First and Last time for Combat

Despite whatever training you have gone through, despite the simulations and lessons that you may undergo, nothing can prepare you fully for actual combat. The men of easy company were the finest trained soldiers that the American army had. They continually proved themselves time after time in many activities but this company had never seen real combat before.

The troops of Easy company were introduced to war in a sudden way. They first had to learn how to communicate and work with troops who they had not trained with for the last two years. Most troops had different call signals and it was sometimes had to determine if they were allies or not. To solve this problem, the troops of the Allied Forces were issued clickers which made a clicking sound. They gave a number of clicks which indicated they were allies without having to speak and give up their position. [pg 63] As Easy company geared up for their first and for some, their last battle, they were experiencing the expectancy's of war. Their jump master was disabled and they were given a new one at the last minute. As they flew over to their destination, Easy company saw the massive fleet of the allied army that was going to launch themselves against Hitler's Forces.