Merrill's Marauders Page #4

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he'd get you out of this swamp.

Attagirl.

Reached rear base loud and clear

on the radio, sir.

The food is on the way.

All right, everybody, back

in the swamp and keep moving.

Aren't we gonna wait for the air drop,

sir?

No.

- These men are starving.

- I'd rather have them hungry than dead.

Parachutes will bring

the enemy to this spot.

We're not gonna be here.

What do we do for food?

Fight for it.

Right at the end of those tracks

is our objective.

We'll eat Japanese food.

I want everybody in the swamp.

Get moving!

All of you, in the swamp!

Get moving!

Stock, let me have that hot one.

I'm not gonna hurt you.

Come on, let's get you over here.

Uh...

Let's have a look at this, young lady.

Here.

Hey, look, hey.

Watch me.

See?

See? Won't hurt you.

Here.

There.

That ought to hold it.

Get you over to the doc...

...and see if we can't get

that piece of shrapnel out of there.

Medic.

Take care of her.

She's got steel in her thigh.

- I gave her some sulfur.

- Sure, Stock.

Hey. Heh.

Hey, he's not gonna hurt you. There.

Hey, it's going to be all right.

Go on now, he's gonna

take care of your leg.

There.

Here you are, Eleanor.

It's genuine Shaduzup H20.

Hey, Bullseye.

Hmm?

Girls.

Yeah.

Are the landing strips ready?

The wounded all set for evacuation.

Hey, you out of pipe tobacco?

Oh-ho.

No, I guess I lost my pouch

in the swamp somewhere.

Signal from headquarters.

Northern Combat Command.

General Stilwell is messaging you, sir.

Ben, give him a hand decoding,

will you?

Yes, sir.

Do you have a match?

He sure doesn't waste much time,

does he?

Well, doc...

...what's the score?

You want details?

No, no, just the bottom line.

The 5307th has collapsed.

From a medical viewpoint,

they're finished as a fighting unit.

Could I have that fire? I don't seem

to be able to get this pipe going.

I have never seen human beings

in such condition.

Drained. Physically

and psychologically drained.

I'm not tagging them

for specific ailments.

Simply marking every man

in the outfit AOE.

Accumulation of everything.

They're through.

I have General Stilwell's message, sir.

Read it.

"Three Japanese divisions invading India.

Imperative we take Myitkyina.

Can you do it?"

Frank, he's asking if we can do it.

- That lets us out.

- Does it?

Of course it does. He's not ordering us

to go to Myitkyina.

He's leaving it up to you.

Yeah. Yeah, he's leaving it up

to me, all right.

All right, doc.

Let's have a look at this

washed-up outfit of ours...

...before I make up my mind whether

or not we can go on to Myitkyina.

May I ask you a question, general?

What are you looking for?

Something that's not

in your medical book, doc.

- Can I get out of line?

- No.

All right, forget about the Army.

This is just between doctor and patient.

Answer's still no.

All right, then I'm going to talk to you

as a friend.

If you're thinking about sending

these men to Myitkyina, don't do it.

You'll never be able

to live with yourself.

How do you know what I'm able

to live with?

I wouldn't want it on my conscience.

Nobody wants you to have anything

on your conscience.

You're being paid to make diagnoses,

I'm paid to make decisions.

I hope your decision is as accurate

as my diagnosis.

Checking on your diagnosis

right now.

- Who's going to check on your decision?

- Me.

You're kidding yourself, general.

You got no decision to make.

These men are at the end of their rope,

and so are you.

When you're at the end of your rope,

all you have to do...

...is make one foot move out

in front of the other.

You just take the next step.

That's all there is to it.

Who are you?

Merrill. Who are you?

Did Lemcheck make it?

Did Lemcheck make it?

I saw him get hit.

Poor Lemcheck.

Poor Lemcheck...

He's dead.

Did Lemcheck make it?

He's Lemcheck.

Chris, headquarters needs

another radio man.

Taggy, you go along with him.

They've got some captured

Japanese documents need translating.

Kolowicz, put four men on security.

Bullseye, pick up eight cases of ammo

for the platoon.

Ammo?

What's Merrill volunteering us for

this time?

We're low. Get the ammo.

I don't need any ammo.

Damn it, I'm not fighting anybody.

Pick up the ammo, Bullseye.

Tell Merrill to pick it up himself.

- What did you say?

- I said, tell Merrill to pick it up himself.

I've taken my last order

from that butcher.

I'm sorry, Stock.

I didn't mean it.

I didn't either.

- I'll get the ammo.

- I'll give him a hand, lieutenant.

- They're coming apart.

- Yeah.

Yeah, we all are.

Well, I hope Merrill don't take us

any further than this.

What's left of us.

"I just made...

...the most...

...difficult decision...

...of my life.

I pray...

...I've chosen correctly.

Kiss the children for me.

My love...

...to you, as always.

Frank. "

Hello, Stock.

Message to General Stilwell

transmitted, sir.

Thank you.

General?

I've never asked a favor of you before,

but I've gotta ask one now.

I'd like your permission to tell my men

when they're going home.

Stock, I've just radioed General Stilwell

that I've decided to go into Myitkyina.

- To Myitkyina?

- Yup.

I told him, in my opinion,

we can take the base.

Sir, my men can't make it.

Yes, they can.

- You don't know my men.

- I know them better than you do.

General, it's not that they don't want

to fight. They can't.

They just can't physically fight anymore.

If they've got a single ounce of strength

left in them, they can fight.

Men don't mean anything to you,

do they?

They're just two legs to walk with,

shoulders to carry a pack...

...pair of hands to shoot a rifle,

that's all.

When I pinned those bars on you,

I made a leader out of you.

And when you lead,

you have to hurt people.

The enemy and sometimes your own.

I don't want any more

of my men butchered.

And I request to be relieved

of the command of my platoon.

Request denied. I need you too much.

O'Steen.

Pick that up.

Pick up the ammo belt and put it on.

Here you go.

Hold on to that ammo.

You're no good to me dead.

- Go on, O'Steen.

- Yes, sir.

What's holding it up?

Come on, let's move out.

Come on now, Eleanor. Come on, baby.

Now, come on, Eleanor,

you volunteered for this too.

Okay.

- Ready to shove her over.

- No!

You can't do that, sarge.

She'll be all right after a little rest.

Her load's too heavy.

Muley, she's holding up

the whole column.

Wait, I'll carry her load!

Bullseye, give me a hand

with this pack.

Come on, Eleanor,

we can climb this little old hill.

Just like old Uncle Muley told you.

We made it, Eleanor.

Come on, Muley.

Watch your head, come on.

Over yonder is Myitkyina.

You don't agree with what I'm doing,

do you, Barney?

Well, the textbooks would say

that dividing our forces at this point...

...invites piecemeal destruction.

I wouldn't teach students

this sort of thing.

But if we can make the Japanese think...

...that there's twice as many of us

as there are...

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