Pride of the Marines Page #5

sooner or later.

I'll take sooner.

I'll take later.

Warm night.

Jawohl.

I'm thirsty.

I'm gonna kiss

my shamrock.

Just for luck.

Maybe a ship'll

come in tomorrow

with some mail

on it.

Why is it that

everything good

is always gonna

happen tomorrow?

Nah, nothing

will happen tonight.

I'm gonna flop.

Japanese man:

Tonight you die. Tonight you die.

Al:
Can you

see them?

Can you see

any of them?

No. But they're there.

That's their cheerleader

working up their nerve.

The shambos are getting

crocked again tonight.

Their version of chloe.

Sounds like they're

all looking for chloe.

Chloe, they're all

looking for you.

And most of 'em

are gonna find you.

It's starting.

It's starting.

We're getting

it now.

Keep down!

Al:
No. Don't look

till the last second.

All they gotta do is

wade across to get us.

Wish it were quicksand.

They won't come from

where they're shooting.

I think they're crossing!

There on the sand bars,

johnny!

That's them!

Wait.

Wait.

Fire at the wreckage.

Wait.

Now! Now! Fire!

The tree! The tree!

The best tree left!

...traverse!

Get up...

knock 'em over, boys!

One big bowling alley!

In the gutter!

Kill 'em!

Good boy.

You stopped 'em.

Don't waste your fire there.

That's pool sector.

Hit 'em in the...

hit 'em!

Come on. Hurry up.

On the double!

We're loading

as fast as we can.

Ok. Ok.

There's some

that crossed over.

Where?

On our side!

Fire, johnny, fire!

Take over. Take over!

I'll feed. I'll feed.

Over the sand bank.

The sand bank!

The sand bank!

Come on, you dirty...

right now! Attaboy!

I got him.

I got him!

They got

bill waters' gun.

You'll have to watch

that side, too.

I'll watch it.

I'll watch it.

How's johnny doing?

He's dead.

Right through

the head.

Oh, you yellow-bellied,

dirty, stinking, slimy pigs!

The best guy in the world.

Al!

Watch it! Don't get

trigger-happy.

Watch it! Watch it!

You hit?

No.

They got

the water jacket.

We're gonna get

a stoppage.

Where's that skivvy

who was yelling?

Never mind him!

Find that stinking

crumb for me!

Forget him.

Keep watching.

They'll be coming...

lee!

Push me out

of your way.

Where you hit?

Arm. Shoulder.

Get me out

of your way.

Get back, al.

Watch 'em.

I'll give you blood poison,

you ringtails!

Al, don't let 'em...

Japanese soldier: You die!

Tonight, you die!

Tonight you die.

Watch him.

Watch him, al.

Japanese soldier:

We come, you die.

We come...

eat dirt, tojo!

Eat dirt!

I'll shut you up.

I'll find you.

Short bursts, al.

No stoppage.

We'll hold 'em, lee.

We'll hold 'em.

Good ol' gun.

Don't jam on me,

sweetheart.

You suckers.

You think

i don't see you.

That got you rattled,

didn't it?

Come on. Come on.

Just try to get through.

Come on, suckers!

Thought you wanted

to have us in fear.

I'm still here.

I'm all staked out.

Staying here right till

the end of the world.

Lee, you hurt bad?

Stick it out, lee.

Get light soon.

We're holding.

Japanese man:

Tonight you die.

Tonight you die.

Just give me...

Why can't

i shut you up?

Why can't i

shut you up?

Tonight you die.

You ain't coming

so fast now.

What's the matter?

You don't like

what you're getting, do you?

Come on. There's

nobody in your way.

Just a couple

of marines.

Come on.

I'll take you.

One at a time

or in bunches.

Lee!

Al. Al.

My face.

L... i can't see.

My hands.

I can't see!

Lee:
Don't do it, al.

Don't do it.

Don't do it, al.

We'll get help soon.

Don't shoot yourself.

Shoot myself?

Just...

just tell me

where they are, lee.

Tell me where

they're coming from.

Show me

where they are.

I'll shoot 'em.

Tell me where

they are, lee.

Tell me where

they're coming from.

Show me

where they are.

Ruth, voice-over:

I didn't hear from al for a long time.

Philadelphia seemed

a long ways from the war,

but we thought of al

every day.

Man on loudspeaker:

Ruth hartley, telephone.

Hello?

Man:
Oh, ruth?

Oh, yes, uncle ralph.

There's a letter here

from the naval hospital in san diego.

I opened it.

Yes?

Yeah, it says

al is there and ok.

Oh, thank god,

uncle ralph. He's safe.

He can't write

right away,

but he wants you

to write him.

He sends lots of love.

He says to address

reply in care of miss virginia pfeiffer.

Virginia pfeiffer...

american red cross...

naval hospital,

san diego.

Al:
And as far as

the red cross workers are concerned,

why, they're ok,

like the one who brings me a letter.

As for me,

i'll take a girl named ruth every time.

You know, miss pfeiffer,

once out there,

ruthie mailed me

a curl of her hair,

and when

i opened the envelope, this curl fell out.

The guys ribbed

the daylights out of me.

From then on, i always used

to take her letters away somewhere to read.

You never know what was

gonna pop out of them.

Now, where was i,

miss pfeiffer?

"Well, i'll take a girl

named ruth every time"

yeah, well, um,

i guess that's all.

Oh, come on, al.

Give a little bit.

Think how many letters

she's written you.

Think how she wants

to come to you.

Well, what do i say?

Well, you want to tell

her about your gang?

Oh, yeah, sure.

We got a great gang of gyrenes here, ruthie.

A lot of them

from the canal.

Lee diamond,

who was with me at kebabian.

Um... where's

that ashtray, please?

On the desk,

by your hand.

Your right hand, al.

Oh, thanks.

Um, "the guadalcanal gophers

knitting society" we call ourselves.

More grab...

excuse me. Heh heh.

More horsin' around

than i've seen in a month of sundays.

Guess everybody's

sure glad they're alive.

Well, i guess that's all.

Um... isn't there

anything else you wanna tell her, al?

Like what?

About your eyes.

No.

Well, she'll have

to know sometime.

Look, after i've

had my operation,

after i can see again,

then i'll tell her,

then it'll be a big laugh

for both of us, understand?

Al, the doctor doesn't

promise you'll see after this operation.

Maybe they're...

i know

those doctors.

They never

promise anything.

I remember

the one onboard ship,

he kept telling me

i'd lose my leg because of that blood poisoning.

Didn't, did i?

They're both here, and they ain't cork.

And add this:

Ruthie, i've been saving the best part for the end.

You've been asking me

why i haven't been able to write to you myself.

Well, the reason

is... my hands.

L... i caught some

grenade fragments in them like a dumb boot,

but any day now,

you'll be getting a letter

written by

yours truly himself.

Al, this isn't any good!

You're just storing up

trouble for both of you.

Don't be a killjoy!

Here i am, sitting on top of the world.

Now, put this in.

Pretty soon,

i'll be coming home,

walking right up to

the steps of your house.

And don't you worry

about my hands, baby,

because when i

get them on you,

well, you'll know

they're all right.

Gosh, sweetheart,

i can hardly wait to see you.

I, uh...

oh, say it, al.

Just make-believe i'm a typewriter.

Don't be

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