Love You Till The End (Robert Zussman x Reader)

12 - Sergeant Johnson

November of 1943
Two days later

I felt like a nervous wreck. It was time to finally propose this idea of a woman being in the Army to someone who has more control than we do. By we, I mean a couple of other sergeants and myself. There in the conference room with me was Sergeant Miller, First Sergeant Jones, and Sergeant Harris. They were very excited to hear that we finally had a women candidate to possibly put into the Infantry Division of the Army. We're all worried the idea will get turned down, but the least we can do is propose the idea and hopefully get it considered.

We were sitting in the conference room, sweating our asses off and waiting for Sergeant Major Wilson. This idea of ours will eventually need to make its way to one of the Generals of the Army which scares the crap out of all of us. We just don't want to piss them off since we know they have their minds on other things.

I had met the rest of the sergeants when I finally ranked up enough to become a recruiter. The topic of women being in the armed forces didn't come to mind until one of us had mentioned it one day as a joke. What started as a joke turned into our belief.

Finally, Sergeant Major Wilson walked into the room and sat down at the conference table.

"Alright, men. What's this all about?" he asked right away.

I decided to be the first to talk.

"Sir, we know that what we are about to tell you might seem crazy, but we hope you will consider it. We've been in this war for almost two years now and who knows how long it'll be till it ends. Which is why we are proposing the idea of putting a woman into the Infantry Division of the Army to see if women are capable of fighting in combat."

"A woman in combat? I don't understand," Wilson said. He raised his eyebrow at me. I felt embarrassed, but we couldn't let his intimidation stop us from convincing him. Miller got up next and I sat down.

"Well, sir, let me explain. Our country drafts off soldiers every day. There might be a time where we won't have enough soldiers for our armed forces. By training our women just like we train our men, we could be capable of having more strength in our armed forces," Miller explained. I noticed the beads of sweat on his forehead and his ears turning red.

"Men, I see what you are trying to do, but I'm not sure how it'll hold up with the Generals. They like to keep up the spirit and confidence of the men in the armed forces. If we let women in, it might make them feel weak," Wilson said.

Hearing what he had to say pissed me off. I expected our idea would bring up the topic of weakness. Women are seen as weak by many. This idea was our way to change that.

Finally, First Sergeant Jones spoke up.

"Sir, that's the point of our idea. We know women are seen as weak and that's why they aren't allowed to be in combat. We want to prove that women are capable of fighting. We want to prove that they are capable of being soldiers."

I could see a slight fury in his eyes. I almost wanted to let out a chuckle after he spoke because Jones wasn't always very fond of this idea. In the beginning, he thought we were insane. He viewed women like objects until eventually the more he listened in on our conversations, he began to see them as more than just there to satisfy his needs.

"Sir, will you at least consider it?" Sergeant Harris asked. He was the shyest out of us four, so we were pretty shocked to see him ask such a question.

"I like you all. I admire what you are trying to do. It doesn't seem like a terrible idea. The problem is I'm not sure if the Generals will feel the same. I'll do more than consider this idea. I'll talk to people and see if I can get it approved," Wilson said.

Harris, Miller, Jones, and I looked at each other with smiles on our faces.

"Thank you so much, sir. This means a whole lot to us," I told him.

"Before I go, I would like to know if you already have a woman willing enough to join the Infantry Division. I would say it'd help raise the chances of this getting approved if you already have a volunteer," Sergeant Major Wilson said as he was getting ready to leave.

"Actually, sir, we do. Her name is Y/N L/N. She's 20 years old, unmarried. Her father was chosen by the draft and he's a veteran of The Great War. She's willing to fight so he doesn't have to," I explained to him.

"That's a brave woman. I'll see what I can do. Expect a letter from me sometime soon. The Generals have big plans so let's hope this gets approved quickly. Goodbye, men," Wilson said with a salute. We quickly got up and saluted him as he walked out of the room.

"I can't believe we fucking did it!" Miller exclaimed.

"Let's celebrate, men. Drinks on me," Jones said.

We walked outside of the building and headed for the nearest bar. I was definitely in the mood to celebrate, but as we entered the bar, I remembered there was something I needed to do first.

"I'd love to stick around, men, but I need to go let Ms. L/N know about the news. I'll come back soon," I told them.

They gave me no hassle and waved me off. I began to head towards Ms. L/N's house. When I arrived, I ripped a piece of paper from the notebook I always carried with me. I quickly wrote:

"Looks like you might get your place in the Army, kid. The idea is on its way to the Generals. Be ready for good or bad news soon."

I put the note in the mailbox and made my way back to the bar. I knew I couldn't get my hopes up too quickly, but I couldn't help it. I was still too shocked that we were able to persuade a Sergeant Major. Hopefully, he can do the same with the higher ranks.