Chapter 9: Excuse
Herbert Sobel held a can of peaches, shaking it in his hand. Winters, Nixon, and the other lieutenants stood there awkwardly. "Anybody."
After a moment's pause, Nixon spoke up hesitantly, "That's a can of peaches, sir."
"Lieutenant Nixon thinks this is a can of peaches," Sobel sneered, then raised his voice. "That is incorrect, Lieutenant. Your weekend pass is revoked."
Sobel took a step forward, pointing a finger at the can. "This is United States Army property," he said sternly, "which was taken without authorization from my mess facility. I will not tolerate thievery of any kind in my company." He then turned to Winters. "Whose footlocker is this?"
"Private Parks's, Captain," Winters replied after a slight hesitation.
"Parks?" Sobel paused, but then said firmly, "Get rid of him. And all weekend passes are canceled, including for the officers." After saying this, he gave Winters a long, meaningful look.
Hearing Sobel's order, Winters frowned, then, as if he had made a firm decision, said, "Captain Sobel, permission to speak."
"Go ahead," Sobel said without emotion, turning to give Winters his profile. He casually handed the can of peaches to his aide. "Your request is granted."
"Parks is a good soldier," Winters stated.
"A good soldier steals canned goods from the mess hall? Winters, it seems your judgment is flawed," Sobel said coldly. "Do you believe getting rid of a soldier like that is the wrong decision?"
Nixon spoke up then, deciding to help Winters. "Captain, this can of peaches isn't from the Army mess hall. Although they look similar, I am certain this is not Army property. Furthermore, we all know Private Parks. He is a man of good character, he trains extremely hard, and he is one of the best-performing soldiers in Easy Company."
Sobel glanced at Nixon. "And your point is?"
"Why not let Winters investigate the matter thoroughly before making a decision on the punishment?" Nixon looked at Sobel without a trace of fear. "I believe that if a soldier makes a mistake, he must be punished. But if he has not made a mistake…" He shrugged, the meaning obvious. Sobel understood.
Sobel looked at Winters, then at Nixon. Without another word, he turned and walked away. If it turned out he was mistaken, he couldn't kick Parks out for this reason; he would have to find another. To do otherwise would be bad for morale, and Sobel was no fool.
Winters and the others followed him out of the barracks.
"Alright, dismissed," Sobel said, having lost all enthusiasm for the inspection.
After saluting, Nixon and Winters turned to leave.
"Lieutenant Winters!" Sobel called out.
Winters stopped and turned to face him, a questioning look on his face.
"Colonel Sink believes you are ready for a promotion," Sobel said, walking up to Winters. He took a silver bar from his pocket and pinned it on Winters's collar. "As a First Lieutenant, you will serve as my executive officer. Congratulations."
"Thank you, sir," Winters replied, a faint smile appearing on his face, though he remained composed.
"Also," Sobel said as he started walking away, with Winters quickly following, "as a test of your organizational skills and command potential, I am designating you Mess Officer for 14 days."
"Oh and Dick, there is rain forecast tomorrow so the company will have a light afternoon of lectures and classroom instructions," Sobel said, stopping. "I think a special meal before their afternoon off would be a welcome change. Go and make your preparations."
Winters saluted, turned, and was about to leave.
"Lieutenant Winters," Sobel called out one last time. "I like spaghetti." After saying this, he didn't look at Winters again and walked away.
***
The news of Sobel's tirade that morning had already spread. Everyone knew that Rhys was in trouble and that he might genuinely be removed from Easy Company, transferred to another unit, or even discharged from the army.
"Don't worry, Parks. We all know those cans were a gift from Miss Jennifer in town," Tipper said in the barracks, patting Rhys's shoulder.
Rhys knew that in the original version of events, the soldier involved 'was' kicked out over this incident. But this time, things were different. These two cans of peaches weren't stolen. Moreover, because of his outstanding performance in training, he had made an excellent impression on Winters and the others. Things might not be as bad as they could have been.
Despite this, Rhys was still worried. He didn't want to leave this company. He already felt that he, the company, and the brothers within it had become one.
"If Sobel really tries to kick you out, I'll quit with you," White said, walking over to pat Rhys's other shoulder. He could see that Rhys was in low spirits.
Just then, several more men entered the barracks. It was Martin, Randleman, and Lipton.
"Don't worry, it's not that bad," Rhys said, not wanting them to worry about him, even though he had no idea if things would actually turn out okay. Sobel was just too arrogant.
Rhys saw Denver Randleman and, to lighten the mood, forced a smile. "Hey, Sergeant Randleman, looks like Winters was wrong. It's not you Sobel hates, it's me."
Hearing this, everyone remembered the conversation between Randleman and Winters on the night march and couldn't help but laugh, slightly easing the tension.
"He hates everyone in Easy Company," Randleman said, his voice full of his own deep-seated resentment for Sobel. "Parks, you are a brother of Easy Company. No one can make you leave."
At that moment, the barracks flap was thrown open again.
"Attention!" Martin shouted. Everyone inside snapped to their feet.
First Lieutenant Winters and Lieutenant Nixon entered.
"At ease, soldiers," Winters said, his eyes on Rhys. "Everyone, I need to speak with Parks for a moment."
Hearing this, the men quickly filed out of the barracks. They all knew it had to be about the canned peaches.
"I hope Winters can save him," White lamented once they were outside. In all honesty, he and Rhys had the closest relationship in Easy Company now.
"Don't worry," Tipper said beside him. "Winters is a good man."
Martin suddenly interjected, "Were you serious about what you said in there?"
"About what?"
"That if Parks gets kicked out, you're going to leave the company too?"
White looked at Martin and then nodded firmly. "Yes, that's what I'm thinking. Is there a problem? Although leaving the airborne would be painful for me, I would rather choose brotherhood." He shrugged at Martin and added with emphasis, "Is there a problem with that decision?"
Martin, who had been watching White with a serious expression, suddenly broke into a smile. "Nothing wrong with it. I just wanted to tell you, no matter what you decide, you will always be a brother of Easy Company."
"Thanks," White said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Alright, let's just wait and ask Parks himself if Winters found a way to save him," Lipton said. To be honest, Lipton felt terrible. After spending this much time together, he couldn't imagine how it would feel if one of their brothers was forced to leave.
***
Inside the barracks.
"Parks, can you tell me about those two cans of peaches?" Winters asked, looking at him seriously.
Parks was the most outstanding soldier he had ever seen in training, and he was very well-liked. Officers loved soldiers like him—except, of course, for intensely jealous men like Sobel. Winters absolutely did not want Parks to be forced out of the airborne over this.
Rhys understood Winters's predicament and didn't blame him at all. This was all Sobel's doing. Consumed by jealousy, he was trying to cause trouble for Winters's Second Platoon as revenge for being upstaged during Colonel Sink's inspection.
So, Rhys recounted the events of his night out. "That's the whole story, Lieutenant Winters," he concluded. "I think that if Captain Sobel is determined to kick me out, I won't make things difficult for you."
"Do you think I'm in a difficult position right now?" Winters asked, looking at Rhys curiously. "It doesn't matter who it is. As long as he is a brother of Easy Company, if he hasn't done anything wrong, I will do my best to ensure he isn't punished without reason. The same goes for you."
Nixon spoke up then, smiling at Rhys. "Relax, Private Parks. This situation isn't as serious as you think. It's just a misunderstanding. I believe that even if Captain Sobel misunderstood, once it's cleared up, there shouldn't be a problem."
"Thank you, sir," Rhys said. He knew that since Winters and Nixon had said this, the matter would probably end here. Even if Captain Sobel was unhappy, he wouldn't risk a conflict with both Winters and Nixon over his own mistake.
Rhys was right. The next morning, the verdict on the two cans of peaches was delivered: Rhys, along with White and Tipper who had gone out with him, were sentenced to one week of cleaning the latrines.
When Sobel handed down the punishment, the reason he gave Winters was: The canned peaches looked too much like the ones from the mess hall, causing the Captain to misjudge.
The excuse was absolutely priceless.