56
Lt. Hana Tatakai stepped out of the jeep and looked around at the unit. She sighed and watched the other people as they went about their lives here in Korea. A young boy more or less came up to her, "Excuse me ma'am, but are you the new nurse?" he asked her.
"Yes, I am and you are?"
"Corporal Walter O'Riley, but you can call me Radar ma'am everybody does."
"Alright, I believe that I'm supposed to see the commanding officer?" she said uncertainty in her voice.
"Oh yes ma'am, right this way." He said and took her bags and led her to an office. The man sitting there had white hair and looked a little busy.
"Oh, Colonel Potter, sir, this is our new nurse Lt. Tatakai."
The man looked up at her surprised, "Oh well, nice to meet you lieutenant, Radar take her bags to her tent please," he told the corporal who said it almost at the same time. "That's Radar our company clerk. Now lieutenant, let's take a look at your file." He said taking out her file, "You were a nurse at the 8063rd; very good you have nice record."
"Thank you, Colonel," Hana responded.
"We have a tent all ready for you, and I will have you meet the head nurse when Radar gets back." Before she could respond, however, a woman with blonde hair came in.
"Colonel-"she started but stopped as soon as she saw Hana.
"Ah, Margaret, this is your new nurse Lt. Hana Tatakai," the Colonel said.
"Oh, well, lieutenant, I'm Major Margaret Houlihan, the head nurse."
"Pleasure to meet you ma'am," Hana said nodding in respect.
"Yes well… Colonel I will talk to you later." She said stalking out of his office.
The Colonel muttered something, and presently Radar came in the office. "The tent is all fixed up Colonel."
"Very good Radar, show the lieutenant there then," Potter said.
"Yes, sir," Radar said the left with Hana following behind.
"Do casualties come in often, Radar?" Hana asked him.
"Well, I guess I mean I'm not sure, but when they do come in they come in a lot. But I wouldn't know a lot about that, the surgeons would though." He said.
"Oh? I would like to meet the surgeons," she said quietly but it appeared Radar had heard her say it.
"Well, their tent is right there," he said pointing towards a tent on her left with a sign, which read 'The Swamp' on it. "They call it the swamp." Hana nodded and continued walking. Her guide stopped at the tent and opened the door. She saw her tent that looked the same as the tent at the 8063rd only smaller.
"Alright Radar thank you," she said and threw her hat down on the bed.
"Oh ma'am, dinner is at 7:00," the corporal told her and left. Hana shook her head and got into her more comfortable uniform.
In the 'Swamp'
"Hey Beej," Hawkeye Pierce, one of the surgeons, said directing the comment at his blonde friend on the other cot.
"Yeah?" B.J. Hunnicut said. Both of the captains were presently sitting on their cots.
"Did you see the new nurse that Radar just walked by with? Oh boy is she good." Hawkeye said smiling. His black hair was pushed to side away from his eyes.
"I think it's disgraceful the way you two talk about the nurses," came a voice from the other bunk; Major Frank Burns sat there looking at the other surgeons.
"Oh Frank be quiet!" Hawkeye said to the major.
"I don't have to listen to this!" Frank said and left the tent.
"Hawkeye, what did she look like?" B.J. asked his friend.
"Long brown hair, tall, perfect!" Hawkeye exclaimed pouring himself another martini. B.J. laughed, and Radar knocked on the door.
"Come in at your own risk!" Hawkeye said. "Oh Radar, who's the new nurse?" he asked.
"Lt. Hana Tatakai," Radar said, "and she said she would like to meet both of you."
"She did? Did she say what about?" Hawkeye asked happily.
B.J. laughed at his friend's behavior. "She said something about the number of casualties," Radar said.
"See Hawk, just wanting to know a simple fact." B.J. said to Hawkeye.
"Still I think we can go give her, a welcome to Korea party," Hawkeye stated.
"Actually, sirs, a welcome to the 4077th would be better, she's been in Korea a while, she was a nurse at the 8063rd." Radar said.
"Radar, is that her file?" Hawkeye asked pointing to the manila envelope under his arm.
"Oh yeah it is," Radar said taking it in hand.
"Well read it," B.J. said leaning back on his cot.
"Alright, Hana Tatakai, birthday October 12. She's not married, and her qualifications." Radar said.
"Well I found what I was looking for!" Hawkeye said refilling his glass.
"What sir?" Radar asked.
"Her marital status," B.J. supplied. Radar nodded.
"Well I should be getting back to Colonel Potter." He said and left.
"Come on Beej, let's find something to give her and welcome her."
"Alright."
Hana was going through her things trying to light her candle. She finally got the match and lit her candle. She shook it out and set the match down. A knock was heard at her door. "Come!" she said. Two men came in, one had black hair and blue eyes the other was blonde-ish.
"Welcome, lieutenant, we are the welcoming committee." The black haired one said.
"Otherwise known as the doctors, I'm B.J. Hunnicut," the other said.
"And I'm Hawkeye Pierce; we have brought you some tokens of our friendliness." He pulled out a military handbook, "Some lighting material for your stove," he said making Hana laugh a little. "Soap, a bottle of gin, and last but not least, a pair of clean socks," he said pulling out a poorly rolled pair of socks.
"You'll understand why we give these out once you need 'em," B.J. said.
"Well captains, I thank you for these very… unusual gifts," she said putting the things down.
"Ah, please Hawkeye," "B.J." they both said stating their names.
"Alright, only if you call me Hana." Both men nodded. "How many casualties do you usually get?"
"Hmm, more than the 8063rd, I'm sure and they last a while usually, but it's boring when there aren't any, which is why the swamp is always open," B.J. said.
"I'll make note of that, the casualties come more frequently good, the 8063rd was getting slow so I transferred." Hana explained and fingered the paper on her dresser.
"Alright, if you like we can escort you to dinner," Hawkeye offered.
"I suppose," she said. Both nodded and left the tent. Hana looked at the gifts and laughed. She poured the gin in the fire causing it to flare up. Hana smiled and put the empty bottle upside down on the floor to dry it out. She never did drink much. Presently another knock was heard.
"How many welcoming committees can there be?" Hana muttered. "Come!" called to her visitor. A man wearing a white fedora came in.
"Hello lieutenant, I'm Father Mulcahy, the chaplain at the 4077th. Might I ask you religion?" he said.
"Hello, Father, I'm Hana Tatakai, and I'm a Christian thank you very much." She said nodding.
"Oh well, I do a service every Sunday morning if you'd like to attend." He said rather hopefully.
"No thank you Father, I do my own studying if you please," Hana said in a no-arguing tone.
"Alright then, well welcome to the 4077th. Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked her.
"Yes, if there's a duty roster I would appreciate seeing it," Hana said lighting a stick to melt the wax on the sides of the candle.
"Well the duty roster is to be posted tomorrow, actually-"
"Ok then Father, thank you for the information," Hana said eyeing the door.
"Oh yes well, have a nice evening lieutenant," he said exiting her tent. Hana sighed and picked up her book and began reading.
"Hello, Father," Radar greeted the chaplain as he passed by.
"Hello, Radar. Radar?" Father Mulcahy said turning.
"Yes Father?"
"The new nurse, was she friendly when you met her?" the chaplain asked.
"Well Father, she wasn't very talkative, she seemed to only talk when she wanted to know something, why did she do something to you?" Radar asked the priest.
"No, she just seemed like she didn't want to talk is all."
"Well father I don't know, you might try asking captains Pierce and Hunnicut, they talked to her." Radar offered.
"Alright I will, thank you Radar," Mulcahy said before going to the swamp.
Hawkeye and B.J. were currently discussing the war when someone knocked on the door. "It's open!" B.J. called to their visitor.
"Hello captains," Father Mulcahy said walking in.
"Hi, Father what can we do for you?" B.J. offered.
"Radar, said that you two had been to see the new nurse, and I just saw her and she seemed a little well, um… not friendly."
"She was nice enough to us, Father." Hawkeye supplied.
"She didn't say anything she just only seemed to want to ask a question, and then she didn't seem very talkative."
"Well, she is new here Father, I sure time is all she needs." B.J. said. Mulcahy nodded before exiting the swamp. What was said about the lieutenant was not repeated to anyone else in the camp.
