Laurel outlook., 1944-07-05
The Password Was MandaIay -.

I You don't nave heroes IN armies
any more. You just have e
John Alison was changing the
lights, re-rigging them with Magof-
fin to give the following gliders a
better runway to come in on. INDIE
fatigable John, tearing all over the
lot on his short legs-no longer the
fighter pilot or the glider pilot-but
the airport manager, sweating him
self soggy.
Brigadier Calvert had his COM
mand post set up in the jungle edge
and his security patrols out in all
directions. Quiet Calvert-with his
soft English voice masking the most
civilized of killers. Stringy Shuttle
worth deep in the Burma jungles
unshaven but with his polished
monocle stuck firmly in his left eye
-well-bred jungle stalker.
The first short range ground pa
trolls were back now-no enemy.
There had been one distant shot
but there was no enemy in force as
yet. John Alison had the landing
strips laid out again to avoid the
wrecked gliders, and the lights re-
rugged for the second wave. In the
pause between, Doc Tullock set up
his dressing station and it began to
fill up. Men hobbled in singly and
between two pals; men were carried
in on strtchers. There was no sound
them. There seldom is after
the first shocked screams. Across
the field the British surgeon fought
all night to save two men-and lost
with the dawn Highland that
angered him, for he had fought we'll.
The breather was over and again
he roar of two ships filled the
hight skies-and again the gliders
;wOOped in two by two-one with a
,ulldozer aboard, to miss the strip
n the darkness and to dive headlong
between two trees that barely clear
ID the fuselage, to take off both
Wings and howl onward into the
lear with the murderous bulldozer
orn loose inside and to slam on
rard, Infringing the nose, heaving
he pilot and co-pilot up into the
If, ricochoting out under them and
the two men drop back
nhurt.
There was not enough of a Sc
party down to hold that
for 10 daylight hours-the
3 hours necessary for the combat
ngineers to make an airport for
ships. so Alison got OF the
ado and stopped the final waves
E gliders.
With the first fish-belly light the
llldozers began to growl and the
were at it, grading and
dwelling off hummocks, cut
ng the rank buffalo grass, haul I
G disabled gliders under the trees. {
A British captain hobbled in on a |
oxen foot. He had found his way s
from a deep jungle crash, with l
5 sergeant weaving along behind {
m-both of them dazed. Two :
ore men were alive in that crash, l
ey said, so Doc Tulloch got the q
sition from the captain, and ma l.
etc in hand and stretcher bearers j.
hind him, he started across the I
to cut his way in to find v
EN-.
Word came over from the other n
station that there would be a
burial of British and Americans +
because the jackals were al a
howling-the first time 1 ever L
ard them howl in daylight. There n
IS a burial in one grave, regard n
of rank or nation, with John Il
chael Matthew, the little Burmese Il
from Rangoon diocese,
ading the service and everyone Il
following in the Lords II
ayer-with motors high in the air If
but nobody looking up or it
to take cover until the III
Ugh wooden cross was planted and g
last spadeful of earth was in fl
hen scattering in all directions. e
t is was only our top cover CT
Using far above during the day Iii
hit hours according to careful st
n. IN
III through the forenoon the en- SC