white rattler on his shoulder.
“The cap’n’s givin’ you a chance to get off the front line, man!” Big Ed could not believe his ears. “We could be together. No more dodgin’ bullets all the time.” Big Ed looked from King to Professor.
Professor returned his look for a moment, then turned to Grey and said, “Thank you for the opportunity, Captain, but I too have already picked up my uniform. I want to go with the Three hundred Sixty-ninth. Please don’t take it as a reflection of our esteem for you.”
The captain shook his head in disbelief. “You men baffle me. You’ve been in the frontline trenches since you got here. From what I’ve heard, you’ve done a lot of suicide missions and have done more of your share of putting your life on the line than most. No one would dispute your courage or your patriotism if you chose to serve the remainder of this war behind the lines. The Red Ball Express has its esprit de corps. We do an important job. Without us, the war cannot be won. You’d be doing honorable work. You have until this Friday to change your minds. I hope you men will give my offer careful consideration.”
Grey coughed and continued. “I’ve heard that there is gambling going on and that soldiers under my command are participating in it. The High Command might have overlooked this had it not been coupled with violence.” At this point Grey gave King a hard look before continuing. “I know I don’t have to quote you men the army article that prohibits gambling, but let me tell you this. HQ has put out a bulletin on this matter and they intend to come down hard on anybody they catch, particularly if they happen to be Negro soldiers. Do I need to speak any clearer?”
“They don’t say nothin’ about the bare-knuckle bouts?” King asked. “A couple men been beat damn near to death and lot of bettin’ and gamblin’ goes on during the fights.”
“I think their major concern is high-stakes card games where white players are often left penniless and owing Negro soldiers their army pay for the rest of the year,” Grey answered. “HQ probably recognizes that you can’t stop everything and as long as the fights are kept out of their view, they’ll continue to look the other way.”
Captain Grey stood up. “Alright men, remain as you were. Corporal Harrison, get your team together for tonight. I’ll have three trucks ready for you to start on by midnight. And Sergeant Tremain, heed my warning. You’re a good soldier and a leader among the men. I’d hate to see you get court-martialed for gambling!” Captain Grey saluted and left the tent.
Big Ed waited until the captain left and sputtered, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you guys. He offered you positions behind the lines. You got a real good chance making it through the war alive.”
“Working as a porter and stevedore?” Professor asked. “I’ve taken too much humiliation to become a soldier to give it up. As long as the army wants me in a menial job, I prefer to carry a gun!”
“Menial, that’s just a word!” Big Ed said. “All that matters is that you live through the war. Now that I’m working as a mechanic in motorized transport, I ain’t had to lift a gun in months.”
“You’s called a porter. They didn’t make you no mechanic, you just work as a mechanic. If they made you a mechanic, the white boys would shit a brick,” King observed. “They treat you like shit and they know you know ten times more than they do about truck repair, but they still treat you like shit!”
“If I’m alive and healthy at the end of the war, bein’ treated like shit will be worth it,” Big Ed answered. “I got me some farm work in my future. I’m looking forward to feeling that dark Nebraska soil between my fingers.”
“Ain’t nothin’ I want that is worth takin’ shit for,” King said.
“That’s ’cause you don’t really want nothin’. If you wanted somethin’, you’d sacrifice your pride,” Big
“The cap’n’s givin’ you a chance to get off the front line, man!” Big Ed could not believe his ears. “We could be together. No more dodgin’ bullets all the time.” Big Ed looked from King to Professor.
Professor returned his look for a moment, then turned to Grey and said, “Thank you for the opportunity, Captain, but I too have already picked up my uniform. I want to go with the Three hundred Sixty-ninth. Please don’t take it as a reflection of our esteem for you.”
The captain shook his head in disbelief. “You men baffle me. You’ve been in the frontline trenches since you got here. From what I’ve heard, you’ve done a lot of suicide missions and have done more of your share of putting your life on the line than most. No one would dispute your courage or your patriotism if you chose to serve the remainder of this war behind the lines. The Red Ball Express has its esprit de corps. We do an important job. Without us, the war cannot be won. You’d be doing honorable work. You have until this Friday to change your minds. I hope you men will give my offer careful consideration.”
Grey coughed and continued. “I’ve heard that there is gambling going on and that soldiers under my command are participating in it. The High Command might have overlooked this had it not been coupled with violence.” At this point Grey gave King a hard look before continuing. “I know I don’t have to quote you men the army article that prohibits gambling, but let me tell you this. HQ has put out a bulletin on this matter and they intend to come down hard on anybody they catch, particularly if they happen to be Negro soldiers. Do I need to speak any clearer?”
“They don’t say nothin’ about the bare-knuckle bouts?” King asked. “A couple men been beat damn near to death and lot of bettin’ and gamblin’ goes on during the fights.”
“I think their major concern is high-stakes card games where white players are often left penniless and owing Negro soldiers their army pay for the rest of the year,” Grey answered. “HQ probably recognizes that you can’t stop everything and as long as the fights are kept out of their view, they’ll continue to look the other way.”
Captain Grey stood up. “Alright men, remain as you were. Corporal Harrison, get your team together for tonight. I’ll have three trucks ready for you to start on by midnight. And Sergeant Tremain, heed my warning. You’re a good soldier and a leader among the men. I’d hate to see you get court-martialed for gambling!” Captain Grey saluted and left the tent.
Big Ed waited until the captain left and sputtered, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you guys. He offered you positions behind the lines. You got a real good chance making it through the war alive.”
“Working as a porter and stevedore?” Professor asked. “I’ve taken too much humiliation to become a soldier to give it up. As long as the army wants me in a menial job, I prefer to carry a gun!”
“Menial, that’s just a word!” Big Ed said. “All that matters is that you live through the war. Now that I’m working as a mechanic in motorized transport, I ain’t had to lift a gun in months.”
“You’s called a porter. They didn’t make you no mechanic, you just work as a mechanic. If they made you a mechanic, the white boys would shit a brick,” King observed. “They treat you like shit and they know you know ten times more than they do about truck repair, but they still treat you like shit!”
“If I’m alive and healthy at the end of the war, bein’ treated like shit will be worth it,” Big Ed answered. “I got me some farm work in my future. I’m looking forward to feeling that dark Nebraska soil between my fingers.”
“Ain’t nothin’ I want that is worth takin’ shit for,” King said.
“That’s ’cause you don’t really want nothin’. If you wanted somethin’, you’d sacrifice your pride,” Big
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