Midway Page #4

It spoils my view of the boatyard.

Feeling DK?

I can't sleep. I can't eat.

I just sit and scratch 24 hours a day.

You ever try an oatmeal

and water bath? Don't.

I want to thank you for recommending

me to take your place.

I have a question:

Did that itch go to your head?

Stop underestimating yourself.

Any skipper who can keep

his cruisers and destroyers

alongside my carriers across the whole

Pacific is the man for the job.

You know, you and I...

Bill, we're kind of different.

You think I can do it as well as you?

I can only tell you this, Ray:

You play it the way you feel it,

not the way you think I'd play it.

You go to sea, find Yamamoto and

chew his ass. Nothing more to it.

Christ, no! You want to catch this?

We'd lose the God-damned war!

Dh, by the way,

I'll have somebody cut down

that tree for you. - Yeah.

In carrying out the task

assigned in Dp-Plan 29/42,

Enterprise and Hornet will act

on the principle of calculated risk,

which means avoiding exposure

to attack by superior enemy forces

without good prospect of inflicting

greater damage to the enemy.

Sir, three boilers

are out of commission.

The yard manager says

he needs another two days.

Delaney, I expect the yard

to finish the job by 06:00 tomorrow.

Sorry about your boiler, Jack.

But if you clear Pearl by 07:00

you'll rendezvous with Enterprise

and Hornet on schedule.

Agreed.

- Good luck, good hunting. - Thanks.

You too, Matt. See you back here soon.

We just haven't any future, Tom.

I figured that's what it was.

We don't.

We really don't.

I wish you'd go now.

I don't love you anymore.

It was a mistake.

Say it to my face.

Say it to my face, God damn it!

Lt'll be DK.

Sh*t. Wait and see!

1919, the Marines were practicing

dive-bombing off Haiti.

Everybody said:

"Premature, wait and see. "

We waited, then the Germans

showed us in '37 in Madrid.

You mean like at Pearl Harbor?

- Pearl Harbor, sh*t!

In '32 it was proved that Pearl Harbor

could be attacked from the air.

And Admiral Ramsey predicted

it would happen, in detail.

When was that?

- 1937, pal.

Wait and see. We waited.

December 7th, we saw.

The wait-and-seers

will bust your ass every time.

I'll drink to that.

- Bet your...

How long have you been here?

- Long enough to hear your lecture.

You ought to go on the radio.

How the hell are you?

Alright... Well, I'm celebrating

my birthday. That's how I am.

That's a problem

we all have once a year.

My God,

now you got my kid flying for you.

How's the boy doing?

- Just fine.

He's a good pilot. Got him in an F4F.

He'll be shipping out any day.

Coming from you that means a lot.

No. He's good man, a natural pilot,

good attitude, good marksman.

Tom's only deficiency

would be in enemy identification.

He's got to learn, you don't win a war

by kissing the enemy.

For Christ's sake... - Well, he told

the whole God-damned squadron.

I met her. She seems like a nice girl.

- So is Madame Butterfly.

She's having trouble with him.

- Now you're having trouble seeing.

I've got to shove off.

Scuttlebutt says you're going out

on the Yorktown. - That's right.

Well, keep your dumb ass

out of drafts. - That's right, buddy.

Thanks for keeping an eye on my boy.

I appreciate it.

He'll be fine, Matt.

Tom! - Nice of you

to take the time to see me off, Dad.

But your squadron isn't due to ship

for a week. Why are you boarding?

Are you saying you're surprised, Sir?

Your buddy Jessop transferred me.

I didn't know anything about it!

- Like hell you didn't!

You wanted me shipped out,

to stop me from doing anything stupid!

So your old buddy Jessop obliged.

- Tom, I knew nothing about it!

I have to report on board, Sir.

MARINE INTELLIGENCE

DK, Sir.

Captain Garth is here, Sir.

- Great. Come in, Matt. How are you?

I'm gonna do something I don't do,

at least not since Annapolis.

I'm gonna ask you to do me a favor.

- Ask away! Lord knows I owe you some.

This is an FBI enemy alien report.

- Where did you get this?

Don't ask.

Matt, I could find out.

- Don't, Harry.

The report contains all the bureau

has on... - A Japanese?

Dn an American citizen

named Haruko Sakura und her parents.

They look DK to me,

but I'm not in your business.

It sounds like you are.

Harry, I want you

to investigate this personally.

They'll be sent

to the mainland next week.

If they're clean,

and I'm betting they are,

I want that shipment cancelled.

Matt, you're way out of line here!

This isn't your department!

This is tampering!

Alright, what have we got?

What are these people to you?

Someday,

the girl may be my daughter-in-law.

You're pressuring me to take

improper action for personal reasons.

Improper action, hell!

They're no more

a threat to national security

than your pet Airedale.

I'll have to report your request.

It'll go into your record.

It's not for me.

You know I wouldn't ask you

for myself. I'm asking you for my kid.

Jesus Christ, Harry!

I'm begging you!

Alright, I'll investigate it.

Thanks, Harry.

And, Captain,

this'll wash it with us.

We're even.

- Aye-aye, Sir.

Captain?

Thank you, Corporal.

Reporting as ordered, Sir.

Sorry to send the Marines after you,

but you didn't answer my messages.

We had nothing to talk about, Captain.

You can cut out that midshipman-crap,

you're talking to your old man.

I'll try to remember it.

I'd like to set the record straight:

Before we left Pearl,

I personally vouched

for Haruko and her parents,

and went way out on a limb for them.

I didn't know

what weight it would carry,

but you know, there it is.

Thanks.

Dne more thing:

I didn't ask your C.D.

To ship you out.

You spoke to him, didn't you?

- Yes, I did.

He asked me how I felt about...

- Haruko and me, right?

If you couldn't do anything about it,

why couldn't you leave it alone?

Jessop thought

he was doing us both a favor.

I did all I could,

and a lot more than I should've.

You're paid to fly fighter planes,

not to sit in your cabin

and cry over your girl's picture.

You better shape up, Tiger, before

a hot-shot Jap pilot flames your ass!

Just received this message, Sir.

Dperation K, the reconnaissance flight

to Pearl Harbor, has been cancelled.

Cancelled? Why?

Dur scout planes couldn't refuel.

An enemy vessel was there.

Sir, Admiral Nagumo's carrier force

should be warned immediately.

Admiral Nagumo must have picked up

the transmission when we did.

Suppose he didn't.

He will assume the American carriers

are at Pearl Harbor.

And that is where our latest

intelligence reports place them.

What latest intelligence reports?

Have any of our submarines sighted

the US fleet in the last 20 hours?

No, Sir. But there's no logical reason

for them to move their carriers.

We must not break radio silence and

risk letting them know our location.

The element of surprise is one of the

most important aspects of our attack.

Admiral, this is our search plan.

An air search involving 22 PBYs,

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