Devil Dogs
Marine's Hymn
From the halls of Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.
Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job --
The United States Marines.
Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.
Sergeant John Gates of Charlie Company sat and sang the famous song as he flipped through files of information on his next objective. He had short brown hair and was in his regular military fatigues. He would gaze up occasionally and then return to his various maps and charts. His unit, 1st squad, 2nd Platoon, of Charlie Company, was to be shipped out in the middle of that night for military secrecy. His squad was separated into three fire teams, 'D', 'E', and 'F', or Delta, Echo, and Foxtrot. The men were:
DELTA
Sergeant John Gates
Corporal Ethan Miller
Private First Class Mike Hunter
Private Gary Brooks
ECHO
Corporal Henry Rogers
Private First Class Derrick Myers
Private Jake Francis
Private Vincent Lugo
FOXTROT
Private First Class Steven Billows
Private First Class Ken Jackson
Private Larry Wilson
Private Nick Griffin
"Hello, sir." Corporal Ethan Miller greeted Gates as he entered the room that the sergeant had been studying in. Miller had been with Gates since Basic Training at Parris Island and the two were very close.
"Hello, Corporal." Gates smiled and placed the files on his bunk. He had recently been promoted, which made him Miller's NCO. Miller looked around the small room that had served as their home. It was small and smelled but at least they were comfortable. For the past months the company had been training at Camp Tarawa before they were deployed and Gates luckily got a decent room for the two of them. Miller spotted a bottle of whiskey on a round, wooden table and walked across the room.
"Forgive me if I don't salute you, sir." He said as he filled up a large glass. "Pretty soon I'm gonna be in charge of you." He smiled. "I'm getting ready to make my move." Gates crossed the room and put the bottle of whiskey away in a cupboard.
"Getting ready to make your move, huh?" He shook his head, "You're all talk but no action." Miller looked up from the glass and rolled his eyes.
He gave a slight chuckle and nodded towards the cupboard. " You better start drinking too if you want to live through this whole thing." He took another sip and then returned the empty glass to the small table. The sergeant just smiled.
"Did you get one of these?" Gates asked as he held up a small piece of paper. It talked off how the men were doing a great job for their country, trying to boost the morale of the troops. Miller nodded and then sank into his own bunk.
"So, what do you think of 'Island X'." Miller asked as he glanced over a magazine. Gates waited before answering.
"I think Smith knows what he's doing." Miller looked up and nodded. General Holland Smith or, "Howlin' Mad", was a respected leader.
"The Japs will fight real hard for those airfields. I just wish they'd tell us the real name." Miller said, taking off his boots and pulling a cigarette out off his pocket. "You got a light?" Gates nodded and handed him a lighter with the Marine Corps Seal on it. He lit his cigarette and then pulled out a small gun. Gates smiled as he put his lighter away.
"Are you taking that Luger into combat?"
Miller, still looking at the German weapon, nodded and replied, "If I need it, I'll have it." He put it away and they both smiled.
"How'd you get that anyway?" Gates was now sitting in a small wooden chair, drinking a cup of coffee.
"Well, remember my cousin, Randy, who was in Normandy?" Gates nodded. Miller was know picking at a sliver with his KA-BAR utility knife." He got one from a Jerry and then he shipped it to me."
"I'll just stick to my M1." Gates said, looking at his M1 Garand.
"I think I will too." Miller grinned. "Well, we better get some sleep. We'll be loading onto the ships in a little bit."
"Yeah, and then the long journey." Gates took off his own boots and blew out the candles that lit the small room. He climbed into his bunk knowing that he would not sleep at all that night.