We Happy Few | Band of Brothers

Chapter 5: Five Long Days

Throughout the class, Lieutenant Shaw observed the women, jotting down notes about each recruit and their progress with the class. Some he noticed had a natural talent while others made up for the lack thereof with hard work and a strong desire to learn. There were a few who seemed altogether uninterested in the task, and he made sure to write that down as well. 

At seven-thirty the girls were dismissed and told to change into their PT gear for the four-mile run. This was the first real test the women would be facing, and with the hot sun high in the sky and not a single cloud in sight, a hard test it would be. 

Margot faired much better at this activity than the last and managed to keep a steady pace at the front of the group with Lena and Marion for the whole four miles. Annie struggled at some parts, especially the uphill ones, but she was determined to stay in the middle of the group as much as possible and actively avoided being last. By the end of the run, her legs ached something fierce but she didn't let it show for even a fraction of a second. She didn't need the others, or Lieutenant Shaw for that matter, thinking she was weak.

After a short break where the women were allowed to catch their breaths and drink some water, they headed over to the obstacle course where they high stepped through tires, swung across a small moat of water, crawled through the dirt under strands of wire, and climbed up and over the wall at the end. 

One after the other the women went through the course with Lieutenant Shaw half yelling, half encouraging them along the way. "Again!" he shouted over and over until each and every member of Group B made it through the course without too much trouble. Most of the women got the hang of it after a few tries, but Annie, the smallest of the bunch, continued to fight against the tires and the wall. Her little legs could only lift so high and her short arms could only reach so far. 

After what seemed like hours upon hours of going over the course, the women were finally dismissed for lunch. Letting out sighs of relief, Group B slowly trudged towards the mess hall, their jumpsuits covered in grass stains, sweat, and dirt. 

"I feel like I might actually fall apart." Betty craned her neck to the sides, a few small pops releasing as she did. "I haven't been this exhausted in ... ever."

"Well, enjoy the rest while you have it," Margot told her as she reached for her bottle of lukewarm water. "Next is the march, then weapons training, another few hours of classroom instruction, dinner, showers, bed, then do it all again tomorrow."

A soft whimper came from the end of the table and the women turned to look at Sandra, who was staring blankly down at her food. "I can't do this," she moaned, her eyes trained on the plate of mushy rice and some sort of meat in front of her. "Everything hurts. Why did I agree to do this?"

"You can always quit," Cathleen suggested flatly, earning her an elbow in the ribs from Marion.

"Hey," Marion spoke softly to the quickly crumbling woman in front of her. "Don't give up yet. I know it sucks now, but your body will get used to it. Trust me."

Her face lifting slightly, Sandra forced a small smile as she picked up her fork and pushed some food around on her plate. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"I'm always right." Marion beamed gleefully. "Now eat your food. You need the energy."

 As the conversation switched back to something a little more neutral and easy-going, Margot glanced over at Annie, who was sitting at the end of the bench, quiet as ever. At first, Margot had been sure the girl would crack under the pressure, but so far all she had seen was a determined young woman who took every challenge that was thrown at her head on. Maybe she had been wrong, but then again, this was only the first day.