Catch Her If You Can | Band of Brothers

III. Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Saturday November 28th, 1942.

Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Saturday, November 28th, 1942.

Nothing too substantial had happened in the past couple of weeks. Weekend passes had been revoked, night maneuvers conducted, and necessary preparations made for the march to Atlanta. Now, it was the endgame.

It was a chilly morning a day or two after Thanksgiving, and Dick's heart was pounding. His breathing was ragged, his legs cramping, but he wouldn't give up. Not with the current stakes. Colonel Sink had arranged a decathlon - an athletic competition between all current and former company level officers in the 506th to see who would be jumpmaster of the first stick of officers to jump at Fort Benning, and which company would be jumping first.

The first stage was running Currahee. Dick's heart pounded in his chest as the trees flew by. Last time he'd checked, Captain Fenley had been hot on his tail. Now, as he descended the hill, he felt a slight pang of fear. That pang quickly transitioned from a dull ache in his legs to sharp pain. No, no, no, my legs can't be cramping now. This is not happening. Dick looked down the hill and relaxed a little. Only 200 yards to go. He tried to push through, but the pain in his legs was making it difficult. He gritted his teeth and tried to push through, but it was too late. There she was again.

Her red hair was perfectly pinned into an army-approved bun, and her face was bare of any makeup. With the lack of face powder and rouge, Dick noticed how naturally pretty she was. Days in the sun had brought out a few freckles, and given her skin a natural rosy glow. Focus, you idiot! You need to win this for Easy Company.

As the cramping in Dick's legs worsened, Captain Fenley sprinted past him. Dick managed to come in second, but the damage to Easy Company's ego was visible plain as day on the mens' faces. As other officers trickled in, Dick put his hands on his knees and slumped over in an attempt to catch his breath. Something moved into the edge of his field of vision. Someone, actually.

It was Captain Fenley. She was breathing hard, and her face was red. She held out her right hand to Dick. He took it in his own, and the two shook hands. She flashed a bright, genuine smile that Dick promptly returned. Maybe she's not just some stuck-up rich girl who wants to play G.I. Joe...

From Currahee, the competing officers proceed to the P.T. area. Next on the docket for the decathlon was the most push ups, then the most chin-ups, and the competition ended with the fastest time on the obstacle course.

The push-ups and chin-ups were easy for Dick. He was by far the best physically fit man in Easy, and gave everyone else in the 506th a hell of a run for their money. He beat every other officer in both of those events. Dick smiled to himself. You can do it. Just one more event.

The name of the game was speed and agility. On the obstacle course, strength was irrelevant. All a soldier needed to do was be faster than everyone else, and then they had a shot at winning. As Dick raced through the course, he suddenly groaned. A flash of red hair, heavy breathing, big brown eyes. Captain Fenley was right next to him.

Dick willed himself to run faster, and so did Captain Fenley. The two ran neck-in-neck through the course, bobbing and weaving. Then came the end. The ten-foot wall, and just beyond it, a rope climb.

Captain Fenley jumped first. She was shorter than Dick by almost half a foot, so she needed to jump earlier to compensate. She caught the wall with her palms and hauled herself up, and was over and running by the time Dick reached the top. They reached the climbing ropes a second apart, but that was enough.

Captain Fenley pulled herself up the rope at lightning speed, gritting her teeth against the burning on her hands. She reached the top, and let herself slide back down. As she jogged over to Sink, Strayer, and Horton, Dog Company cheered.