Jones - Thin Red Line

DEDICATION

This book is cheerfully dedicated to those greatest and most heroic of all human endeavors, WAR and WARFARE; may they never cease to give us the pleasure, excitement and adrenal stimulation that we need, or provide us with the heroes, the presidents and leaders, the monuments and museums which we erect to them in the name of PEACE.

Then its Tommy this, an Tommy that,

An Tommy, ows your soul?

But its Thin red line of eroes,

When the drums begin to roll

KIPLING

Theres only a thin red line between the sane and the mad.

OLD MIDDLEWESTERN SAYING

Anyone who has studied or served in the Guadalcanal campaign will immediately recognize that no such terrain as that described here exists on the island. The Dancing Elephant, The Giant Boiled Shrimp, the hills around Boola Boola Village, as well as the village itself, are figments of fictional imagination, and so are the battles herein described as taking place on this terrain. The characters who take part in the actions of this book are also imaginary. It might have been possible to create a whole, entirely fictional island for the setting of this book. But what Guadalcanal stood for to Americans in 19423 was a very special thing. To have used a completely made up island would have been to lose all of these special qualities which the name Guadalcanal evoked for my generation. Therefore I have taken the liberty of distorting the campaign and laying down smack in the middle of it a whole slab of nonexistent territory.

And naturally, any resemblance to anything anywhere is certainly not intended.

Styrons Acres

Roxbury, Conn.

Thanksgiving Day 1961

(Partial)

C CO, UMTH INF

9 Nov 1942

Stein, James I, Capt, C Co Cmdg

Band, George R, 1st Lt, Exec

Whyte, William L, 2d Lt, 1st Pl Cmdg

Blane, Thomas C, 2d Lt, 2d Pl Cmdg

Gore, Albert O, 2d Lt, 3d Pl Cmdg

Culp, Robert (NMI), 2d Lt, 4th (Weapons) Pl Cmdg

E M

1st Sgt

Welsh, Edward (NMI)

S/Sgts

Culn, Guide 1st Pl

Grove, Ldr 1st Pl

Keck, Ldr 2d Pl

MacTae, Supply

Spain, Guide 3d Pl

Stack, Ldr 3d Pl

Storm, Mess

Sgts

Beck, Sqd Ldr Rfl

Dranno, Co Clk

Field, Sqd Ldr Rfl

Fox,

McCron,

Potts,

Thorne,

Wick, Mtr

Cpls

Fife, Fwd Clk

Jenks, Asst Sqd Ldr Rfl

Queen,

Pvts lcl

Arbre, Rflmn

Bead, Asst Fwd Clk

Cash, Rflmn

Dale, 2d Cook

Doll, Rflmn

Earl,

Fronk,

Hoff,

Land, 1st Cook

Marl, Rflmn

Park, 1st Cook

Pvts

Ash, Rflmn

Bell,

Carni,

Catch,

Catt,

Coombs,

Crown,

Darl,

Drake,

Gluk,

Gooch,

Griggs,

Gwenne,

Jacques,

Kline,

Kral,

Krim,

Mazzi, Mtrmn

Peale, Rflmn

Sico,

Stearns,

Suss,

Tassi,

Tella,

Tills, Mtrmn

Tind,

Train, Rflmn

Weld,

Wills,

Wynn,

REPLACEMENTS

Spine, Morton W, Lt Col, 1st Bn Cmdg

Bosche, Charles S, Capt, C Co Cmdg

Creo, John T, 1st Lt, C Co

Payne, Elman W, 2d Lt, C Co

Tomms, Frank J, 2d Lt, C Co

OTHERS

Barr, Gerald E, Rear Adm, US Navy

Grubbe, Tassman S, Lt Col, Rgtl Exec

Tall, Gordon M L, Lt Col, 1st Bn Cmdg

Roth, Norman M, Lt Col, Asst Div Srgn

Haines, Ira P, Maj, Rgtl Srgn

Gaff, John B, Capt, 1st Bn Exec

Task, Fred W, Capt, B Co Cmdg

Carr, Frederick C, Capt, Rgtl S-1

Achs, Karl F, 2d Lt, B Co

Gray, Elijah P, 2d Lt, B Co

James, Sgt, Bn Hq

Hoke, Pvt, of Cannon Co

Witt, Pvt, of Cannon Co

THE TWO TRANSPORTS had sneaked up from the south in the first graying flush of dawn, their cumbersome mass cutting smoothly through the water whose still greater mass bore them silently, themselves as gray as the dawn which camouflaged them. Now, in the fresh early morning of a lovely tropic day they lay quietly at anchor in the channel, nearer to the one island than to the other which was only a cloud on the horizon. To their crews, this was a routine mission and one they knew well: that of delivering fresh reinforcement troops. But to the men who comprised the cargo of infantry this trip was neither routine nor known and was composed of a mixture of dense anxiety and tense excitement.

Before they had arrived, during the long sea voyage, the cargo of men had been cynicalhonestly cynical, not a pose, because they were part of an old regular division and knew that they were cargo. All their lives they had been cargo; never supercargo. And they were not only inured to that; they anticipated it. But now that they were here, were actually confronted with the physical fact of this island that they had all read so much about in the papers, their aplomb deserted them momentarily. Because though they were from a pre-war regular division, this was nevertheless to be their baptism of fire.

As they prepared themselves to go ashore no one doubted in theory that at least a certain percentage of them would remain on this island dead, once they set foot on it. But no one expected to be one of these. Still it was an awesome thought and as the first contingents came struggling up on deck in full gear to form up, all eyes instinctively sought out immediately this island where they were to be put, and left, and which might possibly turn out to be a friends grave.

The view which presented itself to them from the deck was a beautiful one. In the bright, early morning tropic sunshine which sparkled off the quiet water of the channel, a fresh sea breeze stirred the fronds of minute coconut palms ashore behind the dun beach of the nearer island. It was too early yet to be oppressively hot. There was a feeling of long, open distances and limitless sea vistas. The same sea-flavored breeze sifted gently among the superstructures of the transports to touch the ears and faces of the men. After the olfactory numbness caused by the saturation of breath, feet, armpits and crotches below in the hold, the breeze seemed doubly fresh in their noses. Behind the tiny cocopalms on the island masses of green jungle rose to yellow foothills, which in turn gave place in the bright air to hulking, blue-hazed mountains.

So this is Guadalcanal, a man at the rail said, and spat tobacco juice over the side.

What the fuck you think it was? Fucking Tahiti? another said.

The first man sighed and spat again. Well, its a nice peaceful morning for it.

Jeez, my ass is draggin, a third man complained nervously. All this gear. He hitched up his full pack.

Morn your assll be draggin soon, the first man said.

Already little bugs which they recognized as LCIs had put out from shore, some circling scurryingly about, others heading straight out for the ships.

The men lit cigarettes. Slowly they assembled, shuffling about. The sharp cries of junior officers and noncoms cut through their nervous conversation, herded them. Once assembled, as usual they waited.