Command Decision Page #2

by negotiations, sir?

If it can be done.

I'd have to have an order

for a couple of gallons of ice cream...

...and a few hours off, sir.

Get it and get going.

With the general's permission, sir.

These matters are better attended to

in the evening.

All right.

Anything else?

You and Cliff Garnet were classmates,

weren't you?

Yeah, why?

He's flying over here from Washington.

Due in at Prestwick this afternoon.

Did you know that?

Cliff Garnet.

I've known Cliff ever since we were racing

for a pair of corporal stripes at the Point.

I thought you'd always been

sort of neck and neck.

What's he doing over here?

They haven't announced

an assignment for him.

Maybe you're gonna have

a new boss, Earnie.

- A relay from Colonel Martin, sir.

- What's it say?

"Target plastered. Warm up here.

Signed, Ted."

I'll bet it's pretty warm

in Schweinhafen too.

Get me London, Central 10,000.

Elmer Brockhurst, United News.

Yes, sir.

Everything's under control, sir.

- What are you doing here, Mr. Brockhurst?

- Hello?

Your connections are terrible.

Hello, Maggie. Give me Bigelow.

Hello, Jack. Brockhurst.

I'm talking from a seat

right on the 50-yard line...

...but the game hasn't started yet.

Better get ready for the same

run around as yesterday.

Sure, I'll try.

Okay, I'll call you.

Are you the new commanding general?

No, just a poor reporter

trying to do his job.

Poor reporter is right.

I thought Dennis told you to keep out.

He did.

You guys always get what you want

from Kane, don't you?

Public relations office is down the hall.

The general doesn't wanna see you.

I don't blame you

for feeling jumpy, sergeant.

Quite a deal, isn't it?

Your boss gets put in top charge

for one day...

...and loses more planes

than General Kane ever lost in a week.

Maybe he just doesn't like airplanes.

Maybe he doesn't like their crews either.

Tell me...

...why has Dennis got

a flight commander with 21 missions...

...confined to quarters at the 32nd?

Probably for not brushing his teeth.

Well, that disposes of the item

of Captain Jenks.

Does that finish your business?

I did want to say goodbye

to General Dennis before he left.

Goodbye? Who's leaving?

Well, trouble with the press...

...war hero under arrest,

record losses just one time too many...

I just have the feeling

he might be going home.

They never fired no general

till they give him the Legion of Merit.

They can pass it out mighty quick.

Gonna miss your hero?

No brass is a hero to me.

I've done my 25.

Captain Jenks to see General Dennis.

Captain Jenks reporting, sir.

Have him come in.

Yes, sir. Okay, captain.

Want me with you, sir?

No, I'll talk to the captain alone.

Come in, Jenks.

Sit down.

- Cigarette?

- No, thanks.

I've got a pretty nasty report

on you here.

I understand when the target

was announced...

...you slammed out of the group's briefing,

said you wouldn't fly.

- What's your version of it?

- It's true, as far as it goes.

Captain Jenks, it's an old custom

in the service to call your superiors sir.

All right, we'll skip the manners

for the moment.

- Do you realize this is serious?

- I won't get killed to make you a record.

Maybe you've had too much.

I guess a few days

down at Bournemouth wouldn't hurt.

If you look in the bottom of the file, you'll

see I finished 10 days in a rest home, sir.

Tell me...

...your uncle's on

the Military Affairs Committee, isn't he?

Would that have anything to do

with your behavior?

Sure it has.

It's lucky I've got somebody

to look out for me.

How would you like to have

your squadron hear you say that?

- They feel the same way.

- They went this morning.

Don't give me that, general.

My squadron knows that I can take it

as well as anybody, if I want to.

I've been to plenty of tough targets.

Suppose I were to tell you...

...that the whole war might depend

on what we did yesterday and today?

That's what your PRO will tell us.

You and your crew were one

of the lead teams trained for this operation.

They needed you there today.

Do you know that we lost two ships from

your group this morning during assembly?

My crew, sir?

Get me Markington.

Hello, Markington? Colonel Walker.

Hello, Walker? General Dennis speaking.

Who did we lose in that collision

this morning?

Robinson, huh?

Yes, I think I did know him.

Yes, too bad. He was a good boy.

Who? Johnson?

Oh, Johnston, huh?

No, I don't think I did.

Well, then neither one

was a lead crew.

Okay. Thanks, Walker.

Robinson, huh?

So you knew him?

Did you know whether

Frank was married or not?

Whether he had any kids

or where he came from?

You don't remember Johnston at all.

You don't know what he looked like.

- Take it easy.

- Why should you?

He's only got in 20 missions over Germany.

Only been here eight months.

You gave him his cluster on his DFC

after Bremfurt, shook his hand, said:

"The division is proud of you. Proud."

Why do you try to remember our names?

- Why don't you call us by serial numbers?

- Captain!

Attention.

General Kane and party, sir.

- Hello, Casey.

- Sorry, I wish I'd known you were coming.

That's all right. We landed

at Prestwick a couple of hours ago.

I wanted to stop off and see you.

How was Washington?

About as you'd expect

with that meeting going on.

Is this man with your party?

Why, yes. I bumped

into Brockie right outside your office.

What were you doing,

Mr. Brockhurst?

I know you and Brockie

had a little misunderstanding.

That was one thing

I wanted to straighten out.

- All right, that's all for now.

- Why, Captain Jenks.

Delighted to see you, my boy. I was talking

with your uncle in Washington on Monday.

He's looking forward to seeing you

when he gets over here.

Brockie, this is one

of our real combat leaders.

He's a flight commander

and already has 23 missions.

- It is 23, isn't it, captain?

- Twenty-one, sir.

Oh, 21, eh?

Well, I guess that name on your ship

hardly applies anymore.

Captain Jenks is the pilot

of our famous Impatient Virgin.

Say now, there's a crew

you could do a wonderful picture layout on.

- It's already been done, general.

- Good.

You care to see what I've written

about your squadron?

Thanks.

You better bring it up to date.

McPhearson, here, was killed on Friday.

Jacobs went down yesterday.

All right, captain.

What have you been doing?

I got the shock of my life last night.

I was afraid of that.

When we sat down at Gander,

Prescott handed me a message...

...from Washington saying

you'd lost 48 ships yesterday.

That's right, 48.

I'd just finished selling the chiefs

on the low cost of daylight bombardment...

...and you spring these appalling losses

on me. Casey, surely you must re...

That's Cliff Garnet.

He flew over with me.

Apparently, the chief wants him

to look under a few beds.

I'm sorry, Casey. Who should I run into

out there but old Ramrod Haley.

I just told him about the pilot,

the mermaid and the rubber dinghy.

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