Blue Water Red Blood by DL Havlin

Author:DL Havlin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: biographical history, wwii in pacific
Publisher: DL Havlin

Chapter 12

Cocktails and Coincidence –

Christmas 1937, San Diego, California

“Merry Christmas, General,” Rear Admiral Edward C. Kalbfus greeted his Marine colleague with a big smile as he entered the room. The two men exchanged cordial, casual salutes.

Major General Louis M. Little returned the smile and said, “Thank you and a Merry Christmas to you, Eddie. And, I’ll even add a Happy New Year to that.”

“I’ll call your Happy New Year, Louis. Let’s wander over to the bar and drink to that.” The poker playing men laughed and headed for the mahogany. After receiving their drinks from a stolid bar-tender, the two officers scanned the room until they found an unoccupied corner housing a comfortable looking sofa with a convenient coffee table placed in front of it. After sitting down, Rear Admiral Kalbfus raised his glass and said, “To the Navy and the Corps.”

“To the Navy and the Corps,” General Little agreed. The two men took a sip of their cocktails. Kalbfus said,

“It doesn’t seem like Christmas in Dago, does it. The temperature is seventy-one out there. We’d be a lot more comfortable in dungarees and undershirts than these.” He stuck a thumb into his dress uniform shirt-front and pulled out. “I guess it beats being in Pearl or Cavite for the holidays. At least there are decorations in the department stores and Christmas songs on the radio. You ever hear Jingle Bells played on a Hawaiian steel guitar and sung by Polynesian girls in grass skirts? It loses the spirit of the season.”

They both laughed. “To the Navy and the Corps,” General Little repeated and each took another drink.

Kalbfus said, “I hope both the Navy and the Corps have that Happy New Year we just wished for each other.”

“I think we will, Eddie.” The General was puzzled. “I hope you’re right, Louis. I’m just not too sure we won’t be in a war by the end of this year.” The Admiral took another sip of his drink. He gently shook the glass back and forth, clinking the ice cubes inside. “The way things are going in Europe and in China—well, it looks pretty dim. I heard Nanking fell on the 13th. When the Japanese finish that campaign, they’ll control almost all of China’s industrialized area and 70% of the best agricultural lands. I can’t help but wonder where they’ll go next. I’m guessing Indo-China.”

“You see any of the intelligence reports on the Nanking thing?”

“No, not the actual reports, but I heard it was bad.”

Little shook his head, “Bad doesn’t come close. It was horrible butchery. The Japanese committed atrocities that were so wide spread the report I saw said that half the Imperial Army should be prosecuted. What they did to the civilians . . . ,” he shook his head again, “they’re heartless bastards. I feel sorry for those folks in Indo-China if they’re next. Think the French would go to war with Japan over that?”

“I don’t know. With Hitler rattling his saber right next door, that’s a hell of a long way from Europe to fight a war.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.