Between Heaven and Hell Page #3

- Sam?

- Yes, sir.

Uh, would you step out on deck?

- It's a real sharp platoon, Ray.

- Thank you, Colonel.

Oh, yeah.

Well, there's not much of a view.

Not much.

You've been awful quiet lately, Sam.

Somethin' bothering you?

Oh, I've just been thinking

about a lot of things.

Jenny?

First and foremost.

What else?

I don't think I ever

appreciated home until now.

Sam, I never had a son

until you married Jenny,

and I don't know where this war's

going to take us or what'll happen.

But my dearest wish is that you

come out the other side alive.

I'd like to see us all

come out alive, Colonel.

Well, all of us won't.

But those that do will go back

to something a lot different

than what they left.

They'll go back to a new South.

- Oh, things'll be the same.

- Oh, no, Sam.

- You wait and see, Colonel.

- Oh, no. The signs are everywhere.

Well, I'll worry about the new South

as soon as I get tired of the old.

How do you feel about

the landing tomorrow?

OK, Colonel.

See that log?

Use that for cover to get on

the other side. Wait for me there.

Man, my mother told me

there'd be days like this.

Put a loop in that, Kenny.

OK, let's go.

Where are we going?

The only way to get in that cave

is from the top.

Did you hear that?

We're all gonna be heroes.

We oughta be right above 'em right now.

Help me with my pack.

Give me the loop.

Raker, you and Kenny lower me down.

- OK.

- What do you want me to do?

Hand me your grenades

when I go over the side.

- Bernie, relay my signals.

- Right.

- Tell them to hold their fire.

- Hold your fire!

Cease firing!

Slow, slow. Come on.

Come on, come on.

A little more. Slow.

- A little more.

- Ain't he there yet?

Take it easy, now.

Easy, easy. A little more.

Hold it!

Pull!

- Let's move out.

- Out!

OK, let's move!

Welcome home, Stonewall.

Nice going, Sam.

Anybody got a cigarette?

Yeah.

What's the matter, Sam?

I don't know.

Scared, I guess.

Hey! Hey!

Dig this.

Them's our replacements.

Replacements? Are you kiddin'?

Happens to be the marching

and chowder patrol,

Troop 10 of the Boys Scouts of, uh...

The Boy Scouts of...

Hey, what is the name

of that country?

Amer... America.

- Good boy.

- Thank you.

Real pretty, wasn't they?

Yeah.

You know, I used

to look like that myself once.

- No.

- I think.

- Sam.

- Yes, Lieutenant?

The Colonel wants to see you.

Hey, Chief? Uh, they still

sendin' us heroes home?

Anytime now, Meleski.

You're getting pretty friendly

with those croppers of yours, aren't you?

We work together pretty well.

Any reason why I shouldn't?

It's your life, Sam.

Reckon it is.

Sam, it's good to see you.

I wish I could do it more often.

- Oh, I know how busy you are, Colonel.

- Hey, you look a little tired.

I guess we all do.

We'll be off this devilish island

in another six hours.

Heard from Jenny lately?

Yes, sir. I got a dozen letters

from her just the other day.

Good. Next time you write to her, tell

her I'm putting you in for the Silver Star

for what you did at the cave.

Well, sir, Bernie, Raker

and Kenny were with me too.

Oh, they'll be taken care of.

Now...

There's one thing more, Sam.

Uh, sit down.

I heard in a kind of a roundabout way

that... you get a little shaky in combat.

Is that true?

A little.

Do you think we ought

to do something about it?

I'm all right when I have to be.

- Don't be a hero, Sam.

- I'm not.

I can still do my job all right.

Well, if you don't feel right,

will you come to me, son?

I will, sir.

Good.

Well, Ray and I have to take

a run up the line,

see how these replacements

are settling down.

- Well, I'll see you on board ship, son.

- All right, Colonel.

Well, what's the word, Stonewall?

When we shippin' out?

- In about six hours, Bernie.

- Ah.

Not one moment too soon.

Oh, no.

No!

- That's for me, man. Let's go.

- Wait a minute, Bernie. You can't do that.

- Wanna bet?

- Sure we can. I'm with you, Bernie.

Ahem! Soldier!

Uh, that'll be Colonel Cozzens' beer,

am I not right?

- That's right, Joe. You're not right.

- Ah-ah-ah.

Just a moment, soldier.

My name is Miller. Captain Miller.

And I have been sent with two of my men

for the colonel's beer ration.

- So we'll just relieve you of it. Gentlemen.

- Aw, lay down, yardbird.

Oh, soldier...

You're addressing a

commissioned officer.

Soldier... do you have any idea

what the penalty is for

insubordination in a combat zone?

Do you?

Well, young man,

the penalty is death.

You ain't got no bars on.

Snipers, man. Snipers.

- Having trouble, Captain?

- Take his name, Sergeant. Take his name!

What's your name, soldier?

- Well, sir, I'm sorry. It's just that...

- Oh, very well. Never mind, Sergeant.

- Take the beer.

- Yes, sir.

Attention! Left face!

Forward march!

Hup, two, three.

Hup, two, three, four.

Hup, two, three, four. Double time.

March! Let's go, men!

Open it up!

Get it open? Aah!

Ohh!

- It's warm.

- Man, I don't care if it's boilin'.

It's beer!

Boy, if they ship us back to Australia,

I am gonna drink that whole continent dry.

Well, I got a little old girl

waitin' for me in Australia.

Man, she's gonna wish

I'd never seen combat.

- Sam... Listen.

- Gifford!

Sounds like someone's callin' you.

Wonder what's up.

- Suppose they know who snitched the beer?

- No, they'd be lookin' for a Captain Miller.

I'd better go check. Don't drink

all the beer while I'm gone, huh?

- Oh, never, never.

- Kenny?

We'd best have one more.

One more, huh?

Hey, Corporal,

were you callin' me?

- Are you Gifford?

- Yeah.

They want you over at the first aid

station. The colonel got hit by a sniper.

Sam.

Sam.

Yeah?

Look, about Colonel Cozzens...

Well, Little Joe and me feel

real bad about bringing it up.

That's all right. Forget it.

It's just that I know

how it feels to lose a friend.

Again.

That's all.

The new colonel wants us

to take another look at Destacado.

He plans to use it

for regimental headquarters.

Did you tell him I was up there with the

patrol last night? The place was deserted.

They could've come back.

Is that your idea or the new colonel's?

Mine, but he agreed. You never know

which way the Japanese might jump.

You're getting a little jumpy

yourself, aren't you, Ray?

Never mind what I am, Sergeant.

- I knew they'd come back.

- Aw, that piece of wall was ready to fall.

Walls don't fall like that

unless they're made to fall.

I think we're running

into an ambush.

- Relax.

- I'm not taking any chances.

You and the others go in on foot

and scout around. I'll cover you.

- You really mean that?

- I mean it.

Sam, that's an order!

All right, all right.

Take it easy. Let's go.

- What's up, Sam?

- We're gonna take a little walk.

We walked into this joint the last time.

Why can't we ride in?

You heard the lieutenant.

Did you ever do much

bird-shootin' back home, Sam?

Yeah, plenty.

Let's do plenty more after the war.

This reminds you of bird-shootin'?

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