Memories In Ink

Chapter Eight: Born Again Hard

          "Wake up ladies!" Sergeant Faust screamed while rattling the trash can, the sharp sound echoing off of the cold concrete walls. We all jumped up and made our beds, standing at attention. Sergeant Faust walked slowly by everyone, including me. Sergeant Faust approached Garry, looking at him, studying him hard. Faust looked behind Garry, to see his neatly made bed. Faust cracked a slight smile. "Well I'll be damned! Plow boy actually learned something! 45 degrees on the blanket Garry, good job!" As he backed up, Garry had a sense of pride in his eyes.
          The sun was just over the brink of the horizon as we were doing our morning march. We all marched to the rhythm of "Hambone." A cadence commonly used by Sergeant Faust. Although many didn't like Faust, I felt I did, he was passionate about his country, as was I. George was behind me, struggling to keep up. "Come on Ears! Let's keep up!" Sergeant Faust shouted while marching along. The days were long, and full of marches. March after March.
          Hand to hand combat was the death of many, but an enjoyment to some. Sergeant Faust taught us everything we needed to know. From blocking, knife takedowns, to even pushing in an enemies eyes. Sergeant Faust was stern in his teaching, and slowly we got better. I was assigned to spar with George. We both took our positions. The wake of dust around us made it more intense, as we had to fight our way through the dust, and the enemy all at once. Sergeant Faust began to speak as we were in position. "Now ladies, this is what we trained for. Remember when you are in this position, do not back up! Never back up! Backing up is a sign of weakness and you will fail! Do whatever it takes to take the enemy out, don't be light hearted. When I say go, attack your partner! Ready? Begin!" George went to throw a left hook at me, I ducked, then caged my arms and elbows up in front of my head. George struggled as I shoved my elbows into his face, fighting the dust flying into my mouth at the same time. Once he was stunned, I grabbed him by three point contact. I grabbed his right arm, pulled him toward me, and used my arm as a fulcrum to flip him on his back. "Good job Private! You actually fucking did it! Now do it again!" The hot summer sun beat down on us like a sponge, soaking up what energy we had left.
          Two days slowly passed by, from combat training of all types, how to use bayonets, weapon take downs, and so on. By this point, we all began to be conditioned to the training, which made things much easier. I was startled during chow when I was brought a letter. I chewed my food as I quickly opened it. Chow was no time to talk, you had to eat fast, I mean fast. The steam coming up from my broccoli slightly dampened the letter as I read it. "Dear Everett, I hope all is well and you're getting conditioned for your duties. I miss you more than I can express. Every day I drive by, seeing your red '38 sedan, and it reminds me of us. I went to the doctor to find out about the nausea, and what was causing it. The doctors ran several tests and found out I was pregnant. They said from what they can tell things should go normal, being only 19 I'm a little scared, but it can't be that bad. The doctors say younger adults are more likely to have kids without complications, over the old folks. I haven't told your mother yet, because you know she'll take the first bus down there and give you a whooping. I will keep you updated on the baby as it develops in time, I love you with all my heart, Sarah." My hands went clammy and my face went pale. "Sooie!" let's go! What the hell are you doing?! Now is not the time to be reading poems!" Sergeant Faust screamed. I shot up, my trance broken. "Sir, yes, sir!" I yelled as I dumped my plate and ran back to the barracks, trotting past other GIs marching in the night.
That night, I lay in the darkness, listening to the passing trucks outside. every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Sarah with a belly. In all honesty, it scared me, I was becoming a hardened soldier, and suddenly my softness came back. I wasn't worried about mother finding out, but I often thought to myself about how my father felt. Now my objective to get home safe and sound after this war was more apparent than ever. The click of a lighter interrupted my train of thought. I looked around the room and saw a small flame by the back corner of the barracks, the orange light dancing in the array of darkness. It was Garry. From what I could see, he had a book in his hands. I had no idea he could actually read. Not long after the lighter was lit, one of the pages began to catch fire, Garry threw down the lighter and frantically, yet quietly got the small cluster of embers out. He then closed the book and eased it into his footlocker. "That's enough reading for one night." He said in a tired manner. I turned my head back toward the ceiling, asking God if it was normal for me to feel these feelings, and what on earth I would do to stay alive. Staying alive for Sarah was one thing, but for a child was an entirely new meaning.
The days began to pass like minutes, one after the other, now that everything was a daily routine. From marching to training. The hot summer air swept over us as we crawled underneath wire, while the machine gun in front of us let out rapid fire. The one thing Sergeant Faust told us, was not to put our heads up, no matter the cost. As I was crawling through the mud, I heard a loud scream, and saw a mist of blood fly through the air. "Turn that gun off!" Sergeant Faust screamed. The gun stopped firing immediately, and we all crawled out of the obstacle to see what happened. As I stood up, wiping the caked mud off of my hands, two medics rushed out to a young man lying face first in the mud. The two medics turned him over. It was Elton. He was severely wounded, bleeding like a stuck pig. While we were crawling through our obstacles, Elton's battle shirt got caught on a stray piece of wire, and as he pulled to get it loose, his head came up too far, matching the level of the .45 caliber bullets. The bullet had traveled right through his left cheek bone. He was alive, but in horrible pain. Sergeant Faust began yelling. "This is why you keep your head down men! Elton will be rushed to the infirmary but we will keep pushing!" Once we learned the crawling, we had to do it again with our rifles equipped. Sergeant Faust told us that we needed to use the sorrow, and the anger of Elton's injury to fuel the adrenaline in the fight. I will say this, it worked to our advantage. Everyone was quiet, no more groans of pain or soreness, only hardened screaming filled the air that afternoon.
The chow hall was especially quiet that afternoon. No one said a word, didn't even attempt to. I finished up my chow just in time as we were ordered off to the barracks. I climbed up into my bunk and began writing back to Sarah. I wasn't able to send letters until the following morning, so I had plenty of time to think of what to say. Everyone was silent that evening. Doing small things, occasionally shuffling cards, or smoking, but no word was spoken. Not one single word, or even a cough. I looked down at my paper and began to write. "Dear, Sarah, I have been thinking quite a bit about you and our baby. It hurts me more than ever knowing I'll miss the birth of our beautiful child, even more so, I'll miss you. Not being able to hold your hand during it will kill me to the bone, I've put much thought into what I'll do when I get home. I thought about opening the shop up full time, and working on cars for a living. I keep thinking about what would happen if the inevitable took place. I don't want you raising that baby alone. I will make it home, this I promise. You fill my heart in a manner I cannot express through words, I love you, Everett." A fly landing on my pen broke my focus. I watched him, while he cleaned his legs and wings, slowly making his way up the pen. The doors to the barracks burst open, emitting a loud squeak from the handles. Sergeant Faust came in, his head down, along with a nurse. Every single one of us looked up from our bunks, with worry in our eyes. George's face was beyond sad, his brows frowned and his mouth partially opened, desperate to hear the news. The nurse spoke up while folding her hands. "Attention everyone, I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news. Elton passed away this evening at 7:45. We did everything we could-" The nurse cut off as she began to tear up. Sergeant Faust nodded at her and stopped forward. "Ladies, this is a severe tragedy, a tragedy so bad I cannot express the pain I'm feeling. However, a soldier is strong, this is what you will endure. Let us bow our heads in prayer and remorse for this young man. Everyone in the barracks bowed their heads along with Sergeant Faust. "Dear lord, we pray for the young man who lost his life today, and we ask you give his family strength and guidance. Today we did not lose a friend, we lost a brother, our own blood, and we have to feel the sorrow of it. Let this be a lesson to these young recruits, as they will endure this pain in battle. Bless our hearts and our strength to carry on, Amen." A soft "Amen." roared through the room. Sergeant Faust saluted us and dismissed us for lights out.
Pretty soon, weeks passed the same as days. Sarah and I kept exchanging letters, learning of how her bump was growing. I was hoping for a boy, but it wouldn't matter what it was, it was ours. We were far accustomed to the training by now, it only made us excited and motivated to get through it. George never could get the rhythm down of anything, and was pretty much able to do push-ups with only one arm. The sun would rise in the morning, and the sun would set that evening. Every day we grew stronger. Our strength was not the only factor that increased, but our loyalty and dignity as well. We had grown from boys, to men in a matter of a handful of weeks. The leaves began to fall at the end of September as our training was slowly coming to an end. I wrote Sarah, telling her about graduation in the next couple of weeks, that she was welcome to come. I was exited needles to say.
After basic was over, we all had to do an exam at the end. The crisp autumn air blew past us as we sat on the bleachers, while Sergeant Faust called out our names, and our assignments. Garry got army pilot. Garry's face lit up with joy, a silent joy. George got infantry. As the rest of the names were called, I nervously awaited my results, the cold air didn't help with the anxiety of the situation. The wind was fierce that day, but it was also a relief. "Sooie!" I stood at attention as Faust called my name. "You will be a paratrooper! Riding with Heinz. "Sir, Yes, sir!" I replied. "You will have to go through parachute jump training before you begin your assignments." He said while scratching his nose. Once he was done calling our roles, he stood at attention. "Ladies, you proved, not only to yourself, but others as well, that you could make it. You're no longer boys, you're born again hard, you're soldiers now, brothers who must protect one another." Hearing the word brother had a different meaning than it did 14 weeks prior. We were now family, and we always had one another's backs, no matter what.
The sound of trumpets blared through the crisp autumn air as we did our final March at graduation. The sounds of claps and whistles filled the atmosphere along with our footsteps marching to the band. Once we were dismissed, Sarah's bright red hair caught my attention. I ran over to her as fast as I could. She reached her arms around me and clasped onto me. I was fighting tears as her face was buried in my shoulder. She looked up at me and smiled. We shared a kiss. "How's the baby doing?" I asked as I looked at her stomach. She rubbed the bump with pride in her smile. "Getting along great now." She grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes. "I know your father would be proud of you Everett." I smiled with pride, trying to hold back the tears. "So, what are you going to do now?" She asked while rubbing her hands over her bump. "Paratrooper, gonna fall out of the sky with a parachute." Sarah's face lit up. "That sounds scary Everett, I hope you'll be careful." She said. I put my hand on her shoulder. "I promise I will be. I've got to train a few more weeks then I'm off." She smiled and trailed her hand down my shoulder. "You look so handsome, I miss you every day." I smiled and kissed her once more, longer this time, making it last. "I miss you too Sarah. I will be back when it's over, I promise you!" She smiled and kissed me again, not wanting to let me go. I looked up, and noticed a tear streaming down her face. I wiped the tear away and kissed her forehead. "I love you Sarah, I will marry you when I come back." I said as I smiled and caressed her.
I brought Sarah back to the barracks, to show her what it was like, and where I'd been writing her every day. We both sat down on the bed, as distant chatter from other families filled the room. I looked down at Sarah's belly, seeing her small bump. "Have you thought of any names yet?" I asked as I caressed Sarah's thigh. Sarah smiled brightly, revealing her white teeth. "Not really, I haven't put much thought into it yet." She said as she rubbed her hands over the bump. She looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. "I miss you Everett. Every day I do." I smiled and rubbed her back. "I do too Sarah, I do too. How's momma?" I asked while lighting a cigarette. "She's okay, a little under the weather." I took a couple of puffs as I continued asking questions. "Have you told her yet?" I asked as a silhouette of smoke crept out of my mouth. "Yes, she was happy for me, and said she wasn't stupid, that she saw the car pull into the barn that night." She said while grinning really big. My face began to turn red as she said that. "I figured she'd find out, she knew better." I said as Sarah laughed and patted my leg.
I took Sarah around the base, showing her all of the training courses we went through, and how severe the training had gotten. The sun had began to make its way past the trees, telling us it wouldn't be long before we were separated again. We walked past the other recruits, marching and singing their cadences along with their drill sergeant. We walked out towards the beach, and sat down.
The waves crashing in the distance impaired our hearing as we tried to talk to each other. I laid my head down in the sand, as did Sarah. Sarah turned to me. "Laying down in the stars, reminds me of when we did that. I was surprised your mom didn't hear us." She said as she began to laugh. I slapped her arm playfully. "Oh now come on, it wasn't that loud." I chuckled. We both fell silent as the waves spoke in the distance. I turned to Sarah, as she was counting the stars. "Sarah-" I stuttered. "You will marry me, won't you?" I asked, looking at her gaze. She grinned as her red lips shined in the moonlight. "Yes silly, I'd be happy to. Even though I can't spell your name, I want it to be mine too." She laughed playfully as I scoffed. "You tell momma when you get back home that I'm going to let her chew me out for what I did to you." I said as I laughed. Sarah giggled. "She won't kill you honey. She was a kid once too." I lay there, thinking about that word. Kid, I was no longer a kid, but a man, with a woman and a child on the way. My life changed drastically in the last few months, and would change even more in the months to come. Sarah looked at me. "I better get going, it's almost 10 o'clock. I rolled over and kissed her deeply, looking into her eyes. "I love you Sarah, don't you ever forget that." She grinned real big, pulling me by my shirt collar into her lips again. "I love you too Everett." I walked Sarah to the bus lot, holding her hand and taking my time. As we approached the bus, she looked up into my eyes. "Everett, I love you more than anything. I'll see you soon. But before I go, I wanted you to have something." I looked down at her hand as she spoke, and saw a diner ticket. I laughed. "What did you reserve me a meal for when I get back?" She grinned. "No silly, it's the ticket I wrote on, the night we met." She placed it into my hand and curled my fingers up. She looked at me with tears steaming down her face. "I love you Everett, be safe." I kissed her one last time, tasting the salt from her tears. "I love you too Sarah." She pecked my cheek as she climbed on the bus. The bus roared to life and eased off into the night. I stood there in the darkness, watching the tail lights fade away. I muttered to myself: "I love you."