Winters was also very interested in Parks' training methods. He called Parks to the company command post and personally questioned him.
After all, this concerned the interests of the Easy Company brothers, and he had to be cautious.
"Do you think promoting this training method throughout the company would be effective?" Winters couldn't help but frown after listening to Parks' detailed explanation.
It was clear there were some things he didn't understand, such as dantian and breath regulation, but the performance of White and Hubler had already shown that it was very effective, much more so than conventional training.
"I don't know, sir!" Parks said truthfully, "It depends on each person's comprehension and perseverance, but of course, I believe the brothers of Easy Company will do better."
Winters nodded, then stood up, extended his hand to Parks, and shook it, saying, "I will seriously consider it. If it's feasible, I will recommend it to Captain Sobel. Thank you, Sergeant!"
Parks saluted, then left. He didn't know what the outcome would be. Even if this training method couldn't be used, the current training system was quite complete and scientific, so the brothers of Easy Company wouldn't be far behind.
"Are you sure Parks' training will definitely suit the brothers of Easy Company?" Nixon, who had been watching from the side, looked at Winters with great suspicion.
"After all, only two people have been verified. We should be more scientific."
Winters smiled, "Precisely because the effect on those two people was so obvious, I want to verify it.
Nixon, I plan to adjust the training of Second Platoon and, at an appropriate time, switch to Parks' training method."
"You have to consider Sobel!" Nixon shrugged indifferently.
"I've already considered it!" Winters smiled, "For this, I thought of a way: suggest that Lieutenant Sobel hold a basic training competition among the platoons of Easy Company.
For a period before the competition, each platoon would formulate its own training plan. I want to implement Parks' training method first in the Second Platoon, which I used to lead."
"You are a genius, Dick! Sobel will definitely be very happy." Nixon burst into laughter, "But even so, convincing him won't be easy."
"No, Nixon, I think Sobel suggested that if Major Horton and Colonel Sink could be present to watch on the day of the competition, it would definitely make them happy." Winters' mouth twitched, a faint smile.
Upon hearing this, Nixon slapped his head and exclaimed, "Dick, I used to think you were a boring, humorless, and rigid guy, but today I have to say, your idea is brilliant.
You want to bring in Colonel Sink and Major Horton? What could be more suitable than them? With them there, as long as Second Platoon performs well, the likelihood of Colonel Sink approving is quite high."
"Who says it isn't?" Winters laughed easily.
Captain Sobel was clearly also attracted by Winters' competition plan. Ultimately, this was an excellent review of Easy Company and could also boost the interest of the soldiers who were not very enthusiastic about training.
"I can't believe Winters would propose such a suggestion." Lieutenant Buck Compton and several Sergeants were discussing the competition in the barracks. He was clearly a bit annoyed.
"Is he one of Sobel's cronies now?"
"Don't complain! Buck, perhaps Winters has other ideas. We should respect him. It's just one month, isn't it?
We've endured so long under Sobel's rule before, why can't we be more open-minded now?" Carwood Lipton was a staunch supporter of Winters, so he could always find reasons to persuade those who were confused.
"I hope you're right, Lipton!" Buck wasn't complaining; he just found it a bit unexpected.
At this moment, Bill Guarnere walked in.
"What's wrong, brothers!" Guarnere sat down next to Buck, "You look like you've been overindulging."
"Please, Mr. Gonorrhea, we're discussing the competition Winters proposed." John Martin looked at him unhappily, "Haven't you heard about it?"
"Of course I have, it's just…" Guarnere looked at them.
"Spill it, is there some inside story?" Martin called out.
"Of course, when I went into Winters' barracks this morning, I heard him and Nixon talking about something?" Guarnere chuckled, "It seems to be related to Parks."
"Parks?" Several people exclaimed simultaneously.
Buck suddenly jumped off the bed and laughed at everyone, "I know why!"
Everyone looked at him at the same time.
"Isn't Parks been helping White and Hubler recently? Could it be related to Parks' training method?" Buck couldn't help but get excited, then looked at them, "If that's the case, then Winters has done a great deed!"
"Oh, Buck! I'm still traumatized by the thought of training." Guarnere cried out, "Forget about Parks' training method, all I want now is a good rest.
It's the weekend, don't you want to go to town to relax? Or find a pretty girl with big breasts or something?"
Such rumors eventually spread throughout Easy Company, but their guesses were not wrong. When the final order came down, there was no great dissatisfaction within the company.
Instead, Parks became a prominent figure in Easy Company because of it.
"Second Platoon, assemble!" Lipton shouted loudly, and the soldiers in the tents immediately became tense.
Easy Company's Second Platoon lined up neatly on the training ground of the barracks. Captain Sobel indeed no longer came to participate in or interfere with the training of each platoon, because he felt that Winters' proposal would make those lazy guys nervous.
Of course, if any platoon made a fool of themselves in training or ranked last, he would make them pay for it. He didn't care about Parks' training method; what good method could a private have?
This was the reason Sobel was interested in Winters' proposal for the first time.
"Alright, now I'm handing it over to you!" Winters said to Parks, who was standing next to him at the front of the line.
"Yes, Platoon Leader!" Parks faced the entire platoon of brothers for the first time.
Regarding the training, Parks tried to be concise, explaining the key points clearly to the brothers of Second Platoon, especially the issue of intention during breathing.
Of course, this was just the 'tuna' (breathing exercises) emphasized in Chinese health preservation. The effect of tying sandbags was relatively easy for these soldiers to understand.
Although this training method was simple, the most important aspect was to adjust the entire physiological function of the human body through 'tuna', trying to unleash the maximum potential and optimize the body's condition.
Therefore, on the surface, the brothers of Easy Company's Second Platoon didn't seem much different from the other two platoons, but the final results might be different, and that was the mystery.
In any case, this was a practical process. Winters also wanted to try it, but he didn't want to promote something immature to the entire company, especially since the current U.S. Army training outline was still relatively scientific.
Despite this, the brothers of First Platoon and Second Platoon still expressed different opinions. They believed that Parks' training method must be useful.
In fact, this was like a plague, and it was also a common psychology among soldiers. Since Parks could train the physically weak Hubler and White into core strengths, and since Second Platoon could adopt Parks' training method, then it must be useful.
Since it was useful, why couldn't their two platoons use this method to train?
Ultimately, this was all related to the punishment methods proposed by Captain Sobel, the company commander of Easy Company. The platoon that finished last would definitely suffer greatly.
This was the reason for the widespread complaints among the brothers.
Sometimes, brothers from outside Second Platoon would also complain a few words together.
"Nothing could be worse than this!" Sergeant Harris of First Platoon was furious, "If Parks hadn't come up with that training method, we wouldn't have to be so anxious here."
Sergeant Lanny laughed, "Then you'd better defeat Parks first."
"Are you talking about Parks?" soldier Edward interjected from the side.
"Yes, is there a problem?" Harris said discontentedly, "Do you also think defeating Parks is harder than defeating a lion?
Listen, I don't have an issue with Parks, but we should also try Parks' method like Second Platoon."
"You definitely haven't heard!" Edward chuckled, "Some guys in Second Platoon say Parks is worth two lions, so it seems you're really destined to lose." He laughed and ran off.
"Listen, this guy might just be a spy sent by Second Platoon!" Harris shook his head in anger.
But Sobel could not possibly agree to this. After all, if things deviated from the track or exceeded his control, he would absolutely not tolerate it. He wanted to maintain absolute control over Easy Company.
One month was not long.
The brothers of Second Platoon indeed felt the benefits Parks brought them. For long marches and sudden bursts of strength, the improvement was truly fast.
Although it was still the same old cross-country march and obstacle course, these had become increasingly easy for Second Platoon.
"Honestly, I feel a lot stronger!" Guarnere showed off his muscles to a group of soldiers in the barracks.
"Come on. No matter how much you train, you won't catch up to Parks!" Moore laughed, "But, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming competition!"