Part 145, Chapter 2633
Chapter Two Thousand Six Hundred Thirty-Three
1st August 1977
Camp Hale, Near Leadville, Colorado
In the predawn darkness, it was cold at Camp Hale, even in the middle of summer. Mario had heard that there was even a chance that it could snow here in August. He had never thought that he would find himself with worse weather than the Alaskan interior, but apparently this was.
“Pick your feet up Ramirez!” The Instructor yelled at him as he passed. In the high, thin air of the Rocky Mountains he could feel his head swimming as he continued the run, in full kit, including thirty pounds in his rucksack. Mercifully, the M-10 “Stoner” rifle they had given him was considerably lighter than the old M-9 Garand that was the mainstay in Alaska. Ritchie had asked him if he wanted to remain a grunt his entire career? The answer was an obvious no, and no one had said that improving his lot in the Army would come easy.
The “Ranger Physical Assessment” was what they called this particular brand of torture and it was what made up the first week of the twenty-one-day training course. Sergeant Mullins and Mario’s brother Ritchie had told him that as a newly minted Specialist, he should accept the offer to go to Ranger School that he had been offered. Both Mullins and Ritchie had made it through this, so he had figured that that it wouldn’t be too hard. Besides that, even if he didn’t make it through the course due to injury or not making the cut just having volunteered for it would look good in his service record. If he completed the course and then didn’t get selected, he would still get to wear the Ranger tab when he got back to the 11th Airbourne. If a new LRRP team was being formed by the 11th Mario would be in contention to lead it with that tab. As it had turned out, this was turning out to be a lot harder than he had figured it would be.
Camp Hale was home to the 10th Mountain Division and where those who sought entry into the elite Ranger Regiment trained. It was also part of the mysterious selection process for the Green Beret. So, the entire process was meant to weed out those who were incapable of doing the job. That meant that having the thin air play a key role in a physically and mentally demanding course was all a part of the process. Ritchie had told Mario about John Cassey, a Sergeant who had been in the 10th Mountain who had become a legend in the 1st Special Forces Group. Men from the Mountain Division certainly had a leg up in the selection process in that they lived here while those like Mario were merely visiting.
Ritchie had also mentioned that he had been assigned to be a Gunner when he had done this. The weight of a light machine gun and belts of ammunition, the accompanying tools… Pure torture. It was with that pleasant thought that Mario finished that morning’s run. That meant that he would get a few minutes of rest before his instructors had a new task for him.
Balderschwang, Bavaria
Kiki had started to suspect something while they had still been in the United States the month prior. It had been what had been happening in the days since she had gotten back that had swiftly become impossible to ignore. By now it was something that she knew and understood all too well. The pounding migraines, exhaustion, and strange dreams. What all of that meant. That was how her body reacted towards an intruder of sorts that it both fought against and welcomed, which a simple blood test a couple days before had confirmed. Kiki had told no one other than Ben, until now, having invited Zella, Aurora, and Nora Berg to her house for lunch. They had known as soon as they had arrived that Kiki was going to tell them something momentous. This certainly qualified.
“Can I please be recording when you tell your superiors?” Zella asked, more like begging. “The looks on their faces will be priceless.”
“This is why I was reluctant to tell you” Kiki replied. Actually, it had been Aurora’s reaction she had been worried about. After struggling through a series of miscarriages, Aurora had finally had her daughter Gisela, and even that had been difficult. After that it had been deemed medically inadvisable for Aurora to have any more children. Later, she had not taken it well when she had learned about Zella’s accidental pregnancy. “Besides, the Medical Service isn’t completely in the dark over matters like these.”
“Yes and no” Berg said, “Yes, they are aware that women have babies, but the reality is that with you they are in totally uncharted waters. I think that Zella is right about their reaction.”
Zella and Berg got a laugh about that as they went into the dining room where lunch was being served. In many respects, Zella had replaced Kiki as Berg’s surrogate daughter. As Berg had put it, she still loved Kiki and was proud of what she had become, but Southern Bavaria was a bit out of her way.
“I think this is wonderful” Aurora said, “A little brother or sister for Nina and Lutz.”
“And a cousin for Gisela and Irina” Kiki said, which made Aurora happy. Partly due to the current climate in the Empire and the resurgence of anti-Semitism, Aurora had embraced the Reform Jewish beliefs of her husband and that part of her identity. That had driven a wedge between her and her parents. Aurora also had a brother and sister who were much younger than her, who she had never been particularly close to. Kiki and Zella had become key parts of her family. Like all families there were times when they had disagreements and others, like this, when they came back together.
1st August 1977
Camp Hale, Near Leadville, Colorado
In the predawn darkness, it was cold at Camp Hale, even in the middle of summer. Mario had heard that there was even a chance that it could snow here in August. He had never thought that he would find himself with worse weather than the Alaskan interior, but apparently this was.
“Pick your feet up Ramirez!” The Instructor yelled at him as he passed. In the high, thin air of the Rocky Mountains he could feel his head swimming as he continued the run, in full kit, including thirty pounds in his rucksack. Mercifully, the M-10 “Stoner” rifle they had given him was considerably lighter than the old M-9 Garand that was the mainstay in Alaska. Ritchie had asked him if he wanted to remain a grunt his entire career? The answer was an obvious no, and no one had said that improving his lot in the Army would come easy.
The “Ranger Physical Assessment” was what they called this particular brand of torture and it was what made up the first week of the twenty-one-day training course. Sergeant Mullins and Mario’s brother Ritchie had told him that as a newly minted Specialist, he should accept the offer to go to Ranger School that he had been offered. Both Mullins and Ritchie had made it through this, so he had figured that that it wouldn’t be too hard. Besides that, even if he didn’t make it through the course due to injury or not making the cut just having volunteered for it would look good in his service record. If he completed the course and then didn’t get selected, he would still get to wear the Ranger tab when he got back to the 11th Airbourne. If a new LRRP team was being formed by the 11th Mario would be in contention to lead it with that tab. As it had turned out, this was turning out to be a lot harder than he had figured it would be.
Camp Hale was home to the 10th Mountain Division and where those who sought entry into the elite Ranger Regiment trained. It was also part of the mysterious selection process for the Green Beret. So, the entire process was meant to weed out those who were incapable of doing the job. That meant that having the thin air play a key role in a physically and mentally demanding course was all a part of the process. Ritchie had told Mario about John Cassey, a Sergeant who had been in the 10th Mountain who had become a legend in the 1st Special Forces Group. Men from the Mountain Division certainly had a leg up in the selection process in that they lived here while those like Mario were merely visiting.
Ritchie had also mentioned that he had been assigned to be a Gunner when he had done this. The weight of a light machine gun and belts of ammunition, the accompanying tools… Pure torture. It was with that pleasant thought that Mario finished that morning’s run. That meant that he would get a few minutes of rest before his instructors had a new task for him.
Balderschwang, Bavaria
Kiki had started to suspect something while they had still been in the United States the month prior. It had been what had been happening in the days since she had gotten back that had swiftly become impossible to ignore. By now it was something that she knew and understood all too well. The pounding migraines, exhaustion, and strange dreams. What all of that meant. That was how her body reacted towards an intruder of sorts that it both fought against and welcomed, which a simple blood test a couple days before had confirmed. Kiki had told no one other than Ben, until now, having invited Zella, Aurora, and Nora Berg to her house for lunch. They had known as soon as they had arrived that Kiki was going to tell them something momentous. This certainly qualified.
“Can I please be recording when you tell your superiors?” Zella asked, more like begging. “The looks on their faces will be priceless.”
“This is why I was reluctant to tell you” Kiki replied. Actually, it had been Aurora’s reaction she had been worried about. After struggling through a series of miscarriages, Aurora had finally had her daughter Gisela, and even that had been difficult. After that it had been deemed medically inadvisable for Aurora to have any more children. Later, she had not taken it well when she had learned about Zella’s accidental pregnancy. “Besides, the Medical Service isn’t completely in the dark over matters like these.”
“Yes and no” Berg said, “Yes, they are aware that women have babies, but the reality is that with you they are in totally uncharted waters. I think that Zella is right about their reaction.”
Zella and Berg got a laugh about that as they went into the dining room where lunch was being served. In many respects, Zella had replaced Kiki as Berg’s surrogate daughter. As Berg had put it, she still loved Kiki and was proud of what she had become, but Southern Bavaria was a bit out of her way.
“I think this is wonderful” Aurora said, “A little brother or sister for Nina and Lutz.”
“And a cousin for Gisela and Irina” Kiki said, which made Aurora happy. Partly due to the current climate in the Empire and the resurgence of anti-Semitism, Aurora had embraced the Reform Jewish beliefs of her husband and that part of her identity. That had driven a wedge between her and her parents. Aurora also had a brother and sister who were much younger than her, who she had never been particularly close to. Kiki and Zella had become key parts of her family. Like all families there were times when they had disagreements and others, like this, when they came back together.
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