The Rest of the Alphabet

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- a brief conversation during the days waiting for D-Day -

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"Carter?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

LeBeau cast an extra glance around him, to make sure that no Germans were within earshot. "What does 'D-Day' mean?"

"Huh?" Carter turned to his friend in surprise. "Weren't you there when the Colonel told us? Yes, you were," he recalled. "One of these days, very soon, the Allies are going to..."

"Yes, yes, I know that," LeBeau interrupted him quickly. "But I mean, what does it mean? The D in D-Day, I mean. What does it stand for?"

Carter frowned in puzzlement. "What do you mean, 'what does it stand for'?"

"The D," LeBeau clarified. "It's obviously an abbreviation of some sort. But of what? Destroy-Day? Death-Day? Defeat-Day? Decision-Day?"

"Doomsday?" Carter offered, and he chuckled. "Gee, I don't know. I've never really thought about it like that. I just assumed it was the day - you know, the big day we've all been waiting for."

"There's no D in 'big'," LeBeau pointed out. "I know English spelling is crazy, but there is definitely no D in 'big'. So if D-Day means the Big Day, then it should be called B-Day."

That elicited another good-natured chuckle from his friend.

"And if this is D-Day, then I can't help wondering what happened to A-Day and the others."

"What others?"

"Yes. You can't start with a B. Or with D for that matter. Plan A always comes first. And that abbreviation even makes sense: Attack-Day. So what happened to A-Day?"

"I don't know." Carter thrust his hands in his pockets. "Maybe they've tried before - without informing us - and the landing failed? Or maybe Plan A had some major flaws, so they devised a Plan B?"

"And then a Plan C and a Plan D," LeBeau pointed out, "Considering that this one is called D-Day."

They contemplated the idea in silence for a moment, until Carter let out a sigh. "Well, let's look on the bright side, LeBeau. If Plan D fails, they still have the rest of the alphabet."

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THE END

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Author's Note: honesty demands me to admit that Carter's final line is not entirely mine. It's adapted from a Loesje poster:

"When Plan A fails, we still have the rest of the alphabet."