"Within Easy Company they had made the best friends they had ever had, or would ever have. They were prepared to die for each other; more important, they were prepared to kill for each other."

-Stephen E. Ambrose, Band of Brothers

Currahee

Everyone's experience in the war was different; some soldier's memoirs closer than others. Easy Company dropped from the sky, while the Marines landed on the beaches.

-1944-

The sky was dark with flashes of light lighting up the night. The silhouettes of the Airborne showered down on Normandy. Some men jumped out of planes when the green signal flipped on, while others never even got to use their parachutes. Airplanes went down in flames and others exploded with shrapnel flying everywhere. The men were frightened and nervous; some prayed to the Seven, Old Gods or R'hllor for guidance, while others found comfort in smoking.

Easy Company's Lieutenant Yoren motioned for the young boys to stand up and get clipped in. The plane shook and the soldiers stumbled to stay upward; some holding onto others for support. By now the men were in a single file line, preparing to jump.

"11 okay!" The boy at the end of the plane shouted and grasped the solider's shoulder in front of him.

"10 okay! Pyp yelled and copied his movement.

"9 okay!"

" 8 okay!"

"7 okay!"

"6 okay!" Gendry leaned forward, so Hot Pie could hear him.

"5 okay!"

"4 okay!"

"3 okay!"

"2 okay!"

"1 okay!" Jon Snow shouted.

The green light flicked on and Yoren bellowed. "Its time to jump, you sorry sons of whores!"

The sounds of bombs, explosions and the roar of the engine made it difficult to hear Lieutenant Yoren; but one by one, the boys jumped out into the darkness, only to be embraced by death, gunshots, fear, and flame.

-1942-

Dear Jon,

I can't say that everyone and everything at home is the same as how you last saw it. Some of your childhood friends committed suicide over the months because they didn't qualify for the army, marines or paratroopers due to health reasons. Jon, my comrades are out there fighting and I know that many won't come back; I will never hear their laughter or their voice and I will never be able to confide in them. It kills me to know that while I'm sitting here writing to you, my friends are dying and enduring so much pain and shit that I could never fathom. I know there are many jobs for women in the military, but I want to fight with you, Jon. I want to be on the line and helping, with a gun in my hand and a M1 helmet on my head. I want to train and endure the physical labour that you are enduring at the camp and I want to experience what so many young boys are facing; I feel like I could do justice that way. You remember Edric Dayne right? Well he is thinking about faking his age on his application sheet so he could train to become a Paratrooper, just like you. How is Camp Toccoa? Have you made any new friends yet? Robb managed to join the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, and is currently training at Camp Elliot. He doesn't write to Rickon, Bran, Mum and me that often, but Sansa who's working there, keeps us updated . She says her and Jeyne Poole sew, cook, train, and listen to orders from sergeant Rachel Shields. Sansa also mentions that Robb has become fast friends with a "Theon Greyjoy" and may fancy Rachel. There is so much I would love to say to you, but it's getting late and the sound of the type writer is keeping Rickon up. I hope to see you soon, either on the line or when you get home. I still remember your advice on using a bayonet, "Stick 'em with the pointy end,"

Kick ass Jon, and come home to me,

Arya

Come home to me, come home to me... the line echoed throughout Jon's mind. He knew that once he stepped on the C-47 that would take him Normandy, there would be no going back. Once he heard the roar of the engine and the bombs being released, there would be no going back. This was what Jon was working towards; to fight instead of flight and to know that you couldn't dwell on the future or the past. Currahee was the one thing Jon knew and needed to remember. Soon, he would be apart of the Airborne, but right now he had to finish training before officially becoming a member of Company E. Jon folded the letter and stuck it underneath his pillow for later use. He donned his mid thigh black shorts, cotton white top and backpack full of supplies, and headed outside Easy's hut for their daily run. The weight of the pack and the ammunition would take its tow later on tonight, but for now Jon was refreshed. It was nearing dusk on a warm Friday night and while other Paratroopers from different companies were spending their weekend off base, Easy was running Currahee mountain.***

Jon joined up with Gendry and they sauntered over to Sam to receive their unloaded guns. Jon had been good mates Sam back in high school and knowing his personality, Jon was quite surprised when the Tarly kid joined the Airborne. "The bastard and the bull," Sam mused, in greeting. Gendry slung his arms around Jon and Sam (watching out for his gun), and they walked over to the other cluster of soldiers waiting near one of the Chow halls. Most of the buildings were neat wooden barracks painted cream coloured with dark roofs. There were also signs pointing to indicate what each place was. Company E, waited outside the mess hall for Lieutenant Jaime Lannister; their Commissioned Officer Robert Baratheon would not be present.

Soon enough, Easy was on their way running in three-four column groups towards Currahee. The sound of animals scurrying around in the trees that surrounded the lower half of the mountain was white noise compared to the feet hitting the dirt ground in unison and the panting coming from each boy. Jon wiped the sweat from his brow and fought the urge to take a sip from his canister.

"Who are we?" Lieutenant Lannister yelled from a squadron behind Jon.

"Easy Company!" the boys yelled in harmony.

"Where do we run?"

"Currahee!" Jon pumped his legs and gained speed, urging the Bull and the rest of his squadron to keep up with his pace.

"And what does Currahee mean?" Jaime's voice rang in Jon's head.

"We stand alone!" The pathway had been gradually becoming steeper and soon the soldiers would have to run in single file up the toughest part of the mountain.

"How far up and how far down?"

"Three miles up, three miles down!"

"What does Easy Company do?"

"We stand alone!" Jon gritted his teeth.

They all tried to stay in cadence, but as the boys energy drained, their footing and movements became sloppy and uneven. This was not how real Paratroopers were supposed to be; real Paratroopers thought and acted as one, they were a band of brothers. Jon knew this well and so did most of his platoon. For now, pertinacity was Jon's best friend and he shouted encouragements to his mates, as some struggled up the mountain. He mopped the sweat with his t-shirt leaving smeared dirty marks on the white fabric.

The night had started to cool when Easy had returned to Camp Toccoa all sweaty and exhausted. The boys stood in two lines facing Jaime, prepared for their next command. Commissioned Officer Robert Baratheon had quietly made his way beside Jaime at the front, waiting eagerly for Easy to pour out their contents. Jon noticed that the two men were polar opposites; Lieutenant Jaime was a respectable man, with shaggy golden hair and emerald green eyes. Robert on the other hand, had raven black hair, striking blue eyes, and was known for his strictness and whoring around.

"Empty your canteens," Jaime spoke.

Jon unclipped his canteen from this pack and rotated the lid. The water sloshed around in the canister and Jon's mouth had become dry and sticky. He stuck the canteen upside down and watched as the water gurgled from the cannister, turning the dirt into mud. The splashing sound of the water started to trickle towards the end, but one person had caught Baratheon's attention.

"What's your name private?" He ordered.

Jon glanced over his shoulder, to see a stunned looking Pyp.

"Pypar Altin, sir," he respectfully shouted.

"What is the meaning of this?" Robert asked impatiently. "This is Easy Company, not Fox Company or Wilding Company! I trained you to be the best, not second best." He thundered. "You're running Currahee again and all of your weekend passes for next week are revoked." The lieutenant fumed.

Pyp solemnly nodded and started jogging towards the mountain, away from the only home the boys knew. Out of quick judgement, Jon followed Pyp in pursuit, with The Bull and Sam trailing behind. In the background Jon heard the Commander shouting at them to come back, but in that moment Jon could care less. The only thing that was on his mind was Currahee; he'd run it again and again, with his friends if he had too. They were Paratroopers; and real paratroopers stuck together no matter what. Real Paratroopers were a band of brothers.

*** Currahee Mountain is a mountain located in Stephens County, Georgia near Toccoa. The name appears to be derived from the Cherokee word meaning "stand alone." Technically a part of the Georgia Piedmont or "foothill" province, Currahee Mountain rises abruptly about 800 vertical feet (240 m) above the local topography and is the highest peak in Stephens County.

The mountain was made famous internationally by Tom Hanks' and Steven Spielberg's television miniseries Band of Brothers, in which it was featured as a training site of the American Paratroopers at Camp Toccoa, Georgia where they ran up and down Currahee. The name of the mountain became the motto for these paratroopers including the famous quote: "3 Miles up, 3 Miles down". The nickname of the 506th Infantry Regiment, of which Easy Company was a part of, is "Currahee". ***

-WIKIPEDIA-

Hello everyone, so as I was watching The Band of Brothers and the Pacific, I started to think, "What if I made a GoT fanfiction during WW2?"

So I started writing the story, but then realized I should try to make it decently realistic, which lead to me using BoB and Pacific as a guideline. I have an outline of where this story is going to lead, but I will most likely have some references of those two Shows in this story. So credit to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg (For the shows), and George R R Martin (GoT). I hope you guys liked it, I would really love your opinions because it will help me become a better writer.

The title "Why We Fight," is from the Band of Brothers

PS. I apologize if this story offends anyone in anyway, if I accidentally do offend someone, it is NOT intended.

Also thank you to my friend RobbMadden on Tumblr, who supported me with this story :)

-BrandonnStark43