Line of Fire W E B Griffin

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it.
"Captain Pickering," he said, motioning for Pickering to lean over to him. He pinned the medal to
Pickering's uniform.
"It is my great privilege, on the recommendation of the Commanding General, First Marine Division, to
invest you with the Legion of Merit for your distinguished service as Acting G-2, First Marine Division,
during combat operations on Guadalcanal."
"I don't deserve a medal for that," Pickering protested. "I was just filling in-the G-2 was killed-until they
could get someone qualified in there."
"I think we can safely leave that judgment to General Vandergrift," Roosevelt said. "He made that
recommendation, of course, without being aware that Admiral Leahy and I had something in mind for
you."
"Mr. President, you can't really be thinking of-"
"Your name was sent to the Senate this afternoon, Fleming, for their advice and consent to your
commission as Brigadier General, USMC Reserve. Now I realize that Richmond Fowler and I agree
about very little, but I rather suspect that when I ask him to support your nomination, he'll come along...
in a bipartisan gesture."
"I will be hated in The Marine Corps," Pickering said.
"Possibly," Admiral Leahy said. "But you're already hated in the Navy, so nothing is lost there. And no
Marine is likely to criticize a fellow Marine with a record like yours. General Vandergrift does not hand
out decorations like the Legion of Merit lightly." The President raised his voice slightly.
"Commander Jellington!" The glass door to the cabin slid open.
"Yes, Mr. President?"
"Commander, would you ask the other gentlemen to join us, please?"
"Yes, Mr. President."
Even though both Brigadier General D. G. McInerney, USMC, and Commander Jellington, USN, had
given him an intense briefing on protocol in the presence of the President of the United States, the first of
the President's other guests promptly forgot all he'd heard when he walked onto the fantail of the
Potomac and saw Fleming Pickering with his arm in a cast.
"Jesus Christ, Dad!" he demanded. "What happened to YOU?"
Chapter Five
[One]
FERDINAND SIX
BUKA, SOLOMON ISLANDS
4 SEPTEMBER 1942
As Sergeant Steven M. Koffler, USMC, knelt before the key of his Hallicrafters and waited for the dials
to come to life, he was suffering from a severe case of the I-Feel-Sorry-for-Me syndrome.
In his judgment, with the exception of the inevitable failure of the Hallicrafters (which could happen at any
time), everything that could go wrong had gone wrong.
When the officers left seven days ago to see what they could steal from the Japanese, they planned to be
back in five or six days. They were now overdue. That probably meant they were not going to come
back.
And that meant that the Japanese would probably be here sooner rather than later.
Although he was a uniformed member of an armed force engaged in combat against enemy armed forces
and thus entitled under the Geneva Convention to treatment as a prisoner of war, Koffler was well aware
that the Japanese had different views of such obligations than Americans.
Back in Townsville, to make sure that Sergeant Koffler and Lieutenant Howard really knew what they
were letting themselves in for, Commander Feldt had explained the differences in some detail: If the
Japanese captured them, presuming they did not kill them outright, Koffler and Howard should hope for
a Japanese officer who believed they were indeed U.S. Marines and thus entitled to treatment as fellow
warriors.
That meant he'd have them executed according to the Code of Bushido:
First they would dig their own graves. Then a member of the Japanese Armed Forces of equal or
superior rank would behead them with a Japanese sword. Following the execution, prayers would be
said over their graves, and entries would be made in official Japanese records of the date and place of
their execution and burial. Presuming the records were not destroyed, that would be handy, after the war,
for the disinterment of their remains and their return to the United States.
It was equally possible, Commander Feldt went on matter-of-factly, that they'd be regarded as spies and
not soldiers. In that case, they'd he interrogated-read tortured-then executed in a less ritualistic manner.
With a little luck they'd get a pistol bullet in the ear. More likely they'd serve as targets for bayonet
practice. Of course, no record would be kept of their execution or place of burial. Thus they'd be listed
officially as missing in action and presumed dead.
Later, Lieutenant Howard pointed out why Commander Feldt had gone so thoroughly into the unpleasant
details: He wanted to make sure they knew how important it was for them not to get captured.
"So far as Feldt is concerned, " Lieutenant Howard said, "we should have absolutely no contact with the
Japs. None. But if we are captured, we should not give them any information. When the Cavalry was
fighting the Apaches after the Civil War, they always saved one cartridge for themselves. The Apaches
were worse than the Japs. They liked to roast their prisoners over slow fires. You understand?"
"Yes, Sir.
The dials came to life. Koffler threw the switch to TRANSMIT and worked the key. The dots and
dashes went out, repeated three times, spelling out, simply, FRD6. FRD6. FRD6.
Detachment A of Special Marine Corps Detachment 14 is attempting to establish contact with any station
on this communications network.
There was no reply. He put his hand on the key again.
FRD6. FRD6. FRD6. FRD6. FRD6. FRD6.
There was a reply: KCY.???.KCY.???.KCY.???
This is the United States Pacific Fleet Radio Station at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii.
Is there someone trying to contact me?
KCY.FRD6.KCY.FRD6.KCY.FRD6.
FRD6. KCY. FRD6. KCY URSIG 2Xl. GA.
Detachment A of Special Marine Corps Detachment 14, this is the United States Pacific Fleet Radio.
Your signal is weak and barely readable. Go ahead.
Fucking radio. Fucking atmospherics. Fucking sunspots.
Fuck fuck fuck.
KCY. FRD6. SB CODE.
CINCPAC Radio Pearl Harbor, stand by to copy encrypted message.
FRD6. KCY. RPT URS IG 2X 1. GA.
Detachment A of Special Marine Corps Detachment 14, this is the United States Pacific Fleet Radio.
Repeat, your signal is weak and barely readable. Go ahead.
After six tries, Detachment A of Special Marine Corps Detachment 14 was able to relay to the United
States Pacific Fleet headquarters in Pearl Harbor that an enemy bomber force of twenty Betty bombers, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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