Chapter 2: Early Day in September 13th, 1918

“You are getting close... , “ said an unfamiliar young male voice.

“Wha? Who said that?” Toha asked. All he could see was darkness.

The voice continued, “It is important that when they offer you to take the scouting assignment to go north to Fresnes...”

“Who are you? I can’t see you.”

The darkness prevailed. Toha could swear that he did see something that looked like a pair of eyes looking at him, but the darkness obscured him well.

Suddenly his eyes opened. Toha could see the light coming from the entrance of the room. He quickly put on his clothes and uniform.

“Another dream,” he thought quietly to himself. “It is a dream where I am surrounded in darkness, but somebody is talking to me. I can’t see who he is, though.”

Toha went through the long process of putting his uniform on. He was ready for this battle to end and get some rest. Surprisingly he was able to get a night’s rest and did not have to go on watch. He used the bathroom, tidied up, and stepped out into the trench.

“Toha, we have an assignment for you since you were the last person to wake up. We need you to take this message to Lieutenant Colonel Patton in the 42^nd division. He is not far from here. This message is a priority one private. He is not far from here, and he is by his tank. It broke down, so you will know which one it is when you see it.”

“Roger that,” he replied as he received the enclosed envelope. He took his rifle and began to march eastward. He took a good look and could see three tanks in the distance behind some ruined trees. He could still hear artillery rounds being fired from a range. This area, however, had some barbed wire that was run over by the tanks that passed by. There was already a detachment of men ahead of him. There were bodies strewn across the landscape, but people were tending to them. A cart was being loaded up with the dead being put in place to be taken for proper burial.

Suddenly Toha could hear the whizzing sound of an incoming artillery round heading in his direction. A randomly fired artillery round was heading in his direction. The only thing he could do was jump and duck to the ground floor, lowering his profile as much as possible before the round landed. His face planted into the dirt as an artillery round landed and exploded with a defining sound forty feet away from him, leaving a massive crater in the ground. He got back up and started wiping the dirt and mud from his uniform before he picked up his rifle and continued marching to the tanks in the distance.

The dirt and mud caked on his boots as he marched on the ground. He started to hasten his pace as another random artillery shell exploded 100 feet away. Even with the distance of the shots and explosions, no one wanted to be in an area for too long, especially with explosive ordinance going off.

Finally, Toha reached the three tanks. He could see smoke and burning fumes coming from two of them with the other non-functioning. He could see a man standing next to the tank and inspecting the tank with another soldier explaining things to them. Both of the men did not notice him and were busy explaining things to each other. He could hear the tail end of the conversation as he approached them.

This was the first time Toha had a chance to see the tanks up close. They were the newest Renault FT-17 Tanks. They were loaned from the French to help provide the United States additional support when it came to ground combat. The tanks were unique compared to other tanks since they had a turret installed on top of the fuselage. Their small profile made them easy to manufacture, perfect for crossing trenches, and having a good enough speed to race forward ahead of infantry or simply keep up. They were primarily mobile pillboxes with a gun that could fire in any direction. He remarked the treads that lined its sides as it went to the back. This was a different tank than what he saw in a photograph of a British Male Mark V tank. In that picture, the tank was big with massive tank treads that lined its entire structure with multiple machine gun emplacements and cannons that lined its hull. They were mobile fortresses.

“Sir,” a random man spoke. “We have broken a tread, and the engine is working at half its capability. We will have to take this tank back and do repairs to it.”

The man that he recognized as the Lieutenant Colonel took his leg and kicked the side of the tank. “Damn, that is one more tank that has broken down. We might as well use chariots against the Germans! For all, we know those would actually work, and they’re easier to fix!”

Toha noted that he could see a holster with a pearl ivory handle to his Colt 45. He waited for the two men to finish their conversation before giving the message.

“Lieutenant Colonel,” another man spoke. “We are also experiencing supply shortages. We are pressing forward too fast and leaving our supplies behind. Perhaps this is a time to rest a bit and let our supply chain catch up.”

“Ugh ... I guess it might be best to do so,” Patton spoke. “Have my command changed from this tank to the tank on my right. We will proceed in the latter part of the day once our supply line has caught up.”

“Incoming!” yelled one of the tank crews as everyone took cover. An artillery round fired from the Germans was whizzing close to their direction.

Toha quickly ducked by the tank on his right, hoping that if it landed close, the armor of the tank would protect him. Patton did nothing but stare at the distance of where the shot was fired. Everyone but he was unfazed by the round as it landed forty feet away and exploded, doing no damage. He got up and was surprised to see that Patton was unshaken from the explosion.

The other soldiers, except those in the tanks, slowly got up and dusted off the sand that collected on their uniforms.

Toha broke the sudden silence, “Sir, I have a message from a squad that needed to be delivered to you.”

Patton turned his head and looked at Toha. He put his rifle butt to the ground as he held it close to him. He saluted him as Patton saluted in return. He reached into his coat and pulled out the letter to hand to him.

Patton smiled. “Ah ... I wonder if Pershing had anything to say about our attack so far.”

Toha handed the letter that was decoded by the Choctaw from his squad to be delivered to George S. Patton. Patton accepted the message as he opened it up in return. The other soldiers from the other tanks proceeded with the work in moving equipment and gear from the almost inoperable tank.

Toha stood watching Patton read it as he awaited further orders from him.

“Hmm...” Patton said as he had a bewildered look on his face. “Looks like we are to keep going that direction. Things are going well so far. The Germans are sure to lose in no time and pondering on surrendering. Allied Government is thinking of pursuing and helping the Whites in Russia. I am all for it. I think the Red Bolsheviks are going to become the next problem in the world. Communism will be our next great war if they are not stopped.”

“Sir?”

Patton took the letter, rolled it up, and started to tap his other hand with it as he was in deep thought. He looked at the battlefield ahead of him. Toha watched him as Patton looked forward. He knew the Lieutenant Colonel was thinking. He turned and looked at the soldier in front of him.

Patton had a questioning look on his face “Private ... you look like you are Native American, but I don’t recognize the full features of one.”

“It is because my father was white and my mother was Native American. I am fighting for the Native Americans.”

Patton smiled, “Indians ... now those are some brave warriors if I ever saw one. I have seen you warriors scout and serve as communicators. Nothing like giving the Germans a good run of their money when they have no way of deceifering what you are saying. You Indians are perfect to have on the battlefield and are honored for fighting with us. I know firsthand what the Native Americans are capable of in combat.”