“Private! Get your head out of the sky. This isn’t math class, this is war!”
    “I’m sorry sergeant, it won’t happen agin”, grumbled Private Adrien Shepard. 
    “It better not Private or I’ll have my foot so far up your John Brown hind parts you won’t be sittin’ for weeks!”, yelled sergeant Mcfly as Private Shepard rolled his eyes.          
    Adrien Shepard was a strong, spirited young man who only joined the army because his mother made him. She told him he needed to learn some discipline. He never argued this decision because his father was a war hero in WWI and always dreamed of stepping out onto the battlefield and winning a great victory, just like his father. As much as he loved the idea of fighting, he missed his home back in Erie, Pennsylvania where Miss Susie Marie lived waiting for him to return home. Susie was his most faithful girlfriend of three long years and is expecting a wedding ring anytime. He loved the way her hair shone in the sunlight....
    “Adrien...Adrien...ADRIEN!”           
     “What?”
    “You were daydreamin’ agin. You know what Serg. will do if he catches you daydreamin’.
    “Sorry, Jeb. You know how I git right before a big operation.”
    “Hurry up and git your gear. Serg. is givin us a briefin in 5 minutes.”
    Jebadiah was one of Adrien’s best friends since the third grade. They did everything together including going to war. Jeb was a rather large man with a dark burly beard; says it makes him look more “manly-like”, but it seemed  hopeless because Jeb would usually run at the first sign of trouble.
    Adrien gathered all his gear and entered the tent alongside Jeb. He immediately was struck by smells of body odor and gunpowder as everyone was loading their guns, getting ready for their anticipated mission. The sergeant entered with a stern face and ordered their silence.            
     “Gentlemen, this is your time to prove yourselves true patriots to your country, the United States of America. Here proceeds operation Munich where you will set up a perimeter of the fort. You will move in, capture, and maintain control of the premises. Leave no survivors. Have no mercy. This is war! Gather as much Intel as you can and report back to base. You will leave here immediately and report back to base in 72 hours. Do I make myself clear?....Gentlemen, Good luck..”
    After the Sergeant spoke, everyone dispersed to meet with their platoon and headed off in the direction of the fort. It was early in the morning and they had a long walk ahead of them before they would arrive that evening. It was also dark and foggy and they had a hard time seeing ten feet in front of them.
    Even though they only walked for about 12 hours, it seemed like a lifetime to the troops. There were no stops or breaks; they just trudged on until their destination was finally in view around six o’clock that evening.            
    They stopped about a hundred yards outside of the fort and sent in a couple of scouts to observe the enemy. When the scouts gave the signal that it was all clear, they moved in slowly. The town looked desolate and deserted from the sight of the ruined buildings, broken windows, and the silence of the streets.
    The building that the enemy troops were stationed in was supposedly a few blocks away according to what the Sergeant had said. Lieutenant Ganders then gave the order for the troops to split up and move into position around the fort.           
    This was Adrien and Jeb’s first experience in battle so they felt anxious and afraid, but they were somewhat relieved when they were put in the same group.  They silently moved in around the building, making a perimeter around the enemy.            
     “Jeb, you got my back covered right?” Adrien quietly said in a quivering  voice.
    “Of course I do. I watch your back, you watch mine,” stated Jeb in a somewhat confident voice as he crossed his fingers. They both looked at each other and they knew this was it. This was the time they’ve been waiting for. Ever since they joined the army they have wanted to see some action, and they knew this was their time to shine, this was the time they could give something back to their country, and for Adrien to make his father proud.
    They got into position, waiting for the lieutenant’s signal to move in. The lieutenant gave the signal and they crept into the building. Adrien and Jeb, not sure of what to come, let the rest of their group go first into the building. As they entered the damp and dark facility they could hear faded voices from afar. It sounded like arguing to Adrien, but then again, “all German sounds like arguing”, thought Adrien. The Lieutenant gave the signal to follow the voices, which seemed to be coming from the basement. The stairs, which seemed to go on for an eternity, led to a balcony that oversaw what seemed to be the control room where German personnel were bustling around busy doing things Adrien couldn’t quite decipher. Adrien and the rest of his platoon, being careful not to be seen, crawled across the floor onto the balcony making a single file line parallel to the rusty remains of what use to be the railing of the balcony. Lieutenant Gander pulled out a hand grenade, took out the pin, and dropped it down into the control room, then gave the signal to open fire.
    As soon as the grenade exploded Adrien and the rest of the platoon stood up and shot at the closest German troop they could aim at. The German troops were undoubtedly surprised and were franticly rummaging about looking for their weapons and taking cover, and despite the dust in Adrien’s eyes from the grenade, he kept firing his gun hoping to be of assistance in this heated battle. As time went on Adrien noticed less and less firing, and thought to himself, “we did it, we did it!” Adrien wiped the dust from his eyes, and looked around. He saw rubble, smoke, bodies, and smelt the fragrance of victory in the air. Lieutenant Gander ordered the men to move to the basement level. As the men followed the Lieutenant’s orders, Adrien caught himself smiling at their ‘just achieved’ victory.  When they got down to the lower level they started rummaging through everything, looking for something of importance.  Adrien and Jeb went off by themselves to what seemed to be the kitchen, at least what was left of the kitchen. It was dark and they had a hard time seeing what was in front of them, so they stuck out their hands and felt their way around. As they made their way to one side of the room they
  suddenly heard a noise coming from the opposite side. Adrien and Jeb both spun around, guns at the ready as their eyes darted around the room looking for any sign of movement. Then Lieutenant Ganders entered the room and switched on the lights that both Adrien and Jeb apparently failed to observe.            
     “What’s goin on in here!”
    “Sir, there’s sumthin over there”, Adrien managed to stutter. “I heard it, it came from over there.”
    But when they both looked there was nothing there.
    “Have you done lost your mind Private Shepard? There’s nothin there but a fridge and some old pots and pans, now git out here and try to find something useful.” 
    As Adrien and Jeb began to follow Lieutenant Ganders out to the control room again there was another noise. This time Adrien, Jeb, and Lieutenant Ganders spun around, guns at the ready, though this time their eyes were fixed on the oven. Lieutenant Ganders put his finger to his lips and gave the two boys the signal to move over to the oven, and the Lieutenant followed in behind them. 
     The Lieutenant slowly put his hand on the lever that opened the oven and looked at Adrien and Jeb as to say to them, “Get ready”. Lieutenant Ganders quickly swung the oven door open, and all three men had their guns aimed inside.
    “Wait, Wait! Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!”
    “What in hells name!” yelled the Lieutenant.
    It was a young German troop no older then Adrien and Jeb.
    “Don’t shoot!” pleaded the German.
    “Sorry kid, im jus’ followin the orders,” Stated Ganders as he lifted his gun
  ready to make the kill.
    “Wait, Wait! I give you information, important information.”



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