From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [471]
S/Sgt Peter J Karelsen, G Co
Pvt Ike (NMI) Galovitch, G Co
were underlined in red pencil.
“Christ, I wont have any platoon left,” Cribbage said, “if I lose Sgt Karelsen.”
“It’ll sure put a hole in the dyke,” Culpepper said.
Neither mentioned Ike (NMI) Galovitch.
“I think I’ll run down and take a look around Position 16,” Lt Culpepper said suddenly. “Then I wont have to go out that way tonight.”
“I might as well be getting back out to Makapuu,” 2nd Lt Cribbage said, “since theres no mail for me.”
“They sure got out from under that one quick,” Lt Ross said when they had gone. “Do you suppose if I wrote a letter?”
Rosenberry was finally reading the order.
“A letter wouldnt do any good,” Warden said.
“I suppose not,” Lt Ross said unhappily. “Goddam it, Sergeant!” he exploded. “They cant do this to me! I cant afford to lose Sgt Karelsen! I just cant, thats all!”
Lt Ross did not mention Ike (NMI) Galovitch either. Lt Ross had been trying to find a way to get Ike transferred ever since he had busted him. Warden had even worked on it some himself. To no avail, because no other outfit on the Post would have him. At any price.
“God damn the sons of bitches!” Lt Ross said. “They sit on their ass in Washington and cut their orders according to statistics. What do they know about the real situation? What the hell do they care what its going to do to my Company? They dont have to run it. Well? Come on, Sergeant? Think of something.”
Warden had been thinking of something. He had been thinking of Retirement Row down along Kahala Avenue at the foot of Diamond Head. That was where Snuffy Cartwright had gone, when they retired him out of G Co to make room for Warden. Warden suddenly felt an astonishingly, almost unreasonably, powerful twinge of fear and refusal, for Pete, go all over him. And he did not have any illusions of Pete’s love for G Company, once the sentimentalities of parting were over.
“Pete’s been in this Compny six years,” Warden suggested. “You might use that.”
“Sure,” Lt Rose nodded. “Why, it’ll probably break his goddamned old heart. An old man like him.”
Rosenberry silently laid the order back on the desk without comment.
“Rosenberry!” Lt Ross cried fretfully. “You dont look so good. You look peakéd. Like you needed some air. Go take yourself a walk someplace, Rosenberry.”
“Yes, Sir,” Rosenberry said quietly.
“That boy gets on my nerves,” Lt Ross sighed when he had gone. “He’s too damn quiet. Well, what’re we going to do?”
They said old soldiers never died. No, they went to live in cottages on Kahala Avenue at the foot of Diamond Head. And bought surf-casting rods and bait-casting rods. To fish with. And used their old Army rifles to hunt some. At least the ones who had money did, like Snuffy Cartwright. Pete had not made the money gambling Snuffy Cartwright had made; or at least not saved it. Snuffy’s wife had saved his for him. Pete did not have a wife. Pete did not even have enough money to buy a middle-aged housekeeper to sleep with, let alone a young wife. Again the astonishingly strong spasm of fear and refusal, for Pete, rolled down over him. Unmarried, sterile from the syph, no gambling savings. No wife no kids no Cadillac. And no prospect of any. Just a lonely old retired ex-soldier. Warden felt, for some obscure reason, he must get Pete out of that.
“You’ll have to take Pete up to Schofield with you,” he told Lt Ross, “and see Col Delbert personally.”
Lt Ross, who had been leaning forward eagerly, drew back a little. “Oh, I rather hesitate to do anything that drastic.”
“You want to keep him, dont you?”
They would put him to teaching draftees about machine-guns in the States someplace, for a year, maybe two years, maybe even till the end of the war. It would be a nice soft easy job for an old man. The johns would buy an old timer like Pete all the free beer his gut would hold. He could get drunk every night. And know he was helping the War Effort.
“Well, why dont you go up, Sergeant?” Lt Ross said finally. “You’ve been in the Regiment a lot longer than I