A Soldier of No Importance [ Band of Brothers ] 1

NINETEEN

December 24th. Her birthday. Alice sat in her cot, rubbing her forehead as she thought about that fact. December 24th, 1942 would be her first birthday without family.

She sat in the dark. No one had woken up yet. Quietly leaving her cot, she grabbed clothes from her footlocker next to her bed and slipped behind the curtain that had been set up for her in Fort Benning. She changed quickly.

Alice slipped out of the barracks unnoticed. Her feet hit the bare ground, the frosty grass crunching beneath her boots. She pulled on her beret. While she walked across the camp, the sun began to rise. Gentle blues, white-golds, and pinks painted the early morning sky. She could smell the winter air, the crispness of it all around her. The ambience of morning birds added to the peacefulness.

Her pack of cigarettes crinkled as she pulled one out. She lit it, her lighter flicking open and spouting a small orange flame. She closed her eyes. She breathed. The smoke filled her mouth, throat, and lungs, warming her in the chill morning. Her body relaxed. Alice released all the tension she could, focusing only on the warm smoke filling her lungs.

The sound of boots on frosted grass interrupted the silence a few minutes later. As a visible combination of cigarette smoke and her breath wrapped around her, she turned to see who approached. Ron Speirs, ever an early riser, walked over.

"You're not often up this early," he said, voice low.

Alice hummed in agreement. Sitting down at a picnic table, she crossed her legs and kept smoking. Ron joined her. He pulled out his own cigarette and light. They sat in silence for a minute.

"Did you decide if you're going back home?"

Ron paused. He pulled his cigarette out and looked around. "I think I'll stay." Turning back to her, he continued. "Most of D company is leaving. What about Easy?"

With a hum, she shrugged. "About half are going home."

They fell into comfortable silence again. Smoke swirled around them. The sun had fully breached the horizon, and the birds sang louder. Finally, Ron broke the silence again.

"I know you never told me it was today, but happy birthday, for what it's worth." He glanced left as a few men exited Able Company's first platoon barracks. "Nixon let it slip."

"I never told him, either," Alice replied, no hint of bitterness in her voice. "Thank you. This year is... an adjustment."

It was Ron's turn to stay silent. As his gaze drifted around the open grounds of Fort Benning, he nodded. He reached into his coat pocket and took something out. "I've still got family in Scotland. I wrote them about a month ago. Took some effort on their part, but they managed to get ahold of this." He put the object on the table in front of her.

Alice audibly gasped. Without even thinking, her hand flew to her mouth. Ron had put down a single bar of Swiss chocolate. The large cursive scrawl of 'Lindt' had been written in bright white over a blue wrapper. What could be seen of the silver tinfoil it covered shined in the sunlight.

"I always liked Lindt," he told her. "My father liked to pick it up when we could in Edinburgh."

She hadn't meant to cry, but the small reminder of Germany triggered emotions she hadn't expected. Sugar had been rationed for quite some time in Europe, so chocolate for anyone but the elite had been hard to come by. As she teared up beneath her hands, the chilly air stung her eyes. She wiped the tears away.

"I can't... thank you." Alice picked up the bar of chocolate. Her fingers trailed over the name 'Lindt'. "I don't..."

Ron gave a small laugh. "Figured you'd be missing home a bit more than usual."