we're on each other's team [band of brothers / hbo war]

6: d-day, part one

UPDATED 05/05/2022

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Soon after Madison's seventeenth birthday passed, the 506th was sent to Upottery, England. There were rumors going around that they were going to jump very soon, and Madison wasn't sure on how she felt about it. Every time she thought about it, she felt the pit of anxiety in her stomach. She decided that it was best to ignore everything.

Captain Sobel was no longer in Easy Company, something everyone secretly cheered about. Soon after his departure two new men rolled in. Their names were Thomas Meehan and Buck Compton. Meehan was taking over Sobel's position while Buck was going to assist in the platoon leading. Madison liked them well enough.

For about a week Easy, Company was in a semi-relaxed, semi-anxious state. They were waiting for their orders. They finally received them from Lieutenant Meehan. He told them that they were going to be involved in Operation Overlord, or D-Day as it is widely known. The lieutenant ordered his men to study the sand tables and maps until they could memorize it, and that's what Madison did. In fact, she studied it so much that she gave herself a horrendous headache.

"Good," Lieutenant Meehan had told her, when Don Malarkey explained that his friend's head was killing her and requested if he could walk Madison back to her tent. "That tells me that you're going to be ready."

You're going to be ready.

Did he really think that? Did he believe that Madison was prepared enough for the jump? God, she hoped that she was. She didn't want to let Meehan or anyone else down. If she did, that means she would fail at her job: to keep everyone safe. She voiced her fears to Roe and Spina, her bunkmates while they all slept in tents.

"Our job is to patch anyone up if they get hurt, not to keep them safe," Spina reminded her. "You're going to be fine."

As the big day rolled in, Madison wasn't so sure. As she was listening to Toye ranting about all the shit they had to carry, she couldn't help but think of everyone. She thought of her mother and her father. They had two of their children fighting in very two different war theaters.

Madison thought of her siblings: Matt, Morgan and Michael. She knew that Matt was already out somewhere in the pacific fighting, and from all the letters he had sent her and the articles she had been read, she knew that the fighting wasn't exactly a walk in the ballpark. There was no doubt that she too would soon be in her own hell.

She thought about all the times she and Morgan had together. They were never once separated or far apart from each other before. Not until Madison decided to sign up for the Nurse Corps but then went on to be a paratrooper instead. God, she felt so selfish for doing this to Morgan. What kind of twin would put their other half in pain like this? Madison prayed that Morgan was doing okay.

She then thought about her little brother Mikey with his big blue eyes and dark shaggy hair. He may have been a pain, but he was her little brother, damn it. Did he tell everyone at his school on how his big brother and one of his older sisters were going into the fight? Damn, she probably had a reputation back home.

Madison also thought about Louise, her best friend Louise. Madison felt bad about leaving her behind too.She felt bad about leaving her grandparents behind. God, she was the worst teenager on the planet. She had left everyone.

"Klein?" she heard someone yell. "Where's Klein at?"

"Maddie! Where are you?" she heard one of her friends yell out. Madison quickly snapped out of her trance and looked over to where the soldier with the mail was yelling out for her.

"I'm here!" Madison went over to the man as fast as she could (she couldn't help but internally thank Guarnere and Malarkey for watching most of her stuff) and stopped in front of him. "Madison E. Klein, sir."