ESO SOLDADO

Part One - CURRAHEE

June 1942 – Camp Toccoa, Georgia

The humid Georgia air is thick as Easy Company stands in formation with all their gear. Rene is standing in his place towards the back suddenly overcome with the need to itch his calf. He discreetly moves his left leg to scratch his right calf, bringing his foot down in perfect timing. He stands straighter, going back to attention as Captain Sobel walks to the front of the company. He yells as he walks between the men, "you people are at the position of attention!" Sobel stops in front of First platoon, before he walks over to Perconte, who moves as soon as Sobel stops in front of him, getting his gun ready for inspection. Sobel looks down at Perconte after inspecting his weapon, "Private Perconte, have you been blousing your trousers over your boots like a paratrooper?"

Perconte continues looking forward, his voice neutral as he speaks, "no, sir."

Sobel furrows his eyebrows, glancing with his eyes down at Perconte's boots, before looking back up at the man in question, "then explain the creases at the bottom."

Rene's eyebrows crease slightly in the back, wondering how Sobel could have been able to see creases. Perconte doesn't move at all, his voice unwavering as he speaks, "no excuse, sir."

Sobel looks up, looking around at the other men, "volunteering for the parachute infantry is one thing, Perconte," Sobel looks back at Perconte, "but you've got a long way to prove that you belong here. Your weekend pass is revoked." Sobel turns, walking off, looking for someone else to stop in front of. He comes to a halt in front of Luz, turning to him and speaking down at him, "name?"

"Luz, George," he responds as he gets his weapon ready for inspection.

Sobel grabs the weapon, giving it a small once over, holding it for barely thirty seconds, before tossing it back to Luz, his voice annoyed, "dirt in the rear side aperture. Pass revoked." Luz moves back into attention, as Sobel moves on, looking over the other men again. He walks past Seargent Lipton, before he stops, and turns around, walking back over to the man. He moves closer to him, grabbing a piece of string from sleeve, holding it up to him, "when did you sew on these chevrons, Sergeant Lipton?"

Like the others before him, Lipton's voice is neutral as he speaks, his body unmoving, "yesterday, sir."

Sobal rolls his eyes, his voice fluctuating with annoyance, "long enough to notice this." Sobel brings his hand up next to Lipton's face, showing the string, "revoked."

Sobel walks away as Lipton lets out a neutral, "sir."

Sobel moves on to the next platoon, looking between the men, stopping in front of Malarkey, "name?"

Malarkey gets his weapon ready for inspection, "Malarkey, Donald G."

Sobel grabs the weapon, moving to inspect it, only to stop as he raises an eyebrow slightly, "Malarkey? Malarkey's slang for bullshit, isn't it?"

Malarkey internally rolls his eyes; how many times has he heard that in his life. His voice gives nothing away as he stares stoically to the front, his voice neutral, "yes, sir."

Sobel doesn't say anything more as he moves to inspect the weapon, "rust on the butt plate hinge spring, Private Bullshit," Sobel toss's the gun back at Malarkey who stumbles to catch it. He moves back into the stance of attention as Sobel speaks once more before walking away, "revoked." Sobel comes to a stop in front of another man, "name?"

"Liebgott, Joseph D., sir," he gets his weapon ready for inspection.

Sobel looks down, ignoring the weapon in Liebgott's hands and reaching to grab the bayonet. He holds it up, looking at it for a moment before speaking, "rusty bayonet, Liebgott." He gives Liebgott a condescending look, "you wanna kill Germans?"