W.E.B. Griffin - The Corps VII - Behind the Lines

"Yes, Sir."

Abruptly, MacArthur asked: "What are you going to do, Fleming, about this obnoxious intrusion of the camel's nose into your tent?"

The question surprised Pickering.

"Obey my orders, Sir. See that these people get into Mindanao and then get out."

MacArthur nodded his head solemnly.

"This headquarters, of course, and myself personally, stands ready of course to render any assistance we can to assist you in the accomplishment of your mission."

"I can't think of anything I need right now, Sir."

MacArthur looked at him for a long moment, then nodded his head.

"If something comes up, let me know."

"Thank you, General."

"Again, Fleming, I deeply appreciate your loyalty to me. But if there's nothing else?"

"No, Sir. Thank you for seeing me, Sir."

[THREE]

Naval Air Transport Command Passenger Terminal

United States Naval Base

Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii

1430 Hours 21 November 1942

The plump, bland-faced officer-his desk plate identified him as Lieutenant (j.g.) L. B. Cavanaugh, USNR, Officer in Charge Passenger Seat Assign-ment-was simply a typical bureaucrat who had put on a uniform for the dura-tion plus six months, Major James C. Brownlee III, USMCR, thought impatiently.

It was not at all hard for Brownlee to picture Lieutenant Cavanaugh stand-ing behind the Pan American Airways ticket counter in Miami offering the same argument he was offering here:

"I'm sorry, I don't make the regulations, and I have no authority to change them."

Lieutenant Cavanaugh had produced the rules with all the self-righteous assurance of Moses presenting the Ten Commandments on his descent from Mount Sinai: Here they are, God has spoken, there is no room for argument.

U.S. Navy Base, Pearl Harbor, T.H., Circular 42-2, "Standing Operating Procedure, Naval Air Transport Command Passenger Terminal," consisted of sixteen mimeographed pages, each protected by a celluloid envelope in a blue loose-leaf binder. From its battered condition, Brownlee concluded that the Lieutenant had found it necessary to produce the regulations frequently.

Section Six, "Conflicting Priorities," took two single-spaced typewritten pages to deal with the inevitability of two or more people showing up at the same time with on-the-face-of-it similar priorities to claim one seat.

The point was that priorities were really seldom absolutely identical, al-though Lieutenant (j.g.) Cavanaugh was willing to grant that the priorities of Major Brownlee and Captains Sessions and Macklin were more nearly identi-cal than was usually the case.

All three carried the highest-AAAAAA-priority classification. Some time ago, Lieutenant (j.g.) Cavanaugh said, an AAAAAA priority would al-most have guaranteed a seat on any plane going anywhere. But that had changed, as various headquarters realized the only way to be sure their travel-ers got on airplanes with the least possible delay was to issue them the highest priority possible.

In consequence of that, authority to issue AAAAAA air-travel priorities had been removed from lesser headquarters. At the present time, only Com-mander, U.S. Naval Activities, West Coast (COMNAVACTWEST); Com-mander, U.S. Naval Activities, East Coast (COMNAVACTEAST); CINCPAC (Commander-in-Chief, Pacific); and SWPOA (Supreme Headquarters, South West Pacific Ocean Area) had the authority to issue AAAAAA air-travel pri-orities. Plus, of course, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and the Chief of Naval Operations.

Identical AAAAAA priorities issued by the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Chief of Naval Operations had priority over AAAAAA priorities issued by lesser headquarters.

But inasmuch as the AAAAAA priorities issued to Major Brownlee and Captains Sessions and Macklin had all been issued by the Chief of Naval Oper-ations, that was no help in determining who would occupy the one seat avail-able on the Coronado departing Pearl Harbor at 1615 hours for Supreme Headquarters, SWPOA, Brisbane, Australia.

The next selection criteria, given identical AAAAAA priorities issued by the same-or equal-level-headquarters, was the date and time of the issue. And this was the deciding factor here, Lieutenant (j.g.) Cavanaugh announced. Inasmuch as the AAAAAA priority issued to Captain Sessions was dated four days prior to the AAAAAA priorities issued to Major Brownlee and Captain Macklin, Captain Sessions was thus entitled to the seat.

Lieutenant (j.g.) Cavanaugh was deaf to Major Brownlee's argument that the three officers were all on the same mission, that he was by virtue of his rank the commanding officer, and thus had the authority to determine which of the three would travel first, with the others to follow.

"Priorities are not transferable," Lieutenant (j.g.) Cavanaugh said. "Para-graph 14(b)." He indicated with his finger the applicable paragraph.

"Lieutenant," Sessions asked, "what if I was suddenly taken ill? It really is important that Major Brownlee reaches Brisbane before I do."

"You would really have to be sick," Lieutenant (j.g.) Cavanaugh said. "Otherwise that would constitute 'Absence Without Leave With the Intention of Avoiding Hazardous Duty.' All air travel beyond here into the Pacific is considered Hazardous Duty. They'd take you to the dispensary, and you would have to prove you were sick."

He flipped the pages of "Standing Operating Procedure" until he came to the applicable paragraph, then held out the blue loose-leaf binder for them to see for themselves.

"And I can't just voluntarily give up my seat to Major Brownlee?" Ses-sions asked.

"No, you cannot," Lieutenant (j.g.) Cavanaugh said simply but firmly.

"Have a nice flight, Ed," Major Brownlee said. "I'll see you in Bris-bane."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Ed Sessions said.

"It's not your fault," Brownlee said. "This has all come down from Mount Sinai graven on stone."

Sessions chuckled.

"I'll tell you what you might do, Major, if it's really important that you get to Brisbane," Lieutenant (j.g.) Cavanaugh said.

"It's really important."

"You might go out to Hickam Field. The Army's running Flying For-tresses through there to Australia. Sometimes, they can find a ride for people in a hurry. There's no seats on a B-17, of course, and it's a long ride...."

"How would I get from here to Hickam Field?"

"There's a bus from the Main Gate. I think they run every hour on the quarter hour."

"You mind getting on the Coronado by yourself, Ed?" Brownlee asked. "Can you handle all that stuff by yourself?"

He pointed to their luggage. In addition to their clothing, this included the obsolete Device, Cryptographic, M94; the new crypto device-which, to Ses-sions's surprise, did not seem to have an official nomenclature; four small por-table shortwave radios and several spare sets of batteries; and other items which Colonel Rickabee and Major Banning decided, before Brownlee and Macklin showed up, that McCoy might find useful.

Sessions took Brownlee's meaning: While Brownlee might be able to ca-jole space for himself and Macklin on a Flying Fortress, it was unlikely the Army Air Corps would be willing to carry along several hundred pounds of what looked like his personal baggage.

"I can handle it," Sessions said, and then looked at Lieutenant (j.g.) Cava-naugh to see if he had any objections.

"Let me see your orders again," Cavanaugh said. He studied them care-fully, then announced: "No problem. Paragraph 5(b) says, 'and such equip-ment and accessories as is considered necessary for the accomplishment of the assigned mission.' I presume all that stuff is necessary?"

"Absolutely," Brownlee and Sessions said at the same instant.

They looked at each other and chuckled. Then Brownlee put out his hand.

"See you in Brisbane, Ed," he said.

"Yes, Sir."