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A SOLDIER’S LIFE
By
David McClain

The new soldier waited with his unit for their turn to assault the mountain stronghold of the Germans. This was his first taste of action and he was anxious. He wasn't afraid of the pending battle, but more worried about doing his duty. He and his unit were untried, new to the fray, and he had no idea what was to happen next.

He had little time to wonder because the signal was given to move and the new unit carried him along with them as they surged forward to the base of the mountain and began to struggle upward.

Almost at once the troops came under heavy fire and explosions ripped gaping holes in their formations. The noise was deafening as the young soldier returned fire and moved almost automatically.

On all sides he could see his compatriots being blown into the air by the explosions of artillery and tank shells from the Heights. They were dropping silently as they were struck by small arms fire that came down upon them in thick sheets like a massive rain storm from hell.

The fight had been going on for less than thirty minutes and already the new unit was down to less than half strength. Bodies and blasted equipment littered the slope of the mountain they were struggling to assault.

For the first time the young soldier began to entertain thoughts that they might not be successful and that was more terrible to him than the thought of getting hit by the fire himself. He was struggling forward with two of his fellow soldiers and had just reached the first of the German lines when a round from an enemy mortar landed among them.

All three soldiers were blasted into the air and their crumpled bodies landed down slope.

************************************************************

“NORMAN!” A woman’s voice called out loudly from the front porch of a farm house a good two hundred yards from the "battlefield".

The young boy, a stocky kid of about eleven, Looked up quickly from his position on a large pile of dirt that was serving as the German stronghold.

“I’m coming ma.” the boy yelled back to her. “Give me a minute to gather up my men.”

Norman quickly started to throw the small plastic soldiers into the bag he used as a carrying case for his toys.

It took a little while to gather them, for there were over a hundred small figurines of soldiers of both armies, not including the tanks and artillery pieces. He knew when his mom called him he had to hurry. He didn’t want to be late for dinner.

By the time Norman got to the front porch of the house both his mom and dad were standing there waiting for him.

“Norman, how can you spend all day playing with those things?” His mom declared shaking her head.
Norman looked and smiled…. “Just wait mom, one of these days I am going to lead REAL armies into battle. You just wait and see!”

Norman’s dad laughed. “That’s my boy.” He chuckled. “I’m going to start calling you ‘Storming Norman’."

All three were laughing at the nickname as they trooped into the house to have their dinner.

*******************************************************

Inside the bag the young soldier lay with all the others and listened quietly as one old sergeant, who had been a part of the old unit that Norman had gotten a few years ago, discussed the battle with a German soldier who they had been fighting only a few moments before.

“I’m telling ya,” the old sergeant yelled at the German. “Give this boy a little more time and he will have us beating you on a regular basis.”

The young soldier sighed, this was the life for him. A soldier’s life. Nothing to worry about, no cares, all he had to do was wait till his master set him about the next battle, the next war. He was going to love it here!