Destination Tokyo Page #5

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a man with education and charity...

...who used to send my ma

what to eat with.

Him, they stood up against the wall.

And that sticks in here with me.

The difference between

them and us...

...is, with us even the no-good

gets a chance to die in his own bed.

So I don't forget my uncle.

An American flier gets killed,

I think of my uncle.

I see pictures of Chinese kids

getting bombed, I think of my uncle.

A Russian guerrilla gets hanged,

I think of my uncle.

I see Mike lying in there dead,

I think of my uncle.

I ain't got room in here

to see one of our guys get buried.

Not yet. Not until I've done

something to even the score.

So I eat with it, and I sleep with it.

So be sore at me, you dopes.

- I'm sorry, Tin Can.

- Attention.

At ease, men.

- Trying to figure out about Mike?

- Yes, sir.

Well...

...officers and men on submarines

are closer together...

...than in most branches of our Navy.

Mike was with me on my first patrol.

He was my friend. I know his family.

His wife's a fine, great-hearted woman.

I know his kids.

I remember Mike's pride when he bought

the first pair of roller skates for his boy.

They were the finest roller skates

that money could buy.

Roller skates for a 5-year-old.

Well, that Jap got a present too,

when he was 5.

Only it was a dagger.

His old man gave him a dagger, so he'd

know what he was supposed to be.

The Japs have a ceremony

that goes with it.

At 7, a Jap kid is taking marches

under an army instructor.

At 13, he can put a machine

gun together blindfolded.

As I see it, that Jap started on the road 20

years ago to putting a knife in Mike's back.

There are lots of Mikes dying right now.

And a lot more Mikes will die...

...until we wipe out a system that puts

daggers in the hands of 5-year-old children.

You know...

...if Mike were here to put

it into words now...

...that's just about what he died for.

More roller skates in this world.

Including some for the next

generation of Japanese kids...

...because that's the kind

of a man Mike was.

- What's that you're reading?

- San Francisco telephone directory.

- I collect names.

- What do you do with them?

Oh, just meditate. Wonder what kind

of people go with the names.

- Wonder what the names mean, that stuff.

- Names don't mean nothing.

- Oh, no?

- No.

- Well, my name's Wainwright.

- Wainwright. So what?

Well, my grandpa used to build wagons.

A wainwright's a guy who builds wagons.

- Like covered wagons?

- Sure.

Maybe he built some

wagons crossed the plains.

Some grandpas built houses.

Name's Carpenter.

Some grandpas made clothes.

Name's Tailor.

Some guy's grandpa built wheels

for my grandpa's wagons.

Name's Wheelwright,

a guy who builds wheels.

Sun lamp ready in the forward room.

Come on, GI sunshine.

Don't tell me the captain

finally gave up that sun lamp.

Phone books are fascinating.

I'm nuts about them.

Personally, I use phone books

for long shots.

In San Diego, I had nothing to do

and nothing on my mind...

Except skirts.

So I sees this phone book.

I flip it open. I come to a name.

Rosalie Riley.

"Pretty name," I says to myself.

"I wonder what she's like."

- So...

- So you call her up.

No. Why waste time?

I go right out to her house,

21 Valley Road.

Never forget it.

Had roses all over the place.

Very pretty. Very pretty indeed.

- Red and pink roses...

- Now we're going to pick roses.

I pick a rose. So I got something to talk

about when she comes to the door.

Up I go to the door.

I ring the bell. And I hear

a very nice voice from the inside.

"Wait a minute," she says.

"I'm in the bathtub."

Every girl you meet is in the bathtub!

I haven't met her yet. I'm on her porch!

Naturally, I sit down.

I'm rocking back and forth,

back and forth.

Skip the details.

Who cares if you're rocking?

I'm just trying to give you the picture!

We got the picture!

You're in the bathtub!

She's on the porch!

She's in the bathtub.

I'm on the porch!

She comes to the door.

My stomach flutters.

- She's beautiful!

- Now his stomach flutters.

"Oh," she says, "I thought you were

someone else." "Disappointed?" I says.

You're there

with a snappy comeback.

She says,

"I can't ask you to come in."

"Of course not," I says, giving her pearly

teeth. "But I can ask you to come out."

What did she say to that?

Well, she didn't say anything,

that is, right away.

Then I proceeded to pour

on the personality.

Then what did you do?

Now, wouldn't you like to know?

You give me a pain in the pancreas.

You're always shooting off.

Stow it for the rest of this patrol.

Some of us have sweethearts.

Yeah?

Well, maybe some of us haven't.

Hasn't he been telling the truth?

No. You haven't been swallowing

all that stuff, have you?

Captain.

Oh, this it?

I'm afraid to take a look.

Just hope it won't be Coney Island.

Well, I got on my lucky sweater.

What's the bearing?

Zero-five-zero, captain.

Smack on the button. Take a look.

Right down Fujiyama's throat.

Nice work, Andy.

Check your tangents.

Lieutenant Raymond

to the conning tower.

Attention, all hands.

We're lying off the Japanese mainland.

Thought you'd like to know.

Just like the postcards, huh?

You get a better look inside the bay,

captain.

By the way, you think you can

get inside the net?

- That's what orders say.

- What about minefields?

- Can you see them underwater?

- Nope. I wish I could.

But if you do get in, how are you

going to get the ship out?

This is a sort of blind date, Raymond.

- We have to wait and see what happens.

- Got my tangents, captain.

Okay, Andy. Down scope.

We'll break out a chart

of the probable minefields.

Well, boys, looks as if

we have to wait for a ticket in.

This is going to be like waiting

to have your first tooth yanked.

Checking the gravity, captain.

How'd you happen to volunteer

for the submarine service, captain?

Well, when I was a kid...

...I used to get a kick

out of swimming underwater.

How's your wife feel about

your shoving off on these patrols?

The way the wives of all the men

in the services feel.

- Did she know what she was getting into?

- Not when she met me.

She was a blind date.

Not quite the same as the date

we've got ahead.

It was dark. I couldn't see

what she looked like.

- You find out what she looked like?

- Yes.

You see, we have two kids by now.

I meant that night, sir.

No.

But I found you didn't need to know

what a girl looked like to like her.

I liked her voice, the things she said,

the way she laughed.

Still do.

I like the way she is with our kids.

I like everything about her.

- What made you pick the Navy, Raymond?

- Well, I was born and raised in Tokyo.

Tokyo, Japan?

- You speak Japanese?

- Yes, he does.

- We expect to make good use of it soon.

- Let's hear some.

I'm sorry, captain.

I thought there was a Jap

loose onboard ship.

It was Mr. Raymond.

There was a democratic movement in Japan

after the last war. What happened?

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