"Got a minute for me, Harry?" General Dawkins asked, as he entered Wade's office.
"Good afternoon, General," Wade said. "Of course, sir. Can I offer you some coffee?"
"No, thanks," Dawkins said. "I'm coffee-ed out. Art, will you close the door, please?"
Captain McGowan closed the door.
"I'm not sure, Harry," General Dawkins said, "whether this is what you could call `for the good of the Corps,' or personal. But I'm here."
"How can I help, sir?"
"This goddamn college-degree nonsense has just gotten one more damned good Marine officer."
"We've talked about that, General," Wade said. "If this is a special case, I'll get on the horn to Eighth and Eye. But I think I can tell you what they're going to say."
"Yes, I think I know, too," Dawkins said. "I think it's too late for anything to be done about this."
"Yes, sir?"
"Does `Killer McCoy' mean anything to you, Harry?"
"I've heard about him. He made the Makin Island raid, didn't he? With Major Jimmy Roosevelt?"
"The Makin Island raid, and a hell of a lot else," Dawkins said. "During the war, the Killer spent more time behind enemy lines than most people you and I know spent in the Corps."
"Yes, sir. I know who he is. I've never met him."
"You're about to," Dawkins said. "He's on his way out here from Diego for involuntary separation. He's a captain. He used to be a major. They took that away from him, and now they want to send him back to the ranks."
"I don't know what to say," Colonel Wade said. "You could tell me this college-degree thing is stupid, but you'd be preaching to the choir."
"I want his passage through your separation process greased," Dawkins said. "And I don't want him to suspect it was greased because somebody feels sorry for him."
Wade did not reply directly.
"What the hell can a man like that do on civvy street?" he asked, as if of himself.
"1 just found out he's the opposite of hurting for money," Dawkins said. "For whatever consolation that might be. His wife owns a large chunk of American Personal Phar-maceuticals, and the rest of it is apparently owned by her father."
"In other words, he's in the Corps because he wants to be," Wade said.
"Exactly," Dawkins said. "And now he's getting the boot. I want that exit to be as painless as possible."
"With your permission, sir," Wade said, "I'd like to get Lieutenant Colonel Brewer in here. He's in charge of in-voluntary officer separations."
Dawkins thought that over for a moment. There was no question in his mind that Colonel Wade would relay his desires to the lieutenant colonel. But it would take only another couple of minutes of his time, and the lieutenant colonel would have no question in his mind what the Deputy Commanding General wanted. "Good idea, Harry," Dawkins said.
Colonel Wade walked to his office door and opened it, and spoke to his administrative assistant.
"Sergeant, run over to Colonel Brewer's office and tell him I'd like to see him right now."
"Aye, aye, sir."
"And if he has a file on a Captain McCoy, tell him to bring that with him."
"Aye, aye, sir."
Three minutes later, Lieutenant Colonel Brewer entered Colonel Wade's office, carrying a large manila folder on which was lettered "MCCOY, K. R. CAPT USMCR."
He was visibly surprised to find the deputy commanding general resting his rear end on Colonel Wade's desk.
"You know the general, of course, Brewer?"
"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Colonel Brewer said. He had met Dawkins for no more than two minutes when reporting aboard Camp Pendleton.
"That's McCoy's file?" Dawkins asked.
"Yes, sir."
He offered it to Dawkins, who took it.
"The general is interested in seeing that Captain Mc-Coy's separation from the Corps be conducted as expeditiously as possible," Colonel Wade said.
"Yes, sir. I understand."
"You understand what?" Dawkins said.
"Sir, Captain McCoy's reputation precedes him," Lieu-tenant Colonel Brewer said.
"You bet your life it does," Dawkins said, "but there is something in your tone of voice, Colonel..."
"Sir?"
"What exactly do you know about Captain McCoy?" Dawkins asked.
"Well, sir, from what I understand of Captain McCoy, he was lucky to be retained on active duty as an officer as long as he was."
"Anything else?" Dawkins asked, softly.
"Sir, as I understand the situation," Colonel Brewer be-gan, slowly, having sensed that he was marching on very thin ice, and having absolutely no idea why that should be, "Captain McCoy was commissioned from enlisted status in the early days of World War Two when the Corps was desperately seeking officers."
"And we commissioned practically anybody who could see lightning and hear thunder?" Dawkins asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Anything else?" Dawkins asked.
"Well, sir, it's come to my attention that he's... uh... in a financial position where he would be better off to spend his last twenty-nine days in the Corps on duty, rather than on leave. So that he could be paid for his unused ac-crued leave on separation, sir."
"And what would you have Captain McCoy doing on his last twenty-nine days of active service, Colonel?"
"Well, sir, as I'm sure you know, there's always some-thing an officer can do. Inventory supply rooms. The Ex-change. That sort of thing."
"Colonel," Dawkins said. "Listen to me carefully. I'll tell you what you are going to do vis-a-vis Captain McCoy, who is at this moment en route here. You will immediately receive him in your office. Ninety seconds after you re-ceive him in your office, he will depart your office on leave until the last day of his active service as an officer. When he reports back here on that last day of service, you will have arranged for the hospital to give him his separation physical examination on a personal basis-that is to say, it will take no longer than sixty minutes. If the hospital has any problem with that, have them contact me. When Cap-tain McCoy has his separation physical in hand, you will personally hand him his final pay and his travel orders to his home of record, and wish him well in his civilian ca-reer. You understand all that?"
"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Colonel Brewer said.
"See that it happens, Harry," Dawkins said to Colonel Wade.
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Come on, Art," General Dawkins said to Captain McGowan, and walked out of the room.
[SIX]
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF FOR OFFICER RECORDS
OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OF STAFF,
G-l HEADQUARTERS
CAMI PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA
1610 8 JUNE 1950
"You wanted to see me, Colonel?" Major Robert B. Macklin, USMC, inquired of Lieutenant Colonel Peter S. Brewer, USMC, from Brewer's open office door.
"Come in, Macklin," Brewer said, "and close the door."
"Yes, sir."
"About this Captain McCoy, Macklin..."
"Yes, sir?"
"I want to make sure I have this straight in my mind," Brewer said. "From what you told me, you served with him. Is that right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Where was that?"
"I was on several occasions stationed in the same places as McCoy, sir, but I don't know if that could be construed as `serving with' him, sir."