None But the Brave Page #2

Nothing up my sleeve, Hoxie boy.

Deal you a hand?

Not now, slicker.

You're already into me for 1,000 bucks.

You know that's peanuts to this guy?

Why, his old man owns Rhode Island!

We passed over Guadalcanal about 1000.

So that should place us right about here.

There's no island here on the map.

Corpsman, I presume

the Captain radioed the base?

They'd know where to pick us up?

I couldn't say.

But maybe that'll answer your question.

- That's a radio.

- Or what used to be a radio.

- Then the base don't know we're here, huh?

- No, but relax, relax. I'll fix it.

Him? That punk's so stupid,

he couldn't fix a busted shoelace.

That's the pilot's responsibility. Captain!

Hey, hey, Lieutenant. Nowadays I

wouldn't advise any yelling in any jungle

anywhere west

of the International Date Line.

You mean Japs? No.

No such luck around this strip of nowhere.

No strategic value.

Probably not even inhabited.

Captain!

- We got company, sir.

- Japanese.

- Point's broken off, but it ain't even rusted.

- No.

No, this looks like a fishing spear.

I found a footpath back in there,

followed it down to a cove.

Join the Jap Army and go fishing.

Is that all them skivvies got to do?

Now we bypassed this position long ago

when we landed on Bougainville.

Plumb cut 'em off, huh, sir?

What's the name of the place?

Meet the neighbors, you can ask them.

Japanese.

That blade's Japanese, all right.

- You men see it?

Yeah.

Well, looks like we found some action

after all.

- Thank you, men. What I want you to do...

- Lieutenant.

You got any orders

to mop up wayside islands?

Certainly not, sir. It's just a matter...

I just wondered.

You said you go by the book.

Yes, sir, but this is one of those matters

of judgment. All right!

Every man in combat condition,

want you to grab your weapons

and let's move! On the double!

Unless they're in force, there won't

be a dirty Jap around tonight.

Dirty Jap, Lieutenant?

They invented the bathtub.

Why... You talk like a bird

who's gone Asiatic.

You can say that again, sir.

I been close to the top brass, see?

And I got the scuttlebutt on this stew bum.

He wouldn't come out of the reserve

till Singapore fell

'cause he was shacked up

with some Malay dame.

Oh, Sergeant, that kind of crude language

will get you nowhere socially.

I was her houseguest.

Everybody ready?

Count 'em off, Sergeant. Let's move!

- Fall in!

- Now you wait just a second, Captain!

You trying to take over my command?

No, I'm just trying to help

you keep it alive. Attention!

Corporal, pick yourself another man

and get out there and keep your eyes open.

Yes, sir. Searcy!

Yo!

Now listen to this!

You, Lieutenant, and you, Sergeant!

I want to tell you

a little something about the enemy.

Aside from the few fanatics,

he's a cool cookie.

And on this island

he's on his home grounds.

He knows the terrain, you don't.

So we give him the courtesy

of making the first move. And get this!

Never start swinging at any enemy in anger

or you'll wind up getting clobbered.

Now you ought to know that, Sergeant.

These gravediggers tell me you're

the heavyweight champ in your division.

Yeah, when I fight, I fight mad.

Now you said you were close

to the top brass. Kind of pampered, huh?

Yeah, and I got the scuttlebutt on

you, too. You were a scrap pilot.

Landed on your head just once too often.

In the hospital for weeks.

Well, I was more comfortable there

than you're gonna be in the brig.

What brig?

You're gambling we're stuck here

for the duration.

Jungle law. No military court to

answer to. Well, I got news for you.

- Lieutenant.

- You're the one who'll be held to answer,

sir, if you break the chain of command.

Well, Lieutenant, it seems you haven't

read your Bible as well as you claim.

Article 9, page 33,

and I quote, "Any military personnel

"assigned to the care and custody

of the commanding officer

"of any military transport,

whether seaborne or airborne,

"shall obey all orders

of said commanding officer

"until arrival at destination. " Unquote.

- I'll look that up in my handbook, sir.

- All right, understand this, all of you.

The chain of command will remain as is.

Your platoon leader is Lieutenant Blair.

He'll consult with his superior officer

on all matters of policy.

Me.

All right, at ease, men.

- Sergeant Bleeker.

- Yes, sir.

- See that hill in back of me?

- Yeah, I see it.

That's where we'll locate

our base and defense.

And as of now you're captain of the head,

so start digging.

- Me?

- You!

You feel like gambling, Sergeant?

Go right ahead, go for broke.

You the Ozark mountain boy I talked to?

Yes, sir. Corporal Craddock.

All right, Craddock, you're my chief scout.

Tonight I'll go on your first mission

with you.

Much obliged, skipper.

Now, Lieutenant, have your men

pack the supplies up the hill,

start setting up our defense.

And as of now we start conserving

food and water. Our supplies are limited.

Sir. Fall out and turn to!

You heard the command.

You got any more policy, sir?

You start learning to fight with

your brains instead of your feelings.

I want to whip the enemy

as much as you do.

Not because he's Japanese,

but because he is the enemy.

Now that's policy, Lieutenant.

Now one thing more.

In combat you'll live a lot longer not being

saluted or wearing your insignia of rank.

The enemy likes to kill off the officers

and non-coms first,

breaks up the chain of command.

Thank you, sir.

Mmm.

Conserve the water?

That's the best news I've heard

since we whipped the Japanese at Midway.

- Want a drink?

- Go easy on that stuff, Francis.

We'll need whiskey for medicine.

You just saved me

about a dozen future patients over there.

Well, I figure we'll have to pay

some lives, but I'm no spendthrift.

All that stuff that you were spouting

about regulations and all that stuff,

is that really in the book?

Frankly, I don't know.

I figure the Lieutenant will look it up.

Not too soon, he won't. 'Cause while you

were indoctrinating the troops,

- I snatched this out of his duffle bag.

- Hey.

Well, what do you know.

Francis, I appreciate that.

Nothing at all, Captain.

Very interesting.

Haven't read it since I was a kid.

If you had,

you'd have been a colonel by now.

This is mighty peculiar scouting, skipper.

Now you just watch. They'll come to us.

You can see that light from any hilltop.

Yeah, but that sure is dirty pool.

Sergeant, it's unwise

to disobey our commander.

Commander!

He is too tame for this job.

They say he was

the top of his class at officer's school.

Shut up!

Theory and practice is different.

But we are ordered to

report to him as soon as we rendezvous.

Stop arguing!

We can't depend on such a commander.

Quiet. We are getting close. Follow me.

Wait till the whole detail's in the open.

Attach bayonets.

I'm taking no more orders to sit here

on my lard!

Remember Article 9, Lieutenant, Page...

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