Chapter 2. “Stand Up and Hook Up”; Benning, Mackall, Bragg, Shanks, December 1942–September 1943

Summary 

With basic training at Camp Toccoa complete and the 118-mile march to Fort Benning successful, the men will now receive realistic training to become paratroopers, the very role that each of the men had volunteered for the chance to become. Generally, parachute school consists of four stages of training, each lasting a week and beginning with physical training in A stage. However, the men’s superior physical conditioning puts their instructors to shame, and each of the companies of the 506th PIR begins in the B stage.

During B stage, the men learn how to fold and pack their parachutes and begin the routine of building up their jumps. They start by leaping into sawdust piles some four feet off the ground and then from 30-foot towers in suspended parachute harnesses. The next week, the men complete free and controlled jumps from 250-foot towers. Finally, they adventure into the real thing and complete five jumps from a C-47 transport plane, a feat that certifies them as qualified parachutists. Once they finish the final stage of training, each of the members of Easy Company is proudly presented with the silver wings he had worked so tirelessly to achieve over the past six months. Colonel Sink marks the occasion in a speech that ties their membership in the regiment to their comportment in their private lives. He reminds them of their motto, “Currahee.”

Advanced training is then held at Camp Mackall, North Carolina, complete with modern amenities like movie theaters and beer gardens. The company now jumps with bazookas and machine guns, 60 mm mortars, food, ammunition, maps, hand grenades and high explosives, and just about anything else that needs to be carried into war. Additionally, when they aren’t jumping, the men perform exercises that focus on quick troop movements and operating behind enemy lines. It is during these exercises that Sobel’s conduct greatly angers the men of Easy Company. As more complex maneuvers and tasks are demanded of Easy Company, Sobel’s shortcomings as a soldier are exposed. For all his gusto motivating physical endurance, he lacks competency, such as reading maps and determining location. Sobel is so unliked by the men that several engage in efforts to sabotage his leadership. Sobel conducts a covert investigation and confiscates innocuous personal items as contraband while the company exercises in the field. For many, this is the last straw, and the dislike of Herbert Sobel hardens to hatred.

While at Camp Mackall, the company collects several promotions for its sergeants, staff sergeants, and lieutenants. Every vacancy in the 2nd battalion staff is filled by an officer of Easy. In April 1942, Easy Company’s 2nd battalion receives a new lieutenant, Harry Welsh. Welsh becomes fast friends with Winters for their similar beliefs concerning leadership. With training now complete at Camp Mackall, the companies of the 506th PIR are set to officially join the 101st Airborne Division. They make their way to Sturgis, Kentucky, for war games before moving on to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where the division receives a total reoutfitting. Once familiar with their new armaments, the men move to Camp Shanks, the final stateside destination for Easy Company before loading onto a transport filled with 5,000 men to cross the sea.

Analysis 

The quote in the chapter title refers to the jumpmaster’s command to the paratroopers when the airplane has reached the jump coordinates. This marks the point of no return when each individual commits to the jump. They all stand up together and hook their static line to a steel cable just below the ceiling of the plane. When they jump out the door of the plane, the static line plays out and rips the cover off their parachute, which then deploys automatically. The group dynamic, the clear steps of standing and hooking, and the command of the jumpmaster all help overcome the normal psychological barriers to leaping into the sky to reach an unknown place on the ground.

The men need all the training they endure under Sobel’s watch for their first jump. The emotional grit they acquire under his cruelty comes into use. Whether through adrenaline or sheer willpower, each man in Easy Company except one successfully makes the jump. As Easy Company moves through the levels of training and facilities, their superb physical conditioning and sound practice consistently earn them commendation and high praise. The fact that all promotions made within the 2nd battalion staff are men from Easy Company reflects their superior skills and work ethic.

They expect the same level of effort that they give. During this period of training, Captain Sobel begins to truly test the patience of his men, eventually turning each man against him. With Sobel’s soldiering deficiencies exposed, the men of Easy Company begin to despise his command and even desire a new leader. They refuse to respect a man who doesn’t treat them with respect, and without that mutual respect, no group can succeed. Even though Sobel shaped Easy Company into the outstanding unit that it is, his conduct eventually proves detrimental to the men’s trust.

The excellence that Easy Company consistently achieves is all due to design. From the beginning, the notion is to form an elite fighting squad, and this resonates with every man. Having a goal clearly defined makes it all the easier to achieve that goal. Each man in the group is the type who wants to excel, to be better than the others, and each craves the recognition that comes with consistently outperforming all previous standards of excellence. These men are made of a different kind of stuff, for the type of man who willingly jumps from a plane into enemy territory possesses the qualities needed for handling the most stressful of wartime situations, such as bravery and mental strength.

The silver wings awarded to each man symbolize their superiority and their achievements, and each receives the award with great pride. With this recognition, the men receive a new identity that becomes active in every phase of their lives. For many of these men who had had little prior success in their lives, the call to feel a justifiable pride and act with dignity changes their lives. Their motto, “Currahee,” was taken from a Native American word that means “standing alone.” It’s also the name of a mountain at Camp Toccoa.

For the regiment, the motto means standing alone together as they now, through their intense training together, have formed bonds of brotherhood. The men are inspired by their elite status to take on the hardest challenges.