Despite Parks speaking some kind words for Captain Sobel, it couldn't completely remove the Easy Company brothers' disgust for Sobel from their hearts. However, considering Captain Sobel's character, one could sympathize with the Easy Company brothers' feelings.
Although the training conditions at McCall Camp were excellent, the difficulty of the training was constantly increasing. There were always some brothers experiencing various problems, which gave Sobel a very good excuse. Captain Sobel's punishments were used most frequently during this period, and the methods were constantly being innovated, from the previous full-gear cross-country running to later cleaning toilets and the newly invented frog jumps around the camp, which many people from other companies came to watch.
More importantly, Sobel liked to appear in the barracks at any time and conduct thorough inspections of the Easy Company brothers' personal belongings. This included condoms in lockers, floral ties, and privately hoarded ammunition brought into the barracks in violation of regulations, all of which were found. And after each inspection, the barracks looked as if they had been ransacked.
Heffron was one of the victims of such a major raid, because in his locker, Sobel found several pornographic magazines and greatly humiliated him in front of all the Easy Company brothers.
"We are going to fight the Germans with the rifles in our hands, not with a pornographic magazine in one hand and your penis in the other, ejaculating at the krauts!" Captain Sobel insulted Heffron with an almost contemptuous tone towards everyone in Easy Company. But the Easy Company brothers didn't laugh, nor did they gloat; they just felt very sympathetic towards Heffron. And Heffron became famous after that incident; people from other companies would use him as a joke.
"He is a devil!" Heffron cursed Captain Sobel viciously for the first time, "He should go to hell! How can such a malicious person be allowed to exist in this world?!"
"Don't worry, Heffron!" Christenson comforted him in the barracks, "A person like him won't attract anyone's affection."
Heffron looked very annoyed: "But what can I do? Can my complaints make Captain Sobel leave? No, those guys in the battalion headquarters won't listen to a soldier's complaints. Colonel Sink will only protect officers."
"I really wish someone would kill him!" Christenson, who was also deeply poisoned by Captain Sobel, sighed, "I believe there must be people who hate him to death, including me! Maybe one day on the battlefield while fighting the krauts, someone will shoot him down from behind. Heaven will also open its eyes. To be honest, sometimes I've thought that in my heart."
Although these words seemed a bit extreme when spoken, they were definitely the true thoughts in the hearts of those Easy Company brothers who had been tormented by Captain Sobel. No one could guarantee that this wouldn't happen.
"I didn't hate him so strongly before, Christenson. I just disliked him, just thought he was Easy Company's annoyance, trying every means to torment people. Now, now it's different. He humiliated me, you know? For someone who humiliates me, he will be my lifelong mortal enemy. Maybe one day I will deal with him." Heffron spat fiercely on the ground.
Christenson nodded, then suddenly leaned his head over and whispered to Heffron, "Do you remember that soldier, John Doe, from the First Platoon, last time at Fort Benning barracks?"
Heffron hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He knew Doe, and that time at Fort Benning, Sobel made Doe a laughingstock in front of the entire company, and Sobel even tore off his arm patch, silver wing badge, and paratrooper badge, and also didn't allow him to tuck his trousers into his boots. It was completely more intense than his own humiliation this time. If it were him, he wouldn't know if he could still stay in Easy Company.
"I know him, but he usually doesn't talk much and looks very gloomy." Heffron nodded.
Christenson smiled mysteriously, "I've recently heard people whispering that they want to get rid of Sobel during live-fire exercises or when going to the battlefield, and Doe is one of the people who made such threats!"
"Thank God!" Heffron smiled and made a cross on his chest. Obviously, his mood lightened with this good news that was about to happen. Although it was just talk and there was no sign that anyone was truly going to get rid of that devil, such rumors were enough to excite the Easy Company brothers.
Parks was a bit worried that such rumors might get out of control. Once they lost control, it would be inevitable that someone would truly take a potshot at Captain Sobel on the battlefield or during an exercise.
Perhaps he should talk to the brothers. This was his duty as a First Sergeant, and such matters absolutely needed to be kept secret, otherwise, some brothers would be implicated.
Parks found an opportunity at a gathering of the soldiers and brought up the topic.
"I know someone wants to get rid of Sobel!" As soon as Parks spoke, some people became nervous, and their expressions became unnatural. Clearly, they hadn't expected Parks to say this in such a public setting.
"Actually, from my heart, I also hope someone gets rid of him!" Parks' next sentence made all the brothers cheer, but he changed his tone, "But brothers, I don't think getting rid of him is a good idea at all. The brother who does it might be put on trial."
These words made the Easy Company brothers fall silent again.
"Alright, brothers, don't worry, things will always develop for the better. Actually, I have a very safe, but absolutely effective way to get rid of him!" Parks suddenly smiled.
At this, the Easy Company brothers all became excited. Some were cheering, some were eagerly anticipating. The original uneasiness and tension were quickly suppressed by Parks' words.
"If one day we go to the battlefield and face the Germans, I will salute Captain Sobel, who is exposed in front, to show my respect for an airborne Captain officer. I believe this respect will certainly attract the attention of the krauts." Parks chuckled, "Then the German snipers will also salute our American airborne Captain, with their sniper rifles."
"Hahahaha!" Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"This way, we save bullets, and the brothers don't have to go to military court." Parks said jokingly, "So now, I think everyone should put away those thoughts of wanting to get rid of Sobel. You should know how foolish that is."
"You're absolutely right, Parks! Why should we suffer again for that kind of person?" Christenson shouted.
"Right!" Many people agreed with this statement.
At this point, Parks suddenly added, "I hope this conversation doesn't get to the officers, especially Captain Sobel, otherwise he'll salute the people among us he dislikes. We can't let him learn this trick!"
Everyone burst into laughter again.
Parks knew that this time the effect was very good. Although many still resented Captain Sobel and wanted to retaliate against him at any time, the idea of wanting to get rid of him had temporarily disappeared in Easy Company. This was good news.
After the brothers' emotions calmed down for a few days, a field combat exercise was conducted. Sobel received a notice to find a few Easy Company soldiers to play the role of casualties, providing medics with practical opportunities such as bandaging wounds, applying casts and splints, and evacuating casualties on stretchers.
Sobel knew that the brothers had a lot of opinions about him during this period, so he decided to use this opportunity to ease the tension. Of course, there were also vague rumors that someone wanted to get rid of him, and although it was untraceable, he was still a bit careful. He decided to take this opportunity to set an example for the entire company by personally playing the role of a casualty.
"If only this were real!" Many Easy Company brothers expressed great regret when they learned that Captain Sobel was going to personally play the role of a casualty. Why wasn't this time real?
"But I'm not worried about whether it's real or not; it's nothing to be upset about. However, I can hardly guarantee that those field hospital medics will let Sobel perform perfectly!" Christenson smiled, "Just wait and see, brothers!"
Obviously, there were also people from Easy Company among the medics. This was beyond doubt.
Sobel's head was separated by a curtain, so he couldn't see the person performing the simulated surgery on him.
"Can we start?" Sobel didn't know why, but he felt a little flustered. He tried to tell himself that this was just a simulation.
"Captain, although we are conducting a simulation, I hope that throughout the process, or if you feel any discomfort, you must strictly adhere to battlefield discipline, understand? You are an officer!" A doctor wearing a mask warned Sobel, "We are simulating the removal of your appendix this time, and the whole process will be very easy."
"Okay, I understand!" Sobel nodded.
Then he felt a needle prick his arm.
"Why is it a real injection?" Sobel suddenly shouted.
"Captain, you are a casualty now, don't delay the doctors' exercise!" A voice loudly reprimanded, which quieted Sobel down, but he quickly lost all feeling. Because he was indeed injected with an anesthetic.
As if he had slept, when Sobel woke up, he had already been transferred to a bed, specifically a field hospital bed. Then he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.
"Damn it!" When Sobel lifted his clothes, he suddenly saw his abdomen, a centipede-like wound, stitched with thread, looking a bit disgusting. Did those damned doctors really remove his appendix?
Captain Sobel was finally enraged. He gathered all the brothers of Easy Company, trying to find the medic who had ambushed him, or to get them to reveal who did it. Although his roar was earth-shattering, he was still disappointed. Not a single person from Easy Company stepped forward to admit or identify anyone.
"Dismissed!" Winters breathed a sigh of relief after Captain Sobel stormed off. To be honest, although he detested Captain Sobel, he absolutely did not want the soldiers in the company to ambush him. But he was helpless!
Captain Sobel obviously wouldn't let it go. He complained to Major Horton at the battalion tent and requested to report to Colonel Sink, wanting a thorough investigation of the matter throughout the entire regiment. He wanted to teach a lesson to the person who dared to play a trick on him.
"What do you think about this?" Major Horton still found Lieutenant Colonel Strayer. To be honest, he also wanted to help Captain Sobel, but it was clear that all the soldiers were tight-lipped about the matter, refusing to reveal anything. Could they really call in the military police for this? That would be a huge blow to morale, which he didn't want to see.
Colonel Strehl did not tell Colonel Sink about this matter. He simply said to Major Horton, "He is the company commander of Easy Company. If he doesn't know how to handle it himself, how much can we help him? Major Horton, don't worry about this matter. I believe Captain Sobel can handle it very well. Don't worry."
The final result was inconclusive, which made Captain Sobel uncomfortable for many days. However, he still took revenge by increasing Easy Company's physical training. Other than that, he had no other options.
Subsequently, the 506th Regiment conducted a field training exercise, simulating actual combat. This exercise involved all the troops of the 506th Regiment and was the largest combat exercise to date. The focus of this exercise was on rapid troop mobility and large-scale operations behind enemy lines.
Parks already knew the final outcome of this exercise. Captain Sobel's signalman was soldier Paiti. It was clear that Paiti was very dissatisfied with this assignment because Captain Sobel seemed to be a complete idiot when it came to direction, unable to even read a map. He once privately complained, "I really don't know how Sobel graduated from military academy. A company commander who can't even read a map might lead the brothers into a krauts' encirclement one day." Of course, complaints were complaints, but the exercise still had to proceed according to Captain Sobel's orders. And the most tragic part was not just Captain Sobel's inability to read maps, but also his neurotic behavior during the exercise.
The forest was very quiet. The brothers of Easy Company, as per regulations, waited for the "enemy" to pass at the designated ambush point. They lay in the trenches, as silent as lions waiting for their prey.
Easy Company's discipline was the best; there was no doubt about that.
Time passed quietly, and it was clear that Captain Sobel was getting impatient. He looked at his watch and felt that the hands on the watch were moving like slow camels. He suddenly felt a strong sense of unease swelling within him.
"Winters!" Captain Sobel waved to Winters.
Winters couldn't help but frown. He didn't know why Captain Sobel was shouting so loudly at this moment, other than to maintain silence. He still crawled over and whispered, "Company Commander, what's the matter?"
"Why hasn't the enemy passed through here yet?" Captain Sobel's voice was a bit rushed, due to nervousness.
Winters said, "It's not time yet, we have to wait!"
Captain Sobel shook his head, "Why wait? I feel like the time has long passed!" Then he stuck his head out and looked around. It was still silent all around, with no one in sight.
"Paiti!" Captain Sobel finally couldn't hold back and waved to Paiti, "Quick, the map!"
"Oh, God!" Paiti muttered softly. According to Captain Sobel's habit, he must be getting confused again during the exercise. He quickly went over and took out the map from his backpack.
"Our position is wrong, Winters!" Captain Sobel nervously looked around, "I feel like we've ambushed in the wrong place, otherwise why hasn't the 'enemy' passed through here yet?"
"Sir, we must wait here, quietly wait for the 'enemy' to enter our ambush range!" Winters whispered, "Don't act rashly, we will be wiped out by the other side."
Captain Sobel shook his head and said urgently, "No, they are nearby and won't come over. We should actively go and eliminate them, Winters. On the battlefield, you should adapt to circumstances. Go deploy your team, let's go!"
Winters was stunned, then lowered his voice and said, "Sir, are you sure you want to do this? We will be completely wiped out like this. Or wait a bit, and think about it! And there is a natural barrier here, we can completely defend here, there is no need to search for the 'enemy', this is disadvantageous to us."
Captain Sobel suddenly roared in a low voice, "Lieutenant, I told you to deploy the team, so deploy the team, don't talk so much nonsense, are you the company commander or am I the company commander?"
Winters sighed inwardly, and turning his head, he saw all the brothers looking at him. He had no choice but to make a tactical gesture: "Second Platoon, advance, form a tactical column!"
"What?" Many people were unsure about this order, but at this moment, Winters's gesture accurately told them that it was time to jump out of the trenches and go into battle. Although they had doubts, they still carried out the order. But their faces were filled with disbelief. Giving up such a good ambush point to find the enemy's encirclement was indeed incomprehensible.
"Sir!" At this moment, Parks quietly followed Winters and whispered, "I request to lead a squad to cover the rear, and leave Christenson's machine gun squad behind as well, just in case!"
Winters nodded and said, "Alright, Sergeant. That's a good idea!"
Parks knew that he couldn't change Captain Sobel's order or the final outcome of this exercise, but at least they shouldn't be completely wiped out, and he didn't want to be "killed" in an exercise again.
Second Platoon of Easy Company led the way, with Parks staying at the end, consciously maintaining a considerable distance from Easy Company—an optimal combat distance that would allow his squad to quickly retreat or defend.
"Parks!" At this moment, Christenson, who was beside him, whispered, "It seems Captain Sobel is having another neurotic episode. Luckily we stayed behind to cover the rear. You have so many ideas. Maybe this time we won't be 'killed'!"
This was echoed by Luz and White.
"Shh—" Parks suddenly stopped, then looked at the surrounding woods, and quickly said to Christenson, "Get the machine gun ready. The terrain here is very easy for an ambush. We have to stay behind to provide support for the brothers in the front row."
Christenson quickly lay down and loaded his machine gun, and at the same time, a disguised "enemy" platoon suddenly appeared from a thousand meters away. Their dark muzzles were aimed at the brothers. Easy Company, led by Captain Sobel, had entered the enemy's ambush circle.
At this moment, a battlefield observer walked out and said to Captain Sobel, "Company Commander, you and over 55% of your company's soldiers have just been killed." Then he walked in front of Captain Sobel, "Your unit number?"
"506th Regiment, Second Battalion, Easy Company!" Captain Sobel's face was very dejected, then he said unwillingly, "Can we still continue to fight? We still have 45% of our soldiers, don't we?"
The observer shook his head and said, "No, Company Commander, if you hadn't left a machine gun squad to cover the rear, your casualties would have been 95%, which means you should have been completely annihilated. In an exercise, if a unit loses 55% of its soldiers, then that unit has basically lost its combat effectiveness. Leave three injured soldiers, you are out! Report to the assembly area!" The observer mercilessly kicked Easy Company out of the exercise.
"Damn it!" Many people cursed inwardly.
Captain Sobel looked behind him, then shouted, "Parks, Luz, Christenson, the three of you stay behind." Then he muttered under his breath, "Damn it!"
"Oh! God, why us three?" Christenson couldn't help but complain softly, "According to the observer's report just now, we saved 40% of the company, why are we still left behind as wounded? I don't want to be a prisoner, you know, I've never been a prisoner in this squad, not even in an exercise, I don't want to be one!"
"Stop complaining!" Luz chuckled, "We should be grateful that we followed Parks just now and didn't get killed. Do you know why Captain Sobel wants us to stay? Because we are among the few who are not injured!"
Parks didn't say anything and stayed. He knew that the outcome of this exercise would expand the brothers' distrust of Captain Sobel on the battlefield to the maximum extent. It also laid the fuse for the eventual rebellion of Easy Company's non-commissioned officers.
"Parks!" At this moment, Winters, who was about to leave, suddenly waved to Parks.
Parks quickly walked over, "Sir?"
Winters nodded to him and said, "Very well done, Parks. A small suggestion can save the lives of 40% of our brothers. Nothing is more valuable than that. Remember to keep it up." Winters clearly valued Parks's impromptu suggestion very much, and he reiterated it to Parks, not to express gratitude, but as an encouragement to him.
"I know, Lieutenant!" Parks nodded solemnly.