The Soldier of Stars [1] - Band of Brothers

➢ elizabeth elliot

" only the gentle are ever really strong."

-james dean

***

Elizabeth Elliot was a young woman who kept to herself, yet she was always there for anyone who needed her. So when the war broke out, the Nurses' Corps was exactly where she felt she needed to be to pursue that.

She had worked a day job at a local hospital in Grand Rapids and found great joy in being able to help others and make sure they were okay. She had lived from home, as she was going to Calvin University on days she didn't have work. Her fascination with the medical field had really come from her mother, who had been a nurse serving in the Great War at the time. Her mother now worked as a nurse at the hospital nearby that Elizabeth interned at.

And she was constantly there.

But Elizabeth was mainly there because she hoped of becoming a doctor one day, where she could save the lives of thousands. Her grandmother was the main reason she really wanted to join the war effort. She always said ever since they were kids, a simple phrase with a simple meaning to chase your dreams. Her grandmother was her rock in her life, and the two had been close ever since Elizabeth was a child.

But her grandmother had leukemia, a form of cancer, and was struggling a great deal with it.

Elizabeth was struggling too.

Their grandfather had died during the Great Depression from overworking and trying to support her and the house, so they took their grandmother in. Right after the outbreak of war for America, in 1941, their grandmother got cancer and had been struggling ever since. They did as much as they could for her, and made her as comfortable as possible, even if it meant, lying down for days on end for comfort. It was sad and painful to watch, and it hurt Elizabeth more, simply because she couldn't do anymore than what she was already doing. Elizabeth was determined to change that when she went to war.

Cancer was a scary thing right now, especially when it seemed there was no probable cure. There were talks of chemotherapy, something newly being developed for people with cancer, but her grandmother told the family that she was okay, she didn't need it and that it couldn't be reliable for being so new.

When Elizabeth signed up for the Nurses' Corps, she had given a full resume of what she had been doing since she graduated high and now was in college. When the Nurses' Corps was approved by President Roosevelt, Elizabeth was quick in signing up.

And she quickly received a letter confirming acceptance into the program about 2 weeks later.

By March 1942, she found herself on a train to one of the top schools for the program out in California. Her training would be a long haul, almost a year of training at that, but she knew it'd be worth it in the end.

However, that all changed in May 1942.

A message had been sent to all areas where women were incorporated into the war effort. Women from any organization could sign up to be part of the group that would get to serve on the front lines with the men. It would be done in secret, with no communication from the outside world on it and no public opinion on the matter. Only if the war turned out successful would the world know that women went to war to fight alongside men.

For now it was best kept secret.

So Elizabeth eagerly signed up and wrote down all her qualifications. Within a week, a bunch of girls in her barrack received letters saying they were accepted into the military. Elizabeth realized quickly though just how thinly spread out they would be.

Nurse Elizabeth Elliot,

We are pleased to inform you that you've been selected as a part of the program to send women to the front lines. As you know, this will not be seen in the eyes of the public and all of this will occur in secret. Even though, in the government's eyes this is rather controversial, some believe this will be a success while others believe it will be a failure. You are part of the lucky 250 women who have been selected to be taken to the front lines and to fight alongside men for the greater good. You will be sent to into the Airborne, attached to the United States Army. The Airborne is a new section of the military where you will drop behind enemy lines, parachuting in and hopefully creating diversion for lands troops to come in. Colonel Sink is the commander of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment attached to the 101st Airborne Division. You will be placed into 2nd Battalion, Easy Company. Your rank will remain as you are, a Corporal and from your detailed resume, you will enact yourself as a combat medic. You will train with the 250 women picked for this operation and then will be given further information after about where you will be stationed. The rules are that you do not tell anyone outside of your immediate family what you are doing and that you report straight to your sight of training. Fort Bragg in North Carolina will be your sight of training. Thank you for your interest in the program.

Sincerely,

The United States War Department

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