Chapter 12 Summary

Before being detached from the Rodger Young to attend OCS, Rico receives the late Padre’s chevrons and wears them proudly in the Fleet landing field terminal, where he meets his father, Emilio Rico. Sadly, they must be ships passing in the night, but the son hopes to return to the Roughnecks as an officer. The proud father forbids him to talk about flunking out of OCS – the first time he has told a sergeant to shut up. Rico will ask Ace to look out for his father who, with casualties high in less than a year of service, is a corporal. The son is sure the paternalistic army had spotted Father as non-com material before he even finished basic training at the new Camp San Martín. He requests the Rodger Young but gets McSlattery’s Volunteers, makes several drops including Sheol...