ThaneMcGrath

StrandvonBlut
SargentRooktoldusthatwewereclosetothebeach,hereallydidntneedtosayit,
wecouldtellbyhearingthegunfire,explosionsandmaybetheoccasionalseagullifyou
reallylistened,luckilywewerenttoooldlikeRook,wecouldstillhear.SergeantRooks
wasanoldersoldierbutthatonlymadehimbetter,withhisshavedheadandmoleonhis
leftcheekhelookedoutthesea.AfterhearingtheSarge,JamesonaskedmeifIhadagirl
backhome.WithatinychuckleIresponded,Yeawhataboutyou.Hesmiledand
said,Kindaitscomplicated,wegotinafightbeforeIshippedout.Whataboutyoutwo?
Jameson,youngboyaboutmyageat20,heworeaJewishStararoundhisneckaswell
asaCrossbuthewouldneverexplainwhyheworeboth,hewasabaseballplayer,sothe
sargealwaysmadehimthrowgrenades,helookedatMarksandFillmore.Marksjust
noddedhisheadwhileFillmore,alittlebitoldermanbutnotbymuchat28yearsof
age,hadsaidHellno,imaprofessionalladiesmanboys.Wealllaughed,littledidIknow
then,thatwasthelastlaughIwasgonnahearinalongtime.Rookralliedusup,Fromnow
onyouarentboys,fromthispointonyouareallmen.Weallrespondedwithahoohaa.
Weweresoclosetothebeach,bulletswereflyingpastourearsfromthebunkersat
thetopofthebeach,likebugswhenyouspeedingwiththewindowsdown,goddoImiss
home,thenicebreezethrumyhairasIspeedontheopenroadfrommycountryhometo
town,mymomusedtotellmemybrownhairwouldgetallthegirlsbutbythenmyfather
wouldinterveneandtellmymomshewasembarrassingme,Ijustwanttogohome.Asmy
mindwasoffbackhome,mymindwasawakenfrommyhappyplacebyscreamingand
gunfire.Anotherboataheadofuswasobliteratedbygunfireandturnedintoapileof
bodies,blood,andsmoke.Mostofuswerestruckwithshock,oneofusthrewupand
anotherpassedout,thatguydidntmakeit.AfterseeingthisalltheSergeantsand
Captainsoftheotherboatsstartedyellingtogooverboard.Twoofthemeninmysquad
didntmakeitone,Daniels,gotabulletthrutheheartandanother,Childs,wasthelastone
intheboatwhenagrenadelandedintheboat.AtleastChildspassedoutsohedidntfeel
thepain.
Thewaterwasicecold,thesaltgotinallmycuts,somehadsaidthatitwasalmost
worstthanabullet,butIthinktheyrejustinsane.Somemendrownedbecauseofalltheir
gear,wewerecarryingabout20poundseach.Iwasonmywaydowntothebottomtojoin
myfellowsoldiers,butIwasquicktopullmyknife,IswamtowhereIcould,andwalkedto
whereIcouldcrawl.Ireachedtheshoretofalltomyhandsandknees,myhandswere
sinkingintothesandandmud,Isatbackonmykneestolookatmyhandscoveredinwhat
mudandblood.Ilookeduptoseethedeathsurroundingme,myfriendsandfellowsoldiers
justlikemybrotherspeiceswhenwewouldplaychess.Itookcoverinamotorshellpitwith

JamesonandRook.TheSargewasyellingcommandsbutIwasintoomuchshockto
move,Iliedtherejuststaringoutatthesea,inallherbeauty,theseamademecalm.
Bulletswerelandingallaroundmeandhittingthesandcoverrightabovemeanditwas
throwingsandonme.MymindreturnedfromthisshockjusthaveSargebarkingmore
ordersatme.Findarifleandgetuptorallypointalpha!yelledSarge.Icrawledtoanother
holewherethemedicsweretryingtosaveayoungsoldierthathadlostbothhislegsanda
coupleoffingers.ItookhisriflethenyelledtoSarge,Sir,Irecommendcoveringfire,sir.he
noddedandyelled,Coveringfire!!Mywholesquadwasattherallypointexpectforme
andJameson.Thesquadstartedfiringandwestartedrunning.
Webothdivedintothetrench,itwasfilledwithwaterandsandsoourfeetwere
sinkingintothesand.Wewerepinneddownbybulletfire,itwaslikeweweresurrounded
bysmallsandgeysers.Rookyelledmorecommands,Grenadesout!.Rook,Fillmoreand
Jamesonallthrewtheirgrenadesthendugin.Afterthebigsandgeyserwerantothenext
rallypoint.BythispointIreallystartedthinkingaboutmylife,isthiswhatitallsummedup
too.DidIgetstraitAsinhighschooljustsoIcouldbedraftedtoawarwereyourbiggest
concernisobeyingyoursuperiors?BythentheSargewasbarkingmoreorders,Filmore
watchtheleftsidebunkerfire,DunbarwatchthecenterandJamesonwatchtherightthe
restofuswillsupportwithcoveringfire!Everyoneready!?Weallrespondedwitha
hoohaa.Moveit,go,go,go,go!!yelledRooks.Wehoppedthelowbarbedwireand
scrambledtoanothermortarholebuthadabigdirthillforcoverthatwastoppedwith
debrisofconcreteandmetal.
Oneoftheothertenthousandmeninthisassaultgotmixedupandlosthissquad.
Hefoundhimselflyingdownwithusinthesandandblood.Whatsyournameprivate?
barkedRooks.Sir...Migmullinsir.tremblingthePrivatesaid.Whatsyoursquad
Migmullin?Rookasked.112thsirsaidthePrivate,Imsoscared,Ijustwanttogo
home.BeforetheSargecouldyellathimtoquitwhining,thePrivatetriedtorunawayand
paidforitwithatwobulletshisupperbackandanotherinhisknee.Hestartedcryingout
loudforhismomuntilallofasuddenacloudofsmoke,sand,anddusthidhimfromour
sightandwhenitclearedhewasmissingaleg,Iwillneverforgethowthatboyscreamed,I
vowedtomyselftopersonallyapologizetohisfamilytohisfamilyinpersonwhenIgot
home.AtthatpointtheSargelookedatthisboyrightintheeyesthenbackatusandthen
tooursurpriseheputabulletintheyoungsoldiershead.Weallwitnessedinhorrorandall
theSargecouldsaywas,Iputhimoutofhismiseryweallknewhewasntgonnamake
it..ThatswhenImadearealization,wearesoldiers,wearevaluableandexpendable.
Whenthemenupstairsgetinafightwedotheirdirtywork,themengettositprettywhile
weriskourlivesinthenameofourcountry.SoItoldmyselfthatthereareonlytwothingsI
needtothinkaboutwhileimhere,Killorbekilled.
Allthesquadswelinedupatthethirdsetofsmalltrenches.Allthesquadspushed
theirBangalore'soverthetrenchthenallthesquadleadersstartyelling,FIRE!!.Then

explosionseverywhere,justanothersandgeyser.AftereachsquadfiredtheirBangalores
wewouldruntothenextholeforcover.BythispointIwasreallysurprisedandsomewhat
proudofmyself.IwasstillaliveandnotinshockorwellIwas.Ilookedoutbehindustosee
thebloodsoakedsand,thedismemberedbodiesandevensomeone'sintestines.Godam
Isorryforthatguy.AsIlookedatthebloodcoveredsanditremindedme,inaweirdwayof
myschool,itwasacreepymemory,whentheentirewestwingoftheschoolwassetupas
ahauntedhouse,thisiswhatitlookedlike.ItookBettySmithwithmethere,hefatherwas
somadwhenhefoundoutshesnuckoffwithaboy,eventhoughnothinghappened.
BringupmoreBangalores!YelledRooks,Onthree,...one...two...three!abigwall
ofsand,dust,andsmoke.Menweareresortingtooldtactics,rightbeforewechargedI
thoughtIwasgonnadie,andwiththatmylifeflashedbeforemyeyes,Isawmyfamily,my
brothersandsisters,myfriendsandmyparents.Rookscalmlysaid.Whatdoyoumean
sir?Marksaskedinnocently.TheSargelookedbackatusthentowardsthe
hill,ThisCHARGE!!yelledRooks.Wefollowedhimwithbattlecries.Weonlyranabout
35yardsbutitfeltlikeIwasrunningafootballbackfromakickoff.AsIranIcouldfeeleach
grainofsandundermyfeetandinmyboots,thepainofmyfeetwitheverystep,Icouldfeel
therocksandbloodofbodiesinmysteps.Mostofusdived,somerolledintocover.We
werebasicallydoingthesamethingoverandoveragain.Justshootandrunforcover.
Afterdoingthistwicemorewestartedclimbingthehill.Anothersquadbeforewedid.They
gotmoweddownbyamountedmachineguninthebunkers.Wedugintothesandand
blood,tryingtogetpastthisgunnerandthenanothersquadsentoutasniper.He
positionedhimselfunderthecliffwherethemountMGwas.Hestartedrehearsingthebible.
Whatthehellwashethinking,buthehadthefullsupportofhissquadandcaptain.Then
bang,oneshottothebottomofthecliffanddownwenttheMountedMachineGunbunker.I
dohavetogivehimprops.Weclimbedupthehillandtookcoverbehindabrokendown,2
footthickconcretewall.Wealllinedupontheedgeofatrenchandfiredinuntilourclips
wereempty.Whenthedustcleared,therewerefourgermanbodies.Wejumpedintothe
trench,thenJamesonandItossedtwogrenadesintothebunker,aexplosionofblood,
bodyparts,dirtandconcreteshotoutofthebunkerentrance.Afterthat,webroughtinthe
flamethrowerandfriedthebunker.Thiswasroutineforallthebunkers.Oneafteranother,
thebunkersfell,fromaboveitwasjustalineofdark,blacksmoke.
Wehadfinallyreachtheendofthebeach.WewalkedawayfromthebeachthatI
hadcometohateinaline,Jamesonwaslimping,Fillmorewasgone,andIdidntrealize
untilthismomentthatIhadbeenshotintheshoulderrightabovemyheartbytwoandahalf
inches.Wealllimpedinsomeway,followingSarge,overtothecommandpostthatwas
setupnotonlytenminutesbefore.Marksseemtobetheonlyonewhomadeitoutwithout
ascratch.SergeantRooks!!yelledGeneralSpringer,Yessirheresponded.Youand
yourmenneedtosupplyupandshipout,youandyourmenaremovingwiththe110thon
routetoCherbourg.saidtheGeneralwithasmallgrin.ButsirisntthatGermanOccupied

sir?askedRooksagain.Yesitis,ohyesitisSergeantsaidGeneralSpringer.Sowe
tookahalfhourtorestandgearupthenontheroadagaintoriskourlivesonceagain,to
fightinawarwearethemostimportantbutveryreplaceable.