streaked with dirt and paint. She continued to observe him over her shoulder, watching as he made his way to the POWs. They began to climb the hill when the sound of rapid-fired gunshots came from behind them. Marie and Malarkey whirled their heads around, looking back into the forest. Marie's stomach dropped. She knew exactly where the shots were being fired.
"Shit…" Malarkey whispered.
Marie and Malarkey headed to Le Grand Chemin without saying a word.
As the rallying point came into sight, Marie spotted Toye sitting against a slope of earth with a few other men. She made her way toward him, gently pulling her dazed Irish friend along.
"What took you so long?" Toye asked them, giving them a wry smile, meant to tease the two of them.
Marie rolled her eyes at him, knowing what Toye was thinking her and Malarkey had been doing in the woods by themselves. Malarkey sat beside him, nervously taking out his canteen and fumbling with the cap. He took a drink, his hands trembling.
Toye frowned, "you okay?"
Marie bit her lip, trying to decide whether she should tell Toye what happened or not. She sat beside Malarkey, while Toye still waited for an answer.
"You're not gonna believe this, Joe," Marie started, gazing over at her curious friend.
0000
Inside one of the tents, Winters met with the few members of Easy Company that were present, and was going over a battle plan with them. Surprisingly, Hall from Able Company was still present.
"The 88s we've been hearing were spotted in a field down the road a-ways. Lieutenant Colonel Strayer wants us to take them out., Winters explained, drawing out the formation with a pencil on a paper: "There are two guns that we know of firing on Utah Beach. Plan on a third and fourth here and here," he pointed to his drawing, "the Germans are in the trenches with access to the entire battery with machine guns covering the rear. We'll establish a base of fire, and fast with two squads of three."
"How many krauts they think we're facing?" Guarnere asked.
"No idea," Winters sighed.
"No idea?" Guarnere repeated, not looking too happy with their odds.
"We'll take some TNT along with us to spike the guns. Lipton, that's your responsibility," Winters continued, nodding over to Lip.
"Yes, sir," Lipton answered.
"Liebgott, you take the first machine gun with Petty, Plesha, and Hendricks, you take the other," Winters scanned the group, "who does that leave?"
Buck, Malarkey, Toye, Guarnere and Marie raised their hands. Hall did, too, but Winters seemed to blow over him.
"Okay, we'll be making the main assault. Understood?" Winters finished.
"Yes, sir," Everyone said in unison.
The main assault. The words played over and over in Marie's head like a broken record.
"Sergeant Docherty," Winters voiced called her softly.
"Sir?"
"Do you have enough medical supplies?" He asked.
"Yes, sir. My pack is filled to its maximum."
"Good. You're the only medic present right now, so you need to be Johnny-on-the-spot when someone calls for you. It'll be a lot of running, and you need to expect wounds and casualties," he told her in a calm voice.
"Yes, sir."
Winters nodded at her. He looked to the rest of the men. "Pack up, boys."
Anxious butterflies fluttered around Marie's stomach in anticipation for Brécourt Manor. There were only thirteen Easy Company soldiers present. She bit her lip nervously, thinking about the how many Germans would be out in the field. They could easily, and mostly likely, be outnumbered. It was already known that they were definitely outgunned.
"You all right?" She heard a voice ask her.
She turned to see Lipton standing beside her, putting his helmet on.
"Yes, Sarge… I'm just scared," Marie told him.
"We all are. You need to get yourself ready. Brécourt Manor will be starting soon, it's already 08:30, we need to hustle," Lipton said, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Marie went to quickly make sure she had everything. She double-checked her supplies, then uttered a quick prayer before joining the others outside of the tent. Outside she saw Barbara Goode standing close by, talking with some Dog Company men, her M1 slung over her shoulder. Her platinum blonde hair tied back in a tight bun.
"Barb," Marie called, waving at her.
"Marie," Barbara jogged over to her friend and hugged her.
"I'm glad that you've made it. Ready for Brécourt?" Barbara asked with a nervous smile.
"I guess. I'm the only medic so it should be fun," Marie deadpanned.
"Well, Dog Company will most likely be your reinforcements once we get word," Barbara paused a minute, something on her mind.
"What's up?" Marie asked her friend, puzzled.
"It's Diana," Barbara mumbled.
Marie went cold. She had a feeling that what Barbara was about to say, as much as she didn't want to believe it.
"Her plane went down. Her and a bunch of others are missing," Barbara's voice faltered.
Marie thought about everyone missing: Easy Company's CO Lieutenant Meehan, Emilia Valdez, and Skip Muck – not to mention most of the entire company had been miss-dropped God knows where.
"Private Goode," a Dog Company soldier barked.
"I have to go. Take care," Barbara said, pulling Marie into another tight hug before running off.
Marie stood still, unable to move by the news she gave her. She knew that there was very little chance that Diana Schumacher was going to show up; something inside her told her that her friend from Fox Company had perished.
She thought about Diana. She always wore her hair clipped up, her curls and pompadour hard to fit under her helmet. Diana was always the first to speak and stand up to someone if they said something unkind or unjust, her hazel eyes unwavering as she challenged her opponent. Diana, who was always respectful of her fellow paratroopers, and followed orders without question; she was what Marie pictured to be the perfect soldier.
Marie silently mourned the first causality of a friend, praying that she was wrong.