“Why?” Pacino frowned, the expression adding to his headache.
“Ask Paully White. By the way, he’s okay. So is Captain Kane, although he had a nasty collision with a bulkhead.”
“How many men did we lose?”
“There were forty-two survivors from the Barracuda.”
Pacino bit his aching lip. That meant some eighty men had lost their lives aboard the sub, in addition to the other eight 688-class subs lost in the Oparea. He couldn’t help wondering if it had been worth it, but then realized there was no telling what Japan would have become or would have done if not for Operation Enlightened Curtain.
“What now. Admiral?”
“Maybe I’ll retire to Florida. Where did you say you were going to med school?”
Her kiss felt good, but he was already sinking into a deep sleep even before she pulled her lips away.
The USS Mount Whitney steamed on. Pearl Harbor bound, the sun setting in the Pacific astern of her, the flash of green its last salute as it vanished below the horizon.