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

There was a secure landline, connected to the Commu-nications Center in the Dai Ichi Building in Tokyo. But it wasn't really secure, and it was intended primarily to keep the technicians in Pusan in touch with the technicians in Tokyo.

"Sir, there's no landline available," Keller said. "And, sir, I'm going to have to insist that you leave. This is a re-stricted area."

"Yeah, I know," the captain said. "Maybe you better call your officer, Sergeant."

Master Sergeant Keller went into the encryption room itself, and signaled the duty officer, Captain R. C. "Pete" Peters, SigC, USA, that he needed a word with him.

The captain went into the outer room.

"Hey, McCoy," Captain Peters greeted the two Marines with a smile. "What can we do for the Marines this morn-ing?"

"You might want to thank God, Pete," the captain said. "The Marines are about to land."

"That's not funny, McCoy," Captain Peters said. "I hope to Christ they got here in time. What can I do for you?"

"I need to make a quick call on your landline," Captain Kenneth R. McCoy said.

"Help yourself," Captain Peters said, and then saw the look on Master Sergeant Keller's face. "It's okay, Keller," he said. "He and Master Gunner Zimmerman are cleared for whatever they ask for."

"Yes, sir," Keller said.

Captain McCoy picked up the telephone. It was a direct line, and when the receiver was lifted, the communications switchboard operator in Tokyo answered.

"Patch me through to the Hotel Imperial, please," Mc-Coy said. A moment later, he added, "Captain McCoy for General Pickering."

And a moment after that, he repeated those exact words, then: "When will he be back, do you know?" Another pause, then: "No. No message, thank you."

He turned to the other Marine.

"Not there, and no ETA."

"Oplmmediate him," the Marine warrant officer sug-gested.

"Yeah," McCoy said, and picked up a lined pad, wrote quickly on it, and handed it to Master Sergeant Keller.

Operational Immediate

Unclassified

HqSCAP

Eyes only Brig General Pickering, USMC

Telephoning failed 0730 2 Aug.

Going to pier to meet 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. Request permission for Zimmerman and me to tem-porarily attach ourselves to Gen Craig to make ourselves useful. Will continue to report.

McCoy, Capt, USMCR

"You want this to go Operational Immediate?" Master Sergeant Keller asked, a little dubiously.

"He has the authority," Captain Peters said. "I guess I should have said there's an exception to the colonel's rule. Captain McCoy."

"And Mr. Zimmerman," McCoy said.

"And Mr. Zimmerman," Captain Peters echoed.

"I'll get this right out," Keller said, and went into the ra-dio room. When he came out, the two Marines were gone.

"What's with those two?" Keller asked.

"CIA," Captain Peters said.

He was not really surprised. He'd handled a lot of traffic for CIA agents when he was in Europe, especially in Berlin.

"They're not Marines?"

"They're Marines, and they're CIA. If you really want to know what's going on here, you ought to encrypt their re-ports yourself."

"Interesting."

Keller decided he would do just that.

[TWO]

PIER THREE

PUSAN, KOREA

0805 2 AUGUST 1950

Captain McCoy found Brigadier General Edward A. Craig, USMC-in utilities, sitting in a U.S. Army Jeep that he was apparently driving himself-on the wharf, looking more than a little unhappy as he watched the USS George Clymer (APA-27) being tied up, her rails lined with utilities-clad Marines acting for all the world as if they were being docked at a liberty port.

McCoy and Zimmerman got out of their "borrowed" U.S. Army Jeep-the lettering on the bumpers of which identified it as belonging to Fox Company, 21st Infantry- and approached Craig's Jeep. Craig heard them coming and looked over his shoulder.

McCoy and Zimmerman saluted.

"Good morning, sir," McCoy said.

Craig returned the salute.

"You two look like you need a bath," he said.

"We were up at Taejon, sir," McCoy said. "We wanted to see this," he gestured at the Clymer and the USS Pickaway (APA-222), another attack transport, which was tying up farther down the pier, "and there's something else...."

`Take a good look at those happy tourists, McCoy," General Craig said, a little bitterly. "Would you suspect that I sent them a radio ordering that ammo be issued and they debark prepared to fight?"

McCoy was trying to frame a reply to that when Zim-merman laughed, and said, "Jesus, will you look at that!"

A military unit was marching down the pier, between the warehouses and the ships. There was a color guard, in mussed and baggy khakis, carrying the flags of the United States, Korea, and the United Nations. Marching behind them, in U.S. Army fatigues, was a Korean Army military band, playing what could have been-and then, on the other hand, might not have been-the Marine Hymn.

General Craig smiled.

"In the interests of international cooperation, Mr. Zim-merman," he said. "I think we should commend those splendid musicians for at least trying."

"Yes, sir," Zimmerman said.

They could hear guffaws and laughter from the Marines hanging over the rails of the decks and gun positions of the Clymer.

"You said there was something else, McCoy?" General Craig asked.

"Yes, sir," McCoy said. "Sir, I just asked General Pick-ering for permission for Zimmerman and myself to attach ourselves temporarily to the brigade. I thought we could be useful. If nothing else, as interpreters."

"And General Pickering's reply?"

"I couldn't get through to him, sir. But I can't think of any reason he'd object. I told him we'd continue to report."

"Subject to General Pickering's approval, I accept," General Craig said. "For the time being, consider your-selves attached to me."

"Aye, aye, sir. Thank you," McCoy said, and went on: "We were at Headquarters Eighth Army last night, sir. They hadn't decided where the brigade will be sent."

It was a statement that was also a question.

"They still haven't," Craig said. "What do you know about Masan, McCoy?"

"It looks to me like the next North Korean objective, sir," McCoy said. "And a couple of prisoners Zimmerman and I talked to last night were the 6th NK Division. So far the 6th has done very well. One of them had this in his pocket."

He handed General Craig a small sheet of flimsy paper, crudely printed.

"What's it say?"

McCoy translated it in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Comrades, the enemy is demoralized. The task given us is the liberation of Masan and Chinju..."

"That sort of spells it out, doesn't it?" Craig said.

"There's more, sir. Shall I-"

Craig signaled him to go ahead.

"... the liberation of Masan and Chinju and the annihi-lation of the remnants of the enemy. The liberation of Chinju and Masan means the final battle to cut off the windpipe of the enemy. Comrades, this glorious task has fallen to our division!"

He raised his eyes to Craig to show that he had finished.

Craig looked at McCoy for a moment, and said, "I de-cided late last night that in the absence of orders from General Walker to the contrary, I'm going to move the brigade by truck and train up toward Masan. I borrowed two companies of six-by-six trucks from the Army Trans-portation Corps. If I can break up the parties on the attack transports, and get those ships unloaded today and tonight, we'll move out in the morning."

"The 6th Division has T-34 tanks, sir."

"Just before we left Pendleton, we drew new M-26s," Craig said. " `Pattons.' I suppose we are about to learn if they're as good as Fort Knox thinks they are."

"Sir, the T-34 looks as if it's vulnerable to the 3.5-inch bazooka. The 27th Infantry managed to stop a column-"