"We were in downtown Norfolk, up on about the third story in a restaurant." "And we heard it and they flooded the streets and they were hollering and dancing and carrying on..." "And we were right there with them." "And it was the happiest day." "It was the happiest day." "By the time you come out, you're not like you were when you went in." "You've aged a whole lot." "It was a struggle to try to get it into your mind that you were actually back in the States." "And you just kept thinking that you were gonna wake up and find it was all a dream." "Growing up, my bedroom was next to my parents' bedroom." "And I can remember many a night my father screaming" " Screaming, having a nightmare..." " Right, he did." "and then I would hear my mother's voice trying to calm him down." "Trying to wake him up to calm him down." "He had a very strong will, so he tried to overcome what was bothering him." "But it lasted his entire life." " That's John Basilone." " So who the hell is John Basilone?" "Jesus, you live in a cave?" "The guy killed like 1000 Japs on the 'canal." "The President gave him a medal." "He's a hero." "Woke up one day and I was 30 years old" "Satisfied." "Then you walk in." " I reenlisted." " I see." "They can ship me out whenever they want." "Dear Vera," "There are things men can do to one another that are sobering to the soul." "It is one thing to reconcile these things with God, another to square it with yourself." "I don't want to look into your eyes someday and see no spark, no love, no life." "That would break my heart." "I told you to cease fire." "I see you with a sidearm." "We were all sent here to kill Japs, weren't we?" "So what the hell difference does it make what weapon we use?" "I'd use my goddamn hands if I had to." "Dropped some kind of new bomb on the Jap mainland." "Vaporized an entire city in the blink of an eye." "Killed a lot of Japs." "Let's go, 2nd platoon." "Line up." "Let's go." "Get in there tight." ""and the people went their ways, each to his own ship." "Then bethought them of the blessed boon of sleep;" "But Achilles still wept for thinking of his dear comrade, and sleep, before whom all things bow, could take no hold upon him." "This way and that did he turn as he thought of all they had done together," "And all they had gone through"" "Hey, you're not listening to me." "Oh, no, sure we are." ""...thought of all they had done together, and all they had gone through both on the fields of battle" "and the waves of the weary seas."" "How about a comic, Amos?" "I've got "Snookums," "Phantom, "Blondie."" "What's your favorite?" " The Japs surrendered." " Man:" "What?" " What did he say?" " The war is over." "Man #2:" "Did you hear that?" "Definite." "On the radio." " Man #3:" "The war's over!" " The war's over." "It's over." "It's over." " Can you believe it?" " Yes!" "It's over!" "It's over!" "I need a drink!" " Man #2:" "What do you got?" " Come on now." " Here, open wide." " You're wasting it." "You see that?" "Line of stars angling up?" " Yup." " That's Snafu's pecker." "Hey, boys." "You've got a nice little party going on down there, lieutenant." "Ah." "A little victory party." "Can't believe it's over, huh?" "Sort of a "what do you do now?"" "Here." "Have a little V-J day party of your own." "Thanks, lieutenant." ""What do we do now?"" "What an idiot." "Well, I'll show you what I'm doing now." "Well, there it is:" "My first official act of peacetime." "Snaf." "Jesus." "Nothing's changed." "I thought the same thing when I got back." "Funny." "Here." "There." "You can keep the change." "I ain't touching that." "I might've jumped into Normandy, but at least I got some liberties in London and Paris." "You GI-rines, you got nothing but jungle rot and malaria." "Welcome home." "If you'd just given us some warning" "A phone call, a telegram or something." "There." "Ah." "We'll get this stuff out of here first thing." "I don't know where we're gonna put it all." "Well, half this junk we can throw away." "That's not what you said when we lugged it all up here." "Oh, that was four years ago." "I'll clear a corner and make do." "Absolutely not." "We will have this place spic and span as always." "This whole box can go to the junk man." "Let's give him a moment." "Can we have three cokes?" "I could stand for some whiskey instead of that." "Coming up." "There you go." " Burgin:" "Thanks, Snaf." " Snafu:" "My pleasure." "Hiya." "I'm Merrielle Shelton." "How about I take you to the back of the train and you could show me your caboose?" " Man:" "Ouch." " Did I tell you?" "Feisty." "Snafu just got pinked on the train home." "If we'd had been here six months ago, that broad would've given us all blowjobs." "Lied to again." "This entire division didn't do that "plus six months" horseshit we did." "They got home a week after V-J day, parades, pretty girls." "1946, the party's all over." "Not so much as a complimentary beer." "Somebody had to stay and clean up after the war." "I suppose I'm gonna have to get a job too." " Doing what?" " I don't know." "Anything between digging ditches and owning a bank." "Nah." "First I've got to get Florence home." " Wait." "Florence from Melbourne?" " Mm-hmm." "You're shipping her all the way over here and this is the first we hear about it?" "Come on, Snaf." "That was in Okinawa." "Figured it'd be bad luck to talk about it then." " Well, when is she coming?" " I don't know." "I cabled her, but we've been at sea." "I guess I'm gonna find out soon enough whether I'm getting married or not." "What about you, Sledgehammer?" "I'm just hoping this Florence girl comes to her senses." "You got a job lined up in Mobile?" "No." "No job, no girl," " No plans." " How long do you think that's gonna last?" "As long as the sheriff lets me." "I'm gonna get that girl." " Oh, leave her alone." " You boys watch." " I'm gonna get that girl." " You've been saying that about every girl since San Diego." "Mrs. Basilone," "I'm Lena." "I recognize you from the photos Johnny sent." "Well, come in." "Lena..." "He says you're beautiful." "George." "I heard so much about you." "The last time I saw him in Honolulu, he couldn't stop talking about you." "He was just about to ship out." "Would you like a coffee?" "No." "Thank you." "I'm fine." "Please, sit down." "Thank you." "You have a very nice home." "Thank you." "The 4th marines are mustered out." "How about you?" "I'm waiting for orders." "Hurry up and wait." "Do you-- do you need anything?" "No." "No, I'm not here for" "John's insurance money is gonna help you out, right, Lena?" "Actually, he never signed the papers." "He never signed?" "That's $10,000." "It's okay." "I'm all right." "I saw his grave on Iwo." "He's got lots of good marines on all sides of him." "He" "He would've appreciated that." "Are you sure about that coffee?" "Maybe something stiffer?" "No." "I came by because" "I thought you should have this." " There's my little brother." " Porter:" "Jewett!" "Jewett, Texas!" "No sign of Florence." "Melbourne's a hell of a long way, Burgie." "It'll take Florence a while to get from Australia to here." "Thanks..." "For doing all you did to keep us from getting our fool heads shot off." "You're good marines." " It's him." " It is?" "It's Robert." "You made quite an entrance, Bob." "The whole room is buzzing." "I hope they meet their deadlines." "We're all mighty proud of you, proud of all you soldiers." "I was a marine." "We're proud of all of you." "So now you're back." "I'm guessing you're here for a job." "That's why they made you the editor." "I'll take my former position." "Well, you still want to cover local sports?" "Yup..." "To start with." "Here's why:" "That guy you've got writing the column right now" "He's got no snap, no style." "The prose just lays there like spilled ink on newsprint." "You need to send him to obits and give me his desk." " I do?" " For the sake of the paper." "And when did you see me demoting him and hiring you?" " Today is good." " Today?" "Bergen Catholic plays Don Bosco prep this afternoon." "The kickoff is at 3:00, so..." "I'd better get going." "Shouldn't we talk about salary?" "$10 a week raise will do it." " I will give you $7." " I'd have taken $5." "What are you looking at?" "Are you a Jap?" "Honestly, 'cause you sneak up like one." "You are spying on Vera Keller." " My God." " Ma." "She never gave you the time of day." "And she's dating an officer, of course." "Look at that fancy car." "Did you come up here for a reason?" "To get you to stop banging on that typewriter." "It's called working, ma." "Not sitting there like that, it isn't." "Look at this mess." "Mmm, your dress blues." "You've never even worn them." "I think you would've looked nice in them." "New Orleans Crescent city, home to the delta blues and the French quarter." "Watch your wallets, pockets and watches." "This is New Orleans." "Hot links!" "Get your hot links here!" "Hey, how about a hot link?" " Yes?" " Mrs. Keller." "Yes." "I'd like to speak to Vera, please." "And who shall I say is calling?" "Robert Leckie, Mrs. Keller." "I've lived across the street from you for the last 20 years." "Of course." "Welcome home, Robert." "Let me just see if she can come to the door." "Bob Leckie." "You're back." "I was afraid you wouldn't remember me either." "Oh, I remember you." "The last time I saw you was in church right before you shipped out." "So..." "You look well." "Nice uniform." "Thank you." "I've been wondering if you would grant me the pleasure of taking you out." "You want to take me out?" "Yes, I do." "Uh, I have a date tonight." "When the doorbell rang, I thought you were him." "Well, there he is." "Nice car." "Hey." "Robert Leckie." "Charles Dunworthy." " Vera." " Mmm." "Army, huh, Charlie?" "Where'd you serve?" "I just graduated from West Point." "Lieutenant." "Congratulations." "Too bad you missed the whole show." "Vera..." "How about another time?" "Maybe tomorrow night?" "What's going on here?" "I just asked Vera if she'd like to have dinner." "Huh." "Nice try." "She's not interested." "Actually, I don't have any plans for tomorrow night." "Oh, is that right?" "Really?" "Obviously I've been wasting a lot of gasoline." "Good night, Vera." "Well, it looks like I am free for dinner tonight." "So what are you gonna do now that you're home?" "Oh, I'm back writing for "the Bergen County Record."" "Oh, we don't get "the Record."" "I'll talk to subscriptions." "You're staring." "Oh." "I'm sorry." "No." "Actually, I'm not." "Three years ago in a miserable part of the Pacific," "I was laying in the mud, dreaming about a moment like this with you." "You get right to it, don't you?" "In the mud?" "Afraid so." "You must've been through a lot." "Well, here we are." " Mm-hmm." " So what's next?" "I don't know." "I didn't get that far." "And why me?" "Why not Rita Hayworth or Betty Grable?" "Because I know you." "Bob, you don't" "You don't really know me." "You're right." "Yeah." "I think" " I don't" "I don't know how to do this." "Bob, you're doing fine." "This is fine." "It's a start." "You know, I wrote you a lot of letters while I was over there." "You did?" "I didn't get any." " I never sent 'em." " Why?" "I thought" "I didn't think I was gonna make it," "So it didn't matter if I sent 'em or not." "Can I read them now?" "I don't have 'em anymore." "Rain on Cape Gloucester erased every word." "What were they like, these letters?" "Best stuff I ever wrote." "Hey, buddy." "I appreciate you coming." "Thanks so much for picking me up." " Hi, fella." "How are you?" " Good to see you." "You gonna take this for me or what?" "Good to see you, Eugene." "We'll just drive up to Chickasaw." "So good to see you." "What's with the MacArthur bit?" " Huh?" " The Mammy Yokum." "Popeye the Sailor." "It calms me down." "Packing it, cleaning it" "I always have something to do." "What do you remember about Mary Houston?" " Mary Houston?" " Yeah." "The Mary Houston?" "Well, like everybody else in Mobile," " I was in love with Mary Houston." " That's too bad for you." " She's marrying me." " Yeah, sure she will" " The minute she goes blind." " Well, I asked her." "She said yes, so you're just gonna have to deal with it, brother." "You're saying that Mary Houston is gonna be Mary Houston Phillips?" "In the eyes of God and the law." "Well, what am I gonna hear next?" "That Martians landed downtown?" "They're setting up a hotel?" "I want you to be my best man." "If you think that I'm gonna stand at the altar and lose Mary Houston to the likes of you" " Well, hell yes!" " Come on, Eugene!" "Hey, come on!" "Right here is fine, Sid." "Are you sure this is good?" "Yup." "See you later." "Welcome home, Eugene." "Oh!" "Hand me your plate right there, will you?" " Mary:" "Yes, give him a big slice." " A nice big slice." "How many would you like?" "Thank you." "Honey, would you like some corn?" " Yes, thank you." " I'll get you some corn." "I can help you set." "Eat up, sweetheart." "Now are you sure you don't want anymore?" " We should have a little toast." " Oh, that's lovely, yes." "To Edward's new wife and the boys being he." "Here's a little souvenir that I brought back from Prague." " My lord." " Edward, it's extraordinary." "It was floating along the ground in this forest that me and my buddy Jack were sitting in." "I ran over and I picked it up..." "Stop!" "No!" "I didn't get any sleep for the longest time." "I still can't, really." "I toss and turn like crazy." "Martha doesn't complain, but I know I keep waking her up." "Give me your coffee." "I like Martha." "You're a lucky man." "You'll be married..." "Someday." "And just how did my little brother do during his time in the service?" "There weren't any women in my corner of the Pacific." "Only nurses and they were off-limits." "Jesus..." "H. You went through the entire war and retained your virginity?" "Well, your lonely nights are numbered, Gene." "Every single girl in Mobile is out to land a fighting man." "At the O.O.M. ball, you'll have a leg up on all those desk pilots." "Who says I want a leg up on anybody?" "You show up at that ball, decked out in your uniform, and all the ripe fruit will fall off the tree right at your feet." "You know, Edward, I don't believe I will." "You're gonna pass on the O.O.M. ball?" "No." "I don't believe I will ever put on a uniform again." "Ever." " Registration?" " You." "That's right, 'cause if you don't do it, they're gonna make you get back in line again." "Service number right here." "If you could just head up back there, that'd be great." "Thank you." "You're looking to register for classes, Mr. Sledge?" " I'm thinking about it." " Good choice." "Alabama Polytechnic is the best." "Which branch did you serve in?" "I was in the marine corps, miss." ""U.S.M.C."" "And did you attend any special schools while in the marine corps?" "Just boot camp." "Weapons school." "I was in a mortar squad." "Okay." "Did you do any accounting?" "No, miss." "Any journalism?" "None at all." "Any engineering, technical skills?" "I had to handle explosives." "Okay." "Isn't there anything the marine corps taught you that you can continue at 'bama Poly?" "They taught me how to kill Japs." "I got pretty damn good at it." " Oh, I just love this song." " I know." "Uh, excuse me." "I saw you making a break for it." "I thought you could use a punch properly spiked." "Thank you." "Drink fast." "If Mary catches us, she'll have me back inside dancing all night." "You see that?" "That's why I'm still a bachelor." "I don't dance until Eugene Sledge wants to dance." "How did all this happen?" "I mean look at us, Sid, sitting here at a dance, drinking punch." "Not a scratch on either of us." "I mean what the hell are we doing here?" "And why-- why did I end up back here when all those other fellas didn't?" "I thought that." "Every guy back has thought that." "But you've just got to pull yourself out of bed in the morning and get on with the day." "You do that enough times in a row, you forget some things." "For a while, anyway." " Sidney Phillips." " Yeah." "Will you get back in here and dance with the woman who loves you?" "I'm coming, boss lady." "Why don't you come on in?" "I'll wrangle you a partner." "No." "No." "Look at these televisions." "There isn't but two hours of programs and they're asking $300 a set." "Sounds like the future to me." "I'm gonna run down to Murphy's and buy one as soon as I have the money for a down payment." "On a reporter's salary?" "And how about this railroad strike?" "It's crippled traffic across the country." "Room on the table, please." " Well, how do they work?" " Is that creamed spinach?" "The waves are collected by a receiver, shot through an electron gun onto a vacuum screen." "Always with the answers." "It's called a cathode ray tube." " Those things heat up, you know..." " Thank you." " ..." "Catch on fire." "John:" "So you think you're going down to Murphy's to get yourself a television set?" "Well, there aren't any." "Nothing's being delivered." "Why creamed spinach?" "Man #2:" "I think the army should take over the railroads." "That'll teach 'em." "Right, Bob?" "You know they transmit from the top of the Empire State building?" "I bet in five years everyone's gonna want one." "Steel workers and electrical workers are also on strike." "Who's next?" "We just won the war and now they're holding us hostage." "We didn't fight for a bunch of greedy strikers." "What did we fight for?" "I thought it was to beat the Japs and the Nazis." "I'm just saying, the country won't survive these strikes." "Too bad we didn't lose the war, then the Japs would have all these problems." " Very funny." " Man:" "Bob, we all appreciate the sacrifice you made on our account." "You know what I fought for?" "Television." "Foddy, ask the blessings, please." "Our father... who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." "Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us." "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." " Amen." " Amen." " Leckie:" "Amen." " Amen." "Amen." "I thought we'd start at what's left of that old fence down by the creek." "I've been looking forward to this morning for a long time." "Just the two of us and a grand morning." "Eugene?" "I'm sorry." "I can't." "It's all right." "You don't have to apologize to me, Eugene." "I reckon the dove population is gonna be mighty happy this morning." "Honestly, Eugene," "You look like a gangster with those glasses on." "Your brother's coming for supper this evening." "Evidently, he's been named some kind of supervisor at the bank." "Better get our money out of that bank." "I'm sure Edward could arrange a starting position for you at the bank." "I'm never going to work in a bank, mother." "Well, you need to make a plan for the future." "My plan is to do nothing for a while." "How long is "a while," Eugene?" "Leave him alone, Mary Frank." "The boy is idle, Edward." " He is not a boy." " Well, he's acting like one." "Mary Frank, you have no idea, what men like him have been through." "Now go on." "Let him be."