Sands of Iwo Jima Page #3

Am I right?

I think I'm right.

- Hey, Conway, got a pass?

- I have.

All right, hop in. I'll give you a lift.

- I hear you got a girl in town.

- What if I have?

- They say she's a very nice girl.

- They talk too much.

Are you serious about her?

With things the way they are, this is no

time to start getting serious with a girl.

Don't know how long you're gonna

be here or when you'll be back again.

Don't even know how long you'll live.

If it's in the line of duty, you can tell me

to do something and I'll do it.

As for my personal life,

keep your hands off.

- Your father would've said it.

- I wouldn't have listened.

- You never did.

- How do you know?

- He told me.

- What did he say?

I'll tell you. He said

I was a disappointment, right?

He said I wouldn't be able

to stand up for myself, right?

- You're doing the talking.

- No, my father is.

Every time you open your mouth, he's

talking. Every thought you think is his.

It's as though he's at my shoulder.

But he didn't always say

or think the right thing.

You're gonna find that out when the

time comes. Until then leave me alone.

- You want a lift or not?

- Yeah, sure.

- What's the matter?

- Nothing. Why?

- You've hardly said a word.

- You're right. I've been thinking.

- About us?

- Myself.

That's selfish.

Honey, do you think I'm a brave man?

- What a funny question to ask.

- Well, do you?

I don't know. Why?

- I've got to prove something to someone.

- Who?

You don't know him. He's dead now.

Yes, Pete, I think you're brave.

That helps. You don't know

how much that helps.

Let's not talk about it any more.

We should have been talking about

ourselves all this time,

what's going to happen to us.

- What do you want to happen?

- I want to marry you.

I want that, too.

Funny, we barely know each other.

We see each other for what seems

only moments. And yet...

I know what you mean.

- Choynski, not going to the wedding?

- No.

I'd better get a transfer. I can't learn

this bayonet business. I'm all thumbs.

- On guard.

- No, Sarge, not again!

- I'm not well from the last time.

- On guard!

- Play that thing again. You lead.

- What?

You lead!

Shift your weight.

Left, left!

There. Keep it up.

You'll get the knack of it.

Practise that

about a half an hour every day.

Hey, Sarge! I got it!

I haven't been in church since I was 14.

- Kissing the bride's a great invention.

- Sure makes me homesick.

- What's the matter?

- He looks the same.

- How do you expect him to look?

- Married, wrinkled, worried, like me.

- 44 hours and 34 minutes left. Go!

- Excuse me, sports.

Here's your wedding present

from the gang.

You've all been wonderful.

- Are you sure you've got the right guy?

- I'm sure.

Come on, get going!

- "Sempre felice", Mac!

- Keep the situation well in hand, Pete!

We got 44 hours and 33 minutes.

What are we gonna do?

Al, if I was a girl, I'd marry you.

Knock it off! I've had a hard day.

What am I doing?

44 hours and 32 minutes.

That isn't very long, is it?

No, not long at all.

I wonder how many other people

have had 44 hours and 32 minutes.

Lots I guess.

- We'll make it seem a long time.

- Years.

- Shall I open it?

- Sure, go ahead.

They're in a hurry!

Others were in a hurry.

The order said move out

and the Marines moved out.

11 days at sea. Destination?

Only the top brass knew.

Though, of course, scuttlebutt knew the

answer, a hundred answers, all wrong.

Boat Squad... halt, one, two!

Dismissed!

Too bad you couldn't see her again.

You didn't get long.

We knew it might happen.

I'll be back. I've got to believe that.

- Sure. We'll all be back.

- Gangway!

That's no way to carry a flag, Regazzi.

I've got to teach you everything.

Now watch this...

What are you gonna do with this, Benny?

I'm gonna put that up in Tokyo,

right in the middle of Times Square.

- There isn't any Times Square in Tokyo.

- There will be when I get there.

Now that's the way to fold a flag,

with the blue field showing.

What do you know!

- You got my shirt!

- It's my shirt!

- I'm telling you, it's my shirt!

- It's my shirt!

Here, fellas. You'd better

quit fighting so much.

If you don't, one of you's apt to get hurt.

Corpsman! Corpsman!

- What's that?

- Relax. It's the Navy clearing its throat.

Sure don't sound like no squirrel gun.

I hope they practise real good. What

island do you think we're aiming at?

We'll get word.

- Here it is.

- It looks like a pork chop.

- What's its name?

- Tarawa.

Never heard of it. It's the wrong place.

It's part of an atoll called Tarawa Atoll.

This particular island is called Betio.

Don't ask me how you spell it.

You'll have to stick your faces into it

but you don't have to spell it.

- This is Red Beach Three. That's us.

- What have they got there?

Everything. This island's held

by a special naval landing force.

That means Japanese marines.

They're dug in and they're mean.

They'd just as soon die as stick a nickel

in a jukebox, but that's all right.

Let the other guy die for his country.

You'll live for yours.

- What's the matter?

- Nothing.

- Get over there.

- I can hear him.

Get over there. I don't want anybody

hurt because you didn't listen.

- Schoolteacher, do me some homework.

- What's your problem, son?

Put down 5,000. Scuttlebutt says

that's how many Nips are on that rock.

- The Navy fired 1,000 tons of shells.

- Don't forget the fly-fly boys.

Those B-24s have really

been working them over.

Now add the tons of explosives, divide it

by the Nips and get the answer.

- Maybe we'll be back for noon chow.

- Don't figure that way.

The Navy and the fly-fly boys unloaded

plenty on the canal before we went in.

When we got ashore there were still a lot

of those lemon-coloured guys waiting.

Only way that island was taken

was by putting marines on the beach.

You've heard the naval foray's a waste

of time and metal. Stryker knows better.

- Who cut you in on this conversation?

- You say when I can and can't talk?

- Just when you can't talk to me.

- Knock it off, Conway.

I've had enough of your "hardbitten

sergeant" attitude.

You're so big everybody's been afraid

to take a punch at you. I'm not!

Cool off!

Forget that pencil and paper routine and

worry about staying alive on that beach.

- Don't expect any soft touch!

- "Now hear this"!

All troops report

to your debarking stations!

All right, men, sound off

when your name's called.

Now hear this,

there'll be no movies tonight!

The place is opened up for business.

- Missed!

- Maybe they're firing blanks.

- Maybe a two-headed kid's aiming.

- Maybe this is just manoeuvres.

Get out now. We're crossing the line

of departure. Lock and load!

- Good luck, Sarge!

- Charlie, give me a hand here!

Lieutenant, hit the deck! How is it?

I got hit!

Corpsman! You'll be all right.

They got us pinned down!

We can't get over these logs!

- I'm going while I can!

- Stay here, kid!

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