Chapter 45: Cuban Cigars
The men of Easy Company had not had an easy time for the past three days. They were going through a novel, three-day experience. Lieutenant Meehan had announced a new order in the company: all of Easy's officers and NCOs were considered "killed in action." He then sent the privates out into the field, squad by squad, while the officers and NCOs, disguised as German soldiers, ambushed them.
"I can't believe we're going to be commanding a platoon or a squad," White said, initially finding the feeling quite new and exciting. "I was just thinking, what would it be like if I were the company commander?"
Cobb, lying in a freshly dug foxhole, didn't answer him. He just turned to Tipper, who wasn't far away. "What the hell does Meehan want? Sending so many officers against us grunts. I think they've got a problem with their heads."
Tipper, who was cleaning his rifle, replied without looking up, "Quit complaining. We just have to follow orders. Meehan isn't Sobel. Don't confuse the two." In his mind, only an officer like Sobel had a problem with his head.
"Grenade!" Luz, who was in the middle of the position, suddenly screamed.
Almost as a reflex, everyone leaped down. They then saw a smoking grenade land nearby. Only after they were in the holes did they realize it was just a blank training grenade. They breathed a sigh of relief, but then two more smoke grenades were thrown from an unknown location, and the area was instantly filled with thick smoke.
"Cough, cough!" Cobb was the first to break. Unable to stand the thick smoke, he scrambled out of the foxhole. But the moment he was out, someone grabbed him by the shoulder from behind.
"You're captured, Cobb." The voice was Rhys's.
Cobb obediently raised his hands. "You win, Staff Sergeant Parks," he said, his voice full of resignation. He then saw Winters, Compton, Lipton, and the others emerge from the surroundings.
One after another, White, Tipper, and the others met the same fate as Cobb. They all ran out of the thick smoke in the same direction, allowing Rhys and the others to capture them with almost no effort.
"It looks like being an officer isn't so easy," White muttered, dejected.
"Don't look at me like that," Compton chuckled. "It was Parks's idea. He said we should smoke you out of your holes like gophers. And from the looks of it, the situation is absolutely beautiful."
"Damn it, you really screwed us," White said, winking at Rhys.
Winters was very impressed with the tactic Rhys had proposed. When the enemy was dug into foxholes, a frontal assault would inevitably lead to heavy casualties. But adding smoke grenades changed the situation. The enemy, enveloped in smoke, would feel a sense of panic and would be eager to escape. They would then rush out just as Cobb and the others had, providing the perfect opportunity to annihilate them.
"Very good," Winters said. His words were for Rhys. He was not, however, satisfied with the performance of Cobb and the others, but it wasn't his style to chew them out.
"Keep working hard," was all he said, but it was enough to make them feel ashamed.
This was just one scene from Easy Company's recent training. Through this series of exercises, Meehan's goal was to improve the leadership abilities of the ordinary soldiers, to prevent a situation in which the unit would become uncontrollable after suffering excessive officer casualties in combat.
However, there were some who completed the task exceptionally well. The squad led by Hansen and Muck, for example, successfully repelled an attack by Lieutenant Meehan, Lieutenant Welsh, and Guarnere, and they were commended for it.
***
On February 16, 1944, the 101st Airborne Division welcomed its new commander, General Maxwell Taylor. The brothers received the news that General Lee had suffered a heart attack and had been flown back to the United States to recover. This news brought a twinge of regret to Rhys; he had a deep respect for the "Father of the U.S. Airborne," and they had even had a personal connection.
On March 23rd, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 506th conducted a joint parachute exercise. It was the largest jump exercise for the regiment since the beginning of the war. The list of VIPs who came to observe the exercise was impressive: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. First Army Commander Omar Bradley, 101st Airborne Division Commander General Taylor, and several other dignitaries.
"We have to put on a good show, brothers! For General Taylor!" This was Lieutenant Meehan's pep talk before the exercise. Of course, his words were met with some ridicule from the men, as the scent of ass-kissing was a bit too strong.
"He should have said, 'for Colonel Sink.' That way his chances of promotion would be higher," a guy like Cobb would say, never missing a chance to mock him.
"Don't be so harsh, Cobb," Rhys said with a frown, as the entire company was waiting to board the planes. "Don't treat Meehan the way you treated Sobel. He's a good man." Rhys didn't know if Lieutenant Meehan would be hit by enemy fire as he was in the original story, but if that were the case, Cobb's current ridicule was unfair.
Cobb muttered something under his breath and then said no more.
The planes formed a "V" in the sky. The green light in the cabin began to flash.
"Stand up!" Winters stood and gave the signal. They knew it was showtime. There were too many important people here today, and many of the men felt a fire in their bellies, wanting to put on a good performance.
More than a thousand paratroopers, their parachutes open, filled the sky like soldiers descending from heaven.
"Damn it," Cobb said after landing. In his haste, his parachute had become a tangled mess, and he couldn't get free.
Rhys, who had already shed his parachute, walked over to him, held him down, and helped him pull the chute off.
"Thanks, Parks," Cobb said gratefully. "Don't mind what I said before, okay?"
"Bullshit, Cobb, let's go! We have to be the fastest! No time for chatter. What did you say before?" Rhys pulled Cobb to his feet, and they started running for the assembly point. He then raised his hand and gave the assembly signal. Everyone from First Platoon began to run toward them.
"Very well done," Winters said, having also arrived. He gave Rhys a hand signal. The brothers who had already arrived began to assemble their weapons.
"Our objective is the hill about a mile to our front-left. We need to seize the high ground before Third Battalion and establish a sniper's nest. We need to move fast, there's not much time. Let's move," Winters gave the order with decisive courage.
"We're not waiting for the others?" Lipton asked, having just arrived. "There are still brothers assembling here. Should we wait a little longer?"
"We can't wait. Do you see Third Battalion? They're almost here too. Lipton, you stay here and continue to rally the other platoons. Tell Lieutenant Meehan to have them link up with us as soon as they're assembled," Winters said, displaying his competence.
"Parks, assemble the men! Let's go!" Winters led from the front, charging toward the objective.
Rhys signaled to the brothers who had gathered, let out a low growl, "Go!", and scrambled up to follow Winters. The assembled men of First Platoon all followed Rhys, running desperately toward their objective.
"Which company of the Second Battalion is that, the one in the lead?" General Taylor quietly asked Colonel Sink beside him.
"General, that is E Company of the Second Battalion," Colonel Sink said in a low voice. "The group that is about to reach the objective is led by Lieutenant Winters of First Platoon. Behind him is Sergeant Parks."
"Very good," Taylor nodded and said no more, raising his binoculars to continue watching.
During this exercise, all the observers were amazed at their speed. Not only did this make General Taylor look good, but Colonel Sink was also ecstatic. And undoubtedly, E Company was once again the most outstanding company, and Winters's First Platoon was the best within that company. As a result, they were commended by Lieutenant Meehan.
***
Shortly after the exercise ended, General Taylor had the troops assemble and invited Churchill and Eisenhower to review them.
General Eisenhower walked confidently along the front of the formation. Suddenly, he stopped in front of Rhys. He looked with satisfaction at the perfectly postured soldier. "Where are you from, Sergeant?"
"California, General," Rhys replied, his chest puffed out, his voice loud and clear.
"Oh, young man, do you like England?" the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, suddenly interjected.
"Of course I do," Rhys answered. "I like Shakespeare. But I like Cuban cigars even more."
Churchill was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. He actually reached out and patted Rhys on the shoulder. "It seems we share the same hobby, young man. What did you say your name was? Your full name, I mean."
"Rhys Parks," Rhys replied, standing straight, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
This meeting, and this witty conversation, left a deep impression on all the top commanders, including Taylor, Eisenhower, and Churchill, of the Staff Sergeant named Parks.
But it didn't have much of an effect on Rhys himself. He was still a Staff Sergeant, and he still had to live and train with his brothers every day. But in the eyes of his brothers, their impression of him had changed once again.
"He really is a lucky guy," many of them thought. To be able to converse with generals and prime ministers, and to be remembered by them, undoubtedly filled the brothers' hearts with a new level of respect and admiration for him.
*****
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