The characters of "Combat!" are the property of ABC, or somebody. Not me. No profit is made. There are 59 episode titles in this story. Can you find them all?<G> Copyright 2003 by Mel Roberts An Unusual Episode It was a beautiful day. Mother nature saw fit to provide just enough of a breeze to keep the heat to a tolerable level, but not blowing so hard it stirred up the dirt on the dry road. A beautiful summer day; just A Day in June. Or it would've been beautiful if the eight men were anywhere but in the middle of a war. The Squad had been out on patrol since five that morning, and Sgt. Saunders was nearing the end of his patience with one particular squad member. Any Second Now, he thought to himself. "Sarge, are we takin' The Long Way Home? At this rate, we'll be out on Night Patrol." Kirby started to exagerate his limp, but one look at the Sarge and he knew Saunders had No Time For Pity. Slowing his steps, he let Billy Nelson catch up to him. "Hey, Billy, let me borrow that foot powder, will ya?" "Forget it, Kirby. That powder's Off Limits to you. You used it all last time and didn't tell me." "Jeez, forget I asked." Grumbling, Kirby shuffled back toward the front of the line. They were supposed to meet a Resistance woman named Gitty in some French chateau for valuable information on recent movements of The Enemy, but Kirby was convinced The Chateau was in The Town That Went Away 'cause they hadn't found it yet. The Long Walk was taking its toll on his sore feet. Watching the wiry BAR man, Billy couldn't help but smile. The guys in the squad were all so different, but worked together like a well-oiled machine. Even Kirby. Looking over Kirby's shoulder, Billy let his gaze rest a moment on Caje. The scout from Louisiana was More Than a Soldier. He was like The Quiet Warrior. He didn't say a whole lot, and he could walk so silently you'd swear his feet weren't touching the ground. After the Sarge, Caje was Next in Command and did a good job when he was The Leader. Billy could hear the heavy tread of Littlejohn behind him. The big soldier was his best friend in the squad and always tried to befriend the replacements when they came in, making them feel at home and helping them through The First Day. Littlejohn and Kirby kept the other guys entertained with their constant sparring, though Billy suspected each of the two had a grudging admiration for the other. Behind Littlejohn, Doc tried to keep pace with the bigger man's longer stride. Billy admired the medic for his courage. The man never ignored A Cry for Help, even if it meant running out into the middle of a Barrage. Doc took care of everyone, from his own squad to enemy soldiers, the badly injured, or The Walking Wounded. Glancing up to his left, Billy shaded his eyes. "Hey, Littlejohn, look how big that thing is." Turning to see what his friend was talking about, Littlejohn squinted against the sun. "What?" "The Gun. Must've been caught in the big shelling two days ago. Where are we?" Glancing around to get his bearings, Littlejohn frowned thoughtfully. "Looks like that's Hill 256." Looking up the steep hill, Billy grimaced. "I sure hope we don't have to go up a monster hill like that." Having overheard the conversation, Kirby threw in his two cents. "You ain't kiddin'. Hills Are For Heroes. The Volunteer goes up a hill like that, ain't comin' down. They'd send The Medal to his parents." "You're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you Kirby?" "Hey, Littlejohn, it's a matter of Survival. No Trumpets, No Drums, just survival." A somber silence fell over the men for the next mile, until one of the replacements, a kid named Jonah Reid, pointed off to the west. "Hey, what's that? That Glow Against the Sky?" Shading his eyes, Saunders shook his head in disgust. "The Germans are burning another vineyard. I tell you, any wine bottled during the war is sure gonna be A Rare Vintage." Kirby sighed at the thought of such a thing. "I'd sure go for a good bottle of wine right about now. Or, better yet, an ice-cold beer back in Chicago." That triggered a round of things the men missed from back home. Billy wanted a big, fat, juicy steak. Reid wanted a real Coney Island hot dog. Caje wanted a big, steaming bowl of gumbo. As spicey as he could get it. Doc wished he could have some of his grandmother's homemade biscuits, oozing with butter and pear preserves. Littlejohn smiled wistfully when it became his turn. "Birthday Cake." That got a round of laughter from the others until Saunders waved them to silence. They were approaching the Bridge at Chalons. He waved his arm for the others to take cover then motioned for Caje to follow him. The two scouted ahead, but everything seemed quiet. Still, it was a good place for an Ambush. After waiting another couple of minutes, Saunders sent Caje back for the others. Once the rest of the squad caught up, they crossed the bridge One At a Time. Saunders held his breath until the men were across. The last thing they needed right now was an Encounter with the Germans. Once all the guys were safely across, they continued their mission. As they rounded the next curve in the road, their destination was finally in view. Picking up their pace, they closed the distance to the small French village. Once they reached the buildings on the outskirts, they spread out to check for enemy soldiers. Caje took the right side of the main street, followed by Billy and Littlejohn. Saunders took the left with Kirby, Reid and Doc. The village seemed quiet enough, but that could be ominous in its own right. Approaching the village church, Saunders automatically looked at it as a military advantage. From its height and open sides, The Steeple looked like the perfect place to put The Sniper that would be accompanying Love when they showed up in the morning. Motioning for the others to stop, Saunders pressed himself up against the wall next to the big wooden door of the church. In one swift movement, the sergeant reached over, turned the knob and thrust the door open. Moving quickly, Saunders cleared the doorway and slipped inside. Everything looked clear. Waving the others inside, Saunders took a closer look around. There was a beautiful hand-carved Infant of Prague standing next to the entrance to the sanctuary. A single sapphire adorned the statue, The Little Jewel sparkling in the shaft of light let in by the open door. Stepping through the archway into the sanctuary, the men saw a priest standing next to a casket. Hearing the footfalls behind him, the priest turned and braced his back against The Casket. The relief he felt upon seeing allied soldiers instead of Germans was obvious. As he made his way toward them, Saunders noticed the priest was covered in dirt and there was a tear in The Cassock. They’d seen a few buildings turned to rubble, and apparently the priest had taken his turn at digging people out. Brushing some of the dust from his cassock, the priest smiled warmly at the American soldiers. “Welcome. You’ll have to forgive my appearance. We had some shelling two days ago and we’ve been trying to search for the missing. I thought I heard A Cry in the Ruin earlier, but alas…it was a cat.” “Sorry to bother you, Father, but we need to search the church.” Saunders removed his helmet, running a hand through his damp hair. “It should only take a few minutes.” “I understand sergeant. Help yourselves.” The priest crossed his arms, smiling grimly. “However, let me assure you that any Boche showing up in our village would not find cooperation.” Holding up a placating hand, Saunders nodded his understanding. “I’m sure they wouldn’t, Father, but we still have to look. Just For the Record. So we can tell our Lieutenant that we did our job.” “But of course. Help yourselves.” “Kirby, check out the steeple. Let me know what kind of field of view you get from up there. Reid, check the sanctuary. Doc, you wait here for the others. I’m going to take a quick check of the back rooms.” It didn’t take long for them to finish their search, and Saunders was relieved to have seen no sign of the enemy. Checking his watch, the sergeant headed back to the vestibule to see if the priest knew where they could find Gitty. He wondered what was taking the others so long. ~~~~~***~~~~~ When he’d seen Saunders and the others head for the church, Caje waved for his group to keep going. So far, so good. No sign of German activity in this town. Rounding the next corner, Caje motioned for the others to stop. Ahead, a group of elderly citizens tried to right a large cart. Looking back Caje could see the questioning look on Littlejohn’s face. Smiling, Caje nodded his assent. Handing his M-1 to Billy, Littlejohn walked over to The Old Men and put his shoulder to the edge of the cart. Bracing his feet, he nodded to the men and shoved with all his might. The extra strength from the big American soldier was enough and the cart teetered a moment, then righted itself. Watching as the little old Frenchmen crowded around Littlejohn, patting his arms and babbling away excitedly in French, Caje was reminded of Gulliver and the Lilliputians. When Littlejohn walked back and reclaimed his weapon from Billy, Caje couldn’t help a little teasing jab. “Well, aren’t you The Good Samaritan? I think they want to adopt you.” “Very funny, Caje. You’re just jealous.” Smiling self-consciously, Littlejohn shrugged. “Besides, we’ve got Nothing to Lose helping these people.” “You did good, Littlejohn. Let’s finish our search and head back to the church to see if the Sarge found our contact. Let’s be quick but careful, guys.” Careful was the most important thing, but they were quick as well. It didn’t take long to finish their recon and make their way back to the church. Looking out the window for the umpteenth time, Doc spotted Caje’s lithe form carefully approaching them. He opened the door and waved the all clear for Caje and the others, making a quick Headcount to make sure all three were there. As the men trotted across the street, Doc heard Kirby coming down the stairs from the steeple. “See anything, Kirby?” “Nah, everything looks quiet from my Point of View, Doc.” Slipping the BAR’s strap over his shoulder, Kirby looked up as the other three came through the door. “Well, if it ain’t Billy the Kid.” “Shut up, Kirby.” “Hey, I was just-” “Knock it off, Kirby.” Saunders’ no-nonsense voice cut off any further argument between Billy and Kirby. “I talked to the priest and our contact lives a few streets over at 9 Place Vendee. She’s gone to the next village to get the doctor, though, and won’t be back for a while. She’ll be bringing the doctor here, so me might as well stay and wait. Kirby, head back up the steeple and keep an eye out. Reid, Billy and Littlejohn, spread out and watch the windows. Doc and I will watch the front.” As everyone spread out to cover his position, Saunders left the door open a crack and leaned his shoulder against the frame. Might as well settle in for The Long Wait. Why can’t anything in this war go the way it’s supposed to? Since they had time to kill, Saunders pulled The Letter from his pocket that he’d received from Mail Call the night before and hadn’t had a chance to read. Now was as good a time as any… ~~~~~***~~~~~ Nearly two hours had passed when Doc finally saw the young woman approaching the church with an older man. “Sarge, here she comes.” Opening the door a little wider, Saunders looked down the street and nodded. “She matches the Lieutenant’s description.” When the two newcomers reached the church, the sergeant opened the door and waved them in, still keeping his Thompson ready just in case. “Gitty?” The young woman brushed a long strand of dark hair behind her ears and looked the American over. “Oui. You are Sergeant Saunders?” “Yes ma’am. Do you have the maps for Lt. Hanley?” “Juste un moment, sergean.” Gitty conferred with the older man for a moment then pointed him toward the sanctuary. “Allez, Docteur. Le prêtre vous dira où vous êtes nécessaire.” Casting a quick glance at Saunders and Doc, the doctor frowned at the young woman. “Faites attention.” “Oui, naturellement.” When the doctor left, Gitty smiled at the quizzical look on the sergeant’s face and offered an explanation. “He told me to be careful. I don’t think he trusts you. Also, he worries about Retribution from the Germans, if they find out what we've done.” “Yeah, well, just give me the maps and we’ll be out of your hair.” “Certainement.” Reaching into an inside pocket of the too-big jacket she wore, Gitty fished out the papers in question and handed them over. “You must get these to your Captain. If your troops try to advance as planned, they will be caught in the Crossfire between the British and the Germans.” “Thank you, Mlle Gitty. I know how dangerous it was for you and your friends to get this information for us.” “Nous tous combattons pour la France libre, Monsieur. We all fight for a Free France.” Nodding somberly, Saunders folded the maps and slipped them inside his jacket. “Doc, go round up the others. We’re headed back.” Walking over to the stairs, Saunders shouted for Kirby to come back down. He smiled as he heard Kirby’s grumbling echo down the staircase along with the private’s footsteps. Shaking his head, he once again thanked Gitty for her help. Tomorrow’s push by King and Love companies would’ve been a mess if they hadn’t been warned. Slipping his camo helmet on his head, Saunders led the others outside. “Caje, take the point. Let’s go home, guys, before the Lieutenant declares us Missing In Action. We’ll swing around and cross the river further east going back, though. We’ll climb more hills, but it’s the shortest route back.” Typically, it was Kirby who voiced a protest. “Aw, Sarge, that’s The Hard Way Back. Can’t we just go back the way we came?” “I Swear By Apollo, Kirby, you’d try the patience of a saint. What do you want us to do, Fly Away Home? Quit your bellyaching and take the rear.” And with Kirby’s familiar grumbling, the squad fell into step and headed back. Saunders actually held out hope that, for once, they’d finish a mission with nobody getting wounded or killed. They might even manage to make it back without a single shot being fired. That is, of course, if nobody shot Kirby before they could make it home. END |
 |
 |
 |