Chapter 41: The Conflict Escalates
On October 30th, Lieutenant Colonel Strayer sent an order to Captain Sobel, informing him that he would be coming to inspect E Company at 11:00. Sobel always took orders from his superiors very seriously, and this was Strayer's first inspection of Easy Company since he had last chewed him out.
"Strayer's coming for an inspection?" Rhys got this news from Buck Compton. The two had run into each other in the mess hall, where Compton was laughing at Private Joachim Mello.
"That guy is so unlucky. Winters was originally going to have Guarnere clean the latrines, but that clueless idiot started bad-mouthing Sobel in the barracks without realizing Sobel was standing right behind him," Compton laughed. "You should have seen the looks on the other brothers' faces. It was priceless!"
Rhys shook his head with a bitter smile. "It's not funny at all, Buck." He knew that after this, the most severe conflict between officers in the history of Easy Company would erupt between Sobel and Winters, followed by the mutiny of the NCOs.
"Alright, alright. I didn't know you were such a serious person," Buck said, clearly still reveling in Mello's misfortune.
And, as expected, events continued to unfold according to the original story. It was inevitable. Even if the plot had been changed, the conflict between the two men was dictated by their personalities. Even if they had deviated from the path this time, another incident would have surely triggered the same result. Sobel's personality determined his fate.
In the afternoon, Captain Sobel found Rhys. He knew he couldn't escape it.
"Give this to Lieutenant Winters," Sobel said, handing Rhys a typed document. "Make sure you find him and hand it to him personally. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," Rhys said, having no choice but to take it. He then took a vehicle to Winters's quarters.
The note read:
"SUBJECT: Punishment under Article 104 of the Articles of War
TO: 1st Lt. Richard Winters
You will indicate by your signature below whether you will accept punishment under the Articles of War for your failure to follow my direct order to inspect the latrines today at 09:45 hours, or if you demand a trial by court-martial.
Captain Herbert Sobel, Commanding Officer, E Company."
"Damn it," Rhys cursed to himself. But there was nothing to be done. What was coming was coming. Since that was the case, it was better to use this mutiny to get rid of Sobel sooner rather than later. If that happened, it wouldn't matter if he himself was demoted. After all, he couldn't let Sobel lead the entire company to its doom. He was sure there were many others who felt the same way.
Winters was outside the barracks, watching Bull Randleman and a few other brothers shoot hoops. He and Nixon were leaning against a low wall, smiling and talking quietly.
Rhys walked up. "Lieutenant Winters," he called out, then saluted both officers.
"Parks," Winters returned the salute and smiled. "Is something wrong, Staff Sergeant?" He used the formal rank because Rhys looked unusually serious. Normally, he preferred to just call him Parks.
"This is a directive from Captain Sobel," he said, handing over the piece of paper. His voice was grave. "Lieutenant, it seems some things are unavoidable."
Winters opened the note, and his expression changed slightly.
Nixon leaned over, read the contents, and couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "My God, it looks like there's going to be a court-martial. He misspelled court-martial."
"Alright, I think accepting the punishment is easier than going to court," Winters said with a bitter smile. He then turned to Rhys. "Parks, don't say anything about this to the brothers for now. I'll handle it."
Winters was going to compromise and accept the punishment, rather than demand a court-martial.
Rhys was stunned. If Winters backed down now, with D-Day so close, Sobel would remain in command. He would end up getting the brothers killed on the battlefield.
"Sir…" Rhys hesitated. "I think… there's something I need to say…"
Seeing Rhys's hesitation, Winters said, "Parks, if you have something to say, then say it. I'd like to hear your opinion as well."
"This is what I think," Rhys said, clearing his throat. "Right now, many of the brothers in the company are thinking that if Captain Sobel leads Easy Company into battle, he will definitely get everyone killed."
"What are you trying to say?" Nixon interjected.
"Instead of compromising, you should fight for it," Rhys said, mustering his courage. In this incident, Winters was clearly in the right, and Sobel's actions had damaged the image of an officer.
Nixon nodded in approval and was about to speak when he heard Winters clear his throat. "Staff Sergeant Parks," Winters said sternly.
"Yes, sir," Rhys said quickly.
"As the senior NCO of this company, you should not be saying such things," Winters said, his expression completely serious. "You should remember your duty. The brothers need you to keep them united, not to be here giving officers advice on how to get along. I think it would be best if you stayed out of this and just did your job."
"Yes, Lieutenant," Rhys nodded.
"Alright, at ease, Staff Sergeant. Your task is complete," Winters said, his expression still severe, his tone of voice almost cold and stiff.
"Yes, Lieutenant. Goodbye, Lieutenant," Rhys saluted them both, then turned and left.
After Rhys was gone, Nixon looked at Winters with a bitter smile. "Dick, I think Parks is right. You can't just keep backing down. At this critical moment, you have to stand up. If you can't even give the men of Easy Company courage, I'm afraid more of them will start thinking like Parks. Maybe one day, Sobel really will be killed by his own men."
The tension in Winters's face suddenly relaxed, and he smiled. "Yes, but I don't want to get Parks involved. He's a good soldier, and I previously submitted a recommendation for him to attend Officer Candidate School. By rights, we should have heard back by now. I wonder why there's been no word."
"That's right, he is a good soldier," Nixon nodded. He then looked at Winters and smiled. "It seems you've already made your decision."
As Rhys was leaving, Bull Randleman happened to throw the basketball his way.
"Hey, Parks, catch! Why don't you take a shot for us?" Bull yelled, as the others cheered him on.
Rhys easily caught the ball. From about four or five meters out, he raised his hands and shot. With a 'swish', the ball banked off the backboard and went in.
"That's how you shoot, fellas. Learn from it," Rhys said with a smile. He then jumped into a vehicle and sped off, leaving Bull and the others standing there, dumbfounded.
***
In the end, events unfolded just as Rhys had anticipated. Lieutenant Winters's signature was on the line requesting a trial by court-martial. This took Captain Sobel completely by surprise. After all, in his experience, Winters was a patient man who always carried out his orders without hesitation.
The final result was also the same as in the original story: Winters was transferred to the battalion to serve as the Mess Officer. This was Strayer's decision, a conclusion he reached after a long discussion with Major Horton and the other officers of the Second Battalion. For the good of Easy Company, they did not send Winters to a court-martial.
The news of this development eventually spread throughout the company. The brothers were not surprised by the final showdown between Winters and Sobel, but the result left them deeply resentful. Although Winters was unhappy with the situation, he had no choice but to obey the order. This was the quality of an outstanding officer.
"I can't believe it," White said, unable to stop complaining whenever he and Rhys talked about it. "Why do the good men have to suffer while the demon gets to gloat? Is this what our regiment has come to?"
"Don't waste your breath on that," Rhys said calmly. He was waiting, biding his time for the sergeants to make their next move. He had also prepared for the worst-case scenario. If the sergeants didn't rise up in protest, then he would be the one to rally them.
"I don't want to follow Sobel into battle," Cobb said. It was the fifth time he had said it. He was the most vocal complainer about Sobel in the company. "He'll get us all killed!"
Just then, Guarnere burst into Rhys's barracks. "Hey, Parks. Ranney and Harris want to talk to you. You coming?"
'It's finally happening', Rhys thought with a slight smile. He then nodded. "I know. I'll be right there."
*****
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