Griffin W.E.B. - Honor Bound 01 - Honor Bound

"No more, I am sure."

The military mind at work. Or an Oberst-and-higher's mind at work. My father can't park a car without a detailed operational plan. Why should this man be any different?

"It was the original intention of the Argentines to line with cavalry from the Husares de Pueyrredon both sides of Avenida Alvear from the Frade mansion to the Basilica of Saint Pilar, which is approximately a kilometer in that direction,” he pointed. "I talked them out of that."

"Yes, Sir?"

“The avenue will be lined from a point approximately twenty-five meters from the Duarte mansion with troops of a regular regiment—the Second Regiment of Infantry. There will be a representative honor guard of the Husares de Pueyrredon at the mansion itself. On my side, I thought it would be best, for public relations purposes, to have regular troops in field gear—they wear our helmets, you know, and are armed with Mausers, and look very much like German troops. And on their side, I suspect they were pleased at the suggestion. With that many men in those heavy winter-dress uniforms, in this heat, it was statistically certain that a number of Husares would faint and fall off their mounts."

He looked at Peter with what could have been the suggestion of a smile.

"It is always embarrassing, Herr Oberst, when men faint while on parade."

"Precisely," Gr?ner said. "I had a tactical officer at the infantry school who used to quite unnecessarily threaten us that anyone who fainted on parade would regret it."

Peter now felt quite safe in smiling at Gr?ner, and did so. Gr?ner smiled back.

"The Husares de Pueyrredon, the mounted troopers," he went on, "will line the path of the procession from the point where Avenida Alvear ends at the Recoleta Park, at the foot of this small hill." He pointed again, and resumed walking.

When they reached the foot of the small incline, he stopped and pointed again.

"There is the Basilica of St. Pilar," he said. "Did you have the opportunity to visit churches when you were in Spain?"

"On one or two occasions, Herr Oberst. I am Evangelisch" — Protestant.

"Yes, I know. So am I," Gr?ner said. "And there are not very many of us in Bavaria. The Recoleta Cemetery, where Hauptmann Duarte's remains will be interred, is immediately behind the Basilica. What I started to say was that if you visited a Catholic church in Spain, you will feel quite at home in this one. It is jammed with larger-than-life-sized statues of various saints—I have often wondered if the admonition against making even graven images is in the Catholic version of the Ten Commandments . .."

Peter chuckled, and Gr?ner smiled.

"... including one of St. Pilar," Gr?ner continued, "the source of whose prestige in the Catholic faith remains a mystery to me, plus the to-be-expected Spanish Baroque ornamentation covering every inch of the place."

Peter chuckled again as Gr?ner started across the street, and they started walking up a fairly steep hill toward the Basilica.

"How the Husares will keep their mounts' footing on this incline," Gr?ner observed, "is fortunately not my problem."

They reached the church and stopped in a small exterior courtyard.

Gr?ner pointed again.

"Following the high requiem mass, the casket will be brought to this point. By that time, the dignitaries—including you and me, of course—will be standing there, against that wall. The Ambassador will step forward, and you and I will also step forward, stopping one pace behind him. The Ambassador will then briefly express the condolences of the F?hrer and the German people to the Duarte family and the government of Argentina. He will then take one step backward, and I will take one step forward." "Yes, Sir."

"You will be holding a small pillow on which will rest the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross." "Yes, Sir."

"I will then read the order of the Oberkommando of the Wehrtnacht posthumously awarding, in the name of the F?hrer, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to Hauptmann Duarte. I will then take three steps forward to the casket. You will follow me, do a left face to me, and extend the pillow to me. I will take the decoration from the pillow and pin it to the Argentine colors that will be covering the casket."

"Yes, Sir."

"How do you feel about that, Herr Hauptmann?"

"Sir?"

"I personally felt the Knight's Cross was a bit much," Gr?ner said. "It is a decoration that should be won because of outstanding valor. A simple Iron Cross would be sufficient, I think."

"Herr Oberst, it is not my place to question the award of a decoration by the Oberkommando of the Wehrmacht.”

"Nor mine," Gr?ner said. "But between soldiers ..."

Peter did not reply.

"We will then, at my command, do the appropriate facing movement, so that we are facing the casket. On my command, we will take two steps backward and then render the German salute. The Navy somehow gets away with the hand-to-the-temple salute, but those of us in the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe must obey the F?hrer's order to render the German salute. Don't forget!"

"No, Sir."

"On my command again, we will conclude the salute, do an about-face, and march back to our positions behind Ambassador von Lutzenberger."

"Yes, Sir."

“The casket will then be carried out of this courtyard, to the right and through the main entrance to the cemetery. You will remain behind, and when the last of the dignitaries has left the courtyard, you will enter the cemetery through that gate."

He pointed, then walked to a small iron gate in the wall, which turned out to be locked.

"I will see that it is unlocked," Gr?ner said. "For now, we will enter the cemetery by the main gate."

"Yes, Sir."

“You will pass through that gate and—you will probably have to move quickly—proceed to the Duarte tomb, where you will remain until the casket has been placed inside. After the family has departed, you will remove the Knight's Cross from the casket, return it to its box, and proceed to the Duarte mansion, where, exercising great tact, you will present the decoration to Se?or Duarte."

"Yes, Sir."

"I say 'exercising great tact' because of the mother. She is, poor lady, not in the best of health, mentally speaking."

Oberst Karl-Heinz Gr?ner made a circling motion with his index finger at his temple.

"I understand, Herr Oberst."

"We will now locate the Duarte tomb for you, and the path from the small gate in the courtyard."

"Yes, Sir."

That took about five minutes. Peter found the cemetery fascinating. It was almost literally a city of the dead, with every inch except the walkways covered with elaborate tombs, some small and some as large as small houses. In fact, they all looked like houses. Almost all of them had a glass-covered wrought-iron door, through which small altars could be seen. The altars were usually complete to either a large brass cross or a statue of Christ on His cross, or both. And in each tomb/chapel a casket could be seen, either on the altar itself or in front of it. Several of the caskets were small and white, children's caskets, which made Peter uncomfortable.

When Oberst Gr?ner saw him looking into the tombs, he explained:

"The most recently deceased has his casket left on or in front of the altar until the next death in the family, whereupon it is placed in what for a better word I think of as the basement of the tomb. There are three, four, as many as six subterranean levels, I'm told."

"Fascinating."

"Bizarre, is more like it. Catholic bizarre, plus Spanish bizarre. Incredible!"

Something else raised Peter's curiosity as they walked through the cemetery, a tomb with no Catholic symbols or pious words— the burial place of an atheist and his family? He asked Gr?ner about it: "I thought only Catholics could be buried in a Catholic cemetery."