Chapter 44
1645 Hours
August 9, 1943
Mountain View Hotel
Gordonvale, Queensland
Northeastern Australia
Captain Tom Gilbert strode out of the cool winter evening and stepped into the warmth of the Mountain View Hotel in Gordonvale. He could feel sparks fly off his chest as small shock waves shot up and down his short, but powerful, arms. Though knots twisted and untwisted in his stomach, his chest puffed out a mile.
Late in the afternoon, Gilbert had attended a special briefing from Phil Genero, his old friend and basic infantry course classmate. After more than eight months of hard training, forced marches, practice jumps, and unrelenting chicken-s**t details in tropical Queensland, the 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment would jump into combat in New Guinea.
Man, this will be quite a
