A Soldier of No Importance [ Band of Brothers ] 1

SIX

A shrill whistle woke them at five on Monday morning. It took a moment of blinking herself awake before Alice remembered where she was. Dick had told them they'd fall out in fatigues and then have to change into PT gear, so she changed behind her curtain into the PT gear under it. Groans filled the barracks. When she'd fallen asleep the previous night, several bunks had been empty.

Alice grabbed her gun off her footlocker on the way out. She took up her spot at the very back of the formation, one of the first few there. George Luz yawned beside her. Her gaze met Dick's in the front, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. She stood at attention as the rest of her platoon filled in.

Sobel finished up with first platoon and strode over to them, fuming. He barked at them to stand at attention. Alice rolled her eyes because they already were. The First Lieutenant strode between the men. He stared them down. He said nothing more until he came to stand before Alice.

"Are you wearing lipstick, Lieutenant?"

"No, sir."

His cold hand grabbed her chin and yanked her up. She shivered at the touch. Beady eyes glared down at her as she refused to react.

"For lying, you get to run Currahee twice, Lieutenant. Once with the men, and once tonight." He dropped her chin. Striding back to the front, he screeched at the men. "Currahee is that mountain. We run three miles up and three miles down. We do not stop! You will do so faster than any other company, is that clear?"

"Sir, yes sir."

"Lieutenant Winters, dismiss the men. Have them ready to run Currahee in five minutes."

"Second Platoon, fall out. Change and report back here in three!"

They broke formation. Muttering German curses under her breath, Alice joined the men inside. Stripping off the fatigues didn't take long. The PT shorts barely extended to her fingertips and showed her legs completely. At least the shirt fell a bit loose.

"Lookin' good, toots," Guarnere told her. He winked as she moved past him but then stopped. "What happened to your face?"

Alice's hand touched her cheek. It burned slightly at the touch. "The Lieutenant found it necessary to check for lipstick. The lipstick does not exist."

"He grabbed you?"

She shrugged and dropped the conversation. Once back outside, she breathed deeply in. Without meaning to, a small laugh escaped her as she looked at Currahee Mountain.

"What's so funny?"

She looked at Bull and smirked. "That is not a mountain. That is a hill."

Still grinning at the comparison of Currahee to something like the Col du Galibier, she fell in behind most of the company with Winters. They walked at a quick pace down the center of the camp, First Platoon up ahead with Nixon. The warmth of the Georgia summer didn't bother her as much anymore. Alice ended up walking between Joe Liebgott and George Luz. Anger all but radiated from the Austrian-American to her left.

Whistles and jeers went up to either side of the group. Alice just focused on her feet hitting the ground. At first she heard and felt the crunch of the gravel path, but soon her boots met rough ground. She knew how to run. She knew how to run up and down mountains. This wouldn't be an issue. She was more worried about combat training than physical fitness.

Sobel soon came running up to them, screeching profanities and insults. Their feet pounded the ground. Alice tried her best not to stand out among the men, some of whom had clearly never run up mountains before. The last thing she needed was a target on her back from her own company.