So Proudly We Hail! Page #8

It's a hat.

Who can eat a hat?

I don't care.

It looks good enough to eat.

Say, is there

any mail for me?

Davy, isn't it wonderful?

Well, it's pretty cute.

A little impractical.

No, I mean the news.

What news?

There's a convoy, Davy!

Are you sure?

Who told you?

Kansas just came back

from Cebu with the news.

Yeah, and that hat.

We're going to celebrate.

Davy, could I speak to

you for a minute? Yeah.

I thought you'd like to know Ma

McGregor's son's been wounded, he's here.

Serious?

I haven't seen him.

I was just told he was here.

Thanks, Irma.

It's tough on the old battle

ax. Only boy, isn't he?

Yeah. I think

I'd better phone her.

Davy. Davy.

John.

I told you I'd be back.

For a minute I thought

I was hearing voices.

How long are you

going to be here?

Till morning.

How are you, darling?

I'm all right.

You look pretty tired.

I'm sort of glad there

aren't 25 hours in the day.

The news is wonderful,

though, isn't it?

Wonderful.

I came over with Ma.

How's the boy?

His legs have

been amputated.

Both of them?

There was nothing else

they could do.

Here she is.

He's been calling for you.

How is he?

Hello, Son.

Hello, Mother.

How do you feel?

I'm gonna be all right.

Fine thing to waste

an $18,000 pilot

getting wounded

with the infantry.

A pain, in my toes. I got

a terrible cramp, I guess.

No, not that one, Mother.

The other one.

Oh, darling!

What's the matter?

Hey, what's the matter, Ma?

Lie down, dear.

No.

Lie down. No, I want

to see. I want to...

Ma, my legs.

Where's my legs?

Ma, they promised me.

They've taken away my legs.

Archie, darling.

No. No.

You all right?

Yes.

For a minute, I thought

I was going to be sick.

Hold me, hold me close.

I'm horrible, I know,

but all the time

I just kept thinking of you.

Hey, take it easy.

Nothing's gonna happen to me.

Nurse. Miss Davidson.

Ma.

"O sovereign Lord, who desireth

not the death of a sinner,

"We beseech thee to loose the

spirit of this, thy servant,

"and set him free

from all evil

"that he may rest with all thy

saints in the eternal habitations."

Do you want

a drink of water?

No, thank you, Davy.

Lie down for a moment.

No, it's all over.

He never saw his father,

and his son

will never see him.

He has a child?

Three months old.

It's a pattern that

will go on, I suppose,

until we do make the world

a decent place to live in.

Well, I guess

we can go now.

Thank you, Davy. I'm glad you

called me so I could be here.

I can't say anything, Ma.

What can you say?

What can I say?

I bore a son

and he's dead.

I bore a son, a healthy,

muscular child who was a good son.

It used to break my heart just to

look at him, he was so beautiful.

The handsomest son

in the world

and now I have

no heart to break.

Like his father, he died

for what he knew was right.

He was right, my son

and his father

and this time,

if we don't make it right,

my son and his father and all our

dead will rise up and destroy us.

I'm sending McGregor

to Corregidor,

so I want you and your staff to

report to Little Baguio in the morning,

take over in her place.

Yes, sir.

Do you know if there are any

nurses coming on the convoy?

What convoy?

What convoy? The one we've

been celebrating all day.

There isn't any convoy.

It's been sunk.

There've been

desperate measures taken

to get others through to us,

but only a few small vessels

have succeeded.

Not enough to mean much.

Is it as bad as all that?

MacArthur left tonight.

Left Bataan? He was ordered

off. He's gone to Australia.

But why?

Because he's needed more there

than he is here, I guess.

He didn't want to go.

Well, maybe I better

tell the others.

No, don't do

anything about it.

A good evening

of relaxation might help.

What they don't know

won't hurt them.

No, I suppose not.

Especially when

what they do know does.

Good night, Janet.

Good night, sir.

Little Baguio, which was

another hospital base,

was high up

in the Mariveles mountains.

It had been bombed

some days before we arrived.

The emperor himself

apologized for the bombing.

"So sorry."

When we got there, Davy

made us make a huge cross

with tarpaulins

in front of the wards.

She gave them the benefit of the

doubt, though even she didn't doubt.

Do you think

this will do any good, Davy?

I don't know. Perhaps we're only

providing them with an easier target.

I don't know whether that's

an air raid warning or mess.

Either way,

it's a warning.

Come on, kids,

let's go eat our slop.

What's the matter, Ethel?

I'm all right. Too

much rich food, I guess.

Who's in the children's ward?

Joan. She said she didn't

mind doing my shift.

Come on. You need some

rest. I'll take care of her.

Thanks, Patterson.

I don't know how she does it. Who?

Joan. She doesn't ever

seem to get any sleep.

I've never seen

anybody do so much.

I'm worried about her. Something

seems to be driving her on.

Go over and give her a hand, will

you, Sadie? I'll relieve you later.

That's really hitting

below the belt.

Davy! Davy!

What happened to her?

She fainted.

I've warned her.

Joan. Joan!

No, no, no. You stay down

there now. Sadie'll take over.

Nobody's going to take over

for me. I feel fine now.

Joan, don't.

What you need is some sleep.

That's what's wrong with you.

I can't sleep.

Well, maybe you can try.

I can't, I don't

want to sleep.

All I do is dream

about Livvie.

Now, Joan, you must forget

that. That wasn't your fault.

I know, it was nobody's fault.

But that's not it.

Don't you understand? I've got

to do what she'd have done, too.

But that's not the point.

I know what the point is.

When we joined the Army, I

don't know about the rest of you

but I had a feeling

that we might be in a war

and I don't want to feel when this is

over that maybe I could've done more.

You're just trying

to do too much.

What did we swear to when we joined

the Red Cross, do you remember?

"I solemnly pledge myself

before God

"that I'll devote myself to the

welfare of those committed to my care."

And it didn't say how many

or how much.

Joan, that's the way

we all feel.

Maybe we do a lot

of grousing sometimes,

but that's one of the

privileges we're fighting for.

Now, all I ask you to do is

lie down for an hour, or so

and then you can do

whatever you want.

Thanks. That's all I want

in my own way.

Come on.

Come on, now, you lie

down for a little while.

Thanks, Davy.

I feel better.

You know, that's the first time

in my life I've ever fainted.

Before the war, many's the time

I could've used a good faint,

but the guys I know would've

thought it was phony.

I wasn't taking any chances.

There's my dream hero.

Davy, don't say anything.

No, I won't.

Now what are you doing

down here again, you...

Kansas, what's wrong?

We're getting

the pants beat off us.

You're not quitting,

Kansas?

No, we're just making what's

known as a "strategic withdrawal."

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