War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 453 The Melody Resounds Again

At noon on August 8, the flames that had been burning outside the camp for several hours were finally completely extinguished.

Marshall carried the flamethrower that had already been emptied in one hand and the rifle in the other, and walked slowly towards the camp.

Ignoring the bulldozer driving from the side to the bonfire, Marshall threw the flamethrower in his hand to Wei Ran, and raised his hand to salute the company commander and even the battalion commander who had been waiting here.

After the other party returned the salute, Marshall glanced at the military police standing behind Randy, and asked with a hoarse voice, "Can I go and see Tom first?"

After a moment of silence, the battalion commander whose name Wei Ran didn't know nodded, turned and walked towards his tent.

"Thank you"

Marshall saluted again, walked through tent after tent, accompanied by Wei Ran, Randy, Will, and the military police, and under the watchful eyes of the wounded who got out of the tent, he walked towards them step by step. The beachhead that he took at the risk of his life finally stopped in front of Tom's grave.

"bang"

Marshall poked the Garand rifle he had been holding in his hand on the soft and wet sand, and then took off his helmet and hung it on the stock of the gun.

"Tom, I promise you to start believing in God."

Marshall said in a nonchalant manner, "From tomorrow onwards, I will believe in God, so God shouldn't mind everything I do today, after all, I am not yet his believer.

But I hope you don't mind more than God's attitude.If you were still alive, maybe you would say a lot to persuade me? "

A relieved smile curled up on the corner of Marshall's mouth, and he continued on his own, "I can only help you with half of what you asked me to do, and let Randy and Will help you with the rest. It's hard enough cheating on my sister Caroline, and I just don't have the energy to help you cheat on yours, Laura. That's it, I'll come back to see you when I'm done with my troubles."

Having said that, Marshall turned around and said with a smile, "Randy, Tom's wife Laura, and my sister Caroline, please help me lie for a while. I have written down their respective addresses. It's in a box next to the bed.

And Will, the Bible that Tom gave me is also in the box next to my bed, please keep it for me for the time being, and I will find you to get it back later. "

"I'll help you continue to lie to them," Randy promised with tears in his voice.

"God will forgive you." Will stepped forward and hugged Marshall, "My friend, I will pray for you."

"Thank you my friend."

Marshall hugged Will, and said in a relaxed tone, "To tell you the truth, Will, you are my first black friend."

"Hope is also your forever friend," Will said seriously.

"Of course, of course my forever friends, you, Randy, Tom, and Victor, the veterinarian, you are all my forever friends."

Marshall's tone became more relaxed, "I hope God bless you, and let you all live in peace until the end of the war. At that time, we will go to the strip bar opposite Tom's house to get together."

"Then it's settled." Randy also hugged Marshall, "I'll buy you a drink then."

"I'll definitely be there, as long as the bar allows black people in." The simple and honest Will made a rare joke.

"I'll be there too"

Seeing Marshall looking at him, Wei Ran said, "In this way, even if there is a conflict because Will doesn't allow it, I can guarantee that you will all survive the fight."

"So be it"

Marshall and Wei Ran also hugged gently, then pulled out the pistol from his waist and threw it to Will, "Help me keep it for a while."

After finishing speaking, Marshall calmly walked towards the gendarmes waiting beside him, "As you can see, all the things outside the camp were done by myself, it has nothing to do with Randy the stretcher, nothing to do with Victor the medic, and The company commander and the platoon leader have nothing to do, take me wherever you want now."

"Marshall, Sean will always be our captain, at least we won't make things difficult for you." One of the military policemen explained in a low voice, and then Qiqi turned around and walked towards the center of the camp with a relaxed Marshall.

"He has been redeemed," the black Will said abruptly, "God has saved him."

"God really picks his time"

Wei Ran teased God as usual, but when no one responded, he remembered that the servant of God was already lying in a tomb not far away.

"Yeah, God really picks the time."

Randy also echoed, but he lost his usual teasing expression, leaving only the exhaustion that didn't match his age of 20 years and a day.

The group of three returned to the tent where they had lived for more than half a month in silence, but the two vacant beds made everyone lose their interest in talking.

During the long silence, the setting sun enveloped the relatively safe rear camp again, but the three of them didn't even move Yu Wang.

As darkness approached, new wounded were sent here by truck from the front line, filling tents one after another, and the bodies of the new dead were also sent here, and together with those wounded who were already mutilated, they were waiting to return by boat their respective hometowns.

"Randy, here's my birthday present for you."

Black Will suddenly stood up and handed Randy a white harmonica still tied with a bow.

"Thank you, but... I won't have a birthday in the future." Randy said with regret.

"Take it"

Will shoves the harmonica into Randy's hand, "My daughter gave it to me, and she bought it herself with the money she got from picking up bottles. So take it, it's the only thing I can get out Decent gift, and the first time I gave a white friend a birthday present."

"Thank you"

Randy finally took the harmonica, brought it to his mouth, and played the tune from "Casablanca" again.

After a while, Will also sang along with the song. This hidden sad song passed through the tent with a large number of bullet holes, and spread all the way to another tent that was also shrouded in darkness. In Marshall's ear on the bed.

Gradually, some of the wounded began to hum along with Will, and gradually, the military police outside the tent also began to hum along, and gradually, even Marshall, who had already burst into tears, sang that classic song with that familiar voice. The song "as time goes by".

On the bed shrouded in darkness, Wei Ran stared blankly at the top of the tent, but his thoughts drifted back to the day of the landing.

He thought of the shirtless white bulldozer driver who pointed a gun at himself, and the stretcher soldier who enthusiastically guided the black wounded for him.I remembered the chaplain who was hiding under the wreckage of the tank and went to the battlefield for the first time.He also thought of the gendarmerie captain who was almost misunderstood by him, and the female nurse who protected the wounded with her body until she died.

(End of this chapter)