Griffin W.E.B. - The Corps 09 - Under Fire

"A young Navy doctor told me that I'm in remarkably good shape for my age. Where are my uniforms?"

"I found a couple here in the apartment. Shall I bring them?"

"Please, sweetheart. Thank you."

"How in the world did a couple of nice girls like Ernie and me wind up as Marine Corps camp followers?"

"You have very good taste, maybe?"

McCoy heard Patricia Fleming laugh, and then she hung up without saying anything else.

[FOUR]

HEADQUARTERS

BEAUFORT USMC AIR STATION

BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA

0830 1 JULY 1950

Colonel Edward J. Banning, USMC, in a fresh but already sweat-stained tropical worsted uniform, and carrying a canvas Valv-Pak, walked into the headquarters building and got his hand up in time to keep the Technical Sergeant on duty from leaping to his feet and bellowing "attention on deck."

"As you were," he said. "Sergeant, is Colonel Dunn somewhere around?"

"Sir, if you're Colonel Banning, he's expecting you."

"Guilty," Banning said. "Where do I find him?"

"Hold on, sir," the sergeant said, and picked up his tele-phone. He dialed a number, then announced, "Sir, Colonel Banning is here."

Lieutenant Colonel William C. Dunn, USMC, appeared a minute later, wearing a flight suit and holding a mug of coffee in his hand.

"Good morning, sir," he said.

"Hello, Billy," Banning said, as they shook hands.

He reached into his pocket and took out a sheet of tele-type paper, the second, carbon copy of what had come out of the machine, and handed it to Dunn.

Dunn reached in the knee pocket of his flight suit and handed Banning a sheet of teletype paper.

"The Colonel," he said, dryly, "might find this of inter-est. I think I know what yours says."

Both men read the teletype messages:

PRIORITY

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM: HQ USMC 1610 30 JUNE 1950

TO: COMMANDING OFFICER USMC BARRACKS CHARLESTON, SC

INFO: COMMANDING OFFICER MCAS BEAUFORT, SC

ISSUE APPROPRIATE ORDERS IMMEDIATELY DETACHING COLONEL EDWARD M. BAN-NING FOR INDEFINITE

PERIOD OF TEMPORARY DUTY HQ USMC.

COL BANNING WILL REPORT TO OFFICE OF THE COMMANDANT, USMC.

TRAVEL BY USMC AIRCRAFT FROM MCAS BEAUFORT, SC IS DIRECTED. PRIORITY AAAAA. TRAVEL WILL COMMENCE WITHIN TWENTY-FOUR (24) HOURS.

NO INQUIRIES CONCERNING OR REQUESTS FOR DELAY IN EXECUTION OF THESE ORDERS IS DESIRED.

FOR THE COMMANDANT USMC:

WILLIAM S. SHALEY MAG GEN USMC

PRIORITY

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM: HQ USMC 1610 30 JUNE 1950

TO: COMMANDING GENERAL

USMC RECRUIT TRAINING DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND SC

INFO: COMMANDING OFFICER MCAS BEAUFORT, SC

ISSUE APPROPRIATE ORDERS IMMEDI-ATELY DETACHING MASTER GUNNER ERNEST W. ZIMMERMAN FOR INDEFINITE PERIOD OF TEMPORARY DUTY HQ USMC.

SUBJECT OFFICER WILL REPORT TO OF- FICE OF THE COMMANDANT, USMC.

TRAVEL BY USMC AIRCRAFT FROM MCAS BEAUFORT, SC IS DIRECTED. PRIORITY AAAAA. TRAVEL WILL COMMENCE WITHIN TWENTY-FOUR (24) HOURS.

NO INQUIRIES CONCERNING OR REQUESTS FOR DELAY IN EXECUTION OF THESE ORDERS IS DESIRED.

FOR THE COMMANDANT USMC:

WILLIAM S. SHALEY MAG GEN USMC

"I think I know what this is, Colonel," Dunn said, as they exchanged the teletype messages. "The Commandant is holding a convention of real estate tycoons."

"You can go to hell, Colonel," Banning said. "I have no idea what this is all about."

"It might have something to do with what's going on in Korea," Dunn said. "It just came over the radio that MacArthur went over to have a look."

Banning grunted but didn't reply. "Zimmerman here?"

"He and Mae-Su, in my office. I thought you'd want to go together. Luddy drive you up?"

Banning nodded, and nodded toward the parking lot. "And passed the time delivering lecture 401 on the evils of the communist empire. She's convinced the Russians-ex-cuse me, the Bolsheviks; Luddy is a Russian-are behind this Korean business."

"And you aren't?"

"Billy, I just don't know," Banning said.

"Well, your chariot awaits, Colonel. Unless you want a cup of coffee or something?"

"I hate long farewells," Banning said. "Let's get the show on the road."

"I'll go get the Zimmermans," Dunn said.

"What kind of a chariot do we have?"

"Gooney-Bird," Dunn said. "Driven by yours truly."

"That's very nice, Billy. But I know you've got things to do around here."

"I could say, `my pleasure, sir, there's nothing I would rather do,' but being a Marine officer, the truth is that I'm headed for Eighth and Eye, too. I think somebody up there thinks we're going to have a war; they want to talk about mobilization. Taking you in the Gooney-Bird means I can take some of my officers and senior noncoms with me."

[FIVE]

ROOM 505

EAST BUILDING, THE CIA COMPLEX

2430 E STREET

WASHINGTON, D.C.

1400 1 JULY 1950

Brigadier General Fleming Pickering, USMCR, was sprawled somewhat uncomfortably on a chrome framed, tweed-upholstered couch reading The Washington Star and Captain Kenneth R. McCoy, USMC, was sitting behind General Pickering's desk, reading The Washington Post, when the telephone on the desk rang.

McCoy looked at Pickering for guidance, and Pickering mimed picking up the telephone.

"General Pickering's office, Captain McCoy speaking, sir." He listened, and then added, "Pass them up, please." He put the telephone back in its cradle and looked at Pick-ering. "Banning and Zimmerman are downstairs," he said.

"That was quick," Pickering said. "Cates told me he would get them assigned here, but that was yesterday after-noon."

He sat up, put the newspaper on the couch, and stood up, looking thoughtful.

"Try to get Admiral Hillenkoetter again, will you, Ken?" he asked.

McCoy consulted a stapled-together telephone book and dialed a number.

"General Pickering calling for Admiral Hillenkoetter," he said into the telephone, listened again, said "thank you," and hung up. He looked at Pickering. "The admiral is not in the building," he said.

"Which means the admiral is not in the building, or the admiral doesn't want to talk to me," Pickering said. He walked to the window and looked out of it.

Escorted by an armed guard in a police-like uniform, Colonel Edward J. Banning, USMC, and Master Gunner Ernest Zimmerman, USMC, arrived three minutes later.

"Colonel Banning, Edward J., reporting as ordered with a party of one, sir," Banning said.

"Hello, Ed," Pickering said. "Ernie, how are you?"

They shook hands all around.

"General," the guard said, "when these gentlemen leave, please have them escorted to the lobby, or call the guard captain, and he will send someone here."

Pickering looked at him a moment, then nodded.

The guard left and closed the door.

"I knew you were coming," Pickering said. "But I didn't expect you so soon."

" `Travel will commence within twenty-four hours,'" Banning quoted, and handed Pickering the sheet of tele-type paper he had shown Billy Dunn at the Beaufort Ma-rine Air Station earlier. "Ernie's got one just like it, with only the names changed to protect the guilty. We went to Eighth and Eye, and they sent us over here. Orders will be cut sometime today placing both of us on indefinite TAD (Temporary Additional Duty) here."

"Colonel Dunn flew us up," Zimmerman said. "He sends his respects, sir. Can I ask what's happening?"

"Ernie, I don't know," Pickering said. "But I'm damned sure about to find out." He turned to McCoy. "Look in that phone book, Ken, and see if you can come up with a deputy director, or a deputy director, administration, some-thing like that."

"Yes, sir," McCoy said.

Sixty seconds later, he reported: "There's a deputy di-rector and deputy director for administration. In this build-ing. Shall I try to get one of them-tell me which one-on the phone?"