The wrecked vehicle was a reminder that the fighting had become a war of attrition. The loss of each ship, each plane, each tank, each truck, each soldier, was felt keenly as the American forces slowly wore down the Japanese. It wasn’t easy, given a supply line that stretched clear across the Pacific, but the Americans could eventually replace what was lost, while the Japanese could not.
Even so, the enemy didn’t have the good sense to surrender, so there was no choice but to keep fighting.
The combat on Leyte had certainly taken its toll on Patrol Easy. It turned out that Patrol Easy wasn’t going to stay undermanned for long. They’d been assigned a dozen new men, some of them combat veterans who had been separated from their units for one reason or another, and others support staff who’d made the mistake of saying they wanted to get into the fight. Given the losses in the Philippines so far, division command was happy to oblige them.
Now those men were gathered around Lieutenant Steele in the shade of an immense balete tree that grew beside the road. Impatiently, Steele motioned for Deke and Philly to join them. While the Americans sat on the ground, Danilo squatted on his haunches in true Filipino fashion.
Danilo’s dark, watchful eyes studied the branches of the balete tree with trepidation, but it wasn’t enemy snipers he was looking for. Balete trees grew to be even more massive than this one, with some centuries old. There were more than a few local legends of these balete trees being inhabited by the spirits of the dead. When the breeze stirred the leaves, making them dance as if with a mind of their own, it was easy to understand why some believed the trees to be haunted.
Before speaking, Steele took a moment to look around at the men, his gaze settling briefly on each man as if taking his measure before moving on. By the time he finally spoke, he had their full attention.
“A lot of you are probably wondering what’s next,” Steele began. “Well, our strategy is straightforward, boys. When you see the enemy, shoot him.”
That comment brought a murmur of approval and even some laughter. However, the lieutenant’s face didn’t show any traces of humor.
“It’s kind of like getting rid of rats,” Philly said. “Except these rats can shoot back.”
“The more of them we kill, the fewer there are to shoot back,” Steele pointed out. “It’s that simple, boys. We go where they send us, and we shoot Japs.”
“C’mon, Lieutenant, haven’t we done enough?” Philly wanted to know. “We haven’t even had our Christmas dinner yet — unless rumors are the only thing being served up.”
“Keep talking, Philly, and the only thing you’re gonna get is some cold C rations and no can opener except your bayonet.”
That response made some of the new men snicker. Patrol Easy made up the core of the undersized platoon Steele had been put in charge of since before the ambush on the convoy. Officers were in short supply. The others clammed up when Deke glared at them. Some of them met his eyes, then quickly looked away. With his gray eyes and the deep scars on one side of his face, Deke had that effect on people.
Philly muttered something under his breath, then fell silent. With another officer, Philly would likely have earned himself a chewing-out with his smart-aleck comments, but Steele put up with him. The lieutenant was used to it, and he knew that when push came to shove, Philly was a good soldier, so he gave him some leeway.
Steele went on to confirm what the gathered men already suspected, which was that Japanese forces had scattered into the hills, but they had not given up. In some places, entire regiments were still holding out, remaining a thorn in the side of the U.S Army’s advance. However, most of the enemy had been reduced to smaller units or even handfuls of determined men. That was old news to Deke.
“One more thing,” Steele said. “I want to introduce our acting sergeant, Deacon Cole. Some of you new guys don’t know him, but he’s the hillbilly over there with the pretty face. What he says is as good as what I say.”
Deke looked up in surprise.
Philly nudged him with an elbow and muttered. “There you go, Deke. Merry freakin’ Christmas,
Steele wrapped up, although Deke’s head was spinning so that he barely heard the rest. They’d be moving out again in the morning.
One of the new men approach him. “Deacon, huh? You’re not some kind of religious fella, are you?”
Philly answered for him. “He’s especially good at funerals. He’ll be glad to say a few words when we bury you, buddy.”
That shut the new guy up, and he suddenly took an intense interest in his boot laces.
