Bullets are firing, artillery is being shot, mines are exploding, and men are dying. What the hell am I doing on this beach?
My name is Wilson and I'm American on a beach in France getting shot at from all angles. Our landing craft hasn't made it to the shore yet but I can see all the hell unfolding. Landing craft are getting blown up, the muzzle flashes of the German machine guns firing, and men falling left and right. On my landing craft men are throwing up, crying, praying, calling for their mothers, telling their sweethearts they love them even though they can't hear. I just stand there at 6'2 I'm the tallest in my platoon and the easiest target to hit. I am going to die.
"ALRIGHT BOYS!" Sergeant Lows yells. "THOSE KRAUTS ARE GOING TO GIVE US HELL. AND SOME, WELL LET'S BE HONEST MOST OF YOU ARE GOING TO DIE."
"400!" The driver says.
"Great, 400 yards until our death." My friend Mason says.
"300!"
"WHEN THAT RAMP DROPS YOU PUT YOUR HEAD DOWN AND RUN! GOT IT?" The Sergeant yells.
"YES SIR!" We all say in unison.
"200..... 150... 100..... 50 RAMP IS GOING DOWN IN THREE, TWO, ONE."
A loud creaking noise sounds and then the ramp drops and so do five guys in front of me. I flinch and see guy after guy get shot, scream, fall, and die.
"OVER THE SIDES! OVER THE SIDES!" Someone yells.
"WILSON, WILSON COME ON!" Mason yells elbowing my side pulling me out of whatever trance I was in. I see him grab the side of the boat and try to climb up his hand slips and instead of jumping off the side he just flops off. I follow suit I grab the side and hoist myself up. I feel someone pushing my boot I look down and see the Sergeant pushing my leg up.
"COME ON YOU TALL STICK!" I hop off the side and land hard on the sand. "GET MOVING!" He yells. I shake my head and slosh my way through the wet sand.
"Oh my god." I say looking around and seeing dead bodies sloshing around in the surf, the water being turned blood red, disembodied limbs and bodies lying around everywhere. Bullets are whipping all around me hitting the water and bodies floating around me. I keep moving and step on a log. I look down and scream in terror. It wasn't a log it was a guy weighed down by all his gear dead. Lucky for me I'm tall enough that I'm chest level and not drowning level unlike this soldier. I start pulling my leg but it's stuck in his armpit. I finally get it unstuck and fall under the water I'm sloshing around in the salt water it's burning my eyes, mouth, and nose. I can't get my footing. I'm going to drown just like the soldier I got stuck on. Strong hands grab under my arms and they pull me up.
"JESUS WILSON!" Mason says. I turn around and hug that 5'6 man as hard as I could. "You're 6'2 and yet you still drown in this 5'8 water." I somehow laugh in this hell. We start wading, well Mason is swimming until we get to the shore the bullets start hitting the sand around us.
"LET'S GO MASON!" I yell and we run up to a hedgehog I try to turn and sit down but I just fall down next to it. The bullets start pinging on the hedgehog and the sand in front of us.
"BUNCH UP!" Mason yells and curls into a little ball. I smack his helmet and point to a tank 35 yards away. "I didn't see that." He says I shake my head and get ready to run for it. POOM! I duck and look back to where the shot came from. There was an 75mm gun in a bunker and our tank cover was on fire and useless now.
"Dammit." I say.
"SEE! BUNCH UP!" Mason says again still in his ball.
"NO! LOOK!" I say pointing to a line of men laying down just barely protected by the machine gun fire.
"THEY'RE DEAD!" Mason yells. The bullets are still hitting the hedgehog and sand around us. I shake my head tell Mason if he doesn't want to go he doesn't have to and get ready to run.