As for the Japanese sniper, it looked as if Deke wasn’t going to get his chance to see who the better shot was, after all. The sniper was gone, either blasted into oblivion or hiding within the jungle perimeter.
“Let’s go!”
The men didn’t need to be told twice. The boat had come in as close to shore as it could, but the men still had to splash their way toward the boat. The water was deep enough that it made climbing aboard difficult. The helmsman couldn’t help much because he was occupied trying to keep the boat from capsizing in the six-foot waves cresting as they rolled toward the beach. Luckily, the Japanese ship that they had seen earlier had not reappeared or opened fire on the US ship over the horizon. Perhaps it suited the Japanese to stay out of sight for now.
Yoshio managed to wriggle up the side, then helped the others aboard, one by one.
To their surprise, at the helm was the same sailor who had brought them in.
“Boy, are we glad to see you,” Philly announced.
“You dogfaces will do anything for a boat ride, won’t you?” said the tough old salt, a grin creasing his leathery face. “Maybe you want to take a little shoreline cruise and see the sights?”
“Aw, wouldn’t you know it that we forgot our picnic basket,” Philly said.
“All right, all right,” Honcho said. “You guys are cracking us up. Just get us the hell out of here.”
The helmsman obliged by swinging the wheel around and ramming the throttle forward, leaving a foaming wake behind as they raced toward the navy vessel waiting over the horizon.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A few days later, Deke was in another cramped bunk, feeling the ship roll beneath him and trying to ignore that familiar queasy feeling in his belly.
“I’ve got to say that I’m almost wishing I was back on Leyte, scrambling through the jungle,” he said. The words came out closer to sounding like a groan than he would have liked. “Anything has got to be better than being stuck on this damn ship.”
“You can keep your jungle,” said Philly, jammed into another bunk nearby, intent on reading a magazine. “Snakes, spiders, bugs, Japs — and sleeping in a hole in a ground if you’re lucky. No sirree, baby. Give me a bunk and three squares any day of the week.”
It was a familiar debate. More than one soldier had asked himself why he hadn’t had the good sense to join the navy instead. Then again, they had seen firsthand how terrifying it could be on a ship when the Japs came calling. Deke thought of his cousin Jasper, killed at Pearl Harbor. More and more, it was hard not to come across someone who hadn’t lost a relative or a buddy in the war, either in the Pacific or in Europe, or even in the cold waters of the North Atlantic.
Deke groaned again. Yoshio was in another bunk, ignoring them both as he turned the pages of a Western novel. Deke doubted that there had been many Japanese gunslingers in the Old West, but the snipers whom he’d run into on Guam and Leyte would have been good candidates. They’d have given any of Zane Grey’s heroes a run for their money.
Rodeo and Alphabet were sleeping in their bunks. Bat and Ball weren’t there, having been sent back to the marines where they belonged. Rumor had it that they were heading for some island called Iwo Jima.
Stuck without much to do, the men were entertaining themselves as best as they could. Yoshio had his book, and Philly had gotten into a card game or two — somehow, he had managed not to lose his shirt.
Deke had spent some time writing a rare letter to Sadie, off in Washington, DC. He owed her a letter, considering that he’d gotten a note from her when he was still on Guam. That letter had been full of details about city life and police work. To Deke’s surprise, he could read between the lines that his sister didn’t miss home or their life on the farm the same way that he did. In fact, she seemed to have embraced city life and her new career.
But that was Sadie for you. Like a cat, she always landed on her feet. He had enjoyed visiting her before shipping out, back when the unit was training on the Chesapeake Bay. They’d had a good time, and Deke had enjoyed meeting some of the girls she knew. Sadie must have warned them about his scars, because they hadn’t asked questions and hadn’t stared. But it didn’t change the fact that he was damaged goods compared to all the other soldier boys they had to choose from in the big city.
As for Washington itself, Deke had been impressed by the stately white buildings, places that he’d only heard about, such as the White House, the United States Capitol, and even the Washington Monument. It felt strange, in a way, to see them in person, but also reassuring. These buildings represented the institutions and the ideals that they were all fighting for. Deke respected that and hadn’t lost sight of why they were all here, which was easy enough to do.
Dear Sadie,
We have had a hard time here in the Pacific, but we are getting through it all right. There are a lot of good men in my unit and we have a real good officer. I would follow him anywhere. He reminds me of Pa in some ways. The Japs are a tough nut to crack and many are good shots, but not as good as you. I feel sorry for any man who thinks he can shoot better than you. How are things going for you in Washington? I hope they are giving you more to do than write parking tickets.
Right now we are getting plenty of chow, but I do miss a good breakfast like we used to have on the farm sometimes. That’s all for now, I reckon.
Your brother,
Deacon
It was a short letter, but he supposed that something was better than nothing. Besides, once land came into view, it was hard to say when he would ever have a chance to write again. There was a lot more that he couldn’t put in the letter, of course. The censors would have struck out any details anyhow.
Deke realized that the last few days had been a confusing whirlwind. After their rescue from the beach on Leyte, their time aboard the destroyer turned out to be relatively short. The Ingersoll had backtracked until it came to the invasion fleet making its way across the Pacific.
After a few days, they found themselves transferred to USS Elmore. They had been a novelty aboard the destroyer, but Ingersoll had returned to its regular duties of escorting aircraft carriers through waters still infested by the enemy, whether on the water, beneath the waves, or in the air.
Elmore was an attack transport, loaded with men ready to launch the invasion of Leyte. The ship itself wouldn’t take them to shore. When the time came, they would descend rope netting to Higgins boats waiting to take them to shore, where the Japanese would be waiting.
Deke tried not to think too much about that.
Despite their efforts during the raid, they received no special treatment compared to the rest of the troops aboard. Philly had done some crowing about how they deserved a medal for what they had done, but that was wishful thinking. The way Deke saw it, many others had done plenty more.
Like the other troops, they were more or less confined to their cramped quarters, with the exception being a few hours on deck each day for exercise and fresh air. There were organized calisthenics and weapons inspections just to keep the men on their toes.
The sailors had a ship to run so were busy going about their duties. Hordes of soldiers on deck just got in their way, which was why the troops were kept under wraps for the most part. Also, the army officers didn’t want their boys to get the mistaken idea that they were on a pleasure cruise. Lieutenant Steele had disappeared into his officer’s quarters, and they had not seen much of him since coming aboard.
“I’m not going to babysit you,” he had announced. “Get some sleep, eat all you can, and stay the hell out of trouble. I’ll see you when we get back to Leyte.”