Post by Roanld Speirs on Jan 24, 2009 17:23:17 GMT
Account E-Mail: EDITED OUT!
Name: Ronald Speirs
Nationality:
-Scottish
What Army will Your Character Serve Beneath?
US-101st Airborne
Character History:
Speirs was born in Edinburg, Scotland in the year 1920. He spent most of his childhood there, until emigrating into Boston Massachusetts. However, Speirs would spend most of his teenage years living in Portland, Maine. He attended military school in Maine, and was commissioned as a second Liuetenant in the infantry. At the outbreak of war, Speirs volunteered for the paratroopers and was assigned to D company, or as it was called by the men of the 502nd Airborne, a regiment in the 101st, “Dog Company”. In D Company, he served as platoon leader.
Military Rank:
1st or 2nd Lieutenant (whichever you feel I am more qualified as. As said in bio, he was commisioned as a Second Lieutenant, but was actually promoted to 1st in the siege of Foy, when he relieved Norman Dike of Easy Company.)
Writing Sample:
September 17th, 1944
Eindhoven, Holland
“Operation Market Garden”
Up to this point, the war had been a cruel one for Lieutenant Ronald Speirs and D Company. He had been faced with the death of many of his close friends and brethren. This had molded what once was a happy man into a cold, merciless soldier. His men had respect for him, yet at the same time, they had somewhat of an apprehension at speaking with him. Speirs knew this. He had earned his reputation, and for some reason, he liked being feared. Now, he commands D company in what might be their toughest mission since Normandy, Operation Market Garden. The sun was rising, and his men were braced for landing, via glider, in a field just south of Eindhoven. Soon, the large plane, which had carried them this far, let go of the small glider, which had carried D company. Speirs knew his men were suffering from anxiety, after all, they had studied the schematics for this plan night and day, leading up to September 17th. The glider soon touched the ground, and the doors opened, which allowed a bright ray of sunshine to gleam into the glider.
At this instant, Speirs readied the M1 Carbine that had aided him throughout the war. He quietly gesticulated, telling his men to get into a secure position. His men did so. He then ordered them to move quietly through the tall grass toward the outskirts of Eindhoven, which his men quickly acquiesced. Then, something he did not expect to happen did. As they moved forward, a sniper in a nearby tree acquired his target, and firing his PTRS-41, he struck down one of Speirs men. The men of D Company were slightly struck by panic, but Speirs shouted toward his men, “maintain your position and find some cover!” Soon, a small company of the Wehrmacht amassed itself, and it began to fire at the men of D company, who, unprepared for this assault, began to scatter. Spiers tried to maintain command, but soon, the platoons scattered in different directions. He found himself alone with just a small contingency of men. Never the less, Speirs believed that his men could overcome this adversity.
Now with very few men, Speirs thrust his platoon behind a glider some odd feet away. This put the sniper in a precarious position, and Speirs quickly took him down with a couple shots from his Carbine. He then ordered his men toward a barn, which had stood a few hundred feet from the Wehrmacht Company. His small contingency opened fire with everything they had. Then, Speirs had an idea. He and a few of the men in his platoon would move quietly through the tall grass towards a small house, which lie on the edge of Eindhoven. From there, they would be on the flank of the company. Speirs did so, and the plan worked like a charm. Speirs then unclipped a grenade from his pouch and launched it into the Wehrmacht. His men saw this, and emulated the action. The Wehrmacht scattered, and Speir’s platoon, still stationed by the barn was able to take them down. Speirs gave a sigh of relief As he saw the rest of his company approaching from the east. Apparently, they had an encounter with the Wehrmacht themselves, a little farther on east, and they were able to dispatch of them aswell. Speirs commended his men on a job well done saying “Damn good job out there.” In fact, this encounter barely scathed the battle scar Lieutenant, and he pushed his men onward into Eindhoven.
They were now inside the city, and a man, who went by the name Peter, approached Speirs apprehensively, fearing that it was one of the Wehrmact. He said “Als hij u heer bevalt, ben ik rechtvaardig een burger, ik trekt niet.” Speirs was baffled, he was speaking French. He then turned to his men and said, “Any of you know Dutch?” A rugged private stood up from the back of the company and said, “I believe, Lieutenant, he is saying that he thinks we are the enemy, and that we are going to shoot him” Speirs gave a slight smirk to the notion, and ordered the private, “Tell him otherwise.” The Private then tells the man in a calm voice “Wij denken niet aan kwade. Wij zijn komende Amerikanen om Einhoven te bevrijden.” At once, Peter smiled, knowing full well their purpose. He pulled out a cigar and gave it to Speirs. Speirs gratefully accepted it and lighted it on the spot. That afternoon, a parade was held. Company D however, tried not to take part in it, for Speirs still believed there was German resistance in the city.
That night, Speirs had trouble sleeping. It wasn’t the battle early in the day that troubled him, but it was the fact that there was little resistance in the city. This initial success made him wonder why his superiors put so much emphasis on the battle plan. He the Germans were not finished, and they would most likely launch a counter offensive. Speirs could not sleep, so he sat up from the street corner he was on and moved to the side of a building. A Sergeant sat there, with a cigarette in his mouth. Speirs called out “Sergeant.” The soldier turned his head and realized his superior was next to him. He stood up immediately and saluted him. “At ease soldier,” Speirs said. “I was just wondering if you can give me a cigarette…Sergeant…” Speirs could not discern his dog tag to call him a name. “Hartstock, sir. Red Hartstock.” With that, Red pulled out a cigarette and gave it to Speirs. “So Lieutenant, what do you think of this place? Holland’s people seem rather eager for this American occupation. It’s like they don’t even know that this battle has yet to begin.” Red laughed at the irony in his last sentence, Speirs however, was more grim. “Indeed” Speirs said, walking away. He couldn’t dwell on such things. Getting attached to the people of Holland would make him weak. In war, you can show no emotion. Speirs knew this. Instead, Speirs returned to his street corner and fell asleep.
The morning came, and shells from German 88 Artillery pieces began to rain down on the city. Speirs, still half asleep, was startled by this. The experienced soldier grabbed his M1, and, looking around, he spotted Hartstock’s platoon from Company B. He ran towards him. “Sergeant, what is going on?” Hartstock, still trying to rally his platoon, fired a few rounds off from his Browning Automatic Rifle and turned to Speirs. “Take cover sir.” Hartstock said. “It’s the Krauts; they pushed into the city from the North with Panzers, 88s, and everything they could muster. They already pushed back Easy Company! Worst of all, they are firing at everything and anything that moves!” Speirs scoffed. The Black flag, he thought. Those bastards he said to himself, killing innocent civilians. No, he thought again. He could not dwell on these things in the heat of battle. Instead, he turned back to Hartstock, inquiring “Where is my company? Where is D company?” Hartstock fired some rounds off in the distance once more. He then turned to Speirs. “Last I saw of them, they were a few blocks down the street, by that 88. “ Hartstock pointed to a destroyed 88 piece. Speirs smiled at the thought of his men destroying the 88, but that feeling was only ephermal, as a shell hit a large edifice. Debris and rubble came crashing down, and Hartstock’s platoon scattered. At this point, Speirs knew what he had to do. He turned to Hartstock’s platoon, which had reformed in a line formation, entrenched on the side of a building, and said, “Give me Suppressing Fire!” Hartstock tried to object to the Lieutenant’s brash statement, yet before he could, Speirs had charged off into the distance, Carbine in hand.
Speirs ran down the war torn street, all the while under fire from Kraut KAR98Ks and MP40s, trying to stay under cover as much as he possibly could. Then, the unthinkable happened, he was hit. His shoulder tore open with a blast from a MP40 round, and Speirs cringed in an excruciating amount of pain. He fell to the concrete. Still however, Speirs knew this was in no place to be. He noticed a building nearby, with the door blown off. He army crawled as quickly as he could. His arm bid him no help, as it was bleeding profusely by now. Speirs made it into the building, and took cover by a desk. There, he took his army knife and cut off a piece of cloth from his sleeve. He then took the cloth and tightly wrapped it where the wound was. The pain was still immense, so he felt the need to rest. Then, Speirs got the uneasy feeling that he was being watched. “Let those damn Krauts come!” He shouted. He then reached into his backpack and grabbed a bayonet. He placed it on the M1 Carbine. For a second, Speirs couldn’t help but think of home, a thought, which brought even the coldest officer to tears. The thought was ended abruptly when a German officer walked down a stair well into the room that Speirs was. Speirs clutched his rifle tightly within his hands, as the officer pulled out an MP40. Speirs became increasingly nervous at the thought that he, a crippled soldier, would have to fend off a German, one on one. He let out a deep breath, which the German was able to hear. The German approached Speirs’ position apprehensively, shouting “Ist jemand dort? Ich werde Sie schießen! Ich werde Sie schießen!” The German was right overtop of Speirs, and then…
BOOM!
(Hope you all enjoyed reading it. If you have seen "Band of Brothers," Ronald Speirs is based off an actual person, who, during the Battle Of the Bulge, was moved from D Company to Easy Company. I however, portrayed him as a commanding officer in D Company for my roleplay. I am sorry if it is too long, I just felt I should show my full potential as a Role Player.)
Name: Ronald Speirs
Nationality:
-Scottish
What Army will Your Character Serve Beneath?
US-101st Airborne
Character History:
Speirs was born in Edinburg, Scotland in the year 1920. He spent most of his childhood there, until emigrating into Boston Massachusetts. However, Speirs would spend most of his teenage years living in Portland, Maine. He attended military school in Maine, and was commissioned as a second Liuetenant in the infantry. At the outbreak of war, Speirs volunteered for the paratroopers and was assigned to D company, or as it was called by the men of the 502nd Airborne, a regiment in the 101st, “Dog Company”. In D Company, he served as platoon leader.
Military Rank:
1st or 2nd Lieutenant (whichever you feel I am more qualified as. As said in bio, he was commisioned as a Second Lieutenant, but was actually promoted to 1st in the siege of Foy, when he relieved Norman Dike of Easy Company.)
Writing Sample:
September 17th, 1944
Eindhoven, Holland
“Operation Market Garden”
Up to this point, the war had been a cruel one for Lieutenant Ronald Speirs and D Company. He had been faced with the death of many of his close friends and brethren. This had molded what once was a happy man into a cold, merciless soldier. His men had respect for him, yet at the same time, they had somewhat of an apprehension at speaking with him. Speirs knew this. He had earned his reputation, and for some reason, he liked being feared. Now, he commands D company in what might be their toughest mission since Normandy, Operation Market Garden. The sun was rising, and his men were braced for landing, via glider, in a field just south of Eindhoven. Soon, the large plane, which had carried them this far, let go of the small glider, which had carried D company. Speirs knew his men were suffering from anxiety, after all, they had studied the schematics for this plan night and day, leading up to September 17th. The glider soon touched the ground, and the doors opened, which allowed a bright ray of sunshine to gleam into the glider.
At this instant, Speirs readied the M1 Carbine that had aided him throughout the war. He quietly gesticulated, telling his men to get into a secure position. His men did so. He then ordered them to move quietly through the tall grass toward the outskirts of Eindhoven, which his men quickly acquiesced. Then, something he did not expect to happen did. As they moved forward, a sniper in a nearby tree acquired his target, and firing his PTRS-41, he struck down one of Speirs men. The men of D Company were slightly struck by panic, but Speirs shouted toward his men, “maintain your position and find some cover!” Soon, a small company of the Wehrmacht amassed itself, and it began to fire at the men of D company, who, unprepared for this assault, began to scatter. Spiers tried to maintain command, but soon, the platoons scattered in different directions. He found himself alone with just a small contingency of men. Never the less, Speirs believed that his men could overcome this adversity.
Now with very few men, Speirs thrust his platoon behind a glider some odd feet away. This put the sniper in a precarious position, and Speirs quickly took him down with a couple shots from his Carbine. He then ordered his men toward a barn, which had stood a few hundred feet from the Wehrmacht Company. His small contingency opened fire with everything they had. Then, Speirs had an idea. He and a few of the men in his platoon would move quietly through the tall grass towards a small house, which lie on the edge of Eindhoven. From there, they would be on the flank of the company. Speirs did so, and the plan worked like a charm. Speirs then unclipped a grenade from his pouch and launched it into the Wehrmacht. His men saw this, and emulated the action. The Wehrmacht scattered, and Speir’s platoon, still stationed by the barn was able to take them down. Speirs gave a sigh of relief As he saw the rest of his company approaching from the east. Apparently, they had an encounter with the Wehrmacht themselves, a little farther on east, and they were able to dispatch of them aswell. Speirs commended his men on a job well done saying “Damn good job out there.” In fact, this encounter barely scathed the battle scar Lieutenant, and he pushed his men onward into Eindhoven.
They were now inside the city, and a man, who went by the name Peter, approached Speirs apprehensively, fearing that it was one of the Wehrmact. He said “Als hij u heer bevalt, ben ik rechtvaardig een burger, ik trekt niet.” Speirs was baffled, he was speaking French. He then turned to his men and said, “Any of you know Dutch?” A rugged private stood up from the back of the company and said, “I believe, Lieutenant, he is saying that he thinks we are the enemy, and that we are going to shoot him” Speirs gave a slight smirk to the notion, and ordered the private, “Tell him otherwise.” The Private then tells the man in a calm voice “Wij denken niet aan kwade. Wij zijn komende Amerikanen om Einhoven te bevrijden.” At once, Peter smiled, knowing full well their purpose. He pulled out a cigar and gave it to Speirs. Speirs gratefully accepted it and lighted it on the spot. That afternoon, a parade was held. Company D however, tried not to take part in it, for Speirs still believed there was German resistance in the city.
That night, Speirs had trouble sleeping. It wasn’t the battle early in the day that troubled him, but it was the fact that there was little resistance in the city. This initial success made him wonder why his superiors put so much emphasis on the battle plan. He the Germans were not finished, and they would most likely launch a counter offensive. Speirs could not sleep, so he sat up from the street corner he was on and moved to the side of a building. A Sergeant sat there, with a cigarette in his mouth. Speirs called out “Sergeant.” The soldier turned his head and realized his superior was next to him. He stood up immediately and saluted him. “At ease soldier,” Speirs said. “I was just wondering if you can give me a cigarette…Sergeant…” Speirs could not discern his dog tag to call him a name. “Hartstock, sir. Red Hartstock.” With that, Red pulled out a cigarette and gave it to Speirs. “So Lieutenant, what do you think of this place? Holland’s people seem rather eager for this American occupation. It’s like they don’t even know that this battle has yet to begin.” Red laughed at the irony in his last sentence, Speirs however, was more grim. “Indeed” Speirs said, walking away. He couldn’t dwell on such things. Getting attached to the people of Holland would make him weak. In war, you can show no emotion. Speirs knew this. Instead, Speirs returned to his street corner and fell asleep.
The morning came, and shells from German 88 Artillery pieces began to rain down on the city. Speirs, still half asleep, was startled by this. The experienced soldier grabbed his M1, and, looking around, he spotted Hartstock’s platoon from Company B. He ran towards him. “Sergeant, what is going on?” Hartstock, still trying to rally his platoon, fired a few rounds off from his Browning Automatic Rifle and turned to Speirs. “Take cover sir.” Hartstock said. “It’s the Krauts; they pushed into the city from the North with Panzers, 88s, and everything they could muster. They already pushed back Easy Company! Worst of all, they are firing at everything and anything that moves!” Speirs scoffed. The Black flag, he thought. Those bastards he said to himself, killing innocent civilians. No, he thought again. He could not dwell on these things in the heat of battle. Instead, he turned back to Hartstock, inquiring “Where is my company? Where is D company?” Hartstock fired some rounds off in the distance once more. He then turned to Speirs. “Last I saw of them, they were a few blocks down the street, by that 88. “ Hartstock pointed to a destroyed 88 piece. Speirs smiled at the thought of his men destroying the 88, but that feeling was only ephermal, as a shell hit a large edifice. Debris and rubble came crashing down, and Hartstock’s platoon scattered. At this point, Speirs knew what he had to do. He turned to Hartstock’s platoon, which had reformed in a line formation, entrenched on the side of a building, and said, “Give me Suppressing Fire!” Hartstock tried to object to the Lieutenant’s brash statement, yet before he could, Speirs had charged off into the distance, Carbine in hand.
Speirs ran down the war torn street, all the while under fire from Kraut KAR98Ks and MP40s, trying to stay under cover as much as he possibly could. Then, the unthinkable happened, he was hit. His shoulder tore open with a blast from a MP40 round, and Speirs cringed in an excruciating amount of pain. He fell to the concrete. Still however, Speirs knew this was in no place to be. He noticed a building nearby, with the door blown off. He army crawled as quickly as he could. His arm bid him no help, as it was bleeding profusely by now. Speirs made it into the building, and took cover by a desk. There, he took his army knife and cut off a piece of cloth from his sleeve. He then took the cloth and tightly wrapped it where the wound was. The pain was still immense, so he felt the need to rest. Then, Speirs got the uneasy feeling that he was being watched. “Let those damn Krauts come!” He shouted. He then reached into his backpack and grabbed a bayonet. He placed it on the M1 Carbine. For a second, Speirs couldn’t help but think of home, a thought, which brought even the coldest officer to tears. The thought was ended abruptly when a German officer walked down a stair well into the room that Speirs was. Speirs clutched his rifle tightly within his hands, as the officer pulled out an MP40. Speirs became increasingly nervous at the thought that he, a crippled soldier, would have to fend off a German, one on one. He let out a deep breath, which the German was able to hear. The German approached Speirs’ position apprehensively, shouting “Ist jemand dort? Ich werde Sie schießen! Ich werde Sie schießen!” The German was right overtop of Speirs, and then…
BOOM!
(Hope you all enjoyed reading it. If you have seen "Band of Brothers," Ronald Speirs is based off an actual person, who, during the Battle Of the Bulge, was moved from D Company to Easy Company. I however, portrayed him as a commanding officer in D Company for my roleplay. I am sorry if it is too long, I just felt I should show my full potential as a Role Player.)
