Sorry this is a day late. 
I don’t know how well this will go and we already have an idea of how it will end but what the hell. I’m hoping that we get anecdotes from real veterans in here, too, though modified to fit the story.
July 4, 1944
Normally, we’d all be in having barbecues and shooting off fireworks today but instead we’re in France. We’ve only been here a couple of weeks and nothing much is going on at the moment, everyone is pretty much killing time while waiting for our next orders.
I guess I’d better introduce everyone. Over there in the corner playing poker are Telly and Cuckoo. Telly’s real name is Tony Privitelli and Cuckoo is Vinnie Cuccinello. They’re a couple of guys from Brooklyn. Funny, they grew up just a few blocks from each other and never met until we got here.
There goes Fred “Bucky” Buckman from Chicago. Bucky’s been keeping to himself lately, we’re not quite sure what he’s up to. He’s been collecting junk and running around here like a chicken with its head cut off. If asked what he’s doing, he just says, “It’s a surpise.”
Over there is Breaux. Jake Breaux from some little town in Louisiana, doodling as usual.
Me? I’m George Syverson from Minnesota. Everyone around here just calls me “Sy”.