" The best feeling in the world is watching things finally fall into place after watching them fall apart for so long."

- Unknown

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Hazel slowly entered the gate, before the man shut it behind her.

" Alright! Ladies, listen up!" yelled the man that had been opening the gate, " I will be your jump master for your 5 jumps that will certify you as Army paratroopers, is that understood?"

" Yes, sir!"

" Good, we'll begin training after you've dropped your luggage off." he explained over his shoulder as he began leading the women through where the 82nd members were staying as well. The man lead them to a 20 man barrack.

" Please pick a place for your belongings and change into your ODs, we'll be practicing jump techniques for the time being." he said, " And I'm Captain McPeterson, and I'll be training you for the expansion on Operation Virago for the female paratroopers." Each woman filed into a bed and Hazel, Catherine and Lizzie managed to snag beds next to each other again. They all quickly changed into their ODs, from Lieutenant Wilson's quick and snappy wake up calls through basic. The 20 women filed out and were lined up in front of Captain McPeterson, who stood with his basic ODs on and an Airborne leather jacket on, with his chocolate locks blowing a bit in the wind as he looked at the group of women.

" As I have said previously, I am Captain McPeterson formally of the 82nd Airborne and I am here to start your training today to get you to becoming the first 20 female paratroopers who will soon be spread through the 11th, 13th, 17th, 82nd and the 101st." McPeterson explained to them all, " The Commander, Major General James Mingus, has assigned me to this task. As I am prepared to train you, and help you perform the 5 jumps that will get you all your Jump Wings."

" Yes, sir."

" Follow me, then, we're going to start on basic maneuvers of what jumping from a plane should look like, but instead it'll be a 3 foot jumping base." McPeterson explained to the group. Hazel glanced at Lizzie beside her, who looked towards her with wide, curious eyes.

The training over the next 2 weeks which would help the women receive their jump rings, went through with quick and intense, rapid-fire power of how you should be jumping out of a plan, but in the end, you were jumping from a plane and making sure your chute came out.

McPeterson, Hazel felt, was a good teacher, at explaining each and every little bit of a parachute and how it opens when you jump out of an airplane. He was thorough in his words, as well as making sure each person knew each bit of the parachute before they were to even train with it.

They didn't pack their own chutes, other organizations performed that task for them, but McPeterson went through the trouble of making sure the small group of women each knew how to do so.

They performed, tough, daunting runs in their packs through the freezing snow of night and the chilly winds of day, to feel what it was to run with a parachute strapped to your back as well as your heavy gear that you were to lug around where you went.

The 2 weeks were more hell feeling than what Thermes had been it felt, but each and every task the women performed they knew were helping them get closer to becoming paratroopers.

Dorothy Freeman, one of the women who was to be going to the 17th, had found a way to easily pin up your hair into your helmet so when someone jumped, your hair wouldn't get in your face. She taught all the girls how to do that with their hair and Hazel realized that even just jumping from a tiny 5 foot wall that it was helpful in many ways.

McPeterson went through many jump tactics, and Hazel wasn't sure how many times she jumped off a tiny wooden place replica to the ground and counted 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 until the parachute was supposed to come out.

But she did it enough that she remembered walking outside for mess and doing a quick count off as she touched the ground.

It was engrained almost.

Hazel felt bad for Lizzie with the medic satchel she had to lug around, but Lizzie always said that it was worth getting to save someone's life.

Hazel admired that.

Each night when the girls got back from their training, they were able to receive hot showers, and warm beds, as the pot belly stove that Captain McPeterson had brought in himself sat in the middle smoking with steam that warmed them up. Hazel sat slowly brushing through her hair, which had dead ends around the base of it, clearly in need of another cut very soon.

" Hey, guys." the women heard Carol LaFayette say as she came over to their beds with a paper in her hands.

" What?" Catherine asked leaning forward as Lizzie slowly sat down on Catherine's bed beside her.

" December 4th, 1942. The US bombed Naples, Italy. American B-24 Liberators wiped out the entire bay area." Carol said, turning and showing a picture of the harbor up for the others to see. Hazel slowly leaned forward and took the paper from her hands and let her eyes wander over the page.

" Wow." Hazel whispered.

" Completely annihilated the place," Carol said, looking at the paper.

" They flew in from North Africa." Carol said as Hazel handed her back the paper.

" Think we could earn these jump wings any faster?" another woman, by the name of Kathleen Spencer said as she walked over with a smoke.

" We need all the training we could get if we are to survive a war zone." Catherine said glancing up towards her, " I want to jump in and finish this thing, but if we don't have proper training, we could die out there. And we're women, we have even a riskier chance of getting captured and dehumanized. Remember that."

" You have a point." Kathleen said.

" I studied the human mind in college," Catherine clarified.

" You went to college?" Carol asked with wide eyes.

" Cornell." Catherine clarified. Carol's eyes widened as Lizzie nodded.

" What the hell are you doing in the Airborne then?" Veronica asked her.

" Figured I needed to do something with myself in the middle of this war. SPARs was the thing that brought me here." Catherine explained.

" And we're glad it did." Hazel said with a smile as Catherine looked to her with bright eyes of thanks.

" I'm really glad it did." Catherine said with a small smile. Eventually the women trickled away until it was just Hazel, Catherine and Lizzie. Hazel slowly walked over and sat down with the other 2 women on the bed.

" What's are your mind, Hazel?" Catherine asked the young woman sat in front of her. Hazel shrugged, and bit her lip.

" You ever think of where we might be going after this?" she asked them. Lizzie thoughtfully glanced around before moving closer to the two, and leaning against her knees.
" I overhead McPeterson the other day with another jump master. I heard talks of North Africa." Lizzie said softly. Both Catherine and Hazel's eyes widened.

" I've also heard Europe though, up to England." Lizzie said. The woman listened to everything, and picked up on basically any ounce of information she could listen to within a 100 foot radius.

" Africa's hot, I'm hoping that it's Europe we go to." Catherine said.

" Any word on where the other Airborne's are probably heading to?" Hazel asked her.

" Pacific theater." Lizzie said with a nod, " McPeterson and a few other Airborne officers were all talking with the latest news and information on all Airborne units. Now, they don't know if it's true, but they know that, that's what information is in the talks for now."

" What about the others? 13th, 17th?" Catherine asked her.

" 13th was talked about heading to Europe, but they don't even have authorized activation yet." Lizzie explained, " They still are recruiting men for the training process, the girls involved from here, are most likely going to be NCOs, maybe even a Lieutenant or two during the training."

" 17th was talked about Europe, and the 82nd was talked about for Europe as well." Lizzie explained, " Not all Airborne's are activate though and officially an 'Airborne', so the women that train here probably have to go through some more basic training with the men they train with."

" 101st?" Hazel asked her.

" Authorized and activated." Lizzie answered with a smile and Hazel sighed with relief.

" Maybe we'll be the first of the batch to see combat, who knows." Catherine said as she leaned back against the head board. Hazel sighed and scratched her neck.

" We have one more day until we earn our wings," Lizzie said out loud, " then we'll be paratroopers."

" Kinda crazy to think about." Catherine said with a sigh. Hazel nodded, looking back now.

" What do you guys think the men will be like?" Lizzie asked, " Think they heard the rumors about us?"

" Oh most definitely." Catherine said as she sat up, " These rumors have been spreading since we came here in August."

" Oh god." Hazel whispered, putting her hands to her face.

" Amazon Warrior my ass, I swear if I get called one," Catherine said shaking her head, " we're women. We're not Amazon Warriors from Ancient Rome." Lizzie offered a tiny smile.

" I mean, you have to know what I mean. To be a woman of importance you have to be related to that of some even more famous woman of excellent, rich and famous name now. We're just ordinary women. I mean, I want to be thought of in that way." Catherine said looking at them. Hazel smiled.

" You're not the only one." Hazel said.

" The idea was cool, but then the expectation is held up because it's in everyone's mind." Lizzie admitted. Catherine nodded.

" We'll just stick together ladies, ok?" Catherine said, " We've trained hard to be here and to get to this point and to get our jump wings." Hazel and Lizzie nodded.



They were relatively the most rational group of women throughout the 20 Airborne women. The others were radical in their own ways, and entirely too extreme, and a little toxic, with their personalities through the roof. The 3 women strayed away from them, remaining humble and conserved and working through just to get their wings. They mostly came from 1st and 3rd platoon, but the 3 women knew if they had each other, they would be fine.

The last day of jump training consisted of McPeterson going through jumping off a 34 foot tower, attached into a little suit they slid you into with bungee cords. Hazel felt fearless jumping from the sky even at 34 foot and then over a few hundred tomorrow and the days after. She had faced bigger fears than that in life. Each woman practiced jumping from that tower 5 times, to get the feel of jumping from a plane and how it will go when they become paratroopers.

On the jump day, each woman felt a bit of pride sweltering inside their bodies as they strode out to the tarmac where the singular plane they'd be jumping from sat waiting and ready. The women wore helmets, with their hair pinned back just as Dorothy had showed them to, with their parachutes strapped to their backs. McPeterson stood at the door proudly watching the group walk over across the tarmac.

" Ladies." McPeterson said as he stood at the door, with a few other men inside the plane, a C-47, doing checks or looking like they would be assisting with making sure the women could get out of the plane.

" Sir." The women called as they lined up in rows of 5.

" You are about to make 1 of 5 from a C47 aircraft scheduled for today. Upon successful completion of your fifth and final jump, you'll be certified Army paratroopers." Hazel smiled proudly, just at the thought.

" You will be jumping from 100 feet AGL in this C47, with 20 of you inside. I've prepared you to the highest ability I could've within 2 weeks, but you are all highly intelligent and ready for this." McPeterson said as Hazel looked at the group again. Everyone seemed eager and anxious, just ready to jump now.

" And, ladies, rest assured, any refusals in the aircraft or at the door and I guarantee you, you will be out of the Airborne." McPeterson said again, and Hazel let out a low breath of air. As they slowly filed into the plane, McPeterson checking their gear before they got up and into the plane quickly. He gave it a few checks before he gave a pat on the shoulder to the woman and turned to the next. As Hazel stood in front of him, as he checked her parachute and webbing and helmet, she felt a sense of readiness. 13 weeks of training, and extra 2 to 3 for jump training, she felt ready. She felt very ready.

" Good luck, Parker." McPeterson said as she offered a smile and then climbed up and into the plane belly. It was must, with a rickety sense of movement as she moved along the strip and it shifted a bit. She slowly sat herself down next to Catherine who smiled at her.

" We're ready for this." Catherine said to her as Hazel looked towards her and nodded.

" I'm ready." Hazel whispered and Catherine smiled at her.

As the plane started moving, Hazel's stomach started doing somersaults as they gained altitude into the sky, and then began gently cruising through the clouds. There was a cool breeze coming through the nearby window where McPeterson stood looking out and over the fields below that they'd be jumping into. Hazel kept looking towards the opening.

" Get ready!" she heard McPeterson call suddenly and Hazel reached for the clip from her pack holding it out in front of her.

" Stand up!" McPeterson instructed and the 20 women stood with ease.

" Hook up!" McPeterson called again as everyone clipped their clips to the wire. She heard it clip easily into place and gave it a few extra yanks to ensure that it was in place.

" Check equipment!" McPeterson called again. Hazel began feeling Catherine checking her equipment from behind, carefully and gently, so she reached forward and began checking Lizzie's equipment her hands shaking furiously from fear. But she knew she was ready, she had to be.

" Sound off for equipment check!" McPeterson yelled back to the last person at the back.

" Twenty ok!" It moved down through towards where it grew closer to Hazel's number.

" Twelve ok!

" Eleven ok!" the women called until she heard Catherine yell, " Nine ok!" while patting her shoulder.

" Eight ok!" she yelled, her higher pitched voice evident that she was there.

" Seven ok!" Lizzie called until it reached the front of the group.

" Stand in the door!" McPeterson called as Carol, who was in the front, moved up, making everyone else move up behind him. Hazel watched as Carol stood in the doorway, eyes set as the wind hit her face. The light turned green.

" Go, go!" McPeterson yelled and then Carol was gone and out the door.

" Go, go, go, go!" McPeterson called as women followed Carol, jumping out, one after the other.



Blood rushed through Hazel's ears, loud and overpowering as she took each step closer towards the door. but she was ready.

Suddenly, Lizzie was out of the door and she was next. Hazel walked up to the door and stepped up to the edge, not even daring to look down but towards the sky. The bleak, bare sky which gave her hope for her future.

" Go!" McPeterson called and without a second of hesitation, she jumped straight out of the door.

The minute she did so, she couldn't wipe the large smile that found its way to her face. She felt herself flying through the air, the wind hitting her face as she saw the ground coming faster and faster towards her.

But then there was a pull that pulled her back up a bit to the sky, and she glanced up to see it was her parachute, her canopy that let her fly through the sky. She was smiling so wide as she flew gently through the air, rocking gently back and forth as the breeze hit her briefly. She watched as other women's canopies opened and they gently fluttered to the ground. Hazel watched as the ground slowly came closer.

She then fell in a heap on the ground, hitting it rather roughly, rolling a few times before stopping, out of breath, and inhaling the scent of the Earth.

She smiled.

They'd done it.

They'd completed their first jump.

When Hazel sat up and clicked off her parachute, she couldn't stop the smile from spreading to her face.

" Hazel!" a voice called and Hazel looked up to see Lizzie running towards her, hair whipping behind her with her helmet in her hands.

" Lizzie!" Hazel said before standing and the two girls launching each other into hugs. Lizzie pulled back giggling.

" I can't believe we did it, our first jump!" Lizzie said holding Hazel at arms length.

" I felt free, like a bird." Hazel said shaking her head with a grin on her face, " It was amazing."

" It was worth all that training," Lizzie said with a giddy smile, holding her head in her hands. The two girls looked over their shoulders and watched as the rest of the women slowly floated to the ground from the plane.

" It was like you could see everything." Hazel said her eyes gentle. Lizzie smiled. Catherine came running up to them, whipping her helmet from head as she did so, with a wide grin on her face.

" Pardon me, but that was fucking awesome!" she said as she approached them, making the two girls break into laughter, " Who knew I'd love jumping from a plane as much as that." Hazel smiled at her.

But it was much more than just those few simple sentences. They knew paratroopers were the elites, and their job they would be doing was heavily dangerous, but the people that were doing it were the ones who were willing to risk their lives for it all. Hazel lived by that.

Within the coming days, the jumps went similarly to the first one, on bright sunny mornings, without a cloud in the sky as a chilly wind swept throughout the sky and the fields of wheat. Hazel always felt so free, hanging in her canopy as she guided her parachute to the ground safely and landed, filled with relief.

She always felt like a bird, ready to fly far away and to the stars, away from it all, from this war torn world. But sometimes that was just the fantasy in her head speaking.

On their 5th and final jump, the morning was slightly warmer than it had been in the past, and there was a fulfilling excitement that overwhelmed the entire plane as they slowly gained elevation again.

Hazel couldn't wipe the smile from her lips as she sat there, watching them ascend up into the clouds. There wasn't an ounce of fear or hesitation, as she flew through the air, her parachute spreading like bird wings. She felt she was on top of the world, able to see everything from where she was at the current moment. She could see the trees at the edge of the horizon, lit up by the sun, and she could see lakes and mountains in the distance. She could see tiny towns and people walking around. She could see it all, she felt. She came crashing to the ground in a large heap, rolling around before stopping just like her past few times, and then inhaling the green grass. She smiled to herself before flipping on her back and standing, yanking each piece of her equipment off, her helmet lopsided on her head, but a smile on her lips.

And a rollercoaster of emotion.

They were going to be paratroopers.

As Hazel stood it truly hit her what she had done by touching the ground and landing for her 5th time. She would be a paratrooper. It was utterly overwhelming, but when she saw her friends celebrating on the field, hugging each other, calling out to one another, smiles on their rosy cheeks, eyes bright and twinkling on that cold morning, Hazel truly realized they'd done it.

That evening they were to be presented with their paratrooper wings. Hazel stood in front of the mirror, tying her tie slowly around her neck, as her hair lay in gentle curls down her back. She cautiously worked the tie around her neck loosely, biting her lip, focused.

" Can you believe it?" a voice asked and Hazel looked over towards Catherine who stood beside her, brushing through her hair.

" No," Hazel said with a gentle laugh, as she slowly looped the tie through the hole and gave it a tug, " not at all."

" I can barely because soon enough we'll be off with the 101st, and who knows what that'll be like." Catherine said.

" They didn't prepare us for that," Lizzie said walking up with a small smile, " but I guess, I can just smile and wave."

" Or flaunt those jump wings." Catherine said with a laugh, " They're gonna have to find a way to respect us."

" I think they'd respect us." Hazel said optimistically, " Hopefully, at least." Catherine smiled at Hazel.

" You're too pure for this war, Hazel." Catherine said, as Hazel offered a tiny smile and Lizzie smiled softly.

" I think they're gonna love you." Lizzie said as she sat down on her bed and tightened her shoes, " I mean, you're one of the most genuine, nicest people, and you listen to all my stupid rambling." Hazel laughed lightly and smiled.

" Thanks, guys, I guess I've just always been like that." Hazel said, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear.

" Stay like that, it brings some humanity into this war." Catherine said looking at Hazel softly. Hazel felt her heart grow warm. She hoped that she didn't let that was change her too much.

The ceremony was similar to that of receiving their Camp Athene medals for graduation. Except there were 20 of them in the room. Captain McPeterson stood in the front of the room, in front of the 20 women, and Major General Ridgway was entering the room again with Sergeant Sweeney by his side. Another surprise was to see that Captain Thermes also was there behind them with Sergeant Loughty. Hazel cast a questioning glance, but felt a swell of pride when she watched Thermes smile a bit.

Proudly.

" Ladies," Ridgway said as he stood in front of them all, " you have all completed the 5 jumps required to earn your jump wings and I can't give you anything but praise for your determination and passion that drove you through to earning those wings."

" I will be coming around and pinning your set of Jump Wings to the breast area, beside your Camp Athene medal. I can't express the amount of pride I have in all of you and how proud I am of each and every one of you for watch you have accomplished as official members of the Airborne." Ridgway said with a proud smile upon his face.

Hazel smiled on the inside.

She watched as Ridgway went around with Sweeney holding the velvet case of Jump Wings in his hands, beside Ridgway. Ridgway stepped in front of Hazel and smiled down at her. She broke from her facade and couldn't help but offer a grateful smile up at him. She watched as he slowly reached into the velvet box of paratrooper Jump Wings and pulled out the most meaningful thing she felt she'd ever get in her life. He attached it to her uniform before stepping back.

" Congratulations, Corporal Parker." Ridgway said to her and she smiled up at him.

" Thank you, sir." she said, and saluted him. Ridgway smiled at her before saluting her back. Then he held out his hand to her and she looked up at his eyes.

They twinkled like stars, with a wise glint.

She smiled, shaking his hand with hers.

Once he moved on to Diana Wilkes beside her, Hazel couldn't push the smile from her face as Sweeney gave her smile as she walked past her. She smiled back at him, as her heart raced with pride. She couldn't believe she had made it to this point, with over 3 different types of training within the year.

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im thinking one more chapter after this, just to get the initial training up, because i feel it was highly important to finally get out there as i continue editing through! :)

thank you again!