Disclaimer: The Rat Patrol is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.
Conscientious Objector
By Suzie2b
Steve Carter was just twenty years old and still living with his parents when the letter came. The first thing he saw when he opened it was the seal at the top that said "Selective Service System." The next thing he saw was typed in bold capital letters - "ORDER TO REPORT FOR INDUCTION."
Things moved quickly after that and Steve found himself going through basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. After ten weeks of training, he and his fellow recruits graduated and were sent to various bases to begin their active service. Steve's job of stocking shelves and bagging groceries at the local mercantile didn't teach him what to expect when it came to war. Even boot camp didn't really show him what he was in for. Sure, he was trained to fight, shoot, throw grenades, and all those things basic training was for. However, it couldn't prepare him for what was going to happen once he was in the thick of it.
After a month of seeing the blood and death that was war, Steve couldn't take it anymore and declared himself a conscientious objector and refused to carry a gun. His CO, Sergeant Tucker, took the news calmly and asked if it was because of religious beliefs.
Steve said, "No, sir. Oh, I believe in God and all, but that's not the reason. It's just that I don't believe in all this killing."
Tucker nodded. "So, it's about your morals and ethics."
"Yes, sir."
"Do you want to leave the military?"
Steve thought for a few seconds, then said, "Not necessarily, sir. I was thinking that maybe I could become a corpsman and work in a hospital."
Tucker asked, "Do you have any medical or first-aid training?"
"I was a part time life guard back home during the summer. They taught me the basics."
Tucker smiled slightly. "Well, I don't think there's a need for a life guard here in the desert. But with a little extra training I think you becoming a medic is the right move."
Steve smiled. "Thank you, sir."
"Now, we're going to meet up with a battalion in two days. I'll check into your options while we're there. However, until we get there you will carry your weapon at all times."
"Yes, sir. I will."
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It didn't take long for the word to get around about Private Carter's status as a conscientious objector. He carried his weapon as he was told to do, but when it came to using it, Steve avoided it at all costs.
When the men in his unit asked him about his status, he told them truthfully what it meant. By the time his unit arrived at the battalion, some of the men had become angry and started to call Steve a coward. Others just ignored him and wouldn't speak to him without a good reason.
Private Carter was glad to arrive at the battalion and hoped his CO could work something out for him so he wouldn't have to return to the bloody fighting. However, things only got worse as his unit waited to be dispatched. The men he had called his friends since he had joined the unit became belligerent towards him to the point where Steve spent nights sleeping in one of the trucks in the motor pool. He didn't dare tell Sergeant Tucker what was going on for fear it would make matters worse.
After about a week, Steve's CO told him he was being transferred to the base at Ras Tanura, where he was to be assigned to the hospital there for evaluation and training. Until his ride got there to take him to his new post, he was to report to the battalion's field hospital.
The next day the unit he'd been with for a little over a month, and the first unit he'd been assigned to, pulled out with a squad from the battalion. Steve felt a since of relief. The doctors and nurses were nice to him, were willing to teach him, and didn't seem to care about him being a conscientious objector.
After another five days, a convoy that the battalion had been waiting for arrived. And with it came the Rat Patrol.
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The four man unit reported in to the battalion's commander Lt. Col. Harris. "Any problems along the way?"
Troy said, "No, sir. We were just tagging along with the convoy because we were coming to the same place."
Harris started going through the paperwork on his desk as he said, "Ah yes, you're going to take Private Steve Carter to Ras Tanura." He found what he was looking for and handed it to the sergeant. "This is his file."
Troy opened it and scanned the report inside. "A conscientious objector, sir?"
"He's a kid that got drafted and discovered after he got here that he can't stomach killing people … no matter who it is. He received some first-aid training back home and has decided he might do better as a corpsman."
Troy handed the folder to Moffitt and said, "At least he's not using this just to get out of the army, sir."
Moffitt said, "Lt. Col., there's a letter here from a Doctor Colter. He's recommending that Carter gets further training in a hospital setting."
Harris gave a nod. "Yes, the doctor says he's got the basics down pat and a hospital setting would be his best training." He looked at the four men and said, "Now, I'm only going to ask this once. Do any of you have a problem with Carter being a conscientious objector?"
There was a collective, "No, sir."
"Good. Because he was treated badly when it got around his unit. They were calling him a coward among other things. Generally giving him a verbal knockdown at every opportunity. He didn't say a thing though, but his CO could see it."
Troy nodded his understanding. "As long as he pulls his weight, we'll take care of him, sir." Outside he said, "Hitch, you and Tully take care of the jeeps. Moffitt and I will go inform Private Carter that we're leaving in the morning."
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Troy and Moffitt walked into the medical tent and asked a nurse where Private Carter was. She smiled and asked, "You're the ones taking him to Ras Tanura?"
Troy said, "Yes we are. We'd like to let him know that we're leaving first thing in the morning."
"Well, he's helping in surgery right now. I'd be glad to let him know though. Can I give him your name?"
"Sergeant Troy. And this is Sergeant Moffitt."
When the sergeants left medical, they procured a tent for the night and then headed for the mess tent.
They were just finishing up their meal when a young GI walked in and looked around. He spotted the two unfamiliar men and went over to the table. "Sergeant Troy?"
He lit a cigarette and said, "That's me."
"I'm Private Steve Carter. I wanted to let you know I got your message and I'll be ready to go when you are."
Troy smiled slightly at his enthusiasm. "Okay, meet us here in the morning. We'll leave right after breakfast."
"Can I ask how long it'll take to get to Ras Tanura?"
"It shouldn't take more than a couple of days."
Moffitt added, "As long as we don't run into trouble."
Carter asked almost nervously, "What kind of trouble?"
"It's always possible we'll run into the Germans along the way." Moffitt noticed the look on the young private's face and quickly said, "We are aware of you status, private."
Troy said, "It began as soon as you were reassigned. My only question to you is, would you pick up a gun and use it if it were necessary?"
Carter said, "If there's no other choice I suppose I could do it."
"Okay, that's good enough for me. I just want to know where we all stand." Carter looked relieved and Troy said, "We'll see you here at 0600 hours."
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At 5:30 the next morning, Private Steve Carter walked into the mess tent. There weren't too many people there yet, so he left his pack at a table and went to get some breakfast.
One of the men in line was a corpsman and had been working with Carter. He said, "I heard the news. You're on your way to Ras Tanura."
Carter smiled. "Yeah, I'll start my official training there."
"Good luck. You shouldn't have any problems and with the Rat Patrol escorting you, you'll get there in one piece."
"The who?"
The other man said, "What? You haven't heard of the Rat Patrol?" Carter shook his head. "Well, let's just say that if there's any trouble along the way you're going to be with the best unit in the desert."
"Oh, okay. I'll have to remember that."
When Carter sat down, he saw Sergeants Troy and Moffitt walk in with their men. They got their food and sat down with him.
Troy said, "Glad to see that you got here in time to eat, Carter." He pointed to Hitch. "Mark Hitchcock." Then at his other private. "Tully Pettigrew. They do the driving."
Steve said, "So, it's just the four of you then."
Hitch smiled. "If there were any more of us, we'd be tripping over each other."
"I didn't know the army had units of only four."
Moffitt said, "I suppose we are a bit special. We're known as a Long Range Desert Patrol."
Tully said, "We spend more time sleepin' in and eatin' sand than anyone else in the army."
Steve asked, "What happens if you run into the enemy? Don't you have back up?"
Hitch said, "We're our own back up out there."
Troy said, "Okay, let's eat up so we can get going."
It wasn't long before they were in the motor pool. Moffitt pointed to one of the jeeps and said, "Stow your things in the back. The radio isn't too uncomfortable to sit on."
Carter said, "Wow! I've never seen jeeps outfitted like this before."
Troy noticed the private wasn't carrying a gun and asked, "Where's your weapon, Carter?"
The private replied, "Lt. Col. Harris confiscated it."
The sergeants looked at each other and Troy said, "Confiscated it?"
Carter said, "Yeah, he said that since I'm a conscientious objector I don't need a weapon."
Tully slid in behind the wheel. "How long have you been in?"
Carter got into the back. "About a month and a half. What do I do if we come across any Germans?"
Moffitt said, "You'll trade places with me and keep you head down, but we'll try to avoid the enemy while you're with us."
Carter settled onto the radio with a frown. "Just because I don't want to kill them doesn't mean I'm afraid of them."
"That isn't what I meant at all. When we have to travel with an extra man, we tend to try to avoid engaging the enemy. It's just safer for everyone involved."
"Oh, okay. Sorry about jumping on you like that."
Moffitt got into the passenger seat and said, "Quite all right. Misunderstandings happen."
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The morning was quiet as they traveled through Allied held territory. However, once they drove into enemy held land that changed. They began to see signs that German armament had been moving through the area.
Troy had them stop to check it out. "I didn't get any reports of enemy activity out here when I checked."
Moffitt agreed. "And it appears they're heading east. The same as we are."
Carter asked, "How can you be sure those tracks were made by the enemy?"
Troy said, "Mostly by the area we're in. This is known German territory, but it's the only way we can get where we need to go."
Moffitt added, "It's the tread that can tell you who it is. I'd say these were made by at least one German Panzer. The tread isn't as wide and the pattern is different from the Allied tanks."
Carter said, "They didn't teach us any of that in boot camp."
Tully said, "There's a lot of things they don't tell ya. You just have to pick up information as ya go."
Troy said, "Okay, let's shake it. We're going to have to really keep our eyes open out here."
Things remained quiet without any sightings of the Germans, though there were plenty of recent signs that they'd been there.
They chose to stop for lunch in the cover of a waterhole. Hitch broke out the K-rations and handed them around before sitting in the shade with his own. Trying to make a little conversation, he started to open his boxed lunch as he asked, "How'd you decide to be a conscientious objector?"
Troy growled, "Hitch…"
"I'm just curious, sarge."
Carter said, "It's okay. I just came to the conclusion that I don't have the stomach for killing."
Tully asked, "Even in self-defense?"
"I suppose if it's kill or be killed, I could still do it. But after a month of seeing blood and guts on both sides, I just couldn't do it anymore."
Troy said, "This is a war. What were you expecting?"
Carter thought, then said, "I was drafted. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't seeing men I'd become friends with die on my first day of fighting."
"You started on the front lines then."
Carter nodded. "It was pretty ugly right from the start. After a month I decided to stop fighting and become a corpsman with a hospital. My CO was real good about it when I told him."
Moffitt said, "Lt. Col. Harris told us you were having a hard time."
"The guys in my unit didn't appreciate my position. They decided to label me a coward."
Hitch said, "Just because you don't want to kill doesn't make you a coward."
Carter shrugged. "I know that, but the others didn't see it that way."
Tully said, "There's nothing wrong with becoming a medic."
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That evening, after they'd stopped for the day in a wadi, Troy had Carter stand first watch before it got dark while Hitch and Tully heated dinner. He wanted to keep an eye on the kid, since he refused to carry a gun.
Tully was out on watch at midnight when he saw the first flashes of artillery fire on the horizon and could just make out the sound of explosions in the distance.
After a while, Troy joined the private to take over watch. "How long's that been going on?"
Tully said, "I saw the first flashes about an hour ago, but they aren't getting any closer to us."
"I think I'll put in a call and find out who we've got out here."
"Could be they need help."
Troy agreed. "Yeah, could be. You okay for a while longer while I make that call?"
Tully nodded. "I'm fine, sarge."
While Troy coded and sent the message to headquarters, Moffitt awoke and joined him at the jeep. "Is that artillery I hear?"
Troy lit a cigarette and said, "Yep. Tully said it started a little over an hour ago. I just sent off a message to maybe find out who's out there."
It took an hour, but finally the radio crackled to life with a return message. The sound awoke Hitch and Carter, who were curious as to what was going on.
Troy decoded the message and Moffitt asked, "What's the answer?"
Troy said, "The only ones reported to be out this way other than us is a unit from the 23rd Infantry along with a unit from Lt. Col. Harris' battalion."
Carter said, "The 23rd is the unit I was with."
"The message says they're overdue with reporting in and wants us to go see what's going on and help if we can."
"I'll go get Tully so we can leave right away."
Troy asked, "Are you going to be okay with this?"
Carter nodded. "I'll be fine, sarge. Besides there's no other choice."
As the private hurried away to get Tully, Moffitt said, "He's right, there is no other choice. Let's hope he can keep it together."
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Hitch and Tully drove them to where they could see what the shooting was about. From the top of a rocky hill with binoculars Troy and Moffitt could see as each explosion lit the sky, that a platoon of Germans had two squads of Americans pinned down against a long hillside. The Americans were clearly out gunned and were doing everything they could to stay alive.
The sergeants went down to the jeeps and Troy said, "The Germans have them pinned down with no real escape. No matter which way they go, the Americans get blasted."
Hitch asked, "How much firepower are we talking about, sarge?"
"Two panzers and at least three mortar launchers."
Moffitt said, "The Germans have them outnumbered and outgunned."
Carter said, "They left the battalion with rifles and machine guns as their only defense."
Tully suggested, "Can't we even the playing field a little?"
Troy said, "That's what I'm thinking. None of them know we're here. We should be able to take out those mortars before they figure out what's happening."
Moffitt asked, "What about the tanks?"
"Once the mortars are out of commission we can disable the tanks."
As they got into the jeeps, Moffitt said, "Carter, you're in front. Remember to keep your head down." As an afterthought, he pulled his pistol from its holster and handed it to the private. "Just in case."
Carter hesitated, then nodded and took the gun.
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The jeeps roared up from behind the Germans with 50s blazing. One-by-one much of the enemy was gunned down and the mortars were destroyed with well thrown Allied grenades before they knew they were being targeted.
Then they broke off the attack and headed to where the Americans were hunkered down trying to protect themselves while two more tank shells were fired at them. As a shell exploded behind them, the jeeps pulled into the little cover American halftracks and trucks provided.
As Troy hopped out of the back of the jeep, he asked the man closest to him, "Where's your CO?"
Another soldier quickly joined the new comers. "That would be me. Sergeant Williams. You guys picked a great time to show up. Thanks."
Another tank shell hit the hillside behind them as Troy said, "We need your guys to keep the Germans off us while we go back out there."
"Why go back? You took out their mortars and a good piece of their manpower."
"Are you prepared to disable those tanks? How long can you hold out with them bombarding you? And once the sun comes up their aim will get better."
Williams shook his head. "I see what you mean. We don't have any grenades left and our ammo's running low."
Troy said, "Just keep them busy so we can take care of the tanks."
Carter stepped over. "Sergeant Williams, where's Sergeant Tucker."
Williams said, "He and several of his men were hit with one of the first mortars. None of them survived."
Then the sergeant turned and walked away to begin giving orders. Troy put a hand on Carter's shoulder and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sure Tucker was a good man."
Carter nodded. "He was and he taught me a lot." Then he turned to face Troy and said, "I'd like to stay here, sarge. I'm not going to be any good to you guys out there, but I can help with the wounded here."
Troy understood and said, "Okay, we'll be back to pick you up when it's all over."
Tully arranged the bag of grenades so Moffitt could easily reach it and tossed a few on the passenger seat in case he needed them.
The sergeant climbed in behind the 50 and said, "Hand me a couple for my pockets."
Tully handed two grenades to Moffitt and noticed Carter hurrying away. "Is Carter staying here?"
Moffitt nodded. "He's going to help with the wounded."
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Hitch and Tully came at the Germans from two different directions. The 50s forced the Germans to keep their heads down until the jeeps stopped next to the tanks, allowing Troy and Moffitt to jump aboard. That's when the Americans took over to keep the Germans down. And Hitch and Tully grabbed their machine guns to help while they were sitting still.
Troy quickly climbed up to the hatch and checked it to see if it was locked down – it wasn't. He took one of the grenades he carried with him and pulled the pin, making sure to hold the lever down. Then he quickly opened the hatch, dropped the grenade inside, and dropped the hatch back down. As he got back into the jeep, Troy and Hitch heard the explosion inside that sounded something like a firecracker going off inside a pop bottle, but on a larger scale.
While Troy took care of one tank, Moffitt had climbed aboard the second. However, he wasn't fortunate enough to find the hatch unlocked. Thinking fast, he made his way to the front of the cannon barrel. Several bullets ricocheted off the tank's metal body and the Americans quickly returned fire to force the Germans back into cover. Moffitt took the two grenades from his pockets and pulled the pins. Then he let them roll down the barrel to the inside of the tank.
As Tully waited for Moffitt, a lone German had managed to sneak around the tank behind the waiting jeep. He was just about to put a bullet in Tully's back when the grenades exploded, setting off the shell that was seated and ready to be fired. The explosions blew the turret apart just as Moffitt dropped into the jeep and ducked down. Hot shrapnel rained down on the German, forcing his aim off and the bullet hit Tully high in the shoulder as bits and pieces of the blown tank turret hit the jeep and the ground all around. Tully let the clutch out and hit the gas before either he or Moffitt were badly injured.
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Private Steve Carter watched the jeeps head out towards the German tanks. Then he saw a shadowy movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned and could just make out that someone was out there in the dark. He grabbed one of the men moving past him and asked, "Larry, is that one of our guys?"
Larry said, "Yeah, it's Pete Thomas. He got hit when the Germans first opened up on us. We've tried to get to him, but there was too much gunfire and shelling."
"I'll go."
"You'll never make it, Steve."
Carter gave a nod. "Maybe … maybe not, but I've got to try."
The gunfire from the Germans had stopped as the Rat Patrol fired their heavy machine guns on their way out. Then the Americans took over when the jeeps were alongside the tanks and forced them down with gunfire of their own. Now that the mortars were no longer in play, they actually felt like they had a chance.
The sun had begun to glow on the horizon and Carter knew he had to get to Pete before it got too light. "Wish me luck." And then he was running out towards the wounded man.
Larry watched him go and whispered, "Good luck."
Carter reached Pete just as the first tank exploded. He slid to a stop and dropped to the ground next to the wounded man. "Where're you hit?"
Pete looked at the other man with a mix of pain and irritation. "Is that you, Carter? What're you doing here, you coward?"
The second tank exploded as Carter said with annoyance, "I'm here to save your butt! Now tell me where you're hit!"
Pete groaned. "My legs. Not sure if it's bullets or shrapnel."
"Okay, I'm gonna pull you up over my shoulder."
The Germans again opened fire as the last of them tried to defend themselves. Carter grabbed Thomas by the front of his shirt and hoisted him over his shoulder as he got to his feet. Bullets hit the ground around them as he ran for cover with Pete screaming in pain.
As he reached the relative safety of the halftracks, Larry caught Pete by the shoulders and helped lower him to the ground. Larry said, "Wow! I never thought I'd see you do something like that, Steve."
Carter ignored the backhanded compliment and said, "We need to set up a triage area that's out of the line of fire. Where's your medic?"
"Dead. Sergeant Williams has us taking the wounded over next to the hill. There's at least a little protection there."
"Okay, Pete's legs are messed up and he can't walk. Get someone to help you get him over there. I'm going to get a few things and then I'll be right there."
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After the tanks had been destroyed, Hitch and Tully set off to attack the rest of the Germans. As they drove around the remains of the tanks, the Americans held their fire to let the Rat Patrol do their job.
As the sky lightened, it revealed the smoldering wrecks of the tanks. Bodies of dead and wounded Germans were strewn around their vehicles. There were survivors, but not many.
As soon as the prisoners were secured by the American troops, Troy told Moffitt, "Take Tully to get his shoulder looked at. Hitch and I will stay here and help where we can."
Moffitt directed Tully to scoot into the passenger seat so he could get his friend some medical help.
Tully groused, "I'm okay, sarge. It's just a graze."
Moffitt drove away saying, "If it were a graze, the bullet wouldn't be in there waiting for someone to pull it out."
They pulled into camp and were directed to the triage area. Moffitt grabbed the med kit out of the jeep and went with Tully to see if he could help with the wounded.
Moffitt and Tully saw that Carter had everything under control. He had gotten surgical and medical kits from the supply the medic had. There was water and he was working his way through the wounded, assessing and calmly giving orders to those helping.
When he happened to look up and see Moffitt and Tully, Carter went to check on them. "You guys okay?"
Moffitt said, "Tully has a bullet in his shoulder, but it's not too terribly bad. If you have a surgical kit I can use, I can take care of it. It appears you have your hands full here with more coming."
Carter nodded. "Yeah. Some guys are in worse shape than others." He waved one of the men over and said, "Get a surgical kit for the sergeant." The man quickly moved to do as he was told. "If you wouldn't mind, I could use all the help I can get when you get Tully taken care of."
"I'd be glad to assist in any way I can."
Tully said, "There's guys hurt worse than me. I'll wait in line like everyone else."
"No, if Moffitt is going to be helping me, I don't need him worrying about you." Carter looked at Tully's shoulder and said, "He's right though, it doesn't look bad. The bullet is under the skin." The surgical kit arrived and was given to Moffitt. "If you need anything, just yell. I'll be around."
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Troy and Hitch supervised as the Americans rounded up surviving Germans and helped get their wounded back so they could be treated.
When Troy and Hitch got out of the jeep, they saw Tully resting in the back of the other one with his shoulder bandaged and his arm in a sling. They walked over and Troy asked, "How's it going, Tully?"
The private opened his eyes. "It's goin', sarge. Everything taken care of?"
"It's getting there. Where's Moffitt?"
"He's helping Carter with the wounded."
Troy said, "Helping Carter? Where's their medic?"
"Dead. Carter apparently took over and he seems to be doing pretty well."
Sergeant Williams joined them and said, "He's doing excellent. I heard the scuttlebutt about Carter's conscientious objector status. Sergeant Tucker told me that the guys in his unit didn't think to highly of it."
Troy said, "Yeah, we were told that they started treating him pretty bad before he got his transfer."
"He went out there and brought back one of the wounded when no one else could. Because of him that man will live. In my opinion he's far from being a coward."
"Are you going to need help getting the wounded and prisoners back to the battalion?"
"I'm on my way now to contact Lt. Col. Harris. I'd be much obliged if you and your men could stick around until they can get here. A few extra eyes and hands wouldn't hurt."
Troy nodded. "I don't see a problem with that. I'll contact our headquarters to let them know what's going on."
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Carter and Moffitt did all they could for the wounded on both sides, but not all of them made it. Without a proper surgery and surgeon, there was just no way to "fix" some injuries.
When things calmed down, Private Thomas called Private Carter over.
Carter knelt next to the wounded man. "You okay, Pete? You need something for pain?"
Pete shook his head. "No, I'm fine for now. Look, Steve, I just wanted to … well, apologize for the way I treated you before. You're the farthest thing from a coward I've ever seen. Thanks for saving my sorry butt."
"That means a lot. Now get some rest."
Hitch helped work on the damaged vehicles in hopes of making them drivable.
Tully was given a shot of morphine and ordered to rest by Moffitt.
Troy made contact with Ras Tanura and let Captain Boggs know that they would be a little later than expected.
Then all they could do was wait and keep watch as the scavengers took care of the Germans carcasses out by where the remnants of the German platoon remained.
It was the middle of the night when a squad from the battalion showed up. The wounded Germans were loaded into one truck and the able-bodied prisoners were tied up and loaded into a second, both trucks had guards. The wounded Americans were loaded into a third. Medics had come along, so Carter didn't feel a need to go with them back to the battalion's field hospital.
Once the convoy was on their way, Carter said, "They should be back with the battalion not long after sunup." He took the pistol out of his belt and handed it to Moffitt. "I'm glad I didn't need it."
Moffitt slid the weapon into its holster as he said, "I'm glad you didn't need to make a choice."
Troy said, "We all got a little rest before Lt. Col. Harris' men got here. If we head out now, we'll be home by midmorning."
Moffitt smiled. "That sounds like a good idea. We shouldn't run into any German patrols as long as it's dark."
"That's my thinking too. And by the time the sun comes up, we'll be well into Allied territory."
Moffitt looked at their wounded private and asked, "Do you need anything for pain before we get going?"
Tully said, "No, I'm still feeling that last dose of morphine. Want me to drive?"
Hitch chuckled. "If you're still feeling the morphine you got a couple of hours ago, I wouldn't let you near a steering wheel."
Troy smiled. "It might be best to let Moffitt or Carter drive until you get clearance from a doctor on base."
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When they arrived at the base in Ras Tanura, Troy and Moffitt were dropped at headquarters to report in with Captain Boggs.
With Hitch and Carter driving, the jeeps were taken to the motor pool. Then Hitch and Tully escorted Carter to medical to meet with Dr. Baker.
After introducing Carter to the doctor, Hitch talked Tully into having his shoulder checked. Another doctor checked the wound, cleaned it up a bit, and put in a few stitches before handing Tully a bottle of penicillin.
Outside, Hitch asked, "You want to get something to eat or go take a shower first?"
Tully said, "I'm starving."
"Okay, let's go get some breakfast then."
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It was nearly two weeks before the Rat Patrol saw Private Carter again. It was time for Tully's stitches to come out, so they stopped by medical before heading out on patrol one morning.
They walked in and Carter saw them before they saw him. He walked over to them with a smile and said, "Hi, fellas. Haven't seen you in a while."
Hitch smiled. "No offence, but I think that's good thing."
"True enough. What do you need?"
Moffitt said, "It's time for Tully's stitches to come out."
Carter turned to one of the nurses and said, "Hey, Vicky. Tully's stitches need to be removed. Want me to take care of it?"
Nurse Vicky asked, "Were they put in here?"
Tully answered, "Yeah, Doc Allen did it."
"Okay, go ahead and remove them, Steve. Only I want to take a quick look at the wound when you're done."
They all followed Carter over to an exam table, where Tully sat down and unbuttoned his shirt.
Troy asked, "How have things been going?"
Carter carefully pulled Tully's shirt down to expose the bandage. "It's going great. Everyone's been real helpful." He removed the bandage and inspected the sutured wound. "Doc Baker wants to keep me here as long as he can. They're a little shorthanded and he says I can learn while I work."
Moffitt watched as Carter expertly started to snip the threads. "You've not had any problems then?"
"None. They all know about my conscientious objector status and the fact I won't carry a gun." Carter took a pair of tweezers and began pulling the stitches out. "People have told me that as long as I do my job, they don't care about my 'status'." He called Nurse Vicky over to check the wound before he put a fresh bandage on.
While Carter was gathering bandages and a tube of antibiotic cream, Troy asked, "So, is he really doing okay?"
Vicky smiled and said, "Steve's doing great. He's a sponge when it comes to learning and he's a hard worker. He's fitting in well here." She finished examining Tully's wound as Carter returned. "It looks fine, Tully. Keep it covered for few more days and use the antibiotic cream when you change the bandage."
Tully nodded and Carter started putting the cream on the wound. "You know, I contemplated just going AWOL when I first decided I couldn't kill anymore."
Tully said matter-of-factly, "But you didn't."
Hitch asked, "What made you consider becoming a medic?"
Carter shrugged. "I decided I really didn't want to leave the service, but there aren't too many things out here for a noncombatant member of the army to do. I'm a lousy mechanic, and I don't think I'd make a good chaplain. As a corpsman, I'll mostly be working in hospitals or as a medic in the field."
Moffitt asked, "Are you happy with your choice?"
"I believe I am. I like the opportunity to serve my country and not having to kill people to do it."
Carter was putting the last piece of tape on the bandage when Troy said, "We heard what happened out there that night."
Carter shrugged again and said, "Their medic was dead. I just filled in."
"And Sergeant Williams said you did a great job of taking over and getting things done. I'm also talking about you running out to pick up a wounded soldier when the others couldn't get the job done."
"Well, I had to do something. I just reacted is all."
Troy smiled slightly. "You have a lot to be proud of, Carter. Good luck with your future."
Carter smiled and said, "Thanks, sarge. I appreciate the confidence."
Just then Nurse Vicky called, "We've got wounded coming in, Steve! Finish up and let's get to work!"
"I'll be right there!" Carter looked at the four men with a sigh. "Well, you're set to go, Tully."
The private said, "Thanks, Steve."
Moffitt said, "You'd better get going. The war waits for no man."
Carter nodded. "And that's the truth. I'll see you guys around."
Then he hurried away to help with triage.
Hitch helped Tully get his shirt up over his bandaged shoulder as he said, "I'm glad things are working out for him."
Moffitt said, "He has a bright future as long as he keeps his head down."
While Tully buttoned his shirt, Troy stared at the door Carter had disappeared through and thought silently, "I really hope he survives this armed conflict."
Tully broke into the sergeant's thoughts with, "I'm ready to go, sarge."
Troy sighed, "Let's shake it then. Like Moffitt said, 'the war waits for no man'."
