The Spirit of the Corps » Band of Brothers

26: A Defiant Determination

The sound of the waves echoed around the LCVP. Charlie kept her head down. She stared at the boots of the girl in front of her - Viv, she thought, from Dog Company's nurses - and tried to focus on the sound of the waves.

At least it wasn't gunfire. At least it wasn't bombs.

"You know," Mabs whispered from beside her, tucked up close to her on her left. Her voice was so quiet it took Charlie a moment to register that she'd even spoken, "these LCVPs have got a nickname."

Charlie didn't know why she was telling her this, or why she'd decided now, of all occasions, was the right moment. But she humoured her all the same. "What is it?" She didn't look at Mabs, just kept her head down and her eyes trained on Viv's shuffling boots, not wanting to give Maddox any indication that they were talking if she happened to turn around.

"They call 'em 'Love Charlie Victor Peters'." Mabs paused, maybe waiting for Charlie to laugh. All she got out of her was a smile, but Mabs couldn't see it, so she went on, "We're goin' to France in a Love Charlie."

This did earn her a small, strained chuckle. "If only my last name was Victor-Peters," Charlie whispered back.

"Yeah," Mabs agreed. "If only."

The waves got more vigorous the closer they got to the shore. Salt water sprayed into Charlie's eyes and covered her face. She let the water slip down her cheeks, pressed her lips together to prevent it from going in her mouth. The taste of saltwater was strong on her tongue all the same when she resumed her nervous muttering from before.

"A negative. First Platoon. Private James H. Alley Jr., paired with Private Paul L. Becker. Private Leo D. Boyle, paired with Private First Class Seth O. Crosby. Private Robert A. Mann, paired with Staff Sergeant John W. Martin..." She continued down the list of soldiers, starting with the A negatives of First Platoon and continuing to the A negatives of Second and Third. Her lips moved rapidly as she moved onto the A positives, then the B negatives, the B positives, the AB negatives, the AB positives, the O negatives, and the O positives for each platoon of enlisted.

Just as she was about to make a start on the A positives of the officers, Lieutenant Maddox's voice cut her off.

"Here we go, Lieutenants!"

The LCVP crashed onto the beach. The choppy waves were replaced by the jolting of hard metal edges embedding in sand. A moment later, the wall in front of them wound down. The early light of day cut harshly into Charlie's eyes.

"Here we go!" Maddox called, rising to her full height. She was the first one down the ramp and stood to the side, waving the others onto the wet sand of Utah Beach.

Mabs raced forward before Charlie, hot on the heels of the girls from Dog Company ahead of them. Charlie kept close to her and could feel Autumn and Boo doing the same just behind her.

Shouting and screaming greeted them on the beach. The Americans had commandeered the beach from the Germans and no bullets were flying, but all around them was chaos.

A man with a medic's armband came skidding down the sand towards them. His helmet was skewed on his head, his ODs darkened with sweat and blood. Blood was splattered across his face and neck, though he himself didn't seem to have any wounds. He was filthy, covered in blood and grime and sweat and sand. She knew it wouldn't take long before she looked the same.

"You gotta help us out, ma'am," he told Lieutenant Maddox in a hurry. "Radio call just came in, said our nurses ain't gonna make it over. We need all the help we can get."

"Our orders are to wait for transportation over to our own men, Sergeant," objected the CO of Fox Company's nurses.

Maddox kept her eyes on the medic. "You have access to a working radio?"