"Dear Madam, soon, your son, Sergeant Reese Parks (name added according to respective surname), will descend from the sky to fight and defeat the enemy.
He will be equipped with the finest weapons and gear.
To succeed on the battlefield, he has undergone months of arduous and intense training…
"Please write to him often, showering him with love and encouragement, which will strengthen his will to fight.
With this, he will advance fearlessly, earning honor for himself, making you proud of him, and his country thanks him for serving the nation at such a critical moment.—Captain Herb Sobel, Commander of Easy Company, Second Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division."
This was a standard form letter written by Captain Sobel, prepared to be sent to every soldier's mother.
Parks didn't know where his original mother was.
According to military records, he should have been born in California.
So where was the original Parks's mother?
Parks felt that perhaps he should go back and see her after the war ended.
The brothers of Easy Company, carrying their packs and weapons, lined up and boarded the troop transport ship.
Someone at the boarding point, holding a list, was loudly calling out names.
During the boarding process, few people spoke; their feelings were a mix of anxiety and excitement.
Parks was the same; although this wasn't his first overseas combat, that feeling was unforgettable in every life.
Barges emitting thick smoke towed the troop transport away from the dock.
After a whistle, the troop transport slowly began to sail towards the open sea.
Almost all the brothers of Easy Company stood by the railing, quietly watching the Statue of Liberty gradually drift away, turning towards the stern of the ship.
Almost all of them were leaving the United States for the first time.
When the Statue of Liberty gradually became a smaller and smaller silhouette, and finally disappeared from view, everyone finally came back from their contemplation.
"What are you thinking, Parks!" White turned his head to look at him.
Parks took a deep breath of the somewhat salty sea air and said, "I don't know, I'm thinking about a lot of things: my mother, and Virginia, and Jennifer, and of course, our brothers together."
He let out a long sigh, "Perhaps on the battlefield, some of our brothers will leave our team due to the war, either injured or killed in action."
These were Parks's true feelings.
"Are you scared?" White looked at Parks strangely.
Of course, he didn't think as far as Parks, who had experienced death.
In his opinion, dying for one's country should be a very heroic thing.
"No, White." Parks smiled slightly, "Just some lamentations!"
Parks cast his gaze towards the sea, where flocks of petrels and seagulls flew in groups over the surface, their cries filling the air.
"Do you know the name of this ship?" Parks suddenly asked.
White was clearly stunned for a moment but immediately reacted: "It's called the Samaritan.
Is there a problem with that?"
Parks smiled and said, "Samaria was originally the capital of an ancient Jewish state.
I think that's the meaning of us taking this ship; we are going to liberate them."
"Hey, are you saying this ship is Jewish? Or rather, are we going to Europe to be the saviors of the Jewish people?" White laughed, "Savior? I like that title."
The two talked and laughed, and gradually, their suppressed mood slowly brightened.
Just then, they saw Heffron walking towards them, holding a can of peaches: "Parks, this is yours; I know you like this stuff!"
He threw the can of peaches over, and Parks caught it with one hand.
"I just made a bet with a guy from D Company, and he lost to me." Heffron was full of excitement, "And cigarettes."
He pulled out three packs of cigarettes, giving one to Parks and one to White.
He tore open a pack for himself, took out a cigarette, lit it with a "click," took a deep drag, then blew out a smoke ring, and let out a long sigh.
"We finally left!" Heffron leaned forward with both hands on the railing, looking at the sea, "But we're just going to Europe.
To be honest, Parks, I really wanted to go to the South Pacific.
Those guys really got lucky!" He was referring to the Marines.
"Why?" White looked at him in confusion.
"I wanted to be assigned to a tropical island, sit under a palm tree with six local girls, and have them peel coconuts for me while I fed flamingos with my hands." Heffron closed his eyes, as if fantasizing.
"Oh, Heffron, stop daydreaming.
Flamingos are fierce, and they bite!" Parks laughed loudly; so this guy was imagining such a good thing, "And naked women bite too!"
"Who hates going to Europe?" At this moment, another voice came from the deck, "Going to Europe, I like it."
The three turned their heads to see Joe Liebgott walking over.
"If I'm lucky, I can cut Hitler's throat, and then Roosevelt will change Thanksgiving to Joe Liebgott Day, and then pay me ten thousand dollars a year for life." Joe Liebgott smiled proudly.
The three couldn't help but laugh.
Parks shook his head and smiled, "Joe, you're completely dreaming, of course, if it were me, it would be different."
Parks gestured with his hands as if aiming a rifle, then said, "Listen, for me, if I had a Springfield sniper rifle and got within a mile of Adolf Hitler, with a clear view and no wind, then pack your bags, the war's over, fellas!"
"Excellent!" White laughed.
As the four were chatting, they suddenly heard a commotion from inside the cabin.
"What happened?" White looked over in confusion, and Parks had already walked in.
It turned out that Guarnere and Liebgott had gotten into an argument, and they were fighting.
"Hey, hey, hey, fellas, what's going on here?" Parks rushed forward, and sure enough, Liebgott and Guarnere were already tangled up, while a group of soldiers were cheering them on.
"Stop it, soldiers!" Parks pulled the two apart.
He knew the reason for their fight.
"Everyone go to your bunks and sit down, don't cause trouble, fellas!" Parks pointed at Guarnere with one hand and pushed Liebgott away with the other.
"Pfft!" Liebgott spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground, glared fiercely at Guarnere, then turned around and climbed onto his bunk.
"Alright, Sergeant, I'll obey!" Guarnere raised his hands, then tilted his head and glanced at Liebgott, then slowly retreated to his bunk and climbed onto it.
"What's going on?" Parks asked the surrounding soldiers.
"Nothing, Parks! Just about Sobel.
Mr. Gonorrhea said Sobel is Jewish, so Liebgott was unhappy because he's also Jewish.
He felt that classifying Sobel as Jewish was an insult to him, that's all!" Luz chuckled from the side.
"Alright, fighting over Sobel, you're really smart!" Parks shook his head, "Alright, everyone disperse.
Don't block the way, brothers!"
Everyone gradually dispersed.
Indeed, that was what happened.
Parks couldn't help but smile wryly; everything that was supposed to happen was still happening as scheduled.
He suddenly had a thought: since he had come here, would the subsequent events change?
Would those brothers who died or were seriously injured still face the same fate?
Parks couldn't say.
Parks settled the brothers down, then walked out; he wanted to clear his head!
At this time, Christenson followed behind him, also walked out, and then followed him onto the deck.
"Parks!" Christenson called out from behind him.
"What is it?" Parks turned around and looked at Christenson.
"Did you know why that happened just now?" Christenson looked at Parks.
Parks nodded: "I know, because of the Jewish thing."
"No, not entirely." Christenson said, "The ultimate cause was indeed because of Sobel, but not because Sobel is Jewish; that has nothing to do with it.
It's just… it's just that the brothers don't trust Sobel." Christenson hesitated as he spoke.
Parks frowned: "Is that just your own thought?"
"No, we all talked about it just now!" Christenson said, "No one wants to be around him; the brothers would rather brave a hail of bullets than be with other officers, like Winters or Heliger."
"So… what do you mean?" Parks knew he couldn't control such matters, but it was clear that Christenson hadn't come to complain about anything.
"The brothers just asked me to come out and tell you.
How should we handle this kind of thing? If it really comes to the day we go to the battlefield, the brothers aren't willing to suffer regret on the battlefield because of Sobel.
I believe you wouldn't want this to happen either, right!" Christenson said.
Parks was stunned; he hadn't expected the brothers' resentment towards Sobel to be so deep.
He was silent for a moment and then said, "Alright, let me think.
Tell the brothers not to worry about Sobel."
Christenson nodded, then looked at Parks seriously and said, "We trust you, Parks!"
Parks stared blankly at his back, feeling uncertain.
He couldn't change anything; even though he was a Sergeant, if the brothers had opinions, they could only tell him!
The Samaria, originally a passenger-cargo ship, had been converted into a troop transport. Its original design capacity was to carry one thousand passengers, but this time it carried five thousand men from the 506th Regiment. Due to the extreme overcrowding, conditions became very poor.
The men had long since lost the initial excitement they felt when first boarding the troop transport to leave the United States. Now, almost everyone was full of complaints. After nearly half a month at sea, many people frequently got into conflicts due to their deteriorating moods. Drinking and causing trouble were common occurrences, and fights often broke out between different companies.
"Parks, I bet that fat guy hasn't properly washed that uniform in a week!" Christenson whispered to Parks, pointing discreetly at the chef in the greasy apron in the kitchen while they were eating in the lower deck mess hall.
"There's a Chinese saying: 'No pain, no gain,'" Parks chuckled. "This isn't Breckinridge, Kentucky; there are no comfortable beds, no movie theaters, no after-dinner desserts, no hot showers, and certainly no local girls. This is the ocean, Christenson. We're at sea now, and this is already pretty good. I'm very satisfied!"
"I just feel a little disgusted!" Christenson mumbled, then leaned in and chuckled, "Yeah, even if Carson wins one hundred and fifty dollars playing blackjack, he has nowhere to spend it."
"What about you? Do you like blackjack or craps? Or playing poker?" Parks chuckled. "I'm not interested in that."
"Blackjack," Christenson said. "And I heard that the officers often play it too. I often see Nixon, Buck, and Welsh playing together."
"You saw it with your own eyes?" Parks's brows furrowed slightly.
"No, I heard about it!" Christenson said. "They even invited Speirs from D Company."
Parks nodded and said, "Since it's hearsay, don't take it to heart. Who doesn't play a few hands? Floating on the vast ocean like this, anyone would feel lonely."
Actually, Parks was overthinking it. Even for American officers, playing a few rounds of cards was commonplace, just like for ordinary soldiers. However, the soldiers' perceptions might differ because of it.
"I'm not too worried. I'm just worried about Sobel's energy. He's too energetic. I really don't know what other ideas he'll come up with, but I think they'll all end up as jokes," Christenson said, referring to yesterday's incident where Sobel wanted to lead everyone in exercises. He finally found a spot on the deck, but he was warned by Lieutenant Colonel Strayer.
"Captain Sobel, I know the men need training, but the men from other companies also need space to move around. That's enough!" Colonel Strehl said impolitely. This made Sobel nervous for a day. The next morning, he went to the battalion headquarters' cabin to explain the situation to Colonel Strehl.
In this incident, the men of Easy Company experienced immense satisfaction. What could be more exciting than seeing Sobel frustrated? Cobb even danced with joy in the cabin.
On September 15th, after a 26-day voyage, the Samaria slowly sailed into Liverpool Port in the British. On the day of arrival, all the soldiers on the ship cheered. The next day, a southbound train took them to Aldbourne St. George, where trucks took them from the train station to their new station.
It gradually grew dark. Due to wartime blackout regulations, the trucks couldn't move forward, so they had to proceed on foot. Someone in front shone a faint flashlight to light the way, and the others followed behind him, feeling their way forward.
"I can't believe we've entered the British but still have to live like we did at Taccoa Barracks," Webster grumbled a bit, but many of the men shared his thoughts. It was almost like reminiscing; wasn't night marching at Taccoa Barracks just like this? Many people had a slight smile on their faces.
They didn't walk far, only about a mile and a half, before they entered the camp. Before them were some Nissen huts, with two pot-bellied stoves inside.
"Finally, I can get a good night's sleep!" White lay comfortably on the mattress. Although it was filled with straw, it was much better than the feeling of being on a large ship at sea.
Parks smiled without speaking, then lay down and quietly looked at the ceiling of the barracks. Now, the war was getting closer and closer. He actually felt a sense of anticipation. He had been on the battlefield before, although only in small-scale conflicts, but the thrill of being on the battlefield was definitely a temptation and a torment.
Thinking of some of the men in Easy Company now, Parks always felt that he should take care of them. Tragedy was not unchangeable. If it was unchangeable, then his Crossing would be useless. Perhaps this rebirth itself was useless. War was cruel and would not change because of his will.
Parks thought about it and fell asleep in a daze in the middle of the night. Meanwhile, White next to him had already begun to snore softly.
There was no morning training the next day, but Parks still woke up very early. He was startled awake by White's cry.
"Parks, my God, it's so beautiful!" White's voice seemed to ferment in the air, and then a series of exclamations were heard.
Parks got dressed, walked out, and was then captivated by the scenery before him.
Not far ahead, there were small houses like those in fairy tales, with thatched roofs and walls covered in roses. Tall horses with long manes shook their heads, trotting forward on winding, narrow cobblestone paths.
"Is this a fairy tale world?" It was Webster who exclaimed, possessing the sensitive heart of a literary man. After all, Harvard students like him were rare in Easy Company.
Because there was no training, they were allowed to go out. That day, the men of Easy Company enjoyed themselves in this village.
"This is Aldbourne, Wiltshire!" White exclaimed. Ahead, set against a soft, green countryside, stood an ancient 11th-century Romanesque church. When the hour struck, the bell at the top of the church chimed like Big Ben.
"This is just a small village in Aldbourne!" Parks chuckled. That day, they also found five old pubs in this village. And some people even went in for a drink.
However, not all British welcomed the arrival of the American soldiers. Some people looked a bit nervous when they saw American soldiers in uniform, clearly unaccustomed to others disrupting their lives.
So, starting the next day, battalion headquarters issued an order for the soldiers to be thoroughly briefed on British customs, etiquette, habits, and so on. This made many of the men uncomfortable again.
"We're here to liberate them, so why don't they welcome us? And why do we have to cater to them?" Guarnere complained directly to Parks. "I don't like sitting quietly in a pub drinking. The atmosphere is really not good, too dull. And those damned cooks also seem to be becoming British, making us eat damned powdered milk, powdered eggs, dried apricots, shriveled potatoes, horse meat, Brussels sprouts, rutabagas, Chinese cabbage... God, I even started to miss the spaghetti Lieutenant Winters made for us. This, for me, should be a tragedy."
"Guarnere, you should feel lucky. Isn't it better to change your lifestyle and learn to be as cultured and noble as those British?" Lieutenant Buck said to Guarnere after hearing him.
"Alright, men, this is still a wonderful time, enjoy yourselves to the fullest. You know, after these few days, we won't be able to sit here and listen to how the British peel potatoes," Parks said, adjusting the atmosphere. "In a few days, our training will start again. There will be no Saturdays or Sundays, only Sundays for going out, and we will have eight to ten hours of field training every day. I think this won't be easier than Taccoa. If it were me, these next few days would be my most enjoyable time!"
Things indeed turned out as Parks had said. Besides the field training, they conducted long-distance marches of 15, 18, 21, and 25 miles, underwent night combat training, practiced close-quarters combat for an hour daily, and also trained in urban warfare, map reading, first aid, chemical warfare, and the performance and use of German-made weapons. They conducted a drill carrying all their field equipment, marching 25 miles in 24 hours. In addition, special training such as booby traps, mine clearance, and communication was arranged.
Furthermore, battalion headquarters also specifically sent people to teach them the basic knowledge infantry must understand: how to read terrain, how to utilize advantageous terrain, how to adopt different tactics based on terrain, and especially how to survive on the ground for several days at a time without affecting physical fitness.
"These are all very important, and I hope none of you make mistakes!" the instructor warned the men of Easy Company loudly. "Because once you make this kind of mistake, there won't be a second time. Dead men don't make mistakes."
During this period, Sobel's mental state became somewhat abnormal. Perhaps it was because the war was drawing closer. Moreover, many people from the 82nd Division often recounted their experiences in North Africa and Sicily to the men of the 506th Regiment, which increased the mental pressure.
Sobel's unusual behavior made the men increasingly dissatisfied with him. In Winters's words: "Sobel's temper became more erratic, more like a sadist. It reached an unparalleled level."
Of course, he only said this during private discussions with officers like Nixon and Harry.
"What are you going to do?" Harry had clearly lost faith in Sobel as well.
"I don't know, maybe I'll still work with the men, to make them willing to accept such a company commander to lead them into battle on the European front," Winters could only use such words to mock himself.
Harry Welsh was slightly disappointed upon hearing this, but as officers, they could only do this, but the men did not think so.
Company training continued, with a very tight schedule, and various company tactical confrontations also began.
Lieutenant Sobel often divided Easy Company into two teams: one led by Winters with the brothers from Second Platoon, and the other led by himself, including First Platoon and Third Platoon.
Unfortunately, Parks, as the First Sergeant, had to follow Sobel, and White also looked dejected.
However, each confrontation ended in Sobel's defeat, but he always found an excuse to scold Lieutenant Winters, and even the other brothers in Easy Company.
Winters didn't care about any of this; no matter how much Sobel tried to find fault, he always completed each confrontation seriously and won again.
This directly pushed the conflict between Winters and Captain Sobel to a head.
"Lieutenant, Sobel is late again!" Lipton frowned and said to Winters.
When Winters led the brothers of Second Platoon to the designated location for the confrontation exercise, there was no one around, only a yellow ox grazing leisurely in the distance.
"We must move forward!" Winters checked his watch.
Lipton said, "Aren't we waiting for Company Commander Sobel and First Platoon, Third Platoon?"
"This is a 'T' junction. Let's improvise," Winters said.
"Provide covering fire, double envelopment, block all four sides of the road.
Move right to rendezvous with First Platoon, tell Guarnere and Second Platoon to move left.
I will break through the center with Third Platoon." Winters issued a series of commands.
Lipton nodded, "Yes, sir!" Then he crouched down and headed towards First Platoon on the right.
Winters gestured to Guarnere on the left, and Guarnere nodded in acknowledgment.
"Go!" Winters commanded decisively.
Guarnere immediately got up, crossed the intersection on the left, and ambushed himself in the ditch by the roadside.
Lipton immediately led First Platoon through the intersection on the right, using the mound on the right as cover to set up an ambush.
Winters broke through the middle intersection, and Third Platoon ambushed themselves at the 'T' shaped road bend, while Winters stood at the bend waiting for Sobel's team.
Now, the three squads—Guarnere and Lipton guarding the two ends of the 'T' junction, and Winters guarding the middle intersection—had completed a pincer movement on Sobel's approaching team.
Sobel was late because he was confused again.
He led a group of brothers running across the grass, but then a fence appeared in front of them.
On the other side of the fence, a group of cows were grazing leisurely.
Parks ran to the fence, crouched down, and raised his fist.
The brothers stopped and looked around cautiously.
Sobel stared at the fence, dumbfounded.
"Parks, there shouldn't be a fence here!" Sobel waved at Parks.
Parks quickly ran over, adjusted his emotions, and said, "Sir, we're lost; we took the wrong direction."
"Paiti, give me the map!" Sobel yelled, and Paiti quickly walked over and handed him the map.
"Patrick Christenson, Luz, gather the brothers and find cover behind the trees," Sobel ordered, then nervously flipped through the map, muttering to himself, "There shouldn't be a fence here!"
"We should cross it!" Parks suggested, as if it were a pre-planned plot.
It was precisely because of this exercise that Sobel's opposition to Winters erupted.
This was a fuse; in order to get rid of Sobel, Parks felt this was a necessary process, otherwise, as many brothers said, the brothers of Easy Company would be finished along with Sobel.
"Really?" Sobel's eyes lit up, then he shook his head and said, "That's not the point.
The key is our current location.
Where on earth are we?"
"Isn't this the junction?" Sobel searched the map.
"No, sir, we missed it; it should be here!" Parks stepped forward and pointed at the map.
"Here?" Sobel compared it to the map again.
"But how do we get over this damned fence?"
Sobel's confused behavior was clearly something the brothers of Easy Company had grown accustomed to; everyone looked very frustrated.
They hid behind the bushes, helpless at Sobel's aimless behavior.
"Patrick Christenson!" White said.
"What?"
"Sobel's lost again, isn't he?" White said bitterly.
"Yeah, lost again!" Patrick Christenson looked helpless.
"Damn it!"
"Luz, can you imitate Major Horton?" Patrick Christenson suddenly looked at Luz, his eyes lighting up.
"Kid, that's a redundant question.
Is there any voice I can't imitate?" Luz smiled proudly.
Patrick Christenson quickly nodded and said, "Perhaps we can have Major Horton mess with this idiot Captain.
Let's move on.
Luz, it's all up to you.
You're Major Horton now."
Luz quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, absolutely not!"
At this moment, the brothers gathered around and said to Luz, "Yes, Luz, you must try!"
"Don't make the brothers sad!"
Luz couldn't resist, so he pressed his hands down twice in the air and said, "Alright, this is a one-time thing!"
Everyone was overjoyed, and some even gently tapped Luz's helmet as encouragement.
Then everyone squatted down; this was truly good news, and then Luz began to clear his throat.
"Captain Sobel, do you have any problems?" Luz pinched his voice and began to imitate Major Horton.
"Who, who's talking?" Sobel immediately got angry when he heard it.
He was disoriented when he suddenly heard someone interrupt, and he became very angry, turning around and shouting loudly at the bushes, "Who violated the communication silence rule?"
Parks couldn't help but smile wryly when he heard this.
Luz was pranking Parks as promised.
He decided to help him again, so he glanced at Paiti, and the two exchanged a smile; it seemed they had a good understanding.
"I think that's Major Horton, sir," Parks said.
"Major Horton?" Sobel was clearly flustered when he heard this.
"How did he... Is he also participating in the exercise?"
"I think he might be moving between the platoons, sir!" Parks nodded.
As the two were talking, Major Horton's voice came again: "Captain Sobel, why have you stopped moving? What on earth are you doing?"
When he said this, several guys next to Luz couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Shut up, brothers, I'm taking a huge risk here! Don't let Sobel catch me." Luz quickly warned them in a low voice.
The group quickly fell silent.
Sobel immediately became somewhat nervous.
He shouted loudly towards the bushes, "There's a fence, sir!" He then whispered, "God," and then yelled at the top of his lungs, "There's a barbed wire fence, Major!"
"Captain, you cut that barbed wire fence now and tell your platoon to keep moving!" Major Horton's voice came, sounding very angry.
Sobel was very nervous and dared not say anything more, quickly agreeing, "Yes, sir!"
"Parks, quickly find that damned wire cutter!" Sobel had nowhere to vent his anger and yelled at Parks.
Parks shrugged innocently at Paiti, then found the wire cutters and cut the fence!
Sobel shouted loudly, "Patrick Christenson, Luz, bring everyone out, we're going to the junction!"
Luz and the others, stifling their laughter, followed Sobel and rushed forward.
Finally, after several twists and turns, Sobel led his men to the junction.
Along the way, Sobel was afraid of any more problems, so he took Parks's advice and let him lead the brothers forward.
He himself just urged them loudly from the side.
As a result, they didn't encounter any more trouble.
Winters saw a team running towards the intersection from afar.
He checked his watch; Sobel was very late.
He couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.
"Charge, steeds!" Sobel was still feeling good about himself as he charged forward, and then he looked up and saw Winters and a squad of men rushing out not far away.
And on both sides of the 'T' junction, brothers holding guns pointed at them emerged from behind the hidden ditches and mounds.
Sobel was surrounded.
"Damn it!" Sobel cursed in a low, angry voice.
This incident caused Sobel to lose a lot of face.
And it also led to him receiving criticism from Lieutenant Colonel Strayer.
Strayer, who was already overwhelmed by complaints from nearby villagers, could only vent his anger on Sobel, the perpetrator.
"Which idiot cut the villagers' fence?" Colonel Strehl said to Sobel.
"Major Horton ordered me to cut it, Lieutenant Colonel!" Sobel quickly explained.
"Major Horton?" Colonel Strehl was both annoyed and amused.
"Yes, sir!" Sobel quickly said.
"Major Horton told you to cut it?" Colonel Strehl said to him heavily, "Major Horton is on vacation in London!"
Sobel was stunned.
Then he understood; he had been pranked by the brothers of Easy Company.