"We were in this closed off camp for two weeks." Donald Malarkey recalled.
Emily, Shane, Scott Grimes, and Richard Speight sat around the old veteran with coffee and tea, listening intently.
"We jumped every couple of days or so in preparation, but other than that, we were treated very well. We even ate real food, not the typical army fare." Don continued. "We had steak and potatoes, ice cream, cake, roast chicken, real spaghetti and sauce. We ate and ate well. We even got to watch films almost every night. Then came the day we had all been waiting and training for."
An intake of breath was shared among the listeners. Shane instinctively put an arm around Emily.
Don eyed the couple. "I know for a fact Gene didn't tell anyone this, but he had it rough when he dropped, I didn't see him until the day after D-Day."
Eugene watched the explosions all around him as he dropped from the plane. He heard the buzzing sound of bullets speeding past his ears.
He looked up at his parachute and saw tracer bullet holes.
"Shit!" Gene cursed as he landed, checking himself.
Leg bag: gone.
Pistol for self defense only, also gone.
Medic bag: miraculously still attached with all supplies.
Ration pack: gone.
Eugene checked all pockets. Candy bars, canteen, compass and... he pulled out a photograph of Alice. He kissed it and quickly tucked in his most secure pocket.
He held his parachute knife close as he began looking for any features or signs to point him in the right direction.
Drowsiness started to overcome him as he trekked onward. He knew it had to be those damn air-sickness pills.
Gene came upon a tunnel under a bridge and decided to camp there until the effects wore off.
"Es ist ein Sanitäter!" Doc awoke to hearing, he subtly opened an eye and saw two German soldiers.
"Wir können ihn nicht töten, das verstößt gegen die Konvention." Said one.
"Ich habe mir das Bein ziemlich schwer verletzt. Vielleicht könnte er mir helfen, wenn ich es ihm zeige." Said the other, limping.
"Es könnte funktionieren, wir sind noch weit von unserem Unternehmen entfernt." Said the one with the good legs.
The limping one nudged Doc. Doc stirred as if just waking up and held up his knife, ready to defend himself.
"Hallo, könnten Sie mir helfen?" The limping one said, pointing to his swollen ankle.
Doc looked at the leg, understanding their intentions. He pulled out his med kit and gestured for them to sit.
The Germans sat down and watched Doc get to work. He lit a cigarette and offered them one each. They accepted gratefully.
"Felix." The injured one gestured to himself. "Gunther." He gestured to the other.
Doc looked up at them while wrapping the ankle and nodded. "Eugene." He pointed to himself.
Gunther felt around in his pockets and pulled out what looked like a pendant, he showed it to Felix.
"Wir sollten das unserem neuen Freund geben, ja?" He asked.
Felix nodded and felt around in his pockets, and pulled out a chocolate bar.
"Das könnte ihm auch gefallen." Felix suggested.
"Ich hoffe es." Gunther nodded.
"There, all done." Eugene said, sitting back and puffing on his cigarette. The soldiers handed him their gifts.
"Als Dankeschön Schokolade." Felix said as Doc slowly took the bar from him.
"Mein Adler. Danke, Eugen." Gunther said, smiling before helping his brother in arms get to his feet. "No shoot medic, ja?" He said, nodding at Doc.
"Ja." Doc nodded, smiling back.
"Goot luck, Eugene." Felix called over his soldier as the men hobbled away to their company.
"Be safe out there." Gene replied softly. He didn't want to wish them 'good luck'. They were still the enemy, even if they were friends for this moment.
He pulled out the pendant Gunther had given him. It was the Nazi Eagle. He pocketed it while sniffing the chocolate. His stomach lurched. He decided to save the chocolate until after the drug wore off.
--
The sun was rising in the sky and Gene heard gunfire and artillery in the distance.
He had found himself near Beuzeville-au-Plain, northeast of Sainte-Mère-Eglise. A few remnants of a plane still burning. He wondered if anyone he knew was still alive after last night. He kept walking south.
"Doc?" A familiar voice called out to him after what felt like an hour.
He jumped and turned. "Perconte?"
"Hey! You made it!" Frank Perconte said, rushing toward him. "How are you fixed, Bud?"
"Got all my medic supplies but my Pistol, leg bag, an' rations are all gone." Gene explained. "You?"
"My leg bag is gone too, and my M-1. I still have rations and Ammo. Lucky me." Frank chuckled half heartedly. "Seen anyone?"
Gene shook his head. "Let's keep moving, Frank."
Perconte nodded and pulled out his sidearm. "I'll walk ahead a bit, I have to protect my medic." He said with a wink.
Gene grimaced, putting his knife away.
"What were you planning to do with that, Doc?" Perconte asked with a smirk.
"Self defense, I've dealt with gators back in the bayou while fishin', I can handle a knife." He explained.
"That's something I'd like to see." Perconte chuckled while walking.
"A gator or me killing it?" Gene asked.
"You killing it, just to say I saw you do it." Frank laughed.
Gene lit a cigarette and sighed heavily. "Nasty creatures, gators." He drawled. "I know a fella who's arm got bitten off. Wasn't a clean bite neither."
Perconte put up a hand to halt them. "Here that?" He whispered. "Flash!"
"Thunder!" Came the voice of Skip Muck.
"Skip!" Frank shouted.
Muck came out of a bush. "Perconte, Roe!"
Gene passed Muck a cigarette and lit it for him.
"Thanks Doc, I lost my smokes along with everything else." Skip said, beginning to walk in step with them.
"Any sign of Easy?" Frank asked.
"Would I be alone if I found them?" Muck returned.
They walked for a couple of hours before stumbling upon what looked to be a massacre of both German and American bodies.
A Paratrooper was tangled in a tree but he must have dropped in German soldier campsite. He shot all that he could before running out of Ammo, which resulted in the surviving ones to shoot and stab him to death before taking off.
The site was bloody and horrific.
"I guess this is our chance for supplies." Perconte said with a sigh. "Maybe a few trinkets, too."
They searched and found a few rations with Ammo.
Perconte grabbed the watches off all the Germans.
"Muck, help me out here, I wanna get the dog-tags off 'im." Gene said, gesturing to the Paratrooper, fighting the urge to stare at him.
Muck climbed the tree and cut the man down. They searched him and ripped the tags off. Gene found the man's sidearm and took it for himself, gathering the bullets for it.
Gene took out his casualty book and jotted down the man's name and serial number, writing next to it: KIA.
"Hey, doc, you finished?" Perconte asked, strapping the last of the German soldiers watches to his arm.
Gene nodded, standing up. "I think the survivors took his aid kit, couldn't find it."
"You short?" Muck asked.
Gene shook his head. "Just thought it'd be good t' grab, since he ain't gonna need it."
Muck let out a small chuckle before making the sign of the cross. "God rest his soul."
Gene mimicked him and nodded.
They continued on until night fell again, only finding more dead paratroopers for Gene to mark as KIA.
They hid from German soldiers a few times, noting which directions they were headed.
It was the wee hours of the morning when they came upon the rest of Easy company.
They were exhausted and starving.
Winters told them to get some food and rest.
Gene, Frank and Skip settled down to a few of Frank's K rations, Gene shared the chocolate the Germans had given him.
As Gene settled down for a few hours of sleep, he pulled out his photo of Alice and kissed it, noting the others looking at him. He didn't care. He survived D day, it gave him a bit of hope to see Alice again.
"Bonne nuit mon amour." He whispered to the her, before tucking the photograph away, drifting off to sleep.