Later that night, Trevor tossed and turned in bed. He couldn't sleep since all he could think about was going into combat, and if he really had the guts to endure it.
Why did I do this? Trevor thought to himself while he turned on his back and stared at the ceiling. Then thoughts of him dying and Teri never knowing what happened to him haunted his mind.
He jumped out of his bunk and put on his shoes.
He rushed out of the barracks.
The base was quiet while Trevor walked around to think about his next move.
He walked by an isolated section of the perimeter fence. He looked the fence over and didn't see any barbed wire.
He rushed over to the fence and stared at it for five minutes while he debated on his move.
He didn't hear the Jeep that drove up behind him.
He rushed over and climbed halfway up the fence when someone whacked Trevor's back with a nightstick. Trevor dropped to the ground in pain.
He looked up and saw two Military Police (MP) Sergeants, Rick Call and Steve Wright standing over him.
"What are you doing, Lieutenant?" Rick asked.
"Ah, I, ah," Trevor stuttered.
"I know what he was trying to do. He was trying to sneak out. Go AWOL," Steve replied.
"Upon your feet," Rick ordered.
Trevor stood up. Rick and Steve each grabbed an arm and walked Trevor to their Jeep. They put him in the back and got inside.
They drove off to the MP office.
While they drove through the streets of El Toro, Trevor knew he screwed up and would spend the rest of his life in military jail. He could kick himself in his butt for going back in time.
Ten minutes later, the two MPs had Trevor before their boss Captain George Garrison.
"So you were trying to go AWOL?" Captain Garrison asked Trevor, who shook in his shoes.
Trevor thought for a few seconds for a viable excuse. "No, I was trying to sneak out to visit my girl in town. I have orders for the South Pacific and wanted to see her one more time," Trevor lied.
"Let me see your orders," Garrison ordered and held out his hand.
Trevor removed his orders from his shirt pocket and handed them to the Captain.
Garrison looked over Trevor's orders. He handed them back to Trevor, who shoved them in his pants pocket and silently prayed he wasn't going to jail.
Garrison looked at Trevor, which made him shake in fear.
"We need pilots to replace the ones we're losing. So I'm not going to place you in the brig. But I'm going to have my men make sure you get on that plane tomorrow morning so you can get to your assignment," Garrison replied.
Trevor felt relieved and stop shaking.
"Place him in a cell, then tomorrow morning, escort the Lieutenant to his barracks so he can get his stuff. Then make sure he gets on the plane to San Diego in the morning," Garrison ordered the MPs.
"Yes, sir," Rick replied.
The two MPs each grabbed one of Trevor's arms and walked him out of Garrison's office.
Ten minutes later, Trevor was placed in a small jail cell, and Rick slammed the door shut.
He lay on the bunk and stared at the ceiling and swore he would never try that again.
It was April 18th and 5:30 the next morning, and Trevor was sound asleep. Then his cell door opened up, and Jason, one of the day shift MPs banged the cell bars with his nightstick.
Trevor jumped up, scared from his bunk.
Jason chuckled, as he loved doing that to the jailbirds.
"Rise and shine. It's time to be on your way," Jason told Jason.
Trevor got up and walked out of the cell with Jason.
After a shower and chow, Jason escorted Trevor back to his barracks.
After he gathered up the rest of his uniforms and shoved them into his seabag, Jason escorted Trevor out of the barracks.
At the flightline, Jason drove Trevor up to a waiting C47 bound for San Diego.
Jason walked Trevor up to the open door at the rear of the plane.
"You won't be so lucky once you get to the South Pacific. They shoot deserters," Jason warned Trevor.
"Understand," Trevor replied then walked to the plane.
Five other Marines with sea bags walked over to the C47 and got inside with Trevor.
Trevor flew in the C47 to San Diego where he boarded a Naval ship and sailed to Hawaii.
Then from Hawaii, he sailed to Guam in another Naval ship. During this long trip, Trevor prayed that he wouldn't be killed, as Teri would spend the rest of her life, never knowing why he didn't return home from work. He didn't want her to marry another man.
A week passed, and it was May 7th, and Trevor sat inside a Navy PBY Catalina plane while it flew to Engebi.
Meanwhile, 250 miles away from Engebi, there was a squadron of B-25's that flew over the ocean at 25,000 ft.
Below them, a Corsair flew at 18,000 feet above the ocean.
Then a Japanese Zero plane flew after the Corsair.
The Zero fired its machine guns at the Corsair.
The Corsair made evasive maneuvers and gained speed on the Zero.
The Corsair quickly flew into a loop, and this was Ben's plane.
Inside Ben's plane, he had that Santa Monica pier picture of Ben, Diana, Carl, and Sandy wedged between some instruments on his console.
Ben flew out of the loop and saw the Zero in front of him.
Ben raced his Corsair closer to the Zero then when he had the plane in his gun sights, he fired his machine guns.
Ben saw smoke pour out of the Zero's engine. "Yeah!" he cried out in joy that he got another Zero.
He watched while the Zero dove down to the ocean and crashed into the sea.
"Got me another one, Fireball eleven," Ben said into the radio net.
Ben banked his Corsair and flew off.
"Show off, Fireball ten," Carl said from the radio net.
"I'm hit! I'm hit!" Peter Adams screamed in a panic out from the radio net.
Ben looked out his window and saw a Corsair with its engine on fire dive to the ocean. It exploded when it slammed into the water.
"Ben looked saddened while he flew away.
Inside Carl's Corsair, he had his copy of the Santa Monica pier picture wedged between some instruments on his console.
Carl looked out his window as he flew and saw the crashed Corsair in the ocean. "Was that Fireball five?" he said into the radio net.
"Yeah," Ben replied from Carl's radio net.
Carl looked out his window and saw the Zero that shot down Peter race by 800 feet below him.
"Looks like the Zero that got Peter is getting away," Carl said into the radio net.
"Not if I can help it," Ben called out from the radio with determination to get even for Peter's death.
Carl looked out his window and saw Ben's Corsair down below while it raced after the Zero.
Carl dove after Ben's Corsair.
From Ben's cockpit, he saw the Zero up ahead about 50 feet.
He flew closer to the Zero and fired his machine guns the second he had the plane in his gun sights.
The Zero made an evasive maneuver, as Ben's bullets missed his plane.
Ben made maneuvers to keep up with the Zero and fired his machine guns.
The Zero made another evasive maneuver.
Ben made maneuvers and kept up with the Zero then when he had the plane in his gun sights he fired his machine guns.
The Zero dove to the ocean to get away from Ben.
Ben dove after the Zero and fired his machine guns.
The Zero was hit and exploded 500 feet above the ocean.
"This is Fireball four, I'm hit!" pilot Sam Davison cried out from the radio net.
Ben looked around and saw Sam's Corsair 50 feet below him, still flying.
"Fireball four, this is Fireball one, can you continue with the mission?" Major Jack Hall, the squadron leader, called out from the radio net.
"Yea," Sam replied.
Ben smiled while he ascended his Corsair.
Inside Carl's Corsair, he raced up and got 30 feet behind Ben's Corsair. He had Ben's vertical stabilizer in his gun sights.
"Fireball ten looks like you have Fireball eleven on your tail protecting you," Captain Hall called out from the radio net.
"That's what's best friends are for," Ben called out from the radio net.
Carl banked his Corsair and raced up to fly along the right side of Ben's Corsair.
Ben looked at Carl from his cockpit. He saluted Carl who saluted back.
Then another Corsair raced up and flew alongside Ben's left side.
Ben looked and saw Henry Foley flying along his left side. He saluted Henry, who saluted back from his plane.
The Corsairs all flew back to the numerous B-25 bombers while they flew to an island down below.
The B-25 bombers flew over the island and dropped bombs on a new Japanese base, and numerous explosions followed.