October 5 is the best day ever for Dick Winters. Greatest action of the war, best thing Easy Company did.
And David Kenyon Webster thought that this was for sure going to be the day he died.
I can't help but look at the Crossroads action from the guys on the other end of the phone line because Dick is yelling and sounds like he's lost his mind.
He calls for ambulances and Neavles asks a reasonable question of "How many casualties?' only to get an answer in baseball teams. The guy had to be looking at his radio like ???? only for Dick to scream about going to be needing two teams if you don't get them to me now and get the fuck off the phone I need artillery support.
Of course in Dick's version of this exchange, Neavles doesn't know sports and later on Dick implies Neavles had a drug problem. Sir. Use numbers? Use real numbers to describe your casualties. This guy should have ripped into you for this. Not the time for Sports Jeopardy.
We also have the event where after this battle is over Dick points his M1 at Liebgott, flips off the safety, demands all his ammo, allows him one single bullet and does ALL of this where the 11 POWS can hear it. You're sending your own guy back with 11 SS officers and only one 1 bullet. And TOLD THEM THIS? Tell Liebgott to head back with them and go see Dr. Neavles who already is probably thinking you lost it.
Nixon doesn't show up just to see if you are thirsty, he probably thinks you've lost your mind because everyone back at battalion is wondering why Winters is overextended and practically at the river and calling for artillery.
In the show he's promoted on the spot with Sink coming and telling us Horton was killed. Horton is dead, there is a vacancy there for a battalion commander. That's not the job he's giving you. He's making you XO. He's putting you behind a desk. After this incredible feat of military brilliance...your boss is like "Hey buddy, maybe let's get you out of the field a little while and enjoy some paperwork. You love paperwork."
I think there was a real time delay on the 'promotion' to XO, but if you have a good combat officer who is tearing shit up and halfway to Berlin by the time anyone gets him stopped.....why would you put him behind a desk? Especially with a vacancy in 1st Battalion that quite literally just opened up.
His hands are also shaking like "Nixon's do when he is drinking." Richard, that's the adrenaline. You just chased the enemy like a dog who ignores the call of his owner to go after a cat and finds himself in another county. But Nixon always on your mind, Nixon lookin' good especially his hands with those long fingers.
Genuinely "You good?" here is a "I got here as fast as I could to make sure you hadn't lost your goddamned mind before Sink can jet up here in his Jeep."
Bob knows though. Nix sees Bob knows. Bob probably had that hunting dog once who ended up in the wrong Carolina chasing it's prey. Leave us alone so your boy and I can have a little chit chat, Nix.
Bob is good with people though. His "droll mannerisms" might confuse the old army guys with fake-ass sounding names who do his efficiency reports in the future, he's he's a hell of a soldiers soldier.
"Who's a good little paratrooper? You are. How about a promotion?"
"I got promoted." :)
Supporting evidence under the cut.
