Pride of the Marines Page #4

isn't it, al?

Yeah.

Well, i guess

if i were a man,

i'd join

the marines, too.

I'm glad

you're not a man.

Why?

Why do you think?

I'm not thinking

very much right now.

Honey, i, uh...

well, there's

a lot of things i'd like to say,

but i don't know

how to say them,

so, uh,

i'll just cut it down to good-bye.

I'd like to see you off

at the train.

I don't want you

to stay up that late.

I'm not tired.

No.

All right, al, if that's

the way you want it.

It's better

that way.

You know, i'm...

i'm not much good

at letter writing.

I'll bet you're not.

Anything i want to say,

i'd better say now.

I know i've been kind of

monopolizing your time

the last couple

of months.

L... i want you to get

back into circulation.

Have fun.

You don't have to

worry about me.

Sure... isn't as if

anything was said between us.

That's right.

Can't tell.

Things may be different.

Sure.

Well, i, uh...

hello.

You've been fun,

sweetheart.

You've been fun,

too, al.

Al:
I want you to get back into circulation, have fun.

Ruthie:
You don't have

to worry about me...

you don't have to

worry about me...

ruth.

You came anyway.

Are you sore?

Sure, i'm sore.

I could murder you.

Aw, honey, you were

gonna just stand here

and let me go

without saying anything.

I don't know,

i might've called to you at the last minute.

Man on p. A:
Sun line limited

arriving on track number two.

Wilmington...

we only got a minute.

Ruthie, listen, you love me?

Well, me, too, you.

I don't want you doing

what i said; going out with other guys.

I guess i wouldn't

have, anyway.

You've spoiled me

for anyone else.

Will you wait

for me, ruthie?

You'll have to

pry me loose.

I'm the sticking

kind now.

Man:
All aboard.

I want one last look

at that sweet face you got.

Don't change the way

you look, will you?

That's the way i want

to see you when i come back.

Take care

of yourself,

and, darling,

don't be a hero or anything.

Honey, i'm gonna

wrap myself up in cellophane.

I got a reason now.

Man:
Aboard! Aboard!

I see you got

your trunk packed.

Yeah.

Oh, i forgot

about your present,

and the train's

gonna start.

Here, it's for

good luck, al.

Oh. Aw, thanks,

that's right.

I got something

here for you.

Well, mail it.

The train'll go without you.

Here, i want you

to have it.

It's kind of dinky.

If you don't like it,

throw it away.

Good-bye, honey.

I even like

your hat.

Say good-bye to al?

Yes, uncle ralph.

Winter

lightning.

We don't often

see that.

Kind of special.

Yes.

Sort of

a special day.

Ruthie, voice-over:

The day came when al sent me a new forwarding address.

He didn't know

where he was going.

Later, a card came

saying that private schmid

had arrived safely

at his destination.

Of course, it didn't say

that that destination was guadalcanal.

All of us were reading about

how important it was

that the marines capture

henderson field.

Al, voice-over:

After we hit the beach,

taking henderson field

was pretty easy.

Hangin' on to it

was something else.

Then the japs pulled back

into the jungle.

Things got

plenty rugged.

They taught us what

infiltration really meant.

They were good at it.

Too good.

We learned a lot

of lessons.

Man, we had to.

Wasn't enough

of anything.

Not even any mail.

So we read our old letters

over and over again.

I got one letter

off to ruth.

Then things got worse,

and there wasn't much time for writin'.

Where's that shambo?

I don't know.

Somebody oughta

take care of that.

Guess

somebody did.

I hear they got 4 of

our cruisers last night.

Now all the nip crews

has got to do

is sit out there tonight

and spit at us.

Anybody tell you

you're gettin' ripe?

That's all right,

i'm gettin' used to it.

Anyway,

jap stinks worse.

Gonna dig this hole

so deep,

it'll be just short

of desertion.

Got any dope?

Scuttlebutt's

the nips are landing up the coast a-ways.

Jawohl.

No sleep, no chow, no smokes, no mail,

not enough planes,

not enough navy, not enough doctors...

brother, we're hangin'

on the ropes,

and the referee's

up to 8.

You know something,

al...

we've been here

two weeks, already.

It's our

anniversary.

Remind me later,

i'll bake a cake.

Imagine me,

gettin' married in the morning

and leaving for

the embarkation point

that very noon.

No honeymoon?

No nothin'.

How do you like

this guy?

He gets married

in the morning

and embarks

in the afternoon.

It's like

buyin' oats for a dead horse.

Don't let him

rib you, lenny.

I wish i'd done

the same thing.

Why you guys

gangin' up?

Didn't you hear what

the lieutenant said?

Thought you were

takin' your legs

back to

the medical?

I'm ok.

It's time to relieve

those guys, ain't it?

Be dark in

a few minutes.

Let's make

a run for it.

Naw, they'd

cut you in two.

Then the two of us

should go.

Legs running

one way, torso the other.

Ha.

Diamond

comin' in.

Rivers

coming in.

Schmid coming in.

Too many in here,

get goin'.

Is that the straight dope

about them comin' over tonight?

Shove off,

knucklehead.

Ok by me.

Home and mother.

He didn't change

the bolt in this.

It's still burred.

Maybe there's

a spare bolt in the parts box.

Man:
Check your

water hose, al.

Water hose, clear.

No extra bolt.

Dandy.

Check the final

protective line.

Every time we relieve

those guys,

we have to have a traverse

and search exercise.

Check the

ready boxes, al.

Huh, not on.

What's the lay

of the base of that stunted tree?

That's 400 left...

up 10.

What do you make

that brush across the river?

Which one?

Right there,

right in front of that busted coconut pod.

The base point?

Yeah, yeah.

Come on, come on,

the light's failing.

Left 920...

come on,

come on...

down 6 mils.

Why don't those guys

learn how to make up a range card?

Hey, lee.

Here's a belt

with 1 in 3.

Stow it.

How many boxes you got

belt 1 and 5?

Here, you guys.

Hot potatoes.

Al:
Ha ha!

How do you like that?

Scared by a crab.

Ha!

Sand crab.

Doesn't this hole

smell bad enough

without you cracking

a crab in it?

What do you

expect me to do?

Pack it in ice

and ship it home?

When you two joes quit

discussing seafood,

there's a small matter

of a couple million nips across the river,

more or less.

Peeyoo.

This place stinks.

I'm gonna get some air.

Better put that back

before morning.

It'll be back.

It'll be back.

When they come,

i figure they'll cross the river at the sand bar.

It's darkest there.

Don't fire until then.

Move the machine guns

up the river,

the whole battalion's

dug in.

Hold your fire till

diamond's outfit opens up.

Once the nips

spot us,

boom, the mortars

begin.

Jawohl.

You're gonna speak

your piece tonight, baby.

Jawohl...

chop their heads off.

Al can tell you.

He saw me fight

in philly once.

Maybe they went

home.

No, no.

This is their chance.

They've been getting

reinforcements.

We haven't.

It'll come

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