So Proudly We Hail

Welcome to Melbourne,

I bring you General MacArthur's compliments.

Thank you, sir. I am Colonel Mason.

These gentlemen are Major Arthur and Captain Lawrence.

How do you do? How do you do? I'm Lieutenant Schwartz.

These are Lieutenants Armstrong, Leonard,

O'Doul,

Bacelli,

Bollenbacher,

and Emerson.

I'm very happy to know you all and thank God you're here.

We're sorry we haven't a big welcoming committee

but we're trying to avoid calling attention to your arrival

since we haven't heard from the other girls yet.

Not even the girls on the other plane?

No word as yet.

Did any of the others get off?

We were told there were 10 more by submarine,

but we haven't heard from them since they left.

Aren't there any more? They said everyone was to be ordered off.

Everyone was ordered off,

but we could only get about 20 before it was too late.

The rest of the girls are in the hands of those filthy...

Then we should have stayed.

You were carrying out your orders,

and your further orders are to proceed immediately to the hotel,

where the Red Cross has warm baths and clean clothes for you.

And my further, though unofficial, orders are

you are to have your heart's desire, anything you want.

And what do you want most in the world?

A tomato. A nice, big, red, cool, round, juicy tomato.

Colonel, do you happen to know when we're supposed to go home?

On the very next transport.

I thought there were eight of you.

Davy... I mean, Lieutenant Davidson is just being brought off.

I wore a 6-A before Bataan and I'm gonna get...

Say, what do you know? I've forgotten how to walk in these things.

You better sit down before you break your neck,

or else get a bigger size.

High heels. The things we do to trap men.

Boy, this is sure a relief.

I know people mean well, but it's nice to be by ourselves again.

Yeah, it gets embarrassing being called a heroine all the time.

What is a heroine, anyway?

I don't know. Somebody who's still alive, I guess.

If anybody calls me a heroine again,

I'm gonna let them have a tomato right in the puss.

Ethel, you'll bust if you eat another one.

I've lost 35 pounds in this campaign and I got to get it back.

Keep them coming every 15 minutes, if it's not too much trouble.

No trouble at all. It's an honor and a privilege

to be serving a group of heroines like you.

No, you can't!

This will do right here, nurse. Yes, sir.

How is she, Major?

The closer we get to home, the worse she gets.

What do you think's wrong?

It's simple.

When people don't want to live, they die.

Oh, no.

I know we did the wrong thing.

She didn't want to go, she wanted to stay

and when we got her on the plane, she just collapsed.

If it were a mere physical collapse, I'd know what to do.

Frankly, I'm desperate.

I wonder...

I wonder, perhaps, if you can help me.

We'll do anything, Doctor, anything.

It's not going to be easy.

I hate to ask you, even.

I know how much you all want to forget what you've been through.

But I only have one hope left.

This letter is addressed to her.

It came through on the last plane from Mindanao.

Who's the letter from, Major?

Signed by somebody called "John".

Oh, that's...

Just a moment, please.

I want you to tell me everything you can remember,

things that might not even concern her.

You never know. It might have its place in the pattern.

Well, the first time I met Lieutenant Davidson was last November.

We were all ordered to embark from San Francisco.

I remember it was cold and drizzly,

and I had been staying with Rosemary Larson.

It was her hometown,

and her family had come down to the dock to see us off.

Goodbye, Mrs. Larson, and thanks for a wonderful time.

I don't know when I've had better.

You should have stayed around a little longer.

I'd have made a real hep cat out of you.

I don't know about the "hep".

Look, Mama, why don't you go? You'll catch cold.

I won't. I want to see you go.

Let Mama stay, Roselein.

You'd think I was going away for good.

Davy. I'm sorry.

Can I see you for a moment?

This is Lieutenant O'Doul.

All present and accounted for now, sir.

Well, thank you.

Are orchids regulation now, Lieutenant?

They're not mine. A friend of mine gave them to me.

I see. Well, good luck, Lieutenant, and bon voyage.

Thank you, sir.

Davy, you've gotta help me. I'm in a terrible jam.

What's the matter? Two of my fiances came to the dock.

Two?

You know how hard it is for me to say no when somebody asks me to marry him.

I thought it would be easy for you to say no by now.

Golly, it's all in fun,

but if these two Irishmen ever meet up with each other...

I parked one of them over at the gate...

There you are, darling!

I've been looking all over for you, Joan.

Well, I've been looking all over for you too, dear.

You wait here. I'll be right back.

Don't forget to write, dear!

What does she mean, don't forget to write?

Letters. You know, from the post office.

Well, she's not leaving yet.

Oh, Captain! Captain, will you hold this for me just for a second?

Well... And this, here.

But we haven't had a chance to say good-bye yet.

There's lots of time to say good-bye.

Say, who wrote that?

Who wrote what?

"Whenever a snowflake leaves the sky

"It turns and turns to say 'Good-by!"'

Haven't the faintest idea.

Do you know the rest of it?

The rest of what? The poem.

No, never did.

Well, it goes,

"Whenever a snowflake leaves the sky

"It turns and turns to say 'Good-by!"'

Good-bye. No, Captain, I remember the rest.

"Good-by, dear clouds, so cool and gray!"

And it goes something and something "on its way".

What does?

The snowflake.

How's that look?

It looks great. You're pretty. Thanks.

Davy, I want you to meet my mother

and dad, and my brother, Georgie.

Hold these, Georgie. Bye, snowflake. Thanks.

Mother, this is Lieutenant Davidson, our senior officer.

How do you do, Mrs. Larson?

I think we better be going.

Please, please. This is her first time away. Take care of my baby.

Now, there's nothing to worry about, Mrs. Larson.

I will worry. Is it not so, a mother must worry?

Yes, I suppose so.

The days will be lonesome now.

The two years will go like wildfire.

Yes, the years are short.

It's the days that are so long.

Now, don't you worry. I'll take care of Rosemary. She'll be all right.

May God save you and keep you kindly,

and stand between you and harm.

Thank you.

Thanks again, Mrs. Larson.

I like you. You eat so much.

Goodbye, Mama.

Where's my cake? What have you done with my cake?

Frederick, her cake. I have it here.

Roselein! Roselein!

Now you've got me crying.

Good-bye.

But, darling, I did look all over for you.

Joan!

Where did you go? Well, I...

Captain O'Rourke, I want you to meet Captain O'Brien.

You two should know each other.

There you are, Captain. I just remembered the end.

The end of what? Well, you know, "The Snowflake".

Fine.

"Good-by, dear clouds, so cool and gray!

"Then lightly travels on its way"

Yes.

Well, come on, Joan. Good-bye. Good-bye.

Good-bye. Good-bye, dear.

Good-bye!

Good-bye! Good-bye! Good-bye!

Thanks, pal. I don't know whoever said the flesh was weak,

I find it very strong.

Say, you'll catch cold, leatherneck.

Who, me?

Never had a cold in my life.

We were to be stationed at Honolulu,

and although the boat was a slow one,

we enjoyed every minute of it.

It was hard to believe it was December,

what with the tropical sea, blue water and flying fish.

Hiya.

How's your cold, leatherneck?

It's not a cold. It's just a running nose. Running...

You better not take too much of this tropical sun, you'll get burned.

Who, me? I never burn. Best tan you ever seen.

Don't you ever get tired of writing letters?