Hunter Sniper

Another absent member of Patrol Easy was Private Egan. He and his war dog, Thor, were toward the rear of the company, sniffing out any enemy soldiers who might be trying to hide, so that they wouldn’t cause problems later. The enemy soldiers had a nasty habit of attacking the advancing units from the rear with rifle fire and grenades.

However, the battle clearly had been taking its toll on the enemy. Nearby was a dead Japanese soldier. Deke was surprised to see that the dead man bore a chrysanthemum and anchor symbol on his helmet. He recalled that he had seen this symbol before, when Honcho had pointed out that it designated these troops as part of the Japanese Special Landing Forces. These were elite troops who had seen combat around the Pacific, especially in China. Essentially, they were the Japanese equivalent of marines. Crack troops with a fearsome reputation that was well deserved.

No wonder this had been such a tough fight so far. It was clear that the Japanese were throwing everything they had at Leyte.

Studying the body of the elite soldier, Deke thought, At least that’s one less for us to deal with. Not so tough now, are you, fella?

Yoshio scurried out and quickly went through the dead Japanese’s pockets, returning to the safety of the wall with a few items clutched in his hand.

“Anything?” Philly asked as Yoshio scanned the papers. Yoshio was under orders to gather any intelligence that he could.

Yoshio shook his head, then held up a snapshot of a young woman and child. “Only letters from home.”

It was yet another reminder that the enemy was all too human, even soldiers from an elite unit.

Not only were the snipers doing what they could to take out any Japanese marksmen, but they were also seeing what lay ahead for the advancing troops by serving as their eyes and ears. From time to time, Captain Merrick sent a runner to relay that information.

“Heads up,” Philly said. “Here comes the runner. Poor bastard.”

They could see the man coming, using whatever he could for cover, including the burned-out carcass of an automobile that was still smoldering, licks of flame fed by what was left of the seats, tires, and engine grease. The reeking smoke provided him with some cover.

It was a job nobody envied. Dodging enemy bullets and machine-gun fire was a dangerous game. Here in Ormoc’s streets, it was also a game of cat and mouse.

“All right, looks like he’s gonna make it. We need to send word back about that bunker up yonder,” Deke said. “Can’t have the boys walk right into that.”

“Cover fire,” Philly said.

Patrol Easy began firing at the bunker, but the Japanese defenders were so ensconced behind their sandbags that they made difficult targets.

They watched the runner make the final dash toward the wall that Patrol Easy sheltered behind.

He almost made it.

At the instant before he reached cover, he was caught by a burst of machine-gun fire. The soldier spun around and collapsed in the street.

What unfolded next was difficult to watch. Badly wounded, the soldier managed to drag himself by his elbows toward the shelter of the wall.

Yoshio started to go over the wall to help the wounded man, but even in his fevered state, Deke grabbed the back of his belt and tugged him down. “No, you don’t. You’ll end up just like him.”

Watching a wounded man without being able to help him was one of the most heart-wrenching situations that a soldier faced. In rushing to help him, a soldier tended to be operating on sheer emotion rather than thinking things through. More often than not, that would get him killed. The Japanese machine gunners and snipers liked nothing more than to use a wounded man as bait, luring others into their sights.

Rodeo shouted at the man, “C’mon, buddy. You can make it. Keep going!”

Slowly and desperately, the soldier crawled closer to the safety of the wall.

Evidently the Japanese decided that their trap wasn’t going to work and lost patience. A single shot rang out, and the wounded man went limp.

“Son of a bitch!” Philly said through gritted teeth. “A sniper finished him off.”

“We need to get word to Captain Merrick,” Deke said. “Maybe he can get a tank up here to clear them out. Otherwise, the whole damn company is gonna walk right into this mess. They’re gonna get the same as that poor bastard.”

“What are we supposed to do about it?”

“I’ll go,” Deke said. “Hell, I’m half-dead anyhow.”

Deke started to get up, staggering a little, but Philly pulled him back down. “Hold it right there, Corn Pone. You wouldn’t let Yoshio go, so how would you do any better? You’re sick. You shouldn’t even be on the front lines at all.”

“I said I’d do it, didn’t I?”

“You want to play hero, do it another day when you’re not running a fever,” Philly said. He took a good look at Deke’s face and shook his head. “Look at you. I swear to God that even your eyeballs are sweating. I’ll bet you can’t even see straight.”