It was the next morning, and the sky was a little cloudy. A PBY plane landed on the runway, and it brought in supplies, mail, and some replacement pilots.
The PBY taxied to the flightline and parked, and it idled its engines.
The door opened, and five fresh Marine pilots stepped out with their seabags. They looked around their new home the second their boots stepped in the dirt.
Corporal Bronson walked up to the PBY with a pouch of letters and other correspondence. He walked up to the five new pilots and saluted. They returned a salute to Bronson.
"Welcome to Engebi, give me one minute, and I'll take you to meet Colonel Weaver," Bronson said then he walked over the plane just as Petty Officer Hank Cohn brought out two pouches from the plane.
"Good morning Hank," Bronson said while he handed him his pouch.
"Hey Tim," Hank replied. "Here's your mail and some other items," he added then handed Bronson his two pouches.
Hank got back inside the PBY and closed the door.
"Follow me," Bronson told the five new pilots.
The followed Bronson down the flightline.
The PBY taxied down the flightline to the end of the runway.
Bronson escorted the pilots to Weaver's hut.
The PBY raced down the runway and was soon airborne.
Meanwhile, way out in the Pacific Ocean, there was an island called Namorik, and it looked peaceful.
Trevor and Ben's raft was washed up on the shore, and they were asleep inside.
Trevor woke up and saw they washed ashore on an island, and he looked so relieved. He elbowed Ben. "Wake up, we drifted on an island," he said excitedly.
Ben woke up, and his eyes widened when he saw Namorik. "There's hope," he while he looked around. "We better hide this raft in case a Jap plane flies over the island," he added then quickly jumped out of the raft.
Trevor jumped out of the raft, and they dragged it to the nearby jungle.
Inside the jungle, they set the raft by vegetation so it would be out of view from the air.
"Let's put our survival training to work," Ben said while he looked around the jungle.
Trevor looked a little nervous, as he's never camped out in the wild. So he nodded in agreement and felt at ease that at least Ben knew what he was doing.
Trevor and Ben, who limped, walked away.
Back at Engebi, Weaver opened up the pouch while Bronson stood by. He removed a bundle of letters. He opened up the bundle and looked at the letters. He removed the letters from the deceased pilots, one of which was from Diana to Ben.
He removed some paperwork and smiled when he saw what he wanted was located at the bottom of the pouch.
"I want everybody to meet me in the briefing tent in fifteen minutes," Weaver ordered Bronson.
"Yes sir," he replied, then rushed out of the tent.
Back on Namorik, Trevor and Ben found a spot in the jungle about a quarter of a mile from their raft.
Trevor and Ben broke off numerous branches from small trees and other vegetation. They started building a lean-to for their temporary home, and they hoped it would be temporary.
Back on Engebi, the briefing tent was full with all the base personnel. It was standing room only, and they all believed there was another vast critical mission being presented.
Weaver entered the tent.
"Attention," one of the pilots yelled out the second he saw Weaver.
Everybody snapped to attention.
"At ease," Weaver said while he walked up to the front.
"Can I have Lieutenant Eastman come forward?" Weaver said.
Carl walked up, with a limp, to Weaver a little nervous that he might be in trouble. Everybody in the tent could see a lump in his crotch from his testicles being bandaged.
"We lost nine good men during the last mission. Lieutenant Eastman was the only survivor." Then Weaver removed a Purple Heart medal from his pocket. "Because of his war wound, Walker here is awarded the purple heart," Weaver said while he pinned the medal on Carl's uniform.
Everybody in the tent clapped.
Carl felt a little guilty, but he knew he had to play along.
"And his orders arrived to send him stateside," Weaver said and patted Carl's shoulder.
Carl smiled, knowing he would soon be with Diana to start a life together.
Back on Namorik, Trevor and Ben stood back and admired the lean-to they built off a low hanging tree branch.
"It's not home, but it will do," Trevor said.
"It sure beats drifting out here in the ocean," Ben replied.
Then Ben took a step away and cringed in pain from the bullet in his leg, and Trevor noticed.
"Go get some rest. I'll see if I can find some food out there," Trevor said.
Trevor assisted Ben to the lean-to and helped him lay down.
Ben relaxed while Trevor walked away into the jungle in search of food.
Back on Engebi, Carl lay in his medical bunk and touched his purple heart still pinned to his shirt.
The nurse walked up to Carl's bed.
"The doctor said you could return back to your own bunk. And we heard that you have orders to leave for home next week," the nurse told Carl.
He smiled, knowing he can now move on with his new life and forget about this war for the rest of his life. "Thank you, nurse," Carl replied, then got up off the bed.
Carl limped out of the medical tent, and he limped back to the Humble Abode.
Back on Namorik, Ben relaxed under the lean-to. He heard a branch break, and he got a little concerned. He picked up a nearby rock and got ready to throw it.
He heard more branches break while someone walked up to the lean-to.
Ben cocked his arm back, ready to throw the rock for protection.
Trevor appeared at with fruit and bananas in hand.
Ben looked relieved. "You almost got stoned," he said then dropped the rock into the dirt.
"Dinner," he replied and looked a little relieved he didn't get a knot on his forehead from that rock.
The immediately munched down on their fruit inside their lean-to home.
At this same moment, Carl ate some dinner in the chow hall.
Henry walked up with his tray of food and sat down next to Carl.
"I heard you're going home soon," Henry said while he scooped up some mashed potatoes with his fork.
"Colonel Weaver's sending me home next week," Carl replied.
"So I guess you'll be going home to take care of Ben's wife?" Henry asked while he took a bite of what looked like Salisbury steak.
"Yeah I guess I will," Carl replied, pretending to be a little nonchalant about marrying Diana.
Then Hall walked up with his tray of Marine cuisine. He sat down at the table on the other side of Carl.
He took a bite of his Salisbury steak and cringed a little as it didn't taste that great, but it beat starving.
"I still can't believe Lieutenant Walker would shoot down Ben," Hall said then ate some of his mashed potatoes. "But he must have been really pissed at him to steal a plane and fly that mission," Hall said with a mouth full of potatoes.
"I can't recall Trevor and Ben ever having a fight. They appeared to be the best of friends," Henry said then took a bite of his Salisbury steak.
"I don't know why Trevor would do such a horrible act," Carl said and kept his eyes away from Henry and Hall while he lied.
"What a shame. I really thought he was a nice kid," Hall said.
Henry nodded in agreement. "I really liked Trevor."
Back on Namorik Island, Trevor and Ben relaxed under their lean-to and looked at the twinkling stars that were visible between the trees.
"I wonder where we are?" Trevor said.
Ben thought for a few seconds while he tried to figure out. "Well, based on the direction we drifted, I would say either Ebon, Kili, Jaluit, or Namorik."
"How do we get back home?" Trevor asked, really worried.
"I just don't know yet," Ben said.
Trevor looked worried while he stared up at the stars and wondered if he shouldn't have ventured on this hair-brained plan.
Ben closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Trevor closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The sun rose again for the start of another beautiful day in the South Pacific, and it was quiet on Namorik.
Trevor and Ben still slept under their lean-to.
About a mile from their home in the jungle, a small patrol of Japanese soldiers patrolled along the shoreline.
Trevor woke up and got out of the lean-to, and he stood up and stretched and yawned.
Ben woke up and sat up and saw Trevor. "Good morning," Ben said.
Trevor turned around and smiled, and then he stretched some more. "I'll be right back. I'm getting some more breakfast," Trevor said.
Ben got out of the lean-to and stretched. Then he cringed in pain, as the bullet in his leg still ached.
Trevor came back fifteen minutes later with some more fruits and bananas. He dropped them in the lean-to.
"Now it's time to use the bathroom," Trevor said.
"I'm glad you're doing that after you got breakfast," Ben said with a light chuckle.
"I'll wash my hands in the ocean," Trevor replied with a chuckle.
He walked off into the jungle while Ben sat on the ground to rest his aching leg.
Over at the shoreline, the leader of the Japanese soldiers stopped his patrol when he spotted Trevor and Ben's footprints and the trail of the raft into the jungle.
He motioned for his patrol to cautiously walk in the direction of those tracks.
The soldiers cautiously followed their leader while he walked along the tracks.
They walked into the jungle, and within five minutes, they found the raft. The leader of the patrol looked at the raft, and he looked concerned.
"We have Americans on the island," he said while he looked around. "Find them!" he ordered.
His patrol cautiously walked deeper into the woods with their rifles ready to kill.
Trevor found a spot to take his morning leak. After he was finished, something caught his attention. He looked and saw the Japanese patrol way off in the jungle heading in his direction.
He cautiously snuck away, making every attempt to be quiet.
Ben ate a banana when Trevor returned scared.
"What's wrong?" Ben asked, concerned.
Trevor got down and leaned inches toward Ben's ear.
Ben looked a little apprehensive with Trevor being so close to his face.
"Japanese soldiers coming in our direction," Trevor whispered.
Ben's eyes widened, and he painfully stood up.
"We better get out of here before they realize we're on the island," Ben said.
Trevor quickly grabbed all the fruit and bananas and unzipped his flight suit. He shoved them inside his suit and zipped it up.
Ben quietly started to tear down their lean-to home, and Trevor helped.
Then Ben motioned for them to leave.
They tried to be quiet while they rushed away in the jungle, but there was the occasional snapping of a twig.
Back on Engebi, Carl stood at the shoreline and stared out at the ocean. He thought about Ben and wondered if he did the right thing. But there was nothing he could do now, as Ben was dead and he couldn't reverse the past.
Then some airplane engines were heard flying near the shoreline.
Carl looked and saw five Corsair's flying to the island. He watched while the all took turns and landed on the runway. They were replacement planes that Weaver had ordered.