Fiends of the Rising Sun Read Online Free
Angel Island. We had a week stationed at the Army camp there before a liner called the President Coolidge arrived to take us into the Pacific. I was kind of worried about being seasick and making a fool of myself, but I guess I must be a natural sailor or something because I haven't thrown up once. Some of the other guys haven't been so lucky. Poor Father Kelly, our priest, he's been looking green around the gills from the moment we got on board ship.
According to Buntz we'll probably stop in Hawaii on our way to the Philippines. He says we might get a day or two there before heading on. I don't know how long it'll take us to get where we're going, or what'll happen once we do. Some of the guys who work on the ship have been saying there's a war coming but I don't believe it. Sure, they're fighting over there in Europe, but that's got nothing to do with us, right?
Please write and tell me how Mom is doing, and give my best to Mack and everyone at the store. I hope you're all proud of me. I'll try and send you a photo of me in my uniform, once I get a uniform that fits properly! I'd better sign off now. I can hear the sergeant shouting and that usually means somebody's in trouble, one way or another. Please send me some news from home. It might take a while for your letter to find me, so don't worry if it takes a while for me to reply. Besides, you know I'm not big on writing and stuff, but I'll do my best.
Your brother,
Juan.
ONE
Father Kelly stepped off the gangplank onto dry land and made the sign of the cross, offering a silent prayer to heaven. Thank you, oh Lord, for delivering us safely to our destination. Look after these young men as they run wild here in Hawaii. Keep them from harm and from harming others. Amen . He pulled at his clerical collar, conscious of how closely it clung to his neck. Studying at the seminary in Chicago, where it seemed to be winter so many months of the year, the collar helped keep out the cold. Here in the stifling humidity of Hawaii, it felt like a vice around his throat.
The priest lifted a hand to shade his eyes from the dazzling sun and looked around, trying to get his bearings. Beyond the dock buildings were several multi-storey structures, but few stretched towards the sky. No, the dominant features on the horizon were the lush, green hills and mountains, to which clumps of white cloud clung like scarves of mist. The contrast between the jutting emerald behemoths and the brilliant azure sky overhead was startling. Father Kelly wondered if the weather would be so oppressive, so overwhelming when they reach the Philippines. He hoped not, but it was too late to change his mind.
All around him members of the 200th Coast Artillery were whooping and hollering at each other as they spilled on to the quayside, overjoyed at being off the ship that had brought them from San Francisco to this island in the middle of the Pacific. The priest couldn't help smiling at their joy. It was infectious, much like the social diseases several of them were likely to contract over the next twenty-four hours. Such was the reality of life in the armed forces. Young men full of hormones were on their way to some distant island where female company could well be at a premium, the sowing of wild oats en route was all but inevitable. Father Kelly sighed. He had the same urges himself, of course, but his vow of chastity forbade such indulgences. Besides, he had more pressing problems.
"Father, are you going anywhere near a mailbox?" an eager voice asked. The priest turned to see Private Martinez running towards him in a neatly pressed uniform, an envelope clutched in one hand. "It's just I promised my sister I'd write and I did, but I know that if I don't get this in the mail today-"
"Don't worry," the priest cut in, smiling at the young soldier. "I'd be happy to post it for you. This is your first shore leave, isn't it?"
"Yes, father," Martinez grinned. He ran a hand across his close-cropped black
According to Buntz we'll probably stop in Hawaii on our way to the Philippines. He says we might get a day or two there before heading on. I don't know how long it'll take us to get where we're going, or what'll happen once we do. Some of the guys who work on the ship have been saying there's a war coming but I don't believe it. Sure, they're fighting over there in Europe, but that's got nothing to do with us, right?
Please write and tell me how Mom is doing, and give my best to Mack and everyone at the store. I hope you're all proud of me. I'll try and send you a photo of me in my uniform, once I get a uniform that fits properly! I'd better sign off now. I can hear the sergeant shouting and that usually means somebody's in trouble, one way or another. Please send me some news from home. It might take a while for your letter to find me, so don't worry if it takes a while for me to reply. Besides, you know I'm not big on writing and stuff, but I'll do my best.
Your brother,
Juan.
ONE
Father Kelly stepped off the gangplank onto dry land and made the sign of the cross, offering a silent prayer to heaven. Thank you, oh Lord, for delivering us safely to our destination. Look after these young men as they run wild here in Hawaii. Keep them from harm and from harming others. Amen . He pulled at his clerical collar, conscious of how closely it clung to his neck. Studying at the seminary in Chicago, where it seemed to be winter so many months of the year, the collar helped keep out the cold. Here in the stifling humidity of Hawaii, it felt like a vice around his throat.
The priest lifted a hand to shade his eyes from the dazzling sun and looked around, trying to get his bearings. Beyond the dock buildings were several multi-storey structures, but few stretched towards the sky. No, the dominant features on the horizon were the lush, green hills and mountains, to which clumps of white cloud clung like scarves of mist. The contrast between the jutting emerald behemoths and the brilliant azure sky overhead was startling. Father Kelly wondered if the weather would be so oppressive, so overwhelming when they reach the Philippines. He hoped not, but it was too late to change his mind.
All around him members of the 200th Coast Artillery were whooping and hollering at each other as they spilled on to the quayside, overjoyed at being off the ship that had brought them from San Francisco to this island in the middle of the Pacific. The priest couldn't help smiling at their joy. It was infectious, much like the social diseases several of them were likely to contract over the next twenty-four hours. Such was the reality of life in the armed forces. Young men full of hormones were on their way to some distant island where female company could well be at a premium, the sowing of wild oats en route was all but inevitable. Father Kelly sighed. He had the same urges himself, of course, but his vow of chastity forbade such indulgences. Besides, he had more pressing problems.
"Father, are you going anywhere near a mailbox?" an eager voice asked. The priest turned to see Private Martinez running towards him in a neatly pressed uniform, an envelope clutched in one hand. "It's just I promised my sister I'd write and I did, but I know that if I don't get this in the mail today-"
"Don't worry," the priest cut in, smiling at the young soldier. "I'd be happy to post it for you. This is your first shore leave, isn't it?"
"Yes, father," Martinez grinned. He ran a hand across his close-cropped black
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