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How could have Nazis done something like this?
They were innocent people...
They were his people... Hearing the prisoner tell Liebgott that most of the prisoners were Jews was something that was too much for him but he didn't show it. He paused for a moment and when Major Winters asked what the prisoner had said he answered with a calm voice.
”Jews...”
Joseph Liebgott noticed that Winters gave him a glance. There was sorrow and little worry in Winters' eyes since he knew that this war just became much more personal to Liebgott than ever before.
Joseph had just freed these men and now he was told that he needs to tell them that they had to go back to the camp untill a better place was found.
”I can't tell them that, sir.” said Liebgott while looking Lewis Nixon in the eye. He knew they asked him since he was probably the best in German and maybe because he himself was Jew. Maybe they thought that it would be better that the prisoners heard the news from someone who was one of them.
”You have to, Joe.” Winters demanded with a voice that clearly told that he didn't want to do this eather but it had to be done.
Liebgot thought about it for a moment, then told that he would do it and climed up to the truck so all the prisoners could hear him better.
He asked for their attension and so he told them. He begged that they could understand and it broke his heart to see them to be pushed back to the camp. He couldn't take it. He fell to the seat, buried his face to his hands and cried.
He knew that everyone thought he was a tough guy and he really tried to be. But this... this was too much for him in so many levels. On top of all his brothers who he had lost he had to experience something like this.
”Joseph...” He heard someone call his name with a German accent.
He turned to look and faced the same prisoner who had told him what had happened.
”Es ist in Ordnung. Ich verstehe.” Said the prisoner eventhough his face looked sad.
Joe nodded and the prisoner went back to the camp with the others.
He tried to calm himself when his brothers and the replacements got back in to the truck. But he couldn't, he just couldn't stop sobbing.
Someone who he didn't know was sitting beside him and the young man didn't know what to do. However he was lucky because when Kenyon Webster got to the truck he saw his friend and decided to do something he wouldn't normally do. Not to Liebgott. He asked the young man to move so that he could sit beside Joe and then he put his right hand behind Joe's back and squeezed the man's solder gently.
When they got back to the town Liebgott had stopped crying. His eyes were red and he looked broken. It was a look no one was familiar with when it came to Joseph. He always was the touch one. Even when he lost someone he looked strong, but that was mainly for others. There had to be someone who could show the broken men that they could continue.
Joseph got out of the truck and walked to the room where he, Webster, Perconte and Roe staid in. Perconte and Roe were in the room since they had staid in while others where on the camp.
”Hey, man!” Perconte greeted happily but it ended quickly when he saw the look on Joe's face.
”Joe.. what's wrong?” He asked but didn't get an answer.
Joe sat down to his place on one of the bunk beds and didn't say a word. Didn't even look at his mates.
Soon Webster came to the room and saw Roe's and Perconte's questioning faces.
He looked at Joe who just sat on the bed and leaned against the wall.
”Do you want to be alone?” Webster asked and got a little nod as a reply.
Webster gestured with his hand for Roe and Perconte to follow him. He closed the door and went out with the two men. They found a quiet place to sit and Webster told them everything they had seen and what Joe had done.
”Jesus Christ!” Perconte couldn't believe what he had just heard.
”Well... now I know why Joe looked so broken...” Roe couldn't even imagine what was going through in Joe's head right now. ”Will he be okay?” He added.
”I honetly don't know. I think he will be okay in the sence that he can act normally again but I'm sure this will stay in his mind for the rest of his days... Lets just give him some time. At least now there is no rush to anywhere so he has some time to process it.”
Later in the evening when all the men where haveing dinner in a big dining room Webster saw Joe to come in. He observed the man when he went to get food.
'He looks little bit more like himself' David thought and put his hand up to signal Joe to come sit with him and the others from E-company.
”How are you doing?” He wispered to the man when he sat beside him.
Joe was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking his answer. He wasn't okay, however he wasn't as broken anymore as he was couple hours ago. Now he was like a vase which had broken and then put together again with glue.
”I'm okay.” He answered.
'And I will be. I promise.' he added in his thoughts.