Broken

Chapter one

Dear Jake

I hope you are alright. I know you've got your older brother to take care of you, but 

can't always be there for you. Every body at home can't wait for your return. Your mother especially.

She said she would bake you your favorite pie, strawberry!

You're father couldn't be prouder. He just got a new job in downtown San Francisco.

Don't worry, you won't be moving from Berkeley. He just said he's going to get an automobile!

It's probably nothing compared to the technology you have at the military, but it's definitely

something. It's amazing how fast technology is advancing. 

Stay safe,

Betty

I read the letter over and over as our landing boat sloshed around. I probably would have read it a fifth time if my Sg. didn't yell at me to get my act together. I shook my head and payed attention. 

"When we get to the beach-" An artillery shell hit the boat next to us, blasting it to bits and killing everybody inside. The sergeant...god bless him, managed to organize us. "-you need to find cover! If you don't, you will die." We all nodded, all fearful for our lives.

Another blast hit near us, almost toppling the boat. We could hear the gunfire and the screams from the boats that landed ahead. The water which sloshed into the boat became red with blood, and our boat began to scrape against the beach sand as we closed in.

"Remember! Find cover, and you will be fine. Do you understand!" We all nodded, and readied ourselves as the landing craft stuttered to a stop. The doors at the front opened, and we ran.

The bunkers ahead of us spewed bullets at us, killing 3 of us in what seemed like seconds.              Blood splattered onto me as the guy in front of me's head was blown off by a machine gun round.       

His body saved my life as I used it as a body shield. Round after round flew into his body as I desperately tried to cover as much of my body as I good. 

Another bullet, another bullet, another fucking bullet. They just kept coming.                                                    Eventually came a pause. As I realized the gunner was reloading, I ran for cover. As I ran, the gunner who was targeting me must have finished reloading. He opened fire the moment I dove behind a couple of sand bags. He kept firing as I desperately aimed my rifle. I fired off my full mag as I desperately tried to shoot the gunner in his bunker. I missed every shot. As I reloaded my rifle, I began to look around me. All I saw horrified. I saw three new recruits...all younger than 20 blasted to bits by an artillery shell. One wasn't killed by the initial blast, but his leg was torn off. He desperately crawled for cover before taking a bullet to the head. I watched as soldiers desperately ran towards the bunkers, getting mowed down before they could even reach it. 

I finally regained my senses after an artillery shell knocked me onto the floor. I grabbed my rifle and desperately ran to the bunker. I lifted my rifle and aimed it and fired three times. I missed each time.  I didn't get the chance to finish the rest of my mag as a machine gun round hit me in the helmet, barely being deflected by it but knocking me to the floor. As I regained my senses I watched as a troop threw a grenade into the bunker, blasting those inside to bits.

However I realized that soon more krauts would get into that bunker, and more bullets would be rained upon us. 

So I ran towards the bunkers. 

More bullets, more artillery, more dead. Blood must've soaked the ground five feet down. I ran all the way to the first bunker, where I hid behind as the germans brought out more artillery. However, there where more machine gunners behind the main bunkers. One kid looked around his cover to get a improvised lobotomy. When we finally regained our senses from our first charge, the german's only where getting started.

More troops rushed through, desperate to find cover before getting killed. I was ordered too, and so I did. We ran through trenches, got shot at, and have artillery kill hundreds. Sarge...he was fearless. He lead us through thick and thin. That is until he was shot in the head by a german soldier. 

By the end of it, they say that blood soaked the sand five feet deep.

I just pray we don't have another day like this Again.