Work Text:
April 4, 1943, Camp Gordon, Georgia
Attention!
"Everyone change into your gear. We'll be running our 4 miles tonight. I want everyone to be out in 5 minutes," Lieutenant Austan called out.
Once he left the cabin everyone groaned.
"You gotta be shitting me! This is the 3rd time today that bastard is making us run!" Corporal Andy Sears snapped as he threw his letter that he was reading earlier on the bed.
Lieutenant Austan was never a kind-hearted person. I think all he liked was to watch us suffer as he made us run out 4 miles every day. Although Colonel Gunderson had said that he shouldn't have to make us run so much, Austan didn't listen to him. Usually, when we would confront him, he'd always come up with some quirky remark like "It takes a strong man to fight hard" or something like that.
He seemed frightening but he was the one that was frightened. Whenever the pressure was put on him he'd always stress and make some stupid mistake. If he were to make that same mistake in combat he'd get us all killed.
We all knew that we couldn't have a man like that in combat and if we did then I'd be packing my bags and walking home.
"I fucking hate this," my friend Don said under his breath beside me.
I never really liked him the first time I met him at camp, but by the next week, we became very good friends. The brown-haired man was always the type to make the worst jokes ever. They were so stupid that people would laugh not because it was funny, but because of stupid it was. It always seemed to brighten up the place though and make people smile. It was good to have him as my best bud.
"Well hey, look on the bright side. He always rewards us with harsh smacks on the back of our heads and a few unconsidered words are thrown at us," I replied to him and he looked at me and smiled.
"Yeah maybe for you but for not for me," he joked.
I laughed because that was true. Austan only liked Don for his jokes, but still enjoyed yelling at him for making them.
"Alright is everyone ready?" Lieutenant Leslenie called out.
"Yes sir!" Everyone responded.
"Alright well let's get this show on the road, and please no breaking ankles this time," He addressed to everyone.
There had been a time when running our 4 miles that someone had twisted their ankle, and since he couldn't run the rest, we just had to leave him sitting there alone in the dark for awhile.
We finally piled up outside and took our attendants. We stood row by row waiting for roll call.
Once roll call was done our Company XO, Lieutenant Leslenie leads us to the forest to the old familiar path that we ran. We ran through the thick mud as someone had led a chant and we all soon followed along with the tune.
We all knew we were going to be true soldiers and lead into battle. Although I couldn't say that I would want to be put in a field with Lieutenant Austan surrounded by germans.
As we rushed through the heavy mud covered with sweat and bits of mud. We had made it to the end of our trail with countless chants and laughs.
But the end was only half the way. If you wanted to make it to the end you'd have to come back from the start.
°°°
That night I had laid in my bed. I felt sleepless. Most of the other guys had passed out on their bed from our run, but I just couldn't bother to close my eyes.
I was thinking about home. Home. That word felt comfortable. It made me feel at ease. I haven't seen home in over a year. I had a lovely wife back at home and I promised her that when I'd get back we would start a family. We had married 6 months before I joined the army.
I had a lot of families back home too. I always wondered how my dad and 2 sisters were doing. I wondered if they were doing alright on the farm. I also wondered how my older brother was doing too. My older brother, Matthew, had joined with 82nd Airborne.
Sometimes I would wonder how my mother was doing too. Where ever she was. I was also compared to my mother. Everyone said I had hair like hers, shiny and blonde. Or how they'd say my eyes resemble hers, as blue as the vast oceans.
I had been getting letters frequently from them. But letters never seemed to fill in that bit of space in my heart. It was still good to know how they were doing though.
"Pssst," someone whispered, interrupting my train of thought.
"Alex. Alex!" The person whispered again. I suddenly realized it was Don.
"What?" I whispered back, a bit annoyed that he interrupted my thoughts.
"You should come outside with me," Don muttered softly so he wouldn't wake anyone up.
Although I could tell it wasn't working because some people began to stir in their sleep.
I turned over to face Don, whose bed was right beside mine and looked at him for a bit.
"Alright," I finally agreed and pulled my blankets off me. I stood up and Don stood up in front of me. We quietly grabbed our coats and put on our boots and headed outside.
The fresh scent of nature hit my nose. It was a peaceful smell.
We walked past the many barracks around the place and finally settled on a bench at the end of the many barracks.
The walk had been quiet until we sat down.
Don grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and put one in his mouth. He gestured the pack to me. I accepted his offer and grabbed one for myself. He took his lighter, lighting mine first then his. I watched him as he inhaled and then exhaling, letting the smoke escaped his lips and floating into the air. He looked up at the moon, his eyes growing greener.
I inhaled my cigarette, feeling a calming buzz run through my body.
"So why did you drag me out here?" I asked finally breaking the silence.
"Well I couldn't sleep and I knew you were awake too, so I just thought 'the hell with it and dragged you out here," he replied taking his cigarette back to his mouth again and inhaling.
"So out of all the people you decided to take me?" I jokingly asked.
"Well I had to take the only idiot around," he joked and I grinned.
"Anyways," he continued. "Why don't we take the chance to get to know each other better."
"So what you want me to tell you every secret about me?" I questioned while raising an eyebrow at him.
"Well not every secret," He emphasized. "Just things you haven't mentioned before. Like where you're from and you're life back home."
Home. The word rang through me again. I wonder how everyone else thought about home. I wondered if they missed it as much as I did.
"Well, you want me to start or you?" He asked breaking my thought process again.
"I guess I could," I replied
"Alright well then go ahead," he nodded
"Well, I come from a small farm near the city of Flint, Michigan. It was just me, dad, my younger sisters and my older brother. My mom died when I was 12 from pneumonia. So we did everything we could to help dad around the farm. But now it's just my dad and our sisters there," I explained.
When I was done explaining the basics of my life I looked over to Don.
"Well I guess you had it easier," spoke.
I frowned at that. What exactly did he mean?
"Well, I guess it's my turn. I come from Springfield, Illinois. My mom had left us when we were younger for another man. So it was just me, my dad and my younger brother. My dad had a lot of drinking issues and never was a nice old man." He paused for a bit. Then he continued.
"He used to beat me a lot. Never my brother though because I wouldn't let him touch him. He'd always call me a coward for not fighting back. I finally ran away when I was 17. I took my brother along and we lived at my grandma's place. Finally, when the war started I enlisted. I wanted to show that old man that I wasn't a coward and that I could fight for myself," He finished.
He sighed and looked at me. "You never really told me why you joined the army."
"Well, I don't have a reason," I considered.
"Really? Well, there's gotta be some reason you joined."
He was right. I mean some sane man would have to know why he joined.
"Well, I guess it was because my father fought during the great war. He'd always tell me stories about it. So when this war broke out, I guess I had some inspiration from him. When I and my brother came home that from the town hall, he looked at us." I hesitated.
"He had tears in his eyes you know. I had never seen him that way since mom died. And he looked at us and said 'If you go you have to make me a promise. Promise me you'll come home. I can't bear to lose you two as I did to your mother.' So I guess that's my reason." I told.
I hadn't realized but a tear was running down my cheek. I quickly wiped it with my sleeve and sniffled. It had been hard times since my mother had died and especially for dad.
Don put an arm around me.
"Well I guess every man here has a reason to be here," he mentioned.
"Hm. I guess so," I smiled.
"Well we better get back," he spoke and stood up. He tossed what was left of his cigarette on the ground and crushed it with the front of his foot.
I stood up too and put my cigarette out on the bench and throwing it on the ground, discarding it.
We walked back to our barrack. We entered quietly and took off our boots and jackets.
I climbed into bed and finally, I was able to drift into a peaceful sleep.
°°°
We all got up the next morning bright and early as usual. We had gone on our run and as we were coming back it started to rain and it didn't look like it would stop. Now, this usually meant two things. One, we would have to do our training exercises outside today which were good because today I just don't feel like doing 100 pushups. Two, it would mean we would have to stay inside and write down notes and stuff until it stopped raining. Which would be pretty long and boring.
We all piled into the big dining hall. After our run, breakfast was the one thing that made us all feel good. We would all eat like hungry pigs in a barn. Today on the menu was bacon and eggs. Even though army food never was very appetizing, today the cooks must have felt nice and cooked us something proper.
I held my tray in my hand and sat down beside Don. He was sitting with Andy Sears, Paul Rufers, and Charlie Smith who everyone liked to call Boy. They were all talking and laughing with each other.
"Finally you're here!" Don exclaimed as I sat down. I thought you might have gotten lost or something," he joked and everyone at the table laughed.
"Hey Alex, did you hear about what's happening next week?" Boy asked.
"No, why what's happening?" I questioned with a mouth full of food.
"Well, we're moving out next week to a different camp. The new general wants to move us to a different place now," Andy added.
"Really? Well, that's good I guess," I said picking up more food with my fork and plopping it in my mouth.
"You think that's good? I'm having a hell of a time here," Paul said.
"Yeah just wait until they put you on a battlefield then you'd wish you were back here," Boy added.
"Maybe even if they send you home you'd still find yourself back here cause you miss it so much," Don pointed out and everyone laughed.
I smiled and continued to eat my food.
°°°
"Well I'm gonna miss this place," Don sighed.
"Me too," I breathed out.
The train started to move slowly pulling out of the train station. Our next stop. Fort Dix, New Jersey.