"Heh heh heh, Cobb, then you first have to guarantee that the krauts will also have a Major Horton or Captain Sobel, so that they will trek long distances in such cold weather to break that damned world record created by the damned Japanese devils." Joe Liebgott said with a laugh to Cobb while smashing the ice frozen on his gun.
"Brothers, you can first massage your feet and legs!" Parks reminded the soldiers around him, "This can relieve pain. It's better than doing nothing."
Parks patiently explained the acupoints on the soles of the feet and legs over and over again. This was the only thing he could do now. Looking at the other companies, they were even worse off than Easy Company, with several people unable to get up and simply rolling in the snow.
The stiff, swollen, and painful muscles gradually began to relax and warm up. Everyone couldn't help but cheer, "Parks, I think Colonel Sink really should award you a medal. You saved everyone!" Buck Compton, feeling his legs and feet gradually warming up, happily shouted at Parks.
Lieutenant Winter walked over and found Parks: "Hello, Sergeant!"
"Hello, Lieutenant!" Parks saluted.
Winster returned the salute and nodded, "Thank you, Parks!"
"It's nothing!" Parks smiled, "It's just some simple massage techniques. Why not do it if it can help my brothers? They are my comrades!"
"You are right, Parks!" Winster looked at the other two companies not far away, "But there are also brothers from D Company and F Company, and they are worse off than us. Why not help them? Such a simple and effective method will be of great use to them."
"Sir, this…" Parks hesitated, after all, that wasn't Easy Company.
"It's like this, I taught your method to Major Horton and Captain Sobel. Major Horton felt it was very good, so I suggested to him that you help the other two companies." Winster explained, "I don't think you would refuse, would you?"
"Alright, Sir!" Parks actually wanted to help, but if he didn't have the officer's permission, doing so would only put him in a passive and helpless situation.
When Winster returned, Major Horton found him.
"You told him everything?" Horton looked at Parks, who was walking towards D Company and F Company: "He is an excellent soldier."
A smile appeared on Winster's face: "Yes, Major. He is the most excellent soldier I have ever seen."
Horton nodded, looking at Parks, who was demonstrating to the soldiers of the two companies, for a while, and also smiled: "I think if we can successfully reach Atlanta and defeat the Japanese devils, I will apply for a medal for him."
"He absolutely deserves that honor!" Winster said.
Captain Sobel showed a restless mood throughout the morning's march, constantly shouting at any brothers in the team who were slightly sluggish. It was clear that his mood came from the conversation between Major Horton and Winster that morning.
Major Horton was going to award Staff Sergeant Parks a medal. This was not the most important thing, after all, Parks's contribution was seen by all officers and men in the battalion and truly felt. And he himself was also one of the beneficiaries. The important thing was that this award was actually told directly by Major Horton to Lieutenant Winter and not himself, which meant that he was not the first to know about this matter. And he happened to be the company commander of Parks's company, which made him very frustrated.
Although Captain Sobel constantly caused trouble, such trouble was definitely not as bad as the weather. With the experience of the first day, the officers and men had learned to protect themselves and conserve their physical strength. Even the energy for quietly cursing Sobel was saved.
The camping time on the second day was the same as on the first day. At eleven o'clock at night, everyone felt as if they had been released from hell. Although the rest tents could not resist much, they could still catch a breath.
No one spoke; they just quietly went to sleep after finishing their dry bread as ordered. No one wanted to speak, because as soon as they opened their mouths, cold air would rush in, enough to freeze their intestines into ice.
"Finally, only twenty-eight miles left!" White muttered, tightly wrapped in his blanket, trembling all over.
Yes, they would reach Atlanta tomorrow. Twenty-eight miles was close enough for the officers and men of Second Battalion who had suffered for two days, and it was enough to give them courage.
At six o'clock on the morning of the third day, the entire battalion woke up. A few more brothers from D Company and F Company collapsed. This scene, which had appeared during the daytime on the second day, finally showed signs of spreading on the third day.
The collapsed soldiers were carried away; ambulances were accompanying them outside the mountain road. Parks felt very uneasy. Although he had provided all the help he could to these officers and men, he still couldn't save all of them. But this was already good enough. It should be known that historically, during this long march, dozens of officers and men from the entire battalion collapsed or fell behind, but so far, there have been less than ten in total, which was undoubtedly a comfort. More importantly, no one from Easy Company had fallen behind during this trek.
"Malarkey, how are you feeling?" Parks saw Malarkey dragging himself forward with a limp. He was struggling to carry the mortar tube, practically stumbling.
"Nothing, Parks, it's just that my feet are all covered in blood blisters and are terribly swollen." Malarkey bared his teeth, trying to force a smile, but his expression was painful.
"Give me your mortar tube!" Parks reached out to take the tube from his shoulder.
"I can hold on, Parks!" Malarkey shook his head, "I just want to walk there myself, I can do it." Malarkey's persistence made Parks re-examine this soldier. It turned out that the officers and men of Easy Company had a kind of honor in their bones—this was a firm will, a will strong enough to make them famous on the European battlefield in the future.
Parks no longer insisted. He was already proud of these strong Easy Company soldiers from the bottom of his heart. Even the annoying Captain Sobel showed a tenacity that made people look at him with new eyes.
Ahead was the outskirts of Atlanta. The road became clean, and the muddy paths were far behind, so much so that many people felt optimistic. But they overlooked one point: if they were normally walking on a concrete road, it would definitely be a pleasure compared to a muddy path.
But when their swollen feet stepped on the hard concrete road, they felt the pain caused by friction, a more painful sensation than the muddy path. Many Soldiers' swollen feet were chafed raw, bleeding profusely.
But no one complained; everyone gritted their teeth and persevered. At this time, Major Horton gave the order for the team to rest on the field of Oglethorpe University in the suburbs, eat lunch, replenish their strength, and then prepare to enter the city and head to their final destination—a place called "Five Points" in downtown Atlanta.
"Dinner time!" Someone shouted.
Malarkey, sitting on the field, tried to stand up, but felt a biting pain. He couldn't get up.
"I'll help you!" Parks wanted to go over.
"No one is allowed to help him! Parks, stop!" It was Captain Sobel's voice, "If you can't keep going, then the ambulance is right there; you can go to the hospital immediately, but don't expect to get your paratrooper badge, soldier!"
"Yes, Sir, I can keep going!" Malarkey bit his lip, and under everyone's gaze, he suddenly lay on the ground and crawled forward with both hands. He crawled over, crawled to the mess officer, and then said in a calm tone, "Give me two pieces of bread!"
No one blamed Captain Sobel for being inhumane; this was a hurdle everyone had to overcome.
"Well done, Malarkey!" Parks couldn't help but applaud.
Instantly, everyone in Easy Company applauded Malarkey. The applause was like a storm, sweeping away all the suffering, torment, and endless complaints that the officers and men had endured for three days. Now they were only six miles from their destination, and their hearts were filled with endless pride; they would defeat those Japanese devils and set a new world record.
"Malarkey, if you crawl into Atlanta like that, Colonel Sink will definitely think your military appearance is untidy and won't let you into the celebration banquet he's holding for us." Guarnere joked from the side.
"Don't worry, I will definitely walk to the celebration banquet." Malarkey smiled, looking at the brothers around him, suddenly feeling a warmth in his heart, like brotherhood, giving him encouragement when he was at his weakest.
The bugle call sounded again.
"Brothers, we are going to make new history!" Winster shouted loudly in the ranks, "If we do, we can have a good rest for a few days and not have to do morning exercises!"
Immediately, a burst of laughter erupted in the ranks. It turned out that the usually serious Winster could also joke.
When the team entered the city, the officers and men were still surprised, because both sides of the road were filled with cheering crowds. Lieutenant Colonel Strayer had already arranged for the military band to meet them one mile from "Five Points."
"I feel like a hero who liberated all of Europe!" Malarkey, who insisted on walking the entire distance, heard the majestic military music and was greatly invigorated. He forgot the damned pain, "Why do I feel like I'm being reviewed at Taccoa Barracks?" He chuckled.