Battle Cry - Leon Uris [194]
“How about Wake, Major?”
“I know how we all feel about Wake but the strategy appears to be to bypass it.”
“Crap.”
“Wake is relatively unimportant to us now. We all want a crack at it, but let’s get back to Helen.” Wellman went through the plan to strike through the lagoon. Logic of the lowest private asked about Bairiki or Sarah. Wellman told us we were Marines and we didn’t fight to starve them out, but to kill them. Then he informed us that an Army division would be capturing Makin at the same time we hit Betio.
“Sir, didn’t three hundred Raiders flatten Makin over a year ago?”
“Correct, Coleman’s Raid.”
“Why the hell do they need a whole division of Army to retake it?”
“Aw, fellows,” Wellman said, “they’re liable to trip over a slit trench going in. You know the answer.” (Laughter and war whoops.)
“Any broads…er…I mean natives, Major?”
“Yes, several thousand. They are Polynesians like the Maoris. They are friendly and have been British subjects for years. Missionaries are on the atoll but the chances are that we won’t see them. Anyhow, I believe Chaplain Peterson and Father McKale are preparing a booklet about the natives.” (More laughter.)
“How about mosquitoes?”
“Not of the malaria variety.”
“Phew.”
The briefing continued. Wellman related the plans for the terrific shelling the Japs were in for from the Navy and air. He didn’t discount the possibility of another Kiska, a dry run. As the meeting wore on, I began to feel as though they were overestimating the Jap strength on Betio. It seemed silly to commit an entire division to this speck of an island. From the way that Wellman spoke and the pulse of the men in the room as he described the softening-up process, I decided this was going to be a cinch. At last the Major got around to combat assignments.
“The Second Marines have been chosen as Combat Team One. They will assault Blue Beaches One, Two, and Three. In case they need help, the Eighth Marines are being used as Division reserve.” Wellman braced for what he knew was coming.
“What about us, Major?”
“Yes, sir, did the Sixth come just for the boat ride?”
Wellman threw up his hands in disgust. “We are Corps reserve. Reserve for both Betio and the army at Makin. We’ll go wherever we are needed.”
“The goddam Second gets all the breaks!”
“We wuz robbed….”
After the outburst, the remainder of the meeting was held in furious silence. We were getting a slow burn at the thought of once more being a bridesmaid. Dejected and cursing, we thought of the long hard months of training for nothing. Humiliated not only by the Marines—the Sixth was going to be reserve for a doggie outfit. We mumbled our way out of the wardroom. Easy Company was lined up to await their briefing.
“Lousy deal,” Burnside mumbled as he approached me at the rail. We lit up and scanned the hundreds of ships.
“This is a waste of the taxpayers’ money if you ask me,” L.Q. said.
“I babied that goddam TCS jeep for six months and now they tell me I got to go ashore with a TBX. Can’t take the jeep,” Danny griped.
“Crap, piss, and corruption,” drawled Speedy.
“Now the Second and Eighth will never let us live in peace. Oh sure, the Commandant is watching this outfit…bullcrap, little Eva.”
“What the hell did Major Wellman say the name of the atoll was?”
“I forget…Ta…something…What was it, Mac?”
“Tarawa,” I answered.
“Yeah, that was it. Tarawa.”
CHAPTER 2
THE convoy sweltered north. The hot days topside gave way to unbearable nights in the cluttered, humid holds. We