This is about a soldier named Cody Anderson that was a member of the 502nd Parachute Infantry, 101st Airbourne Division during Mission Albany through Battle of St. Mathieu.
Chapter 1:The Deuce[]
December 1942[]
2:30-Just got my high school diploma now to go out to eat and i'll go to the recruiters later.
3:10-We went to eat at my cousins restraunt to eat and now we're all back at my parents house. My little brother Billy wont stop crying I keep telling him im gonna be fine but he wouldnt stop crying until I pinky promised him I was coming back. Almost everyone in my famlies here even my uncle Tom flew here from Seattle, everyone except my big brother is here. He got drafted by the Marines but he ran away to Canada. Another reason why im gonna join the Army cause this country deserves something from the Anderson family and if Pat was to scared to be it then its gonna be me.
3:57-Everyones leaving now and my Girlfreind Lara is taking me some place.
4:13-It turns out Lara wanted to give me going away present before I go. When we we're gonna go home she dropped me off at the recruiters and made me promise to write her every week.
January 1943[]
Week 1-Im starting training at Fort Jackson and right now i'll of done is run, get yelled at, run some more, eat,sleep for an hour, wake up, repeat. But theres this guy named Frank from Boston thats making this hilarious. He's been giving the drill seargent more hell then I bet that guy could of imagined.
Week 9-We just graduated from Infantry school and now its time time to head out into wherever with whoever they assign me to.
28th-Me and Frank got assigned to the 9th Infantry Division and we're kind of freinds since it seems we're the only people that will talk to the "new guys" which we're Frank,me, and 5 other guys. So I took this time of being undeployed to make myself a better soldier. Im taking sapper training right now and I have 1 more week before I graduate.
29 Febuary 1943[]
I just finished sapper training and now I volunteerd to be a part of the 101st and I got my freind Frank to do it too. So far so good.
October 1943[]
10:28-"Welcome to the Five-Oh-Deuce now go out there and kick some KRAUTS ASS" Those fifteen words kept ringing in my head. This is going exactly as I was hoping. I came into the Army at the right time and was able to volenteer to be a paratrooper and I just finished my training too, and after this we're gonna see some action.
Chapter 2: Widowmakers[]
December 1943[]
Frank and I have been re-assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 11th platoon and were about to find our barracks. We were lost so I went up to this huge guy and asked him where I was supposed to go. He turned around and asked which platoon I was supposed to be in. When I told him 11th he told me to follow him. "So your the FNGs?" he asked while we were walking I asked him what that was and when Frank told me told me fucking new guy I said "I guess so". "Well heres some advice keep your head down" he said in a calm voice and after that I asked "Uh thanks, would you mind if I asked who you are?",he then replied saying "Not at all im LTC Andrew Spears your platoons officer now who the hell are you?", "Im Private First Class Cody Anderson and this is Specalist Queen sir" I replied in a slightly nervous voice. "Sir? we arn't that formal here just call me Capatin Rolands.". I said ok and he informed me where my barracks were and told me I should meet my squad.
So I went to my barracks and there was 1 person laying on his bed reading and another putting up a poster of Rita Hayworth. "Hey Andy look at the new kids in town". The other soldier put his book down got up, shook our hands and introduced himself "Hi im Specalist Kings" and the one putting up the picture then said "And im General Harper". Kings then turned his head around and yelled shut up private in a joking tone and then welcomed us to Kilo Squad. "Thanks im PFC Anderson and..." and right there Frank cut me off and said "And im the amazing ruggedly handsome Specalist Queen", Harper the exclaimed "Wait Specalist Kings and Queen how fucking cute" Kings then replied "How many time do I have to say shut the hell up Bob? Theres your beds put your stuff on em' and go do something Fort Bennings got alot of places to see".
April 1944[]
My second tour was up and know im on my third tour. My birthday has passed now im 19, and this time im going to get deployed. Theres nothing else I have to write about except for a new guy from Texas named Johhny Mayes. He's a real tall guy and he talks alot if it wasn't for that accent I would of mistaken him for someone from Boston. Other then that there not much to say. Oh and some Ranger guys died in a drunk driving accident and thats about it. Oh yeah and in my squad news Specalist Kings is now Corporal Kings.
25th May 1944[]
We've just been given our details on are deployment my platoons the Recon Platoon and told us about where we're going. We're being deployed in Nazi controlled France for something called D-Day. From what ive heard its an amphibious and airbourne assault on Normandy. Johhny objected saying "Uhh my military history aint that great but im sure water is the Navy and Marines job" and Harper responded "Well those Missy Marines are to busy with tojo to do anything else so its up to the Army to settle things again" and then Sarge replied with "Shut the hell up Harper". Liutenant told us that were gonna be arriving in the UK base RAF Greenham Common with 2nd Battalion. And on the 6th of June will load up into 81 C-47s and do what we were made to do go show Krauts what happens your freinds get on Uncle Sam's bad side.
Chapter 3: STRIKE![]
6 June 1944[]
Tonight Operation Overlord begins. We're about to board C-47s after the briefing from General Eisenhower. Thats right Eisenhower is meeting us in person, I cant wait to rub that in my freind's face. Anyway back on topic im suppose to land in Drop Zone Abel and we're supposed to land behind enemy lines and take out artillery and take a couple of towns to help the guys coming in from te boats. And now that the briefing done its time to kick some krauts ass!
This operation is already geting FUBAR. We jumped out of the planes right into anti-air rounds, and to make matters worse my battalion got scatterd all across the place. Some of us were able to regroup, I found Frank, and we went on with our objective. First we took out most of a German artillery division and rounded up the prisoners. Then we captured Exit 3, there were mabye 3 companies of krauts in that place but we cleared it out and we decided to set up a defensive perimiter around it. And thats how my day went now all we gotta do is hold it until tommorow.
7 June 1944[]
We just got relived of defending Exit 3 by some guys from the beaches. From what I heard them talking about they may of had it worse then us but I was hearing alot of stuff from yesterday. And now 1st battalions got to go to some town called Saint Côme-du-Mont that gave the 2nd battalion a hard time yesterday and take that, but what I dont get is if we couldnt take it yesterday why would they be able to today?
Out of curiosity I asked sarge what we were gonna do while 1st battalions out in Saint Mont. He said that were going on patrols to get rid of the rest of the Germans still hanging around. So we went to re-arm I got my M1903 replaced with a BAR.
And since the rest of our squad is either dead,AWOL, or scrammbeld in another unit and we cant get any reinforcments my squad is now a heavy weapons squad. So I get to use the big guns now and thats fine by my book. Before we started going on all our patrols we gatherd up to count the casualties