The Final Storm - Jeff Shaara [42]
“I am, sir. I did enjoy teaching.”
“Ah, but look at all the time you wasted. Men like Cho, they spent their time serving themselves. They chose to advance their careers instead of shaping the careers of others. There is no blame for that. Cho is ambitious, and an excellent commander. He believes we will win this war and he will do everything he can to make it so. Of course, we do not agree on how that should be accomplished. Your plan for the defense of this island is our best chance to delay the enemy’s invasion of Japan. That is their goal, of course. Everything they have done shows us that they will not stop until American troops stand on Japanese soil. I know very well that General Cho considers your strategy here to be … unacceptable.”
“He is far more vigorous in his criticism, sir. He believes that my plans here are traitorous. He believes that we should meet the enemy at the water’s edge and prevent them from landing a single soldier on these beaches.”
“Yes, yes, I know all that. I have heard his arguments. He would sacrifice our good men in the sand. He is not skilled in mathematics, is he? You know as well as I do how many Marines the enemy is capable of sending to our beaches. You have seen their warships. Your strategy is our only chance to prolong this fight so that some good may come of it. But that good will be of little consequence. Now, of course, General Cho insults me with his deference to my decisions, because unless he chooses to assassinate me, he has no choice but to obey.”
“Sir … do you believe …”
“No. General Cho has chosen to fight the best fight he can, and he has inspired this army to do the same. He will die in his efforts.” He paused, saw a slow nod from Yahara. “So, you are prepared as well?”
Yahara looked at him, a sadness in the man’s eyes.
“Certainly, sir. I know my duty.”
“Ah, yes. The words of the samurai. We do not ask about the wisdom of our mission. We seek only the opportunity to die with glory.”
“Of course, sir.”
There was no enthusiasm in Yahara’s words. Ushijima emptied the teacup, reached for the pot, poured again, said, “General Cho believes that there is shame in putting up an effective defense. He would have us charge to our deaths in one great blaze of fire. I will no longer entertain his musings on that subject. Your men have positioned themselves as I have instructed, and we shall do what we can to make this a good fight. I do not concern myself with what will follow. The end is inevitable, and the only variable is time. I no longer concern myself with anything Tokyo will say, and I do not care how history will judge what we do here. There is no confusion or doubt what all those American ships mean to us. They have come here to kill us. In that, Colonel, the Americans will do us a favor.”
5. NIMITZ
HEADQUARTERS, CINCPAC, GUAM
MARCH 31, 1945
He tried to lose himself in the music, closed his eyes, conducting the orchestra with his fork, but the distraction didn’t help. The specter of what he had seen on Iwo Jima had stayed with him, no escaping that what the Marines had done there had come at a dreadful cost. It had become a recurring theme in nearly every battle for the islands. The enemy fought as though they had no other alternative, and the Marines had come to understand that when the enemy had no intention of surrendering, you had to kill every man you saw.
Nimitz had very little appetite, forced himself to finish the meal. The orderly waited to one side, prepared to take away his plate, and Nimitz sat back, waved his hand, spoke over the music.
“Go ahead, son. I’ve had enough. Tell the cook he did another fine job. It’s just my gut. And send Lieutenant Lamar in here.”
The man moved quickly, the table cleared.
“Right away, sir.”
Lamar came in now, seemed to hold his position right outside Nimitz’s dining room. There was no surprise in that. Arthur Lamar had been the admiral’s flag secretary since early in the war, and