A Company of Heroes

The Beginning

June 6 1944 – D-Day – Somewhere deep in the Normandy Coast

As he prepared to open fire on the 1st AA gun crew he could feel the sweat building on his face, his fear shown as he contemplated on revealing his position the enemy soldiers opposite him. But as he prepared to fire he could feel his stomach lurching the sounds of the AA guns in a distance and close to him as he saw his comrades, his fellow brothers in arms dropping out of the sky and falling prey to the enemy his anger rose as he checked his rifle seeing a round in the chamber ready to shoot his hands clammy from the weight of the M1 Carbine in his hands as he took in a breath listening to his heartbeat as he then thought back to that fateful day in January of 1942 as he heard the news of him signing up for the Airborne. Soon he opened fire

BOOOM!!

January 1942

For Donnie Murphy a 14 year old Irish Catholic out of Chicago he was entering his first year of High School he was born in April 29th 1927 he had recently heard about the Pearl Harbour attack and was eager to serve on the front lines he tried to get in many times in 1941 after the attack but was rejected from the Marines, the Navy and the Air Force due to youthfulness but had the correct physical requirements eventually he had tried his luck in the Paratroopers they rejected him as well but one day after coming back from school his mother had opened a letter which had allowed him to enlist in the Paratroops his older brother Eric who had already enlisted was on leave from the Marine Corps and heard the news that came out after he answered a phone call at the train station from his mother telling him of the news his blood had been boiling at the mention his kid brother was heading off to the front lines his mother even cried when she saw the letter he looked at his mom and older brother wore stern looks on their faces before speaking, "You want to tell me Donnie why the hell the Army is asking you to serve in the Paratroops?" Their Mom cried at the thought of their family member out there going toe to toe with the Enemy thinking of how her husband was at the front lines of WW1 and how he came home a different man before leaving them and their youngest sister in 1932. Donnie spoke eventually, "I want to do this Eric it's the right thing to do" Eric stunned by the response replied, "You do realise if you head out there you won't be safe" "I know but if you say I can't go I'm just going to defy you and plus I have been in more fights than you have" Eric looked at his mom who looked at Donnie, "Don do realise that if you go through with this you are heading out to wherever they send you, you can't ask to be sent wherever you want it does not work that way" Eric and Donnie looked down at the floor at the prospect of being away from their mom and sister (Lizzie) for a long time but were prepared to take the risk they both nodded at each other before turning towards their Mom, "We want to do this Mom to bring Honour to our family and to do what Dad did ... come home to you and Betty" their mom sadly smiled tears shining in her eyes at the prospect of her sons fighting for their country spoke to them, "I want you to promise me Donnie that you will come back home to me, Eric and Betty." "I promise Mom can me and Eric both go to church to light a candle?" Their mom smiled at how she raised her sons. Once they had made promises that both boys would return from the war both Donnie and Eric made their way down to Saint Mary's of Perpetual they walked up the steps and walked towards a pew and prayed silently before walking up to the altar to light their candles and make the sign of the cross before walking out of the Church and back home.

That night at home Donnie was packing his bag and was sweating incredibly at the prospect of being away from home but he realised that when he signed up and so did Eric. The next morning the Murphy family walked up to the train station where they said goodbye to the youngest Murphy son they said their goodbyes but when the Tannoy called out, "Final to Toccoa, Georgia. This train will leave in 2 Minutes." Donnie looked up and said to his family, "I got to go, bye everyone" he waved goodbye as he got on the train and saluted to his family as Eric returned it respectfully. Very soon he found a seat and sat back in his seat as the train rode south. Where he would meet the men that would become his family for the remainder of the war.