blow the bastard away if he interfered with anything, and I was actually disappointed when Killer came out and told me Macklin was still alive; that he’d decided the best way to deal with the sonofabitch was just leave him on Mindanao and hope the Japs caught him.
“Major Macklin is the action officer for the Halls of Montezuma movie project,” the Replacement Battalion (Provisional) commander said.
“With respect, sir,” Captain Hart said, “I don’t really give much of a damn about Major Macklin or his movie project. Sir, my company was scheduled to go to the known distance range . . .”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, in this way, Captain,” the replacement battalion commander said, “but you no longer have a company.”
“Sir?”
“As of 0001 this morning, Company B, 55th Marines was disbanded, and its officers and men transferred to the Replacement Battalion (Provisional) for reassignment. They—and you—will be reassigned within the Marine Corps—mostly likely as replacements to the 1st Marine Division—where they are needed.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Hart said.
“Company B, 55th Marines, no longer exists. It was disbanded as of 0001 this morning. Its personnel—including you—are now assigned to the Replacement Battalion. You will be reassigned where the Marine Corps thinks you will be of the greatest value to the Marine Corps.”
“Goddamn it!” Hart went on. “I trained those men. I’m responsible for them. I promised their families I would look out for them!”
“Be that as it may—”
“I’ll be a sonofabitch if I’ll put up with this!”
“All right, Captain, that’s quite enough. You will go to your room, and you will stay there until I send for you. That’s an order.”
Hart glowered at him for fifteen seconds, which seemed much longer.
“I request permission to see the Inspector General, sir,” he said.
“You will go to your room and stay there until I send for you. When I do, I will consider your request to see the Inspector General.”
“Sir, I believe it is my right to see the Inspector General with or without your permission.”
At this point, the commanding officer of the Replacement Battalion (Provisional) lost his temper.
“All right, goddamn it, go to the IG. And when the IG throws you out on your ass, you will then report to me, and I’ll deal with your insubordinate behavior. Just get the hell out of my sight!”
Hart walked away from the major, took a final look at Major Robert B. Macklin, USMC, who was walking slowly down the lines of Baker Company following the civilian, and writing down the names of those members of his company of which the civilian apparently approved on a clipboard.
Then he walked angrily away.
He walked for three blocks without any real idea of where he was going.
Then he stopped a passing corporal and asked him where the office of the Inspector General was.
“On the main post, sir,” the corporal said. “In the headquarters building.”
“How do I get to the main post?”
“It’s down this road, sir,” the corporal said. “Too far to walk.”
“Thank you,” Hart said, and went to the side of the road, and when the first vehicle approached, held up his thumb to hitchhike a ride.
The captain in the office of the Inspector General wasn’t much more help than the commanding officer of the Replacement Battalion (Provisional) had been.
“Captain, that decision has been made. The men of your reserve unit will be assigned where they will be of most use to the Marine Corps.”
“I can swallow that, I suppose,” Hart said, his voice rising. “I don’t like it, but I can swallow it. But they should be getting ready to go to war, not fucking around with some bullshit movie!”
“Calm down, before you get yourself in trouble,” the captain said.
“Where’s the commanding general’s office? On this floor?”
“You really don’t want to go there, Captain.”
“The hell I don’t! Where’s his fucking office?”
The captain did not reply.
Hart glowered at him, then stormed out of his office.
There was a sign in the lobby of the building. The offices of the commanding general and the deputy commanding general were on the second floor.
Hart took the stairs to the second floor two at a time.
There were three people in the outer office: Sergeant Major Neely, Corporal Delbert Wise, and Colonel Edward Banning.
“Well, I’ll be damned!” Colonel Banning exclaimed. “How are you, George?”
“Pretty goddamned pissed off is how I am!”
“About what?”
“They took my company away from me, and that miserable sonofabitch Macklin is using them as extras in some