" That's a monkey, Jake." " Yeah." "I missed him, anyway." "I'd hate to have hit him by mistake for a Jap." " Let's go, boys." " What?" "Yeah." "We're movin' out again." "Too bad we can't quit retreatin' and make a stand this time." "Yes, it is too bad." "We've already moved half way down the Bataan Peninsula." " We can't back up further." " Not without gettin' our feet wet." "Sergeant, you and Corporal Feingold are to report to Captain Lassiter of the 26th Calvary about the special duty you volunteered for." "Better get started." "It won't seem like the same war without you around in my outfit." "I heard any place you're at, it's the same war." "It's not right when the infantry takes orders from the calvary." "That's because you're prejudiced." "Wound?" "Bunion." "Maybe we ought to take this thing along with us, huh, Jake?" "I think you got somethin' there, Sarge." "It saved our lives this time." "Soldier!" "Holy Mack!" "If that stuff had blown up, it would've knocked those planes out of the sky." "I get your point." "That's Captain Lassiter over there in front of the hospital." "Wait." "So long." "See you down south somewhere." " So long, Lieutenant." " Good luck, boys." " You in on this too, Soldier?" " Yeah, I guess I am." "Do you know this Captain Lassiter?" "No, I don't." "You see, us engineers don't mix much with the cavalry." "By the time they get here we're usually gone, and vice versa." " Captain Lassiter?" " Yeah?" "Sergeant Bill Dane, 31st Infantry." "Reporting for duty." "Private Francis Xavier Matowski, 3rd Engineer Battalion." "Corporal Jake Feingold." "4th Chemical Company." "Feingold?" "Excuse me a minute, Captain." "Feingold, I can't see your name on the list." " Lost my squad, Captain." "Hitched up with the 45th, and got shot loose from that outfit." "So, here I am." "I got a little tired of bein' an orphan." "If the Captain's got any work, I'd sure like to get it." "He served four hitches with the regulars." "All right, we can use you." "You join up with the patrol in the grove." "Up the slope, against the cliffs." "That will be our center of operations." "Good spot." "You men better get on over there." "Okay, Sergeant." " I asked for my own sergeant, naturally." " Yeah." "A sniper got him a couple of hours ago." "I wish I knew you better, Sergeant." "This is the first time I've met the Captain." "Well, so we start even." "What's your record?" "Two enlistments, no serious demerits." "Takes handling, it says in the company book." "I got out of West Point in '40." "We'll get along." "Our orders are to demolish this bridge to prevent a breakthrough." "Our job to keep the Japs from moving their tanks and artillery here." "Stop 'em any way we can." " For how long?" " For as long as we can." "The idea is General MacArthur needs time to reorganize and consolidate down below." "If the Japs can flank our main army by pouring heavy stuff through this pass, the Battle of Bataan's going to be all over too soon." "That's our patrol, Sergeant, over there in that grove." "We've got some natural advantages." "Being up on that shelf ought to give us some protection." "That cliff at the back ought to help us a lot." "Here's the detail." "Any of the names familiar?" "Yeah, a few of 'em." "Well, they're a mixed crew." "All experts in their own line." "They've never served together before." "This assignment isn't going to be easy on anybody, Sergeant." "Are you satisfied?" "Can you handle the men?" "Well, if the Captain thinks so." "We'll get along." "Oh, Captain!" "Captain Lassiter!" "What'd you do with your plane?" "She's in the grove, all stowed away and camouflaged." "Lieutenant Bentley, 5th Interceptor Command." "This is Corporal Katigbak, Philippine Army Air Force." "They'll be staying with us for now till we get our ship in the air, and if." "The Lieutenant'll want to borrow two men to help work on his ship." "Better check the patrol now." "How'd you like to draw them in a raffle?" ""Are any of the names familiar to you, Sergeant?" says the Captain." "What difference does it make what their names are?" "Three months ago they were all selling shoes or punching adding machines." "Do you see a soldier in that lot?" "I said "soldier."" "You can't always tell." "Some of those kids learn pretty good." "Kind of quick." "My name's Dane." "Bill Dane." "You can call me Sergeant." "That'll be easy to remember." "All right, fall in over here." "I said, fall in!" "At ease." "We'll have a few minutes to organize before the Japs send their planes." "When they report back, we'll have a little more time to get organized." "So, let's get organized." "Sound off, Sailor." "Name and classification." "Name's Leonard Purckett." "Musician, 2nd Class, United States Navy, sir." "We don't say "sir" to sergeants in the Army, Sailor." "How'd you get here?" "I started from Cavite by boat but the Japs laid a few eggs on the boat so what there was left of us swum." "I kind of lost the other boys somewheres and then, first thing I knowed, I was here in the Army." "I joined the Navy to see the world." "Reckon this is still part of it." "Fine." "We want to know all the interesting facts about you." "Well, sir, before I joined the Navy I was an usher in a movie and played in our town band." "And this here's my cornet." "I'm glad you brought that." "Where are the rest of your sidearms?" " Hang 'em onto you." " Yes, sir." "I mean, Sergeant." "Yankee Salazar, Private, 4th Engineer Battalion, Philippine Scouts." "It seems to me I saw you box somewhere." "Maybe Thanksgiving, Manila Olympics Club?" "I fight the windup." "Knocked him out in the fourth." "Yeah, I was there." "You did a nice, handy job." "Matthew Hardy, Private." "12th Medical Battalion." "Felix Ramirez, Private." "Provisional Tank Corps." " National Guard?" " Yeah." "192nd Tank Battalion California." "Wesley Eeps, Private." "3rd Engineer Battalion." "You're quite a hand at demolition." "Had no complaints from officers." "We got the explosives necessary to fix the bridge?" "Private Matowski and me made a special collection." "We didn't get time for signed requisitions for some of what we collected, Sarge." "As long as you collected enough right stuff there'll be no kick out of me." "You men served together quite awhile?" " Only since December 1." " Where are you from?" "Pittsburgh, Pa." "And I sure will be glad to get back." "Malloy, Sam." "Motor Transport Service." "Cook." "Present." "Corporal Jake Feingold, 4th Chemical Company, U.S.A." "Barney Todd, Corporal, Provisional Signal Battalion." "Todd?" "Yeah, Todd." "T-o-d-d, two d's." "How long you been in?" "I enlisted in San Francisco, February 5, 1941." "Volunteered for duty in the Philippines, September 11, 1941." "Anything else you'd like to know?" "I'm sure Captain Lassiter can tell you." "I was attached to his troop in Lingayen." "Relax." "That's reconnaissance, not bombers." "Patrol present and accounted for." "All right, Sergeant." "Give the men their orders." "We're going to blow that bridge." "When the Japs get here, they'll try to rebuild it." "We'll keep on blowing it up." "This is where we stay." "Got good cover." "It'll be hard to get at us." "We can do a lot of harm to the Japs when they come out in the open." "We got lots to do and little time." "Step out as I call your names." "Hardy!" "Malloy!" "Get that stuff stored away then break out your entrenching tools." "Strengthen defenses as and where you can." "Feingold!" "Salazar!" "Set the machine guns up." "Train 'em to cover the bridge." "Shoot at anything that moves." "Todd, Eeps, Matowski, Ramirez..." "Pack that demolition stuff down at the bridge, on the double!" "Purckett!" "Get in the way as little as possible." "Put that gear on!" " How long have you been out here?" " About two years." "I've been here four months." "Anytime you get an idea while we're together on this job give your orders to the men." "You don't have to waste time asking me first tryin' to make me look good." "And anytime I give an order that sounds wrong to you, tell me why." "We'll get things done better and easier that way." "That sounds fine to me, Captain." "Todd?" "Yeah?" "First hitch in the Army?" "I was a little young for World War I." "You could've made it." "You keep reminding me of a guy I knew a few years back right after I joined up." "Yeah?" "His name was Burns." "Burns?" "Yeah, Dan Burns, or so he said then." "He was a corporal." "Same as me." "Yeah, same as you." "I don't think that's healthy, Corporal smoking close to the stuff we just scattered around here." "That'll worry me?" "What you think?" "Get rid of it!" " All right, men, clear the bridge." " Clear the bridge!" "Hey, Sarge, whatever become of this guy you say I look like?" "I'd like to know." "Sooner or later I'll find out." "I'll personally see to it that he stands up on a parade-ground scaffold and hangs." " Like he should've done seven years ago." " What'd he do?" "Killed a boy who took him in a stud game, buck private in our outfit." "Shot him in the back." "I had the MP detail right then, so I took this Burns in charge." "That was a break for him." "I felt kind of sorry for him, same as I would for any soldier who gets in a jam." "He double-crossed me, went over the hill." "That's too bad." "Yeah." "Yeah, his getaway cost me my stripes and my chance for Officers' School." "You got quite a little against him." "Enough." "He probably knows that." "Sure he does." "Well, you know if I was you and this..." "Burns?" " Burns." "If he comes around me again, I'd look out for him." "I figure to." "He's liable to try to knock you off to keep you from turning' him in." "I don't know." "His kind, as long as you don't turn your back on him they don't do a thing." "Well, then you're okay." "That's what I figure." " Check the lines?" " Yeah, they're okay." "Hold it, Todd!" "Sergeant, the men better not drink this water till I chlorinate it in the Lister-bags." "All right, no drinking from this." "Make sure there's always plenty of purified water available." "What's the matter?" "Those nasty little Japs poison our water by remote control?" "They don't need to." "There are enough germs in this stuff to poison the lot of us." "You heard the orders?" "Yeah, you're easy to hear, Sarge." "All set, Captain." "All right." "Solid!" " Good job." " Yeah." "We must have enough fire power to keep them from rebuilding that bridge." "That depends." "On how long we stay here?" "We'll stay as long as any of us can stand up." "We may get orders to withdraw very soon, and we may not." "I think we'll be able to do our share." "That's all anybody's asking of us." "We can make this place fairly comfortable." "So relax, men, and get some rest while you can." "Cease firing, Sailor!" "Hold your fire till you've got a target!" "Eeps, Hardy, get your shovels." "Take positions." "Don't fire without orders." "I don't think there are enough Jap snipers to rush us this soon, but there might be." "All right, get going." "Keep your heads down or you'll get 'em knocked off." "See what I mean?" "Yankee, get over with the Sailor." "He needs you more than Feingold." "Better hurry that up." "Can't hurry too much putting a soul underground, Sergeant." "Hey, Todd!" "They're out there, not over here." "Listen, you guys what happened over there was no accident!" "You better know right now those no-tail baboons out there are ichiban jozu." "Meaning No. 1 Skillful." "They climb trees better than monkeys." "Got the best trees marked on their maps." "They can live and fight for a month on what wouldn't last one of you two days!" "All I want to do is get me a Jap." "Just one Jap." "I wish something would move." " You better make him last." " Oh, gum, I got plenty of." "Look, I'll be back in a minute." "If you see any Japs, save one for baby, will ya?" "Japs, we got plenty of." "There ought to be a cross, hadn't there?" "I could make one." "Yeah, do that." "I got chalk too, if you'd want me to print the Captain's name and rank on the cross." "All right, Sailor." "Medical Corps' duty to check effects and belongings before burial." "Didn't they tell you that was part of your job?" "Here's his stuff." "Put it in your report that Captain Lassiter was married." " Cigarette, Sergeant?" " Thanks." " You and the Captain were..." " Yeah." "You ever run across a little nurse out here named Elsie MacAlester?" "Yeah, I put her on that last Red Cross truck going out." "I had a date with her once in Manila." "She was a nice kid from Kansas." "I sent her a Spanish shawl for Christmas but I don't suppose she ever got it." "Guess the Japs got that when they grabbed the Manila Post Office." "She and Captain Lassiter were married yesterday." "Supposed to be a secret." "Guess he had to tell somebody." "Didn't she know any better?" "What do you think you're gonna do with that?" "I thought it'd be the right thing if I'd blow taps for the Captain." "It might be if this was Arlington Cemetery." "Forget it." "I said forget it." "Here, put that on your noggin and glue it there." "What's on your minds?" "Well, I think somebody ought to at least say a few words." "All right." "Speak your piece." "Not me, Sergeant." "Eeps here can do it better." "You a preacher back home?" "I was studying to be, Sergeant." "All right." "Heavenly Father Captain Lassiter was our captain and he was a good captain." "He did his job and kept on doing it as long as he could." "He died a long ways from home." "His folks probably won't ever know where we buried him." "But we reckon he was prepared for that." "As long as we know that what comes out of graves is the best part of what goes into them we know he's all right." ""Blessed are the pure in heart..." ""...for they shall see God."" "Amen." "Amen." "All right, break it up." "Here you are, Malloy." "Where I come from, you only take medicine when you're sick." "As long as the quinine lasts, it may keep you from getting sick with malaria." "Taste bad?" "Not when it's in a capsule." "The Sergeant sure is a hard man, ain't he?" "I'll bet you could strike matches on the back of his neck." "According to history, wars are started by corporals and won by sergeants." "I claim they're won by everybody that puts on a uniform and gets shot at." "When a good man like the Captain gets killed I don't see why the Sergeant won't let me blow taps." "It'd be just the decent thing to do." "Look, kid blow your horn all you want to." "I like a good tune on the horn, myself." "But there'll be no taps." "Those monkeys know what "taps" means and I don't want 'em keeping score on us." " You got it clear in your mind now?" " Yes, sir, Sergeant." "I got it." "The Sergeant's a sensible fellow at that." "Just have to get to know him, that's all." "That'll take you a long time, Junior." "Lieutenant?" "Yes, Sergeant?" "You want to pick your men now, or shall I?" "I think you better give the orders, Sergeant." "You see, I'm just a stowaway on this trip." "Until and if I can get my plane in the air, I'll take orders from you like the rest." "Isn't that the best way to handle it?" "I wouldn't say no." "Doesn't make sense though, a $40,000 pilot getting killed in the infantry." "I hadn't exactly figured on gettin' killed." "Go ahead, Sarge." "You pick 'em and I'll kibitz." "Any of you guys claim to be mechanics?" "Hey, Sarge, back home I built my own jalopy." "Everything is strictly out of secondhand junk but, boy, he goes 80 miles an hour like nothing." "I didn't finish telling you, Sarge." "Before I was an usher and played in the band, I done some work in a garage." "You've been a busy boy." "Well, yeah, I got around some." " Think they'll do, Lieutenant?" " Fine." "I'll need you later." "I'll yell for you when I'm ready." "Now listen, you guys, I'm gonna make a speech." "We'll make it my first and my last." "Some of you might not like the way I wear my tin hat or somethin'." "Well, I didn't pick you either." "As long as nobody changes Captain Lassiter's orders the orders stand the way you heard 'em." "You all volunteered, or you wouldn't be here so we'll call off the volunteering from now on." "Gonna be a lot of odd jobs to be done around here." "Some dirty jobs." "I'll decide what's to be done and when, and I'll pick the men to do it." "That'll be that." "Don't all of you be stepping up, making your pitch for a medal volunteering." "It'll just waste my time and yours." "The smartest thing you can do is to take it easy." "Don't get excited." "If you got nothing to do, write letters." "I'm glad you mentioned that, Sergeant." "I've been sayin' all along that we ought to write home oftener." "You're right, Sailor." "You're dead right." "That's what we oughta do." "Those poor civilians are havin' a tough time havin' to give up their gas and tires and sugar and havin' to buy bonds." "We gotta keep up their morale." "Thanks for giving us your views on the subject, Corporal." "Now get this straight and don't forget it:" "If one of you lays down on the job he's assigned to he'll put the rest of you right on the spot." "Don't let that happen." "You're in charge of ammunition and ordinance." "How many grenades and how much dynamite we got?" " Give me a report before you go off duty." " Okay, Sarge." "Hardy, start issuing regular preventive doses of quinine to each man immediately." " I already have, sir." " That's fine." "How's the supply?" "About enough for four days, minimum dosage." "Malloy, how are the groceries?" "The groceries?" "I'll tell you, there ain't no sugar for the coffee and there ain't no coffee." "There's maggots in the meat, and the meat is mule." "Mule?" "Yeah, mule." "If you hold your nose, it's all right." "Issue plenty for tonight." "Start rationing tomorrow." "I'll do that." "All right, boys, come and get it." "Any action out there?" "I ain't seen nothin', and I ain't heard nothin'." "But you can bet they're out there, thicker'n fleas on a hound dog in Georgia." "What's the matter, Sarge?" "You in a hurry?" "I can wait." "Thought I might relieve Eeps here while he gets his chow." "That is, if it's okay with you." "Thank you, Lieutenant, but I don't feel hungry now but Matowski over yonder, he's always ready to eat." " I'll send Matowski in." " Thanks, Lieutenant." "I never touch the stuff." "Don't tell me that's Jap jive!" "No, Sarge, no." "That's good old America." "That's U.S.A." "Well, music with our meals!" "Fancy." "That's Tommy Dorsey, from Hollywood!" "He sends me, Sarge!" "He makes me lace up my boots!" "Oh, brother!" "Keep blowing, Tommy, keep blowing." "Oh, boy, he's tall tonight, he's tall." "Yeah, talk to me, talk to me." "Give me some of that trombone talk, Tommy." "Sarge, what's a man do when he gets took with remorse?" " That depends on what about." " About this." "I knew a mule, used to beat his ears down, and for all I know this is him." "He's getting even with you?" "That's why I got remorse." "I toughened that mule too much." "Some day I'm going to get back to Pittsburgh." "Every Monday my mom makes lima bean soup with vinegar." "Get him." "He can mention a mess like that and turns his nose up at this." "Which one of you guys claims to be any good at climbing trees?" "Come on." "Which tree, Sarge?" "Pick a tall one." "Get as high up as you can." "It's too dark to see, but I got a hunch a big concentration of Jap heavy stuff is over there across the ravine by now." "See what you can spot." "Yep." "That's two." "Purckett, Ramirez, front and center." "Relieve Todd on No. 1 machine gun." "On your feet." "Grab a weapon and get in one of those foxholes." "Break out the tommy guns." "Jake, issue each of them a couple of pineapples." "Don't let these drop on your foot." "Yeah, they are heavy." "The idea is to use 'em." "Don't waste 'em." " You ever handle one of these before?" " We never had any of these in our outfit." "You pull this, this and the gun'll do the rest." "Except in case when it jams." " What if it jams?" " Write a letter to your senator." "If anything breaks, I suggest you get back there as fast as possible." "Right." "You two, go with the Corporal." "If the moon gets higher the Japs'll see you, so space out ten feet apart." "Hug the cliff." "Don't shoot unless you're shot at." "All right, get going." "If anything breaks up, don't let it interfere with your work unless we yell for help." " Right, Sergeant, good luck to you." " Thanks." "You and me are going for a walk." "Yeah?" "This guy, Burns, I was tellin' you about he used to pitch for Company A. Had quite a hop on his fast one." "No foolin'?" "Have you had any experience throwing' these apples?" "Yeah, I been in the Army awhile." "That'll save me havin' to show you how." "Yankee, reverse the gun over there where the bridge was." "Better have an extra belt ready." "You men Corporal Feingold here is in full command until I get back." "You gotta go lookin' for trouble?" "You'd better check with Lieutenant Bentley before you make any move." "That's in case." "Okay, Sarge." "When we start laying' these eggs, fire at will to cover us." "We'll angle over to the right." "It's good cover down that way." "Then we'll work back up along the edge of the ravine as far as we can." "All right, come on." "Go ahead, Sarge." "This guy, Burns, used to toss 'em left-handed." "Is that so?" "You know that's a funny thing." "I'm a southpaw myself." " Hold it!" " But they need us up yonder!" "The Sergeant'll sing out when he needs us!" "Get back on the job." "Sulfanilamide powder and a piece of adhesive tape." "How bad's he hurt?" "Lost a quarter of an inch of heel." "Well, that he can spare." "We're like ducks in a shootin' gallery." "Do you suppose those guys might get discouraged and call this party off, Sarge?" "No, they'll snipe us by daytime and paste that bridge together by night until it's across." "They don't get discouraged." "They got plenty of time." "Yep, they set the clock." "What's the matter, Sarge?" "I'm wonderin' how long these guys can stand up to this stuff." "They've done all you told 'em, neat and proper so far." "They haven't been here long yet." "If they were real soldiers, Jake, it'd be different." "The way it is, I'm wondering if headquarters wouldn't say we did good enough even if I ordered to pack up and get out of here tonight." "We could be a long ways by morning, associating with a better class of people!" "I don't think you'll give any kind of an order like that." "Those kids signed up for this just like you and me." "They'll get tired, sure." "Things'll get tough, sure." "But they won't put their tails between their legs and run any more than you would." "What do you think you're doing?" "Plenty Japs over there, tanks, artillery." "I go tell General MacArthur." "He sends planes planes drop bombs on Japs!" "Bang!" "Fourth of July!" "I can make it, Sarge." "I know this piece of country all over." " Born around here?" " Oh, no." "I'm Moro from Mindanao, but when I am little kid my old man is traveling salesman for sewing machines." "This piece of country very good territory for him." "I go along to keep the dough for my mom." "Because when my pop drinks the coconut, he's loco in the coco." "They got a dollar down, dollar when you catch 'em, even here." "One dollar down, you bet." "If the collector has to catch you no more coco!" "I come from onetime very murdering family, Sergeant." " So long." "See you in the funny paper." " Wait." "Get your clothes on and get civilized again." "Somebody got to go tell the General." "That'll do a lot of good, tellin' the General." "What's the matter, Mister?" "Look, Joe, the General ain't got any planes." "He ain't gonna get any." "If I was you, I wouldn't say that." "I reckon the U.S. Is sending' help as best as they can, as fast as they can." "Oh, sure, sure." "Help that don't exist is on the way." "Private, lead us in three rousing cheers!" "Sarge, you better bury the rest of us face down so we don't keep lookin' up for the planes that ain't coming!" "Sergeant, I gotta bust one of your orders." "Come on, get on your feet, Todd." "Why not?" "Might as well get this over right." "At ease!" "You spoke your piece." "All right, sit down." "Come on, sit down, both of you!" "Yankee..." "I hope he gets to talk to the General." "Oh, boy!" "It sure is a fine, pretty morning, ain't it?" "Reminds me of how the sun came up when I was a cowpuncher once out west in Texas." "Of course, we never had none of this kind of fog out there." "That's something else I've done in my past." "I punched cattle once." " What's the matter with you?" " Just tired." "Long night we put in." "No, sir." "I'm no doctor, but I worked in a drugstore once." "You're sick." "Don't you go saying that!" "Don't you say that to anybody!" "I mean it!" "What do you want to get mad for?" "If a man's sick, he's sick." "It's no disgrace that I know of." "Don't you tell the Sergeant." "Yes, sir, Lieutenant." "It's time to get back." "Get your stuff and let's get movin'." "Yes, sir." "What we've done look all right?" "Fine." "It's a good night's work." "Is she anywheres near ready to go?" "No, not quite yet." "Say, Lieutenant?" "Lieutenant?" "Do you reckon if we was to lay down and cork off awhile the Sarge'd be too put out?" "I mean, after we check in." "I'll tell him you did a hard night's work and deserve a little sleep." "I guess us men could use a little rest, couldn't we?" " 'Morning, Sergeant." " 'Morning, Lieutenant." "How'd it go?" "Rome wasn't built in a day." "It says in the book." "That was a nice job you did on the bridge." "Yeah, it turned out okay." "Lieutenant." "Sergeant." "These men had kind of a tough night." "I think they could use a little sleep." "All right." "Right after inspection." "All right, men." "Fall in over here." "All right, front and center." "Everybody up." "Jake, you stay on your gun." "How's the heel?" "I feel fine." "How are you?" "Say, Sarge, where's Salazar?" "He took a walk." "Now, look, Junior, you got all day to hear the news." " Sergeant, what about Corporal Katigbak?" " I haven't seen him." "He came back to work on the carburetor." "I sent him in about an hour ago." "As you were, men." "Katigbak!" "Hardy!" "I'd say he's been dead about..." "about an hour, Sergeant." "Get back in line." "You too, Private." "One thing at a time!" "All right, fall in." " What's the matter with you, Soldier?" " Nothin'." "I'm fine." "Hold still." "Coming down with this for days?" "No, sir, Sarge." "Well, I had the shivers." "The shivers, then the shakes." "Hot, cold, and hot again." "I've had malaria myself." "I know it." "I ain't sick." "Take charge of him." "But I ain't sick, Sergeant." "You need a little rest and some double shots of quinine." "Eeps, Malloy, take care of Katigbak." "You others, get on your guns." "Keep your eyes open." "Purckett, get in with Feingold." "I don't know whether you know it, but that was a Samurai sword, Lieutenant." " Officer?" " Yeah." "Probably get in close enough so he knows exactly how many men you got left." "Won't be long before they hit you with everything they can get across that ravine." "When'll the plane be ready to take off?" "The Corporal and I figured we'd need a few more night's work, but we don't have much time." "Don't crack her up before you're off the ground." "I'll know what the chances are after tonight." "Okay." "Don't seem possible Salazar could have got there so quick." "Depends upon how far he had to go and how fast he traveled." "Yeah, and if he caught up to the General." "What do you want to say that for?" "Those are Japs!" "Everybody down!" "Hug the ground!" "But I thought them was Japs!" "I think they are." "Malloy!" "Malloy, get back there!" "Get down!" "Look at that!" "Malloy got him!" "Malloy, I take back everything I ever thought against you!" "You're okay!" "I told you, Sarge." "That guy's gotta know somethin' better than he knows how to cook!" "Hold it." "Back on your guns." "Nothing you can do for him now, Private." "Can't you stay off your feet like I told you to?" "I feel much better." "When I want you, I'll let you know!" "Now get back into bed and stay there!" "Turn your radio on." "It might do us all good to hear some music." "But the battery is only good for a few hours." "I wouldn't want to use it up too fast." "It's your radio." "Do what you want with it." "Hey, you, I thought I told you to look after him!" "What have I got to do, put it in writing?" "You're off duty, Sailor." "Jake, take charge of this gun." "Okay." "Sarge!" "Sarge!" "First Jap I've seen, right out there in the open!" "He's just standin' there asking' for it!" "Okay, Mr. Monkey, you're gonna get it!" "No, Sarge, he's my Jap!" "That's no Jap!" "You got fog in your eyes, Sailor." "Take another look." "That's Salazar." "Yeah." "What's left of him." "The Japs probably got him last night." "Worked on him a long time before they finally strangled him and put him out of his misery." " Shut up!" "Take it easy, Sailor." "Relax." "You need a little rest." "Dirty... dirty... dirty... dirty!" "Pobre mamaciya..." "He's talkin' Spanish." "Talkin' of his mother." "Jitterbug kid, shakin' himself to death." "Sergeant." "Sergeant!" "Lay still, boy." "Lay still." "I'm solid, Sarge honest." "Sure, you are." "Padre Manuel." "Padre Manuel." "Take it easy, Soldier." "Take it easy." "Si, Padre, si." "Yes, Father, I remember." "I learned it by heart just like you say." "Thinks he's talkin' to a priest." ""Confiyeor Deo omnipoyenyi..." ""...beayae Mariae semper Virgini..." "That ain't Spanish now." ""...beayo Michaeli Archangelo..." "That's Latin." "I taught Latin in high school, back in Kentucky." ""...sancyis Aposyolis Peyro ey Paulo..." ""...omnibus sancyis, ey vobis frayres quia..." ""...peccavi mimis cogiyayione..."" ""I confess that I have sinned exceedingly..." ""...in thought, word and deed." ""Through my fault..." ""...through my fault..." ""...through my most grievous fault."" " What's the matter, Sergeant?" " Got the same thing he had, haven't you?" "Any quinine left?" "Gave the last of it to the kid, huh?" "That's fine." "According to the papers from the Captain you enlisted as 1-A-0, non-combatant." "Wouldn't kill anybody else." "That's fine." "Fine!" "Stay in here and take it easy." "You don't have to stand inspection." "Eeps will take care of him." "The kid?" "Yeah." "Tell Eeps, will you?" "And tell the Sailor when he comes in." "In case he doesn't know how to spell the name." "R- a-m-i-r-e-z." "First name, Felix." "Okay, Sarge." " 'Morning, Lieutenant." " 'Morning, Sergeant." " How's it, Sailor?" " Oh, fine, Sarge." "I got used to workin' nights when I was a cab driver in Kansas City." "'Course, I slept days." "Okay." "Go lay down for a while." "Oh, no, Sarge." "No, go on, go on." "Well, okay, if you say so." "How's the plane?" "I'll try a takeoff tonight." "Think you'll make it?" "Yeah, I think so." "Those Japs know what you've been up to." "No use giving' them too much of a target." "When you're ready, we'll open up from here." "The noise of our firing ought to cover the motors's sound when you take off." "I've got an alternate suggestion, Sergeant." "It seems to me that your patrol has done about all that can be done." "I suggest that you abandon all but necessary equipment." "We'll find some way to stow the men aboard the plane." "Thanks, Lieutenant." "I'd like you to take Private Hardy there." "He needs doctors, medicine, hospital..." "You go along too, Sailor." "Me?" "Oh, no, sir, Sarge!" "Those are orders." "I ain't Army, though, Sarge, I'm Navy and I joined up for the duration, which ain't yet." "Besides, I still gotta get me a couple of Japs." "The rest of us had better stay here." "Hey, kid when you get around to fixing'..." "It's R-a-m-i..." "Yeah, I know." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know." "Hey, look..." "Well, never mind." "I offered a suggestion, Sergeant." "I'd hate to have to use my rank to make it an order." "I'd hate to have you do that, Lieutenant." "You might get to Corregidor, you might not." "Meanwhile, nobody's told me it's time to let those Japs move through this pass." " How much longer can you hold on?" " I don't know." "Maybe I oughta call the whole thing off." "Maybe I've done everything wrong." "Maybe this, maybe that but I'm playin' the hand the cards dealt." "The patrol stays here." "Sooner or later they have gotta come out in the open where we can see 'em." "We're gonna be here when they do." "I don't want to pull out of here either but I guess that's the right thing to do." "For you, yeah." "But as I understood it at the beginning, the patrol's my job, the plane's yours." "That still go?" "Still goes, Sergeant." "Hey, Sarge?" "What?" "You think you got a first mortgage on this war or somethin'?" "Well, I own a piece of it." "Maybe you can stop us from goin' by plane." "Just what do you do if we start walkin'?" "The Japs would do it same as to Salazar and Katigbak." "Me, I'm gonna die all in one piece if and when." "Well, maybe the Japs don't worry us as much as they do you." "Walk if you want to, only it says in the book I tell you when and where to stop." "It also says that if you keep on going, I let you have it." "Deserting in the face of the enemy." "You'll have to shoot awful fast to stop five guys." "There won't be five!" "You're not goin' anyplace, except with me." "When you and I leave, we leave together." " Now, look..." " Get back on your gun!" "You..." "I wish there was more moon tonight." "We need the extra light down in the grove." " Is five minutes enough?" " Yeah, that'll do it." "Start firing at 11:00 on the nose." "Make all the noise you can." " Better issue me a couple grenades." " Okay." " It was nice meeting you, Lieutenant." " It was nice knowing you too, Sailor." "Well, thanks." "You too." "I'll see you some more." "We'll be countin' on that." "Here you are, Sarge." "So long, Lieutenant." "So long, Jake." "Let's go, Hardy." "Come on, kid." "Lay on the bridge." "Come on, kid." "I'm sorry." "Get in there." "Here." "And don't fire until I give the order, please." "All set?" "They're working down there." "Hear 'em?" "Busy little beavers, ain't they?" "Well, let them have their fun." "In four minutes and 20 seconds we'll break up their party." "It'll be a pleasure, Corporal." "Let's go, Soldier." "Cease firing!" "What's the matter with him?" "Why don't he take off?" "Get in there!" "Stay put!" "All of you!" " What happened?" " They got the Lieutenant." "He wouldn't let me move him." "He'd fall apart." "Get some dynamite." " For what?" " Go on, get it." "Purckett, take care of him." " Where's he hit?" " Just fever." "Todd, you're in charge until we get back." "Stand ready to fire at will." " What goes on, Sarge?" " Lieutenant's orders." "Come on." "Cover us." "Lieutenant, I can't let you do this." "Got to get this ship in the air let 'em have it." "But you may never even get her off the ground." "Got lots to do and not much time left." "Plane's my job, Sarge." "Remember?" "Okay, Lieutenant." "Okay." "I wish the Sarge'd get back." "They're working on that bridge again." "Shouldn't we open up on 'em?" "Sergeant said, "Fire at will."" "I want to hit me a Jap and know I hit him." "That's what I want." " Look, Corporal..." " Shut up, will you?" " Wait a minute, I got a right to ask..." " I said, shut up." "Hey, look at it." "Look at it!" "Come on, get her off the ground!" "Get her up in the air!" "He's off!" "Look!" "I should have been in that plane." "I should have been in that plane!" "Hey, come back here." "Come here!" "Come here!" "He don't know what he's doing." "He's a sick man." "He's delirious." "You can't help him anyway now." "He wouldn't even want you to try." "Don't you know any other songs?" "Sure, but I'm partial to the St. Louis blues." "Same as me." "All right, that's deep enough." "Relax, Sailor." "Here, I got one." "Tobacco kind of takes the edge off when a man's hungry, don't it, Corporal?" "You can promise your mind, but you gotta deliver something' to your stomach even if it's only tobacco smoke." "All right, we'll put one gun here and one over there." "Sight 'em in for interlocking fire across the front." "Okay, Sarge." "You figure they'll come at us today, Sarge?" "Well, if I was running their show I'd figure now's the time." "The way they operate, they put off using' cold iron till last." "They try everything else first." "They've tried everything else." "Seems like they done give up on that bridge-buildin', don't it?" "Well, maybe." "That don't mean they won't take care of us." "No, we held 'em up too long." "It kind of sounds like this is it." "This is it, kid." "You've been askin' to see a Jap." "You're probably gonna see a whole mess of them before you're a day older." "Come on, we'll move these guns." "Get goin'." "Yeah?" "I might make a deal with you." "You doin' me favors, Sarge?" "I did a favor for this Danny Burns once." "Yeah, so you say." "I've been thinkin' if you keep your nose clean if, as in when we get out of here I might have a loss of memory." "Don't forget a thing, Sarge." "I never do." "Todd." "Let go of me!" "Sarge!" "Hey, Sarge!" "Sarge!" "The trees are movin'!" "The bushes!" "They're walkin'!" "Everybody down." "Hold it, Sailor." "Fix bayonets." "Don't anybody move." "Don't make any noise." "They can't see us." "They don't know who's here or how many, not for sure." "Have Japs got whites in their eyes?" "We'll find out any minute now, Sailor." "Hold it." "Hold it." "Hold it." "Hold it." "All right on the count." "One two..." "Okay!" "Jake." "It's that bunion." "It's murdering' me." "Pull it up." "Hold that." "Hey, Sarge." "Could I write a letter?" "Yeah." "How are you gonna mail it, kid?" "Carrier pigeon?" "Hey, Todd." "Yeah?" "Tell the Sailor to dictate it and you'll write it." "I didn't join up for a nursemaid." "He's a good kid." "He needs to get pulled together for what's comin'." "Help him with that letter." "Don't make it tough for him." "I never make it tough for anybody, Sarge." "Here." "I'll give you a hand with that, Sailor." "Thanks." "Gee, thanks, Corporal." "Who to?" ""Dear Mum." M-u-m." "I call my mother Mum." "That's new and different." ""Dear Mum." ""This letter may never reach you..." ""...but I want to write it while I can." ""There were 13 of us when we got to where we are..." ""...and now there's only three of us left." ""There's the Sergeant..." ""...and Corporal Todd and myself." ""Corporal Todd's writing this for me." ""I happened to hurt my hand kind of." ""Maybe there won't be any of us ever to get outta here alive."" "Rub that out." ""It's too bad some of the other men I came here with had to get killed." ""Maybe it don't seem to do an awful lot of good..." ""...a few men gettin' killed holding on to some place you never heard of..." ""...probably never will..." ""...but we figure..."" "Wait a minute." "Give me a chance." ""But we figure the men who died here..." ""...may have done more than we'll ever know..." ""...to save this whole world." ""It's like Corporal Juan Katigbak said..."" " Did you hear him when he told me?" " Yeah." ""He said, 'It don't matter where a man dies..." ""'... as long as he dies for freedom."'" "Okay so far?" "Sure, Sarge, sure." ""The rest of us are gonna get outta here."" "That's right, Sailor." ""And I'll be home before you know it..." ""...so don't you worry none about me." ""Say hello to my girl..."" "What's her name?" "Marie." "Make that, "Give my love to Marie."" "Anything else?" "No, Sarge, that's all." "Oh, just..." ""Thanks for being my family." "Your loving son, Len."" "My name's Leonard, but she calls me Len." " You got an envelope?" " No." "I'll mail it when I get to Corregidor." "Yeah." "That all?" "Yeah." "Get back on No. 3." "Hey, Sarge, do you mind if I turn on the radio?" "Yeah, it might be a good idea." "Wish I'd brung a slot machine." "Boy, they shower down gum." "If Ramirez was still here, I bet he'd be trying for Tommy Dorsey from Hollywood." "Be kind of cheerful, huh?" "I'm getting something." " Americans!" " Don't know what." "Filipinos!" "You are beayen." "This is Japan's lasy warning yo you all." "Lay down your arms." "Surrender now, at once." "You will be yreayed kindly, wiyh chivalry according yo yhe rules of Japanese bushido." "Bushido!" "Bushwah!" "You stink!" "It's you and me now, Sarge." "We've been heading for that for a long time." "The Sailor was standing right behind that tree." "Sniper couldn't have got him." "Couldn't have even seen him from over there." "One of those monkeys is still alive, playin' possum." "Maybe more than one." "The question is which?" "One way of finding' out." "Spray the batch of them." "You got somethin' there." "Come on, let's take a look." "Don't do me any favors, Sarge." "I guess this just ain't your day, huh, Sarge?" "You could have swindled yourself a nice, shiny medal takin' me back and stuck a rope around my neck." "I never figured I'd bump into you again." "I told you I'd have a loss of memory." "Far as I'm concerned, your name is Todd." "It's Burns." "Dan Burns." "Danny Burns Corporal, 31st Infantry, killed in action." "You know, Sarge I began to have a little respect for you." "For a second back there, I thought it was you that stuck that chiv in my back and... and not the Jap." "Come on." "Come on and get it!" "Come on!" "Come and get it!" "Come on, suckers!" "What's the matter with you?" "What are you waitin' for?" "Didn't think we were here, did you?" "You dirty rotten rats!" "We're still here!" "We'll always be here!" "Why don't you come and get it?"