ON GUARD

This is another Howard Brodie sketch from his time on Guadalcanal.  He and his buddy are in a foxhole and while his buddy sleeps, he’s on guard duty.  Note the grenades lined up.  Nights in the Pacific on the front line could be very scary.  The Japanese liked to infiltrate at night and many banzai attacks occurred at night.  Sometimes you could hear them yelling “To hell with Babe Ruth!”  Or “Blood for the Emperor!” to which the Marines responded with “Blood for Eleanor!”  Seems like the threat of an attack might keep you awake, but just in case, the Army and Marines provided soldiers with plenty of Benzedrine tablets to stay alert.  Benzedrine is a type of amphetamine.