A Fight for Survival

Survival Training

June 23, 1943 Camp Mackall - North Carolina

As Easy Company was in a training exercise in the woods of North Carolina. Alexis was looking over the maps before but was interrupted by Sobel telling her that studding wasn't needed. So in the field when Sobel needed a map he called Petty and Alexis over,"McMahon, Petty. Map. Come on." As the two made their way over to the worried Captain. "We're in the wrong position. We're in the wrong position." Dick made his way over to the trio, "We're textbook position for ambush, sir. We should sit tight, let the enemy team come into our killing zone.

Petty, his usual cheerfulness dimmed by the Captain's demeanor, scrambled to unfold the map, his muttered "Oh, Christ" lost in the rustling of leaves. "We're in the wrong position. We're in the wrong position," Sobel insisted, his voice tight with tension. Molly stepped forward, his gaze steady. "We're in textbook position for an ambush, sir. We should sit tight, let the enemy team come into our killing zone." Sobel, however, was not easily swayed. "They're right out there somewhere. Let's just get them." "Sir," Winters persisted, his voice calm but firm, "we have perfect cover here. We can take them by surprise." Sobel glared at him for a moment, then barked, "Lieutenants, deploy your troops."

Dick and Molly didn't hesitate. "Second Platoon, move out," he ordered, his voice sharp and clear. "What?" Muck muttered, his face a picture of confusion. "Tactical column," Molly looks at Dick who nods before telling the men clarified, "Let's move." Molly walks over to Alexis, "What is going on.

They moved through the dense undergrowth, silent and deadly, their movements honed by weeks of relentless training. The air crackled with anticipation, the silence broken only by the chirping of crickets and the rustling of their fatigues. Suddenly the other platoon pops out and caught them off guard and won the training exercise. A voice rang out, shattering the stillness. "Captain, you've just been killed, along with 95% of your company."  Sobel froze, his face a mask of disbelief. "What?" "Your outfit?" the voice, impersonal and sharp, demanded. "Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th," Sobel mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.

"Leave three wounded men on the ground and report back to the assembly area," the commander instructed. Sobel stared at the spot where the voice had originated, his face ashen. "Goddamn it," he muttered, his shoulders slumping with defeat. He turned to the three men closest to him. "You, you, you. You're dead. Get down." The men, their faces etched with a mixture of amusement and frustration, dropped to the ground, playing their assigned roles in the training exercise. Molly and Dick look at each other, both frustrated at Sobel: his pride wounded more than his fictional company, trudged back towards the assembly area, the weight of his tactical blunder heavy on his shoulders. The men of Easy Company, accustomed to their Captain's missteps, exchanged knowing glances. They would regroup, analyze, and learn from their mistakes. They had to. The real war was waiting. 

The air hung thick with frustration as Easy Company regrouped at the assembly area, the sting of their simulated defeat still fresh. Captain Sobel, his face a thundercloud, paced back and forth, muttering under his breath. "Dumbass," Luz hissed to Perconte, keeping his voice low but unable to contain his annoyance, "textbook ambush position, and he blows it." Perconte snorted. "Like we haven't seen that before." 

Across the clearing, Molly, Alexis, Liebgott, and Webster huddled together, their expressions mirroring the general discontent. "I swear, that man could screw up a cup of coffee," Alexis muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "We had the perfect position," Liebgott growled, running a hand through his already-mussed hair. "Perfect cover, perfect line of fire... and thought we could walk up to the 'enemy' and overrun them."

"It's like he doesn't even listen," Molly chimed in, her voice tight with frustration. "Dick tried to tell him, we all tried, but he just doesn't listen. I mean Alex has shown all of us both textbook tactics and ones that Hornet Company came up with back in Camp Artemis. The nerve on Sobel he's such a bloke." Webster, his youthful face creased with worry, spoke up, "What if he does that for real? In the real thing?"

The question hung in the air, heavy and unanswered. Even in a training exercise, the thought of Sobel's incompetence costing them lives was a bitter pill to swallow. "He won't," a new voice said, firm and reassuring. Dick, his face calm but his eyes reflecting the shared concern, had joined their circle. "He won't, because we won't let him." He looked at each of them in turn, his gaze steady. "We've trained too hard, come too far, to let one man's mistakes cost us everything. We watch out for each other, remember? We're Easy Company."

His words, a much-needed reminder of their bond, seemed to ease some of the tension. They were a team, a brotherhood forged in sweat and shared hardship. They would get through this, together. "Besides," Dick added, a wry smile playing on his lips, "if Sobel tries anything too crazy, I hear Ginger here has a mean right hook." Molly couldn't help but laugh, the tension finally breaking. "Don't tempt me, Dick."