"Hey, did you hear what happened?" "The general went up in the line companies." "A shell got his jeep." "He's in the C.P. getting patched up." "I had a general like that in the last war, General McNair." "Remember him?" "Got hit in Africa and killed in France." "Top brass is supposed to use their brains." "They got too much responsibility taking chances getting their tails shot off." "When you've been in this outfit a little longer, Buster... you'll find out it takes more than brains to be a general." "You got to have the guts to lead." " Hello, General." " Help yourself." " Hi, General." " Hello, Colonel." "What happened to the 16th Infantry?" "The line was out, sir." "Finally made contact." "Colonel Taylor will be here any minute." "What kind of shape is the 18th in?" "We're understrength, sir." "Morale's high, but the ammo's low." "Twenty-sixth?" "We're chewed up too, sir." "Danger Forward." "General Allen, sir." "Yes, sir." "This is Danger 6." "Soon as Colonel Taylor gets here, we're in business, sir." "Yes, sir." "They're getting jumpy back at army." "Hello, Taylor." "Hello, General." "Got pinned down on the road." " Sniper got my driver." " Bad?" "Dead." "How's the arm, sir?" "Still on." "All right, we've been ordered to withdraw." "The boys upstairs want the whole division pulled back right away." "What do you think our chances are of ever getting back to this area?" "It'll be rough, sir." "It means getting across this river." "There's a bridge right there at that point." "It's the only exit open." "Then we got to get to that bridge, cross it and blow it up to give us a breather." "Once we're reinforced, we'll come back and hit 'em like they've never been hit before." "John, how's the enemy picture look?" "Very strong, General." "If I were the enemy... and became aware of your withdrawal from here to there, I'd start a full-scale attack." "The Reds have got two armored divisions here... a field division here and elements of a regiment behind this hill." "Now, once we start moving along this road to the river... the Reds are going to form an iron triangle that'll trap us and smash us in the gut... unless they didn't know we were withdrawing." "Well, in that case... we'll have to withdraw without the Reds knowing about it." "You should be evacuated, sir." "You're liable to lose your arm." "I'm more worried about losing my division." "Now clean it, dress it, tape it and forget it." "Will you hold that, sir?" "There's only one way we can pull this off." "That's rearguard action." "We'll have to put up a front and fool them." "We'll have to make them think our rearguard is not a delaying action... but a forward outpost to this division's bivouac." "General, the spot is there." "Now, I looked over this terrain yesterday." "The hills are steep on both sides of this pass... and the road narrows down so that only one tank at a time can get through." "All right, if we move down that road, around that bend... and set up a roadblock right here at Bayonet Pass... we stand a chance." "I suggest we leave a full regiment to hold the pass... so the enemy won't suspect that we're pulling back the division." "Yes, but what happens to the regiment after the division is across the river?" "That might be just as costly for a regiment to try to pull back as a division." "We can do it with a battalion or a company." "It should be a small, specially selected unit of platoon strength." "Forty-eight of our toughest, most experienced combat men." "It would mean sacrificing less men in a gamble... and an easier withdrawal for the group if successful." "In other words, what you're saying is... if we can make a platoon sound and look like a regiment, it'll work." "Yes, sir." "Well, that's it." "Order the division to move out right away." "Get me the threes- Dagwood, Decoy and Dextrose." "Chuck?" "This is Vic." "Hold on." "Pete?" "Hold on." "We're waiting for Dagwood." "Carl?" "Vic." "We're pulling out right away." "Dagwood line of departure- 3-9-5-2-3-7." "Decoy- 4-9-8-3-2-8." "Dextrose- 6-2-7-3-8-4." "Yep." "They're here now." "Nope." "No time." "Get them on the road." "Somebody's got to get left behind to get their bayonets wet." "It's tough picking out an outfit, but it's got to be picked." " Colonel Taylor." " Sir?" "Pick a platoon out of your regiment." "I know there's nothing dirtier than a rearguard action... especially at platoon strength." "But in this case, it's 48 men- unlucky men, maybe- giving 15,000 men a break." " Get going." " Yes, sir." "All right, let me know if you need any more ammo." "Cover that gun." "Dig those mines in deep." "Charlie, plant a .50 over there." "To your right!" "What I don't understand is why we're on a patrol." "I know the enemy is here." "I don't need any proof." "I ain't from Missouri." "You're from Missouri?" "Ramirez, you don't know what's going on half the time." "And right now, I don't know what's going on all the time." "Hey, Denno." "The sarge likes you." "Fix it up for us to go back to the pass and help the platoon throw up the roadblock, huh?" "We got to use our heads and make these Reds think regiment's behind us." "They won't fall for that kind of mishmash." "Hey, Rock, what if they find out that the regiment ain't sitting behind us?" "What if they hit us with a lot of guys?" "Who's going to hold them back, the platoon?" "They ain't gonna hit us with a lot of guys." "They're gonna smell us out first, try and find out our strength." "We'll run into some small patrols." "Maybe one joker, maybe two, maybe three." "But whatever happens, we don't want them to find out... we're just a small rearguard holding a delaying action." " Rearguard?" "That's us?" " Yep." "What is this rearguard?" "The object of the rearguard is to check enemy pursuit and harassment... and thus allow the main body to retire unmolested." " Hey, what did he say?" " He said rearguard." "That how you got those two stripes, Denno, memorizing the book?" "All right, you guys, knock it off.." "Remember, the man on his belly out here looks like snow." "A man standing up looks like a man." "Easy." "The minute they spot us, they'll hit us and run." "They won't take any chances hanging around." "We got to make a lot of noise." "We got to sound like a regiment." "Hey, look what I found- dry socks." "I smell more people, real close." "Fix bayonets." "You heard the man." "Fix your knife." "Okay, you guys, spread out and dig for money." "If you don't see anything, shoot anyway." "Denno, that'll be your hole." "Dig." "A little to the right." "Hold on." "Not yet." "That's it." "You've got him balled in the center." "Squeeze the trigger." "Take up the slack." "You've gotta shoot him." "Now, Denno." "In the head." "Shoot, Denno." "Shoot him." "Shoot." "Why can't I kill a man?" "What's the matter with me?" "Why do I freeze at a single target?" "I can fire at a lot of them." "I can do anything the rest of the platoon can do." "I'm not chicken." "I've got plenty of guts." "But why can't I shoot a man?" "What's wrong with me?" "I've got to shoot him." "Squeeze, Denno, squeeze." "Congratulations, Denno." "Now you've joined the big fraternity." "That was a perfect bull's-eye." "All you got to remember is you're not aiming at a man." "You're aiming at the enemy." "Once you're over that hump, you're a rifleman." "And you've been baptized." "It'll be a lot easier from now on." "Like spittin'." "How are you laying the antitank mines, Wolowicz?" "Crazy quilt pattern, Lieutenant." "Planting them way out to that bush." "And the antipersonnel mines?" "Lazy-daisy, sir, covering this whole area... and both flanks." "All you got to do is breathe on them and boom!" "The guys better be careful moving around, Lieutenant." "Make a map of this minefield and be sure and give it to me." "Yes, sir." "Lonergan." " Sir?" " How many people up there?" "Nothing, Lieutenant." " Vogl, do you see them?" " Nothing, sir." "Lonergan, come on down and get these guys on the ball." "I'm checking on the minefield." "We got troubles up here, Lieutenant." " Commies?" " Sergeant Rock." " What's the beef?" " Planting the 75." "Coming up." "This is one of the times it ain't funny, knowing what to do." "Toughest rap for an officer, makin' a decision." "You can say that again." "Hey, you went to officer school, didn't you?" "What happened?" "Goofed off there, huh?" "How?" "I just figured out I was never cut out to be a leader of anything." "You're a corporal." "Only three guys in this outfit above you." "Gibbs, Lonergan and me." "Before this mess is over, you're liable to lead the whole platoon." "Takes three months in O.C.S. Out here it only takes three seconds... to be the number one Joe, the Ichiban boy." "Gibbs, Lonergan and me." "We could stop three bullets just like that." "Come off it, Rock." "For an old dog face like you that's bellied from Tunisia to Czechoslovakia... there's no bullet now that's gonna stop you." "Whew!" "This- This is some mountain." "This ain't no mountain." "It's just a hill." "Ain't that right, Whitey?" "It's sheer rock with ice hummocks... and a complex of palisaded ridges... that only an Alpinist would undertake to ascend frontally." " What'd he say?" " He said it's a hill." "Duck!" "Two hundred." "Zero." "Try one for effect." "Range- 200." "Zero." "Smoke." "Shift right, six mils." "Fire for effect." "Shift right, six mils." "Fire for effect." "All right, take a break." "Medic!" " Medic!" " Wheeler!" "Lieutenant!" "I found a cave up here!" "All right, come on, you guys." "Let's move." "Rock found a hole for us." "Come on, Jonesy, move your butt." "Haven't you ever been in a cave before, Sergeant?" "All right!" "All right!" "That's a stalactite you tried to knock down." "Very interesting species." "It's been many years since I've seen such an elongated pendulous." "It's probably 2,000 years old." "Now they look like icicles, but most of them are minerals." "This is calcite crystals." "That is a stalagmite." "The counterpart of a stalactite." "Shut up!" "All right, you guys..." "Hey!" "Hey, now, watch your step in here." "This place is full of..." "Rocks!" "And there's an ice pond here too." "Come on." "Let's see how far back this goes." "But, Sergeant, there's usually a chasm at the end of an ice pool." "Unless you want Denno to suddenly become the new squad leader." "How about it, Denno?" "There's a drop down there." "Don't anybody fall in, 'cause ain't nobody gonna pull nobody out." "All right, you guys, get that ammo out of here." "Take all that stuff." "Get it around the back." " Take that mortar too." " Sarge, I don't like my hole." "Oh, Bigmouth doesn't like his hole." "But there's a great one way up there." " Oh, there's a great one way up there?" " Yeah." "I'll tell you what, Bigmouth." "There's a great one way up there." "Now you get out there and get in it." "Wait a minute." "Take some of this ammo with you." "Sarge, what's eating him?" " What's your name?" " Bulchek." "Bulchek, huh?" "Okay, Bulchek, help him with the ammunition." "Bulchek?" "Is that a name?" "All right, come on." "Let's go." " It's nice layout here, Lieutenant?" " Yeah, not bad." "Except for ricochets, sir." "The scientific principles of ricochet can be tactically utilized by the enemy... because the bullet will be torn and jagged... by its contact with the walls and the rocks and the roof." "That scratch you got must be making you run off at the mouth." " Why don't you have the medic patch it up?" " I took care of it." "I was quite a medical student in my day." "Now, if they fire anything in here that will strike off that limestone... or that calcium carbonate, the ricochet" "There goes Mr. Belvedere again." "Knows everything." "You ought to be a general." " Well, as a matter of fact" " Save it!" "Rock." "Yeah, nice layout here." "Yeah." "We got a field of fire over the roadblock and the pass." "Yeah." "This will give us an edge on them." " See that hummock over there?" " Yeah." "They'll probably try and work a mortar in behind it." "Yeah, or a buffalo gun." "Yeah, could be." "To get one smack in the cave... they'd have to plant an A.T. gun right in that..." "Keep it there!" "Denno, cover me!" "Hey, Vogl!" "You guys asleep up there?" "You want my squad to cover both hills?" "We didn't see nobody." "Lonergan, you know that second squad of yours?" "That's your squad." "Well, they're for the birds." " How many people up there?" " Only one." "Only one." "You want to know something else?" "That Vogl?" "Nothing!" "Knock it off, will you, Rock?" "Now listen, Vogl!" "Keep those monkeys on the ball!" "Take a look around!" "Anybody stop one up there?" "Yeah." "One man." " Bad?" " Dead." "Hey, Lieutenant!" "I think we ought to plant a B.A.R. over by that hill!" "We got no lieutenant!" "Strip him of everything we can use!" "Roll him up in a blanket, bury him!" "And mark him!" "There are only three guys above you" " Gibbs, Lonergan and me." "And now there are only two." "Hiya, Harv." "Happy in your work, Harv?" "What's the matter?" "This is better than that "C" Company in the 17th Infantry." "What are you beefing about?" "You're getting experience, aren't you?" "Hey, you, you call that cover?" "Belly down." "More." "Get some more ammo." "How you doin', Irish?" "Any more of those Commies hit this minefield... they'll make enough noise to wake up half of Moscow." "Plant a couple more of those trip flares over there." "Yes, sir..." "What are you, a wise guy?" "Don't "sir" me." "I didn't mean anything by it, Sergeant." "They told me you was acting platoon leader." "I am platoon leader." "That don't mean I have to sweat out a looey getting killed just to crack an order." "I've seen these looeys come, and I've seen them go." "Lieutenant Gibbs was different." "Yeah, he was a young guy, sure, but I don't hold that against him." "He was more like a sergeant." "He was on the ball." " Now you move your butt out of here." " Yes, sir." " What's eating him?" " You know those sergeants." "All alike." "Frustrated second lieutenants." "Making noises like officers." "He's Ichiban now." "Big deal!" "Number one boy." "Very funny." "Bigmouth, climb out." "Climb!" "So I'm frustrated, huh?" "Look, Bigmouth, that is the general direction." "Get out there about a hundred yards... keep your eyes open and stay there till I send a relief." "If you see any people that don't look exactly friendly, send up one flare." "If they got tanks, send up two flares." "Oh, and, Bigmouth, be careful of the minefield." "I'd hate to lose you, all right?" "Move out, Bigmouth." "Hey, you guys, on your feet." "Get out there and spread the word." "One flare, people." "Two flares, tanks." " Tanks?" " You mean we're fighting tanks?" "Spread the word." "Hey, you guys." "Okay up there?" "They told me this was going to be a police action." "Why didn't they send cops?" "Sarge." "I've been watching you, Sarge." "I've been watching you out there... and you came close to stepping in some of the land mines." " Come on, Fitz." "Will you cut out worrying?" " I mean it, Sarge." "You know, I got used to Lieutenant Gibbs, and he got it just like that." "So?" "Well, I feel like I'm a bad luck piece 'cause I'm getting kind of used to you." "All right, kill that fire!" "I thought the smoke would go down that drop." "I cook the hot chow." " I just want to get some heat." " Well, kill it!" "Bunch up." "Heat will come from your bodies." "Wolowicz, did you find Lemchek?" "Yeah." "You were right, Corporal." "He was on the 30." " He's had it." " Yeah." "What about my helmet?" "Oh, I couldn't find yours." "Hey, how come we weren't issued those stoves?" "You're too young for this kind of luxury." "You looted that in Germany, didn't you, Rock?" "Yep." "Aachen." " Sarge, you know the fellow you got?" " Yeah." "Which one?" "The one that got Lieutenant Gibbs." "A funny thing about that joker." "When I stuck him, he made a booming sound." " Yeah, like a bass drum." " Yeah." "How'd you know?" "Well, I heard it." " What about him, Wolowicz?" " He had an extra pair of shoes on him... just like my old bowling sneakers." "Let's see." "Wolowicz, did he have any dry socks on him?" "I never could figure them Chinese." "Well, you know what I heard?" "I heard they're doped up before they're sent into charges." "Oh, it isn't a question of opiates." "Now as a student of atavism" "What a crock!" "Mr. Belvedere knows everything." "Ha!" "I need a fumigator." "You've been around a lot, Whitey." "When you get out, are you going on another safari to Africa in your private plane?" "No." "All I want to do is roll a couple of lines." "You mean, you like to bowl?" "Wolowicz, there's nothing like the thrill of a good, clean strike." "Good, clean strike." "Instead of pulling that dope's leg, why don't you drop dead, Whitey." " Give your mouth a 10-minute break." " Is that an order, Corporal?" "If you're looking for a fight, there's a lot of people outside." "Let's go." " Who's gonna follow who?" " Meaning what?" "Whatever you think it means, Corporal." "I think I'll slap your ears in." "There they are." "You bucking for his stripes?" "You want him to get busted for taking a poke at you?" "'Cause if he does, I didn't see a thing." "I'm snow-blind." "What's the matter with you, Mainotes?" "We've got a good cover here." "Ain't you happy?" "I just don't like that guy." "Well, then why don't you get a transfer?" "They got the buddy system now." "If you got a buddy, they'll put you both together in the same outfit." "I got a buddy in Pittsburgh." "She's a blonde and operates her own pool hall." "Tell me, Sarge, why were we picked for this job?" "Regiment's saving the cream for the rougher stuff ahead." "Cream?" "Well, what are we, skimmed milk?" "So far, we've just been lucky." "They blew them horns to make us jumpy." "They knocked us off the hill to see if we'd answer back with artillery." "They shellacked the pass hoping we'd start a rout." "But we're still in luck." "Know why?" "'Cause they think we're the whole regiment." "So far, we got them fooled." "I wonder how long it'll be before they get wise to us." "When you hear a tank, that's the main event." "That means they're wise to us." "A tank means they'll hit us with more tanks and a lot of people." "A tank means they'll push through us like we were a paper bag." "So until you hear one, take it easy." "We'll each take two hours on O.P." "When I come off, it'll be time to pull out for the bridge." " Who's relieving Ramirez?" " Denno." "So you're putting the corporal to work, huh?" "Corporal's got to be able to do something besides draw extra pay." "How did you get those stripes, Denno?" "Dog rob for the colonel?" "Only three things you got to worry about in the infantry-your rifle and your two feet." "Pull off your boots and your socks." "Both pairs." "Come on." "Bunch your canal boats together like bananas." "Massaging's good for beetle crushers." "Yours is purple, Denno." "Next, it'll be blue, then trench foot, then frostbite." "Then they got to be chopped, all 10 of them." "You've got to rub harder than that." "Here." "All we've got to worry about's where the Reds are gonna hit us from in the morning." "If we can draw their fire without losing a guy to locate their guns... that's using our noodle." " How's that?" " I don't feel anything." "Oh, yeah?" " Feel that?" " No." "Doc, come here." "Take a look at Denno's foot." "You got it bad, Corporal." "Hey, you better start stomping around on that, Denno." "Get the blood circulating." "That one always did go to sleep on me." "Let's hit the sack." "Whatever made you stay in the army?" "You woke me up just to ask me that?" "Well, I've been meaning to ask you, but I just never got the chance." "Get some shut-eye before those people start hitting us again." " You want to gab, huh?" " Yeah." "That's something I been trying figure out myself for a long, long time." "What makes a guy stay in the army?" "I wish I knew the answer." "Some of us 'cause we're dumb, I guess." "Some are poor." "Some are a little lazy." "Some of us got some vanity." "Know what I mean?" "Some of us old pros stay in even when we know that after the fighting's over... some of us will rest in peace and rot in hospitals." "Even when we know all that, we stay in 'cause" "I don't know." "It's hard to explain." "Maybe it's something that just happens to you." "Maybe it's the pension." "I wish I knew the answer." "I don't want to be a corporal." "I want to get busted." "You what?" "I always wanted to lead." "When I was in officers' school, I was head of the class." "They said I had the makings of a leader- the education, the brains... the knack of solving tactical situations." "And one day, we had a problem with live shells." "We had to knock out a tank." "There was a red flag there warning not to send any men in that area." "I was in command of the platoon." "I don't know what happened, Rock." "The minute that stuff started flying through the air and I had to deploy my squad... something happened right in the pit of my gut." "I got panicky and I sent a squad to the danger zone." "Four men were hit, one seriously." "I was there when they amputated his leg." "They gave me another chance." "Again I got into a sweat the minute I had to give orders." "Then they found out what I'd known all the time." "I can take an order." "I can't give one." "Some men are afraid of high places, some are afraid of water... and some are afraid to be responsible for the deaths of a lot of other guys." "That's me, Rock." "I don't want to carry that load." "Yeah." "Well, a lot of guys sweat out leading an outfit." "I mean, nobody goes out looking for responsibility." "Sometimes you find it whether you're looking for it or not." "But I'm not looking for it." "It takes brains to be a leader." "I'm just smart enough not to want any part of it." "Even a two-striper like you, you'll find out." "It takes more than brains to be a corporal." "You got to have the guts to lead." "Look, I'll do my job." "It's just..." "I don't want to lead, that's all." "Hey, take it easy." "I ain't promoting you." "Lonergan and me, we'll be around for a long time." "Ain't no burp gun fast enough to cut down an old doggy like me." "If anything happened to you, Rock, I'd pull out." "Look, don't suck around nobody in the army for apron strings." "That's all you got to depend on." "You take care of her, and she'll take care of you." "You're over the hump." "You're a rifleman." "You're wrong, Rock." "I didn't shoot that Red." "Jonesy did." "Oh, well, there's a lot of Reds out there." "You'll get plenty of chances." " One flare." " One flare dead ahead." "Hey, Rock!" "People!" "Commie medics pulling back their casualties." "Just because they shoot our medics don't mean we have to shoot theirs." "Hey, down there!" "Hold your fire!" "Denno, come here." "Go on up and relieve Ramirez." "Hey, you jokers, did you hear me?" "I said hold your fire!" "Denno." "Lonergan." "Do you see anything?" " No." "Nothing." " Vogl?" " No." "Nothing." " Vogl?" " Vogl, you see anything?" " Nothing." "Now, why do they blow them bugles?" "Sometimes, it's to herald their armed approach." "Mostly, it's to confuse and frighten us." "It's a psychological trick." "Hey, they're blowing "Taps." That's our own call." "They stole our music!" "No, that's not our "Taps." That's a Chinese reassembly call." "Listen." "It ends on the same three mournful notes." "I don't like that tune!" "Let's stop the music!" "Wait a minute." "They want to suck us out there." "Whitey, you know all about them horns, don't you?" " Yeah, Sarge, I do." " Yeah?" " You go out there and get me one." " Me?" "Sure, Mr. Belvedere." "You know all about everything." "Wait a minute." "That's one thing I don't know anything about." " I'll go with you, Whitey." " Okay, both of you." "Move out!" "Hey, you guys going out to relieve Bigmouth?" "No." "We've got to get a Chinese bugle." "You got one on you?" "Look, wise guy, that minefield starts right here." "I can walk through it with my eyes closed." "Some other time." "No." "I'm on the level about getting that Chinese bugle." " Say, Harvey?" " Yeah?" "How'd you like to make a fast five dollar bill?" "How would you like" "Save it." "Come on." "I'm beginning to know that tune." "I made that up myself." "Hey, wise guy, are you a full-blooded Cherokee?" "That's what they tell me." "All right, you guys, relax." "We got O.P.'s all over the place." "Whose coffee is this?" " Who belongs to this coffee?" " Not me." " Oh, thanks, Rock." " Here." "You wanted it hot." "Who's next?" "Hey, Doc, need any hot water over there?" "Yeah." "I want to shave away some hair near this wound." " Here, take mine, Doc." " Not with the coffee." "Get him down." "The kid had a tough time taking it away from him." "He didn't want to give it up." "We couldn't find Bigmouth." "Lonergan!" "We got one of those commie bugles up here!" "Keep those guys quiet down there for a minute!" "All right, who can play a horn?" "I'm no Gabriel." "Whitey does enough blowing for a regiment." "Blow it!" "Now those little weasels are running around trying to figure out what's happening." "Lonergan!" "That ought to keep 'em confused for a while, huh?" "Psychological warfare." "Yeah, yeah." "Real psychological." "Who's doin' all that blowing' up there?" "Whitey!" "Hey, he says he didn't see Bigmouth out there anywhere!" "Hey, Lonergan!" " You goin' out after him?" " I sent him." "I'll bring him back." "You take over, Rock!" "That's psychological." " And where do you think you're going?" " I'm going with you, Sarge." "Oh, you are?" "You said so yourself you're bad luck, didn't you?" "What are you trying to do, get me killed out there?" "Besides, I'm beginning to like you too." " He needs blood, fast." " Well, what are you waiting for?" "We only had six bottles for the platoon." "A shell got them at the roadblock." "Will it match?" "Yeah, same type." "Bigmouth?" "Bigmouth, wake up." "It's Lonergan." " Where was I hit?" " Oh, you're hit?" "You wasn't hit." "You're frozen." "Here's your piece." "Can you belly?" "All right, come on." "Let's belly." "Gee, Sarge." " I bet they have to cut my legs off." " Yeah, yeah, yeah." "How you feeling?" "You think you can make it now?" " Yeah." " You think you can walk?" " I'll try." " Huh?" "Okay." "Come on, let's try it." "All right, kid, get on your feet." "Come on, hurry up." "Now, come on." "Stamp on your feet." "That's it." "That circulates the blood." "Stamp on 'em!" "Shove off!" "Hey!" "Where's the sketch of the minefield?" "I gave it to Lieutenant Gibbs." "I took it off the lieutenant." " Good." "Give it to me." " Lonergan's got it." "Oh, that's great." "Lonergan's lying out there hit, smack in the middle of the minefield." "I can point out where I buried 'em." "Well, what are you all staring for?" "You know who's got to go out and get him." "Keep him bundled up, Wheeler." "And see if you can clean up this mess without passing out." "Medic." "That puts you in charge of the platoon, Rock." "Lonergan's in command as long as he's alive." "Come on, Denno." "Let's go cover the noncombatant." "Medic or no medic, I wouldn't go in that minefield for nobody." "Don't nobody come out to get me, you hear?" "Nobody." "That's an order." "I'll get him." "Okay, Denno." "Anything to keep Lonergan alive, huh?" "Okay, go ahead." "I didn't know Denno had that kind of guts." "That's why he's a corporal." "Denno, I'm warning you." "Get back." "You'll blow us both up." "Get your hand off." "It's an open wound!" "What are you trying to do, give me blood poison?" "Put your head down." "All right." "Up." "All right, kid." "Take it easy." "Follow your own footprints." "Take it easy, Denno." "Steady, kid." "Watch that open wound, will ya?" "Wheeler, get to work on him!" " What's the matter?" " I'm no doctor." "You're a medic." "No, I-I'm a litter-bearer." "I don't know any" "Wheeler, you're a disgrace to the medics." "You, you're no medic." "You're a chicken-wired, chicken-hearted jerk!" "All you had to do was make a gesture to help him." "That's all you had to do." "It was good try, Denno, but you're out of luck." "You were carrying a dead man." "Jonesy, strip him of everything we can use." "Gimme the sketch of the minefield." "A lot of good that's gonna do." "Roll him up in a blanket, and bury him." "And mark him!" "Only one to go." "That's great, Whitey." "Hey, Whitey, that louses up your perfect 300." "Hey, Whitey, let's-let's see you roll in Brooklyn." "Say, pin boy." "Set 'em up." "It's like anything else, Wolowicz." "Women, liquor, horses." "As long as you know how to handle them, you can beat them." "All right." "Here." "Let's see you knock down one pin." "With this guy, I think we better set 'em up in the gutter." " Yeah, to make sure that he hits." " Don't forget to let go of the ball." "He couldn't bowl his way out of a paperbag." " Oh, what a guy." " Send him back to the kitchen." "He's a rush a line Joe." "You bowl just like you shoot." "That's lousy." " Let's see how good you are." " I think he stinks." "Hey, Denno, get me the helmets and weapons of those dead guys." "It worked." "We spotted their gun." "You guys set?" "Our tongues are hanging out." "3-5-0, right." "3-5-0, right." "You knocked out their gun." "How about those people, tried to get through?" "There's lots of them there... but they're all sayonara." "Send up Bigmouth, Zablocki, Griff and Bulchek from the third squad." "That means they'll probe every area with mortar." "How do you figure that?" "Well, they just scouted with mortar, didn't they?" "Or did they send out people first?" "It means they got plenty of mortars." "That was smart drawing fire with guys made out of snow." " Plenty smart." " Yeah, you build a good snowman, Jonesy." "Yeah, you going to make statues when you get out, Jonesy?" " I'm staying in." " You like the army that much?" "It's better than anything else I can think of." "Everybody's always worried about coming out of this." " Who cares?" " I care." "You'd care too, Mainotes, if you had a reason for coming out of this." "All right, knock it off, and go back to the cave." "Go on, Fitz." "I'll be right with you." "Denno." "Come here." "Like ice." "Look, Denno, I know you're a brave Joe." "It took guts to go down there and get Lonergan... no matter what your personal reason was." "But it takes more than guts to stay alive in this business." "You've got to get over that big hump." "There's eight bullets in that clip." "That means eight dead Reds." "I ain't asking you to use a clip to kill eight men." "I just want you to kill one man, even if you've gotta use the whole clip." "But kill him!" "Now, get your tail down there." "When do we get a crack in that cave, Rock?" "Yeah, we're putting in for transfer to your squad." "Shut up!" "You guys want to move in that cave, you let me know at 9:00... and I'll hand it over to you, swimming pool and all." " What's eating him?" " You ask him!" "Never mind asking anything." "I'm telling you." "You guys better stay on the ball." "These Commies take 10 hours to belly 10 yards without being seen." "And don't relax for a minute, or you'll wake up with a bayonet in your back." "They move in fast." "They move out faster." "It'll happen all of a sudden, without a sound." "Keep all points covered." " I told you he was favoring 'em." " What's behind that crack?" "Some of the guys think you're playing footsies with your own squad..." " since you took over the platoon." " Oh, some of the guys, huh?" "You see that?" "That's Jonesy's ear." "Got shot off a couple of minutes ago." "Hang onto it to remind you how I'm playing footsies with my squad." "So that's Jonesy's ear." " Are you sure?" " Sure, I'm sure." "Hey, ain't that right, Fitz?" "Sure." "Hey." "Fitz, did you hear him say he smells 'em?" " Yep, that's what I heard." " Well, that did it." " Is that bad?" " Bad?" "You know, they used to say... an Indian could put his ear to the ground and hear the enemy... but Rock, he uses his nose." "He sticks it up in the air and..." " he can smell a Red a mile away." " I guess some guys are born with it." "No, it's a mixture of training and instinct." "I used to have a nose for winners at the track." "What time is it?" "It's a little after 7:00." "We'll be moving out soon." "Hey, Fitz." "Griff." "Are ya sure you don't see anything out there?" "Look, Rock, we got eight eyes up here... and there ain't an inch of snow we don't know now by heart." "Yeah." "Well, the smell's getting stronger." "Don't relax for a minute." "Bulchek didn't mean that crack about your squad." "W-We were just riding you." "Forget it." " How's Jonesy?" " Okay." "I got it here in my pocket, Rock." "I thought maybe they could graft it on." "Throw it away." "It's tore up too much." "Vogl?" "You asleep up there?" "Between you and this quiet, Rock, you're getting us jumpy up here." "You got a reason to be." "They're so close now they stink." "What're you trying to do?" "Take 10 years off us?" "We don't see nobody." " Hey, Griff." " There's nobody out there, Rock." "We keep lookin' any harder, we'll get snow-blind." "I been through this before." "There's something cookin' on that Commie stove." "Nobody out there, Rock." "I think I spotted a movement out there... about 200 yards to the left of that little hill." "It looks like a Chinese hat." "Do you see it?" "Are you looking?" "Griff, can you hear me?" "Griff, what's the matter with you?" "Griff, what's the matter with you?" "Hey, Griff..." "Do you smell anything?" "What does he mean it stinks?" "I don't smell anything." "Are you looking?" "Griff!" "What's the matter with that radio?" "Denno, I'm going up to check on Griff." "Let's go!" "Medic!" "Medic!" "Hey, stay away from back there." "There's a deep drop there." "I've been hit." " Start cutting'." " I can't cut it myself." "Sure you can." "Here's your chance to be a real medic." "At least they can't hit us in here." "You know what I think?" "I think they're trying to knock off that top ledge." "And then they'll drop one on the lower ledge... and hope that the fragments get us inside." "That's what I think." "What's the idea?" "You crazy?" "You want to blow your top?" "Well, go out there and blow it." "Haven't you ever heard of telepathy?" " Telepathy?" " Telepathy." "It means if you think something hard enough, the thought waves go through the air." "Sometimes they go this way." "Sometimes they go this way." "Sometimes they go straight up." "If you think hard enough, the thought wave... is gonna hit them up there, and they'll do it." "All right!" "So I'll think of dames." "They must've read your mind, Borcellino." "They're trying to hit that ledge." "Let's get that stuff inside!" "Hey, come on, you fellows!" "You heard the sergeant!" "Hey, you, Big Deal!" "Come on." "Move that lead in there." "Come on." "What time you got?" "Almost 8:00." "We gotta hold till 9:00." "That's what the colonel said." "Look!" "I did it myself." "Look." "I cut it out." "Me!" "Thanks, Jonesy." "Look at the size of that!" "I didn't know I could handle a wound." "Say, I'm a surgeon." " Look." " Okay, Wheeler... then come on over here, and give me one of them knife jobs." "What are you waiting for, Doc?" "Jonesy." "Hey, you know what I'd do if I was a Commie?" "No, what would you do if you was a Commie?" "I'd plant myself right in the middle of that hill out there." "Then all I'd do is fire one bullet smack into this cave." "Just one bullet." "I know ricochet'd do the rest." "Ricochet's for the birds." "Well, I guess you're wrong." "Nobody was hit by that ricochet." "I was right." " Where?" " It's in my gut." "We'll get it out, Rock." "Maybe it was spent by the time it hit you." "Maybe it's not in too deep." "Don't get your tail in a roar, Denno." "I ain't dead yet." "Every Red out there is out of action." "We make sure this time, Rock." "Tell Denno he's in charge now." "You're in command as long as you're alive." "Denno, you got the command now whether you want it or not." " It's all yours." " You're gonna live, Rock." "I'm dead." "Listen, Rock." "I'm no good without you." "Remember what I told you." "Killing's a business." "It'll be a lot easier from now on." "Like spittin'." "Rock." "I told you." "I'm dead." "Strip him of everything we can use." "Roll him in a blanket... and bury him." "And mark him." " Let's bug outta here!" " I'm for it." "All right." "You carry that 30." "I'll carry the tripod and ammo." "Yeah, by the time we get to that ridge, regiment'll be across it." "If we pull out now, they're liable to over run us on the road... and slaughter the tail of the regiment." " We're supposed to stall 'em." " Who made you platoon leader?" "Look, I got the same rank as you, Denno." " I'm a two-striper from way back." " Yeah!" "Way, way back." "I saw you at the Naktong." "You had buck fever like no guy I ever saw before." "You're like a lot of guys in the army." "You can shoot at something you can't see... but when it comes to picking out a single target, you can't shoot." "I don't want no buck fever squaw woman telling me what to do." "Corporal or Lieutenant or Sergeant" "Whatever they call you, Denno." "Who cares?" "Two-striper, three-striper, 10-striper." "Rock made you the Ichiban." "You name it, and I'll do it." "Well, I ain't hanging around here to be chopped into Chinese rice balls... washed down with that Russian tea." "You guys follow me." "I'll get you back to the bridge." "He's right!" "I ain't winding up in a sack in this middle of nowhere." "Shut up!" "We've gotta hold here till 9:00." " Says who?" " Says the colonel." "Look, when you start wearing eagles on your shoulders, look me up." "I'll clobber the first guy that tries to bug out." " You know, I still think that we oughta" " Dry up!" "Big Deal, you better watch your step... or the corporal's gonna send your scalp to Uncle Joe." "No, Corporal, you didn't ask for it." "But you got it." "It's all yours." "You're the Ichiban boy now." "If it keeps up like this till 9:00, it's all right." "But what if they hit us?" "What'll I do?" "Will I really be able to lead these guys in a fight?" "Have I got what it takes?" "When I get out of this..." "I'm gonna open up a bowling alley with Whitey." "I'll build me a big swimming pool and fill it with hot water." "Just move right in and live in it." "Always worried about coming out of it, these guys." "For what?" "Who cares?" "Gibbs, Lonergan, Rock." "With my luck, I'll lose Denno if we don't pull out of here right away." ""Dr. Wheeler." That don't sound bad." "Dr. John Wheeler, Surgeon." "Yeah." "I kind of like the sound of that." "How can I get that extra pair of dry socks out of here?" "If he likes coffee, maybe I can make a deal." "If that guy's thinking of getting his hands on my socks... he's crazy." "I wonder what he's gonna do when he finds out..." "I'm wearing his dry socks." "Okay!" "Well, I'm all set!" "Go up and tell those guys at O.P. to come down at exactly 9:00." "Hey, you really are going by the book." "What're you bucking for?" " Get your butt up there." " All right" " Go on!" " All right!" "Move the casualties down first." "Come on." "Everybody's in the act!" "Go out there, and keep your eyes open." " Get everything down from up there?" " Yeah, everything." "Okay." "Hey, Big Deal!" " Did you take care of that?" " Yeah, we buried them all." "Let's go!" "When you hear a tank, that's the main event." "That means they're wise to us." "A tank means they'll hit us... with more tanks and a lot of people." "They're sending a guy out in front of the tank." "You know what that means." "It means they're gonna blow up the minefield... knock out our roadblock, then that joker's... gonna come out here to see if we got an antitank gun planted around the bend." "If we can knock out that tank right here- right where we're standing  and make a roadblock outta her..." " Yeah." "If we could suck that guy out here where he don't smell us... we could knock out that tank right here." "Right on this spot." "We gotta do it." "Jonesy, be sure you camouflage that 75." "And hide the bazooka." "Hide it good, huh?" "And Jonesy." "Come here." "I don't care if that tank gets close enough to spit right in your eye... you wait for my burst before you let her have it, ya hear?" "You wait for my burst." "Okay?" "Wheeler, get 'em around the bend there." "No, way around." "Jonesy, remember what I said." "Wait for me." "Mainotes, keep your head down." "Hold your fire!" "We'd better open up." "He's gonna walk over us." "Everybody opens up when I fire." "We did it!" "Jonesy." "Hey!" "Beautiful shot!" "I thought you'd never fire." "I gotta hand it to you, Corporal." "That took guts." "All right, let's pick up that 75 and haul out of here." "Hey, Wheeler, get those casualties started towards the bridge." "The rest of us will cover ya and follow." "Well, go on!" "Head for the river!" "All right, come on, you guys." "Let's go." "Lieutenant, I think I hear 'em coming." "Yeah." "Yeah, there's some people out there in the river." "Pass the word down to alert." "Could be the rearguard?" "Yeah, it could be the Reds too." "Who's there?" "Wait a minute." "Who's out there?" "Speak up!" "Rearguard." "Ain't nobody goes out lookin' for responsibility." "Sometimes you get it whether you're looking for it or not." "You ain't a corporal for nothin'..." "Corporal."