29
The New Year’s Moose
Billy Martens
Roosevelt had changed the date for Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of November to the fourth Thursday. None of the Marines even thought about it because the change had come into law in late December 1941, when many of them had been scrambling to enlist, already training at Boot Camp, or enjoying their final Christmas at home. The fourth Thursday in 1942 was the last Thursday anyway, so no one noticed. And since everyone in Billy’s regiment was digging in by Point Cruz on November 26th, their thoughts turned more towards surviving the Battle of Guadalcanal than roast turkey and cranberry sauce, though quite a few wished they could be back home and carving a big bird.
Billy remembered Thanksgiving, but volunteered to spend the night at a listenin
