Flying Leathernecks Page #6

You can't bring yourself to point your finger

at a guy and say, "Go get killed."

You gotta tear your guts out

worrying about his flight record.

Or because some dame back in the States

is giving him the brushoff.

Or whether he knows

whether his baby's born yet or not.

You got enough troubles of your own.

Stop trying to pack

everybody else's around.

- Schedule that mission.

- Roger.

I got a bellyful of you...

...and I'm not buying

the bill of goods you're selling.

In my book,

it's easy to be a turtle.

Put a shell between yourself

and the rest of humanity.

Maybe I'm not making my point clear.

Four hundred years ago,

a poet said it better than I ever could:

"No man is an island."

When the funeral bell rings,

it isn't just for the dead guy.

It's a little bit for all of us.

Each man's suffering belongs to everyone.

Why else are we shooting off

these guns?

I don't know what your reaction will be,

but here's what I hope:

I hope you say, "Let's take off our insignia,

step out in the boondocks and settle it!"

Major, you're wanted at

general headquarters right away, sir.

The pilots think they'll be

relieved right away. Is that true?

Definitely not.

Kirby. Bill.

Gentlemen, the biggest Jap convoy

ever sighted is heading down the slot.

Flattops, cruisers, cans, transports

and barges full of Jap reinforcements.

This looks like their Sunday punch.

We'll send everything flyable

after that force...

...and continue round-the-clock

operations until we smash them.

The TBFs will carry torpedoes...

...the dive-bombers, 500-pound S.A.P. S...

...and the fighters, 100-pounders.

I know we can do it.

Thank you, gentlemen. That will be all.

Let's get the show on the road.

Major Kirby.

Dan, your outfit has had it the roughest,

but this calls for everything we've got.

- I understand, sir.

- I knew you would.

- Let's hope it won't take too long.

- Right, sir.

Ernie.

We're making some jungle juice.

Come cut yourself in.

Save it. We got another mission to fly.

Alert the pilots and tell

Griff and Curan to come to my quarters.

- This will come as a wet blanket.

- I know.

King-size.

Well, into each life

a little rain must fall.

Simmons!

You've been doing all right catching up,

but don't get careless or ace happy.

- A live Marine's better than a dead hero.

- Yes, sir, skipper. I've got the word.

Bandits, 9 o'clock, low.

There it is, boys. The Tokyo Express.

All Jigsaw planes, this is Jigsaw 1.

It looks like the show's over

for quite a spell. Let's go home.

There were two Zeroes and one

of their new modified fighters.

- Yeah, the second Zero came in on Kelvin.

- Anybody beside Kelvin and Simmons?

- No, that's all.

- I was flying Simmons' wing.

I didn't see Simm after he was hit.

Anybody see if he got a chance to bail out?

- He didn't.

- We were going in and Simmons banked...

I saw him explode

while he was trying to open his hood.

- You're Martin, the replacement.

- No, Mathin.

- Have a belt.

- I didn't want anybody to think...

Don't think.

- I want to know if I jumped the sprocket...

- You heard the man. Don't think.

Come on, kid. Mix yourself

some varnish. Come on.

I suppose you've heard.

I've been relieved. I'm going stateside.

I guess they've got another job for me.

I'm sure the rest of the squadron

will be relieved in the next couple of days.

I guess the guys

won't squawk about that, huh?

- What do you think?

- In my opinion, I welcome being relieved.

- I wanna speak some plain English.

- Go right ahead.

I recommended that you not

take over this squadron.

- You want to know why?

- No regulation says you owe an explanation.

In a way, I feel it's my failure.

As you know,

it's a commander's duty to train...

To train the man under him

for fitness in command.

This is all unnecessary, major.

I know the Marine manual

as well as anyone, even as well as you.

And section 9 of the manual:

The Duties of Leadership and Command.

- So long, Griff.

- So long, major.

We can save the stamp.

Darling, I could divorce you

for coming home without notice.

A girl's entitled to know

in time to have her hair done.

You look pretty good to me.

Pretty good, that is.

Tommy.

Tommy.

Tommy.

Hello, major.

You're a little formal, aren't you?

But then, it has been a long time.

Tommy, give your father a kiss.

Oh, he's too big to go around

kissing men, aren't you, boot?

- Do you surrender?

- Unconditionally.

- Look what he brought you.

- Gee, thanks. How'd you get it?

- Buy it from some of the mud Marines?

- I took it off a Jap officer...

...whom I defeated

in single combat, hand-to-hand.

Oh, flyguys never get souvenirs.

Ground echelons get all the souvenirs.

He sounds like he's served a hitch.

The neighborhood's full of servicemen's

children. They compare notes.

- We wives do too.

- Was it rough, baby?

Look who's talking,

a guy from Guadalcanal.

They just call it Canal.

Your squadron Flying Wildcats, major?

- Yep.

- Don't call your father "major."

You can call me "colonel" pretty soon.

Vandergriff said, "Buy the insignia."

- Second colonel?

- Lieutenant colonel.

Well, it's better

than being a mere major.

Mere? I like that.

- Oh, Mom.

- Lights out.

How about some cocoa?

I'm hungry.

No, and no raids in the night.

The kitchen's out-of-bounds for you.

Well, I could use some cocoa.

Then you could bring him a cup.

Your order's countermanded, Mom.

Not even a four-star general

outranks me in this house...

...but I'll bring you in a cup.

- Good night, boot.

- Good night, maj... Colonel.

- Good night, Dad.

- Good night, son.

He was asleep.

I've been building myself up

to ask the $64 question.

How long?

How long what?

- Answer me or I'll dent your head.

- You're gonna have me for a long time.

- I have a station job at Goleta.

- A station job?

Oh, what a beautiful sound.

And Goleta, that beautiful,

hot, dirty little town.

We'll probably have to live

on the wrong side of the tracks.

- I'll never complain about Goleta again.

- You're not the complaining type.

- Are we all buttoned up?

- Cat's out, door's locked.

All secure, sir.

Hello, Dan. Sit down.

How have you been?

Fine, till I got this call from you.

- Cigar?

- No, thanks. I'm a cigarette man.

Dan, I've just received a dispatch

to form a new squadron...

...that has to be ready for combat

in a forthcoming major operation.

I have orders to go to Washington.

We'll get them canceled

if you'll take over this squadron.

Hey, colonel...

There's a lot of opposition

to close air support.

Maybe you don't know, but the brass

think we can't pinpoint targets...

...without hitting

our own ground troops.

Which has happened too often in the past.

But this time your squadron

will be all first-team.

Okay, coach. Put me in,

even though I ain't got no headgear.

I've assigned pilots

who were with you at the Canal.

Major Griffin will be your exec.

- Griffin?

- Yes. Why?

- Nothing.

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