Griffin W.E.B. - The Corps 08 - In Dangers Path

«Major,» the man on the pony said in Cantonese, «do you speak English?»

«Who are you?» McCoy replied in Cantonese.

The man didn't reply.

«Do you speak English?» McCoy asked in English.

«Yes.»

«Are you American?» McCoy asked.

«Yes. Are those American Army vehicles?»

«Actually, they're Marine Corps vehicles,» McCoy said. «Does the name Sweatley mean anything to you?»

«Sergeant Sweatley?»

«Sergeant James R. Sweatley,» McCoy amplified.

«He's the tactical officer,» the man on the pony said.

«What does that mean?» McCoy asked, and then, without giving the man on the pony a chance to reply, «Where is Sweatley?»

The man on the pony gestured over his shoulder. «We're not moving,» he said. «Waiting for the snow to blow away.»

«Let's go to see Sergeant Sweatley,» McCoy said. «How many of there are you?»

«You

are

an American, right?» the man on the pony asked.

«I'm an American,» McCoy said. «Get going.»

He waved at the weapons carrier to come after him.

The man on the pony turned the animal and started moving off. The weapons carrier and the ambulance followed him.

Twenty minutes later, they came to a circle of wagons covered with snow. Smoke and steam rose from inside some of the wagons.

If we had passed this five hundred yards to either side, we never would have seen it.

The man on the pony kicked it in the ribs, and it moved a little more quickly toward the circle of wagons.

«Americans!» the man shouted. «Americans!»

Then he rode the pony inside the circled wagons. Several people appeared, some peering out of the tarpaulins covering the wagons, some brave enough to come out of the circled wagons to stare as the two vehicles drove up. Some of these had weapons, but no one brandished them threateningly.

McCoy dropped off the weapons carrier and walked up to them.

«I'm looking for Sergeant James R. Sweatley, formerly of the Marine detachment in Peking,» McCoy said to an older man who looked as if he might be in charge.

«Go get Sweatley,» the man ordered. «I'm Chief Frederick Brewer. I transferred to the Fleet Reserve off the

Panay

. Who are you?»

«My name is McCoy,» McCoy said, and was interrupted by a tall, dark-haired woman.

«Oh, my God!» she said.

McCoy knew who she was.

«Corporal McCoy,» she said. «Do you remember me? I was Mrs. Edward J. Banning. My husband was a captain in the Fourth Marines. You once came to our apartment.»

«It's Lieutenant Colonel Banning now, Milla,» McCoy said. «You're still Mrs. Banning. It's good to see you, Milla.»

«Oh, my God! Ed is alive?»

«Yes, ma'am. He's alive. Is Zimmerman's wife here? Their kids?»

Milla nodded, unable to find her voice.

«Ernie,» McCoy called, raising his voice. «Mae Su and the kids are here!»

Zimmerman came out of the ambulance and ran toward the circle of wagons.

«I'll be a sonofabitch,» Sergeant James R. Sweatley, USMC, said, walking up as he shrugged into an ankle-length sheepskin coat.

«Hello, Sweatley,» McCoy said, offering his hand. «Good to see you.»

«Killer fucking McCoy in the fucking flesh!» Sweatley said. «What the

fuck

are you doing here, Killer?»

McCoy pulled his hand back. «It's Captain McCoy to you, Sergeant,» he said icily. «And my first order to you is to watch your mouth in the presence of a lady. And don't you ever call me Killer again.» He stared Sweatley down and turned to Chief Brewer. «Are you in charge here, Chief?»

«Yes, sir.»

«Let's go find someplace to talk out of the cold,» McCoy said. «We've got a lot to do.» He turned to Sergeant Sweatley. «There's an Army officer getting a radio out of the back of the ambulance,» he said. «Make yourself useful to him.»

«Aye, aye, sir.»

note 95

Naval Communications Facility

U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor

Oahu, Territory of Hawaii

0530 Local Time 1 May 1943

«Flag officer on the deck!» the radioman first class called, as he rose to his feet from behind his desk in the foyer of the building.

«As you were,» Rear Admiral Daniel J. Wagam, USN, said quickly, and then asked, «Commander Toner?»

«Right here, Admiral,» Commander Lewis B. Toner, USN, said. «Good morning, sir.»

Admiral Wagam needed a shave, and when he removed his gold-heavy uniform cap, his short hair was uncombed. Commander Toner also suspected that Admiral Wagam's white uniform was the one he had worn the day before.

«Good morning,» Wagam said. «What have you got?»

«Contact, sir. Not much more than that. If you'll come with me, sir?»

He pointed to a steel door that had a large authorized personnel only beyond this point sign on it.

Wagam looked at the radioman first class. «A Major Dillon of the Marines is on his way here. See that he gets to wherever I'm going.»

«Aye, aye, sir.»

He followed Commander Toner through the steel door and down a corridor. They came to a Marine PFC armed with a Thompson guarding a second door.

«Open it,» Commander Toner ordered.

The Marine pushed the lever of an intercom. «Passing the duty officer and an admiral,» he announced.

Bolts were slid open, and then the door was pushed inward. Toner waved Admiral Wagam into a large room. There was the peculiar odor of high voltage. A dozen sailors sat before communications radios, some working telegraph keys, others pounding typewriters. Two radio Teletype machines clattered against the wall.

Toner led Wagam to a glass-walled office with a sign reading «Duty Officer.» Inside was a desk, two chairs, a chief petty officer, and a seaman first class who looked about seventeen years old and very nervous.

The chief put a china mug quickly on the desk.

«Good morning, Chief,» Wagam said. «I'd kill for a cup of coffee.»

«Aye, aye, sir,» the chief said, stepped to the door, and ordered, «Coffee, now!»

«Good morning, son,» Wagam said to the young sailor.

«Epstein, sir,» the kid said. «Lester J. Seaman, First Class.»

«What have you got for me, Epstein?» Admiral Wagam asked.

Seaman Epstein thrust at Admiral Wagam a sixteen-inch-long sheet of yellow paper, obviously torn from the roll of paper that had been fed into his typewriter.

0426

20 METER MONITOR

KCG TO KNX

KCG TO KNX

ga go ahead

KCG TO KNX VERIFIER GYPSY ACK

stand by

ack verifier ga

KCG TO KNX

FIVE THREE FIVE THREE reading me 5x3

ONE ONE ONE ONE soi 21

ACK

reading you 5x5 ack using sig op one

KCG TO KNX

ZERO ONE ZERO ONE

all well in contact with gypsies

ZERO EIGHT FIVE SEVEN ZERO EIGHT FIVE SEVEN

all well with gypsies strength 51

ONE ABLE TWO FOUR ONE ABLE TWO FOUR

men 24

ONE BAKER THREE THREE ONE BAKER THREE THREE

women and children 33

TWO ABLE 1456 X 3401 TWO ABLE 1456 X 3401 NOT RELIABLE

map coordinates 1456x3401 not reliable

TWO DOG SEVEN TWO DOG SEVEN

will return to net in six hours

ACK

all above acknowledged

KCG OFF

The chief handed Admiral Wagam a cup of coffee. «We didn't have much time, sir, to clean that up for you, sir,» he said. «Can you read his handwriting? The material he took from the Signal Operating Instruction? What he sent to them?»

«I can read it just fine, Chief,» Admiral Wagam said. He smiled at Seaman Epstein. «Well done, son.»

Seaman Epstein flushed. «Can I ask a question, Admiral?» he asked, which earned him a withering glare from the chief.

«Sure,» Admiral Wagam said.