Close combat by W. E. B. Griffin

Author:W. E. B. Griffin [Griffin, W. E. B.]
Format: epub
Tags: War stories, Historical fiction, Fiction, United States, Historical, War & Military, Men's Adventure, World War; 1939-1945, United States - Fiction, History; Military, 20th century, World War; 1939-1945 - Fiction, Marine Corps, United States - History; Military - 20th century - Fiction, American Historical Fiction, United States., Fiction - General, Horror
ISBN: 9780399137662
Publisher: Jove Books
Published: 1993-01-15T05:00:00+00:00

"Colonel Huff, this is General Pickering," he said when there was an answer. "Would you put me through to the Supreme Commander, please?"

There was a slight pause.

"Good morning, General," Pickering said. "Sir, I would like to ask a personal favor."

There was another slight pause.

"Sir, I have just received word that Pluto Hon's long-overdue promotion has come through. I know he would be honored, and I would regard it as a personal favor, if you would pin his new insignia on."

Another pause, slightly longer.

"Thank you very much, Sir. I very much appreciate your kindness."

He hung up. He turned to Pluto Hon.

"Do you think anyone would dare ask you for the paperwork after El Supremo has pinned the brass on you himself?"

"No, Sir."

"Get the right insignia for you and Moore, get a uniform for George. And when you have all that, come back here and get me."

"We're all going to El Supremo's office?" Moore asked. "But you only asked about Pluto."

"It is an old military tactic, Lieutenant, known as Getting the Camel's Nose Under the Tent," General Pickering said. "General MacArthur knows all about it. He'll understand."

[TWO]

USMC Public Relations Office

U.S. Post Office Building

Los Angeles, California

0845 Hours 24 October 1942

When he saw Major Homer C. Dillon, USMCR, walk into the outer office and speak to one of the sergeants, the mind of First Lieutenant Richard B. Macklin, USMC, took something like an abrupt lurch.

Dillon was almost certainly asking for him. And the Major inspired decidedly mixed emotions in him.

Macklin, a tall, not quite handsome officer, whose tunic was adorned with parachutist's wings and two rows of ribbons, the most senior of which was the Purple Heart Medal with one oak leaf cluster, had encountered Dillon twice before. Their initial meeting was at the Parachute School at the old Navy Dirigible Base in Lakewood, N.J., before he was ordered to the Pacific. And they met again six weeks previously, in the U.S. Army 4th General Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Macklin was then recuperating from the wounds he'd received during the invasion of Gavutu. That very day Dillon sent him to the States to participate in the First War Bond Tour (an inspired act on Dillon's part, Macklin had to admit).

Still, Macklin was of several minds about Dillon himself. For one thing, Lieutenant Macklin was an Annapolis graduate, a career Marine officer, and Major Dillon was not. Consequently, he wasn't entirely sure of the wisdom of directly commissioning a former China Marine sergeant as a major simply because the sergeant had become a press agent for a Hollywood studio after leaving The Corps. At the same time, it could be argued that The Corps needed the expertise of such a man. Such, anyhow, had been the opinion of the Assistant Commandant, who had arranged for Dillon's commissioning. Brigadier General J.

J. Stewart, head of Marine Corps Public Relations, had been good enough to pass this information on to Macklin, and Macklin was grateful to have learned it.

Lieutenant Macklin was also not at all sure how Major Dillon felt about him.

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