Free Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury Page B

doing now? Rebuilding the
Red Hibiscus
? Would they let him do that?
    Maybe.
    But mostly I wondered if he ever thought about me.
    Dear Herbie,
    Well, we made it to the mainland without getting hit by a torpedo. We had to zigzag all the way to San Francisco. The week on that ship was the worst week I ever had in my life. Everyone got seasick and had to throw up all the time, sometimes on each other. But we made it. Now we're at an army camp where we're going through basic training all over again. But I like it here. I wish I could tell you where we are.
    So tell me, how's Pop? Did he ever find out why the sampan burned? I don't know about you, but I think about that all the time. Boats don't just burn up like that. What's he doing now? Rebuilding it?
    Except for the food, the army is okay. But I don't think I'm going to stay in it when my time is up. I don't think they want us anyway. They won't miss me.
    Write me and tell me what's going on at home. Tell me everything, okay? And tell Ma I'm doing fine and not to worry.
    Don't forget.
    Write back.
    Oh, and thanks for that stone. I got it in my pocket right now.
    Eddy

    Three weeks later, we were designated the Hundredth Infantry Battalion, and for the first time our platoon leaders were Japanese, not white guys. We still had Sweet, and Mr. Parrish joined us, too. He was a major now.
    The only bad part about Camp McCoy was the endless boot camp. Everyone else in the U.S. Army was fighting in Europe and the Pacific. But not us, not the guys who looked like Hirohito. We just kept on training.
    “This is nuts,” I said one day, sitting around with Chik and Cobra. “They never going let us fight in this war, so why not just send us home?”
    “You dreaming,” Cobra said. “Here they got us under control, ah? If we was home, they would worry about us again. Think about it.”
    Me and Chik nodded.
    “All one game, this,” Cobra said.
    “Yeah, but if we was in Europe, would be ugly,” Chik said. “War ain't pretty.”
    “But at least we could do our part, ah?” I said. “Prove we loyal.”
    “That what you are?” Cobra said.
    I glared at him. “Of course. You not?”
    Cobra turned away. “Yeah, I am, but this is…”
    I nodded, thinking if they ever let us fight in this war, I will stand up and go to the end.
    They're not going to crush me, no.
    Ganbare!
Persevere!
    That was what Pop would do.

One dark, cold night I lay on my bunk, sleepless. It was after midnight.
    I heard a creak and popped up on my elbow.
    Two men stood in the doorway, their silhouettes outlined by a glowing bulb outside the open door.
    They waited a few seconds, then came inside.
    They went from bunk to bunk, waking one guy here, one there. But not everyone. They woke Chik, Shig, Cobra.
    I recognized one of the intruders as Ricky Kondo, a college Rotsie from Maui. Because of his education, they'd made him a lieutenant.
    The shape of the other guy was unmistakable.
    Sweet.
    They woke Slim, Ray, James, Tokuji.
    Each guy got up and went quietly to his footlocker.
    But some guys they left alone.
    What
was
this?
    They woke Hot Dog, Golden Boy, Koji.
    Sweet headed toward me. Faint light from the open door reflected off the brass on his uniform.
    I sat up. The metal springs under my mattress squeaked.
    “Get all your gear together,” he said. “Everything. Assemble outside in field dress in five minutes. And be quiet about it.”
    I got up. Dressed quickly.
    Out of habit I made my bed, then jammed everything from my footlocker into my barracks bag.
    Outside, the air stung my face, cold and sharp. Ghostlike smoke swirled when I breathed. The other barracks and the roads between them and the trees that lined the compound were lit by a few dim bulbs. Two personnel trucks idled nearby. The only other sounds were the padded footfalls of guys falling in.
    No one spoke.
    Relief surged through me when I saw that I was still with Chik and Cobra.
    Ricky Kondo came out of the barracks and stood on the top