It was very nice meeting you and Dick Canidy in Alabama and I hope this finds both of you happy and in od health. If you do have a spare moment sometime, it 90 would be nice to get a postcard. Or do they have postcards in China?
Sincerely, Sarah Child “Holy shit!” Bitter exclaimed excitedly. Canidy looked at him. Bitter was pointing to an enormous insect crawling across an ancient copy of the Times ofindia on the table beside Canidy. “Kill the fucking thing!” Bitter said.
“My God, you’re learning to swear and everything,” Canidy chuckled. “You kill it. I’m willing to talk things over with it.”
“Fuck you,” Ed Bitter said. He dumped the insect on the floor by turning the newspaper over and then stamped on the bug. Canidy handed Sarah Child’s letter back to him. “Clever,” he said. “Not as clever as Ann’s, but clever.”
“Are you going to reply?” Bitter asked.
“Sure,” Canidy said. “Why not?”
“She’s a little young for you, isn’t she? Not quite your style?”
The reference was obviously to what had happened between Canidy and Sue-Ellen.
“I hadn’t planned to send her dirty pictures, Eddie5” Canidy replied. “Just help her get her gold star to show her mommy.”
Ex-Chief Radioman Edgar Lopp rushed into the dining room.
“The Japs just bombed Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor.”
“Oh shit!” Canidy said.
“Oh my God!” Bitter said.
Lopp turned on the Hallicrafter’s communications receiver they had “borrowed” from the CAMCO warehouse, and they listened for bulletins all over the dial.
At eleven o’clock, a messenger delivered a radio message from Tourigoo:
AIRCRAFT OF THE AVG WILL NOT REPEAT NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY REPEAT ANY OPERATION WITHOUT THE SPECIFIC AUTHORIZATION OF THE UNDERSIGNED. CHENNAULT.
Since Canidy and Bitter were the only AVG aviators in Ran goon, the message was obviously intended for them. Bitter wa powerfully disappointed. He took the Japanese attack as a personal affront, and wanted to rush out to Mingaladon Field, jump into a P40-B, roar into the sky, and take revenge on whatever treacherous Japanese aircraft happened to be conveniently there.
Canidy, on the other hand, felt something closer to fear. The Japanese had not attacked Pearl Harbor foolishly. They had imagined, and now had proved, that they could get away with it. And if, as the radio reported, they had destroyed most of the Pacific Fleet, things were going to be very bad for the United States and its allies in the Pacific.
As a practical matter, Canidy decided the smart thing to do was try to get in touch with Crookshanks at Toungoo. Incredibly, the telephone call went through immediately.
“This is Canidy, Commander,” he said. “For your information, there are two we can bring up there right now, if you think that 9S best.”
“Are they in revetments?” Crookshanks asked.
“Yes, Sir,” Canidy said. “I’d say they’re safe from anything but a direct hit.”
“I think the thing to do is let them sit right there until things Settle down a little. You got the general’s TWXT’
“Yes, Sir. Just now.”
“Our priority, obviously, is to get the aircraft to China,” Crookshanks said. “Unless you hear to the contrary, ferry them up here first thing in the morning.”
“Yes, sir,” Canidy said.
“My, aren’t we courteous this morning?” Crookshanks said dryly, and hung up.
T’ Bitter asked after Canidy had hung up ,What did he say 4TOMOITOW morning, we take the two that are flyable up to Toungoo.
64And what are we supposed to do today?” ,we’ve been invited to tiffin.” Canidy said. “At Wing Commander Hepple’s house. With a little bit of luck, that redheaded Scottish lassie will be there. Maybe she’ll have a friend for you.51 “For God’s sake, we’re at war,” Bitter said-.
“Whatever, old chap, has that to do with fiffin?” Canidy replied in a British accent. “Stiff upper lip! Cheerio! Pip-pip and all that!” “you go ahead if you want to 5” Bitter said. “I’m going to stick by the radio.” ,Suit yourself,” Canidy said. “When the Japs start climbing over the rose garden wall, give me a yell, and I’ll come help repel them.”
When Canidy came down from his room at half past three, Bitter was sitting in the front seat of the Studebaker. Canidy said nothing about his change of mind. It did seem a little incongruous that leet on the bottom of Pearl Harbor, he was going with the Pacific F out to get laid. gravelly Point Airport Washington, D.C. 4:45 Pm., December 7, 1941