Cole keeps a diary, recounting every event in the game. He often writes about his feelings on the war, his brothers, and his love, Rachelle. Many of his excerpts are hopeful, as he senses that the war is coming to a close. However, they are laced with fear, as Cole is afraid of death.
Chapter One: Normany, France[]
Basse-Normandie, France:
- June 12, 1944: Make Haste, Not War:
- The war is coming to a close. I’ve escaped death so many times, that I fear it will take me before I am free. So I’ve decided to write; to recount what I’ve lived through, because maybe I won’t make it. Or maybe, once all this is over, I’ll choose to simply forget.
- June 12, 1944: Pushing Through
- We were outgunned and outnumbered. Some of my team were fresh-faced boys who lasted just two steps into the war. The area was more heavily defended than we’d been told, but we had no choice but to continue.
- June 12, 1944: Final Defense
- A scout team was sent ahead, but didn’t return. Despite that, with the castle in sight and just one final outpost to take down, I ordered the team to advance.
- June 12, 1944: All Guns Blazing
- We knew the enemy was expecting us. We had to hit them with everything we had.
- June 12, 1944: Castle Storm
- There was no chance of us securing the area. I ordered the team to maintain the assault outside, while I infiltrated the castle inside to obtain the documents.
- June 12, 1944: KIA
- We had the documents. Mission accomplished. Now all we had to do was get out of there alive...
Chapter 2: Audrieu-Normandy, France[]
Basse-Normandie, France:
- July 3, 1944: Quick Steal
- The command came from Major Bastion. A group of resistance fighters, led by the infamous Rachelle Dubois, were trapped and needed assistance. Dubois earned her nickname, "L'Hirondelle", due to her swift assaults on the German forces. But this time, things had gone awry. She needed our help. Fast.
- July 3, 1944: Choke Point
- Bastion reckoned that L'Hirondelle and her team wouldn't make it through the night. We had to advance quick and steady.
- July 4, 1944: L'Hirondelle
- We arrived long after nightfall. By the time we arrived, L'Hirondelle's team had already fallen to the Germans. All that could be done was rescue the remaining soldiers.
Chapter 3: Monte Cassino, Italy[]
Monte Cassino, Italy:
- January 28, 1944: Monte Cassino
- "The Winter lines needed to be broken to gain access to Rome. Monte Cassino needed to be taken down. After the inital assault failed, we were sent in to salvage the team and complete the mission."
Other Diary Excerpts[]
The Cave[]
My mind is a dark cave. So many twisted things hide in the shadows that I'm afraid to shine a light on... but some stories need to be told, and some people need to be remembered. First name that comes to mind is Jacob -- Jacob Hall. Fresh-faced and eager to serve. His is a face I'll never forget... nor can I forget the promise I broke.
The Promise[]
Jacob had me promise to bring his tags back to his mama should anything ever happen to him. After he hit the ground, I scrambled to get them. A bullet whizzed past my ear before I could nab them and I had no choice but to keep moving and leave where he had fallen. I still wonder if they gave him a grave or if they left him for the birds...
L'Hirondelle[]
Rachelle Dubois -- the infamous L'Hirondelle. We'd been slogging through Northern France for weeks. The Allied invasion had begun and days were starting to bleed together.. I was fighting blind -- not knowing where we were -- just focused on advancing and on the mission at hand. She snapped me out of the nightmare. Made me realize that there was something more than war and suffering. Made me human again... for a time.
Love[]
Some of the other troops had their flings. Commonplace, I guess. Too much pent-up emotion can wreak havoc on the battlefield, and there was an ocean between them and their flames back home. I didn't dabble in any of it, even though I was free from commitments. And then I met her -- my Rachelle -- and my world crumbled and began anew.
Monte Cassino[]
Tonight my mind wanders to Italy -- to the Winter Line and the ill-fated Monte Cassino. I heard of its fate months after we were there -- another horror to add to the pile of horrors. Maybe we could have done more, done something differently. But at the end of the day. we are human and we cannot predict the future, nor change the past.
Hope[]
Monte Cassino still lingers in my mind. During my time there, I don't know how many we lost. We knew we were fighting a lost cause -- we knew we would not be the ones to declare victory. And when there's no end in sight, with only death around you, hope vanishes... I don't know if I know how to hope anymore. Forget what it means. I just survive each day. I dream, I guess -- of Rachelle, of returning home... but I don't know how to hope for these things.
Gallery[]
