Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 85



Only Noblemtl

#085

Broken window.

Black smoke rising from all over.

The closer I got, the more I realized how ridiculous it had been to call the Bonus Army a mob in the past.

“It’s dangerous.”

As we arrived at the area where the rioters were gathered, police officers stopped us.

“What’s the officer’s name?”

The police officer, who was impressed by my attitude of calmly asking for my position and name, soon said,

“Huh? Governor?”

At his shout, everyone around him began to murmur as if they had noticed my arrival.

“What? Governor?”

“MacArthur is here?”

“Where? Where?”

Reporters covering the riots soon swarmed in. Naturally, the rioters also became interested in this.

“what?”

“Who came?”

“The police chief or the mayor, perhaps.”

“Really? Then we should go and state our case.”

“Oh, right. That’s right.”

I don’t know who it was, but word spread that His Majesty the King had come and that the police and reporters were all causing chaos.

Everyone started to rush towards me.

“Officer, is there a loudspeaker here?”

“Ah, here···.”

After receiving the loudspeaker from the officer, I handed Mary, who I had been holding in my arms, over to Donovan.

“Okay, Dad, I’ll be back from work, so just wait quietly.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Mary nodded and went into Donovan’s arms, holding tightly to her chest the bag of bagels she had wrapped, saying she would give them to the baby.

And, as if it wasn’t scary, he turned his head here and there to look around,

‘She’s exactly like my mother.’

After parting ways with Mary like that, I walked briskly, holding the loudspeaker.

I stopped at a distance where I could see the faces of the excited mob and greeted them.

“Hello, everyone. I am Douglas MacArthur, Governor of New York.”

I could see the mob startling and making a noise at my greeting.

“MacArthur?”

“Is this really MacArthur?”

“But what about that kid earlier?”

“Oh, I know her. She’s the president’s granddaughter.”

“What? The President’s granddaughter?”

“Really. Then MacArthur too···.”

Mary was the most famous four-year-old in America at the time, thanks to her photo on the front page of the newspaper for the metric system incident, and her greeting from the balcony at my inauguration.

“But you brought the child here.”

So it’s not like there weren’t any kids among the mob.

To be honest, there were quite a few kids who were running around happily, blushing, and looting the shopping district.

but,

“He’s too small.”

“Are you crazy?”

“What kind of kid is that···.”

Mary, held in the arms of the bulky man behind MacArthur, was so small.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of black people who, although noisy, did not act particularly violently.

It seemed as if they had stepped down from being a mob to a protester. But there was no room for complacency.

Donovan and the police officers there said there were no people with dangerous weapons, but well, I couldn’t completely trust that.

And aren’t guns the only dangerous things? Stones and clubs are also more than capable of being murder weapons, depending on who’s holding them.

And above all, there was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be some damn bastards trying to take advantage of this situation.

“What brings us all here together?”

When I asked the question in a tone of voice that seemed to show that I knew nothing, a sharp answer came back from somewhere.

“Those damn store employees killed the poor kid.”

“Stealing is a crime, but it’s not a crime that deserves death.”

“That’s right. That’s right.”

I asked back loudly to those who were shouting and yelling.

“Did you see it yourself?”

“what?”

“You may not know this, but there was an author who falsely accused me of being a communist.”

“Are you saying we’re talking nonsense now?”

“What’s the proof that this isn’t bullshit? The body? Has anyone seen the dead child in person?”

“But I saw a hearse.”

“That is truly strange.”

“How did they know that the child was going to die and send a hearse? If the police were trying to cover up the death as you say, they would have put the body in the trunk of a police car and not in a hearse.”

As we continued to press the demonstrators with specific facts, the fighting power of the protesters was noticeably decreasing in real time.

“Then, then···.”

“There was a story told by the fools who had been fooled by the real commies back when I heard the word commies. The commies were plotting to overthrow the country by causing a riot. And they said that the good Bonus Army should not be left alone.”

When the story of the overthrow of the country and riots by communists came up, the initial spirited appearance disappeared and everyone looked noticeably haggard.

“Uh, we···.”

“Are you a communist? No.”

It was a given. In this day and age, being a communist was a charge that could not be compared to violent protests.

“Yeah, you’re not all communists, are you? But isn’t this a world where being ignorant is a sin?”

“···”

“First of all, were you really good protesters? You threw rocks at normal shops, broke the glass, looted indiscriminately, set fires. Tell me.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the protesters started to commotion.

“I, I didn’t loot.”

“Yes, me too. I just shouted out slogans.”

“I am so ignorant.”

Those who say they were just shouting slogans and want to go home right away,

“Hey, if I give this back, will you forgive me?”

“Everyone just went and took one, so without me knowing···.”

Even those who put down the loot they were holding, saying they would return it one by one.

Of course, there were still some who had the poison in their eyes, but even so, they couldn’t harm people with their gaze.

“Yes, I trust you. You are good citizens of the United States, residents of the state of New York, and citizens of the city of New York.”

At my words of trust, the protesters collapsed in an instant.

“Ugh.”

“I was wrong.”

“You trust guys like us?”

There were more than a few people with tears in their eyes.

Some of them,

“MacArthur, MacArthur.”

They started calling my name, and soon the chanting spread throughout the protesters.

“MacArthur, MacArthur.”

Even among the armed police who were watching the protesters with great tension, there were some who shouted my name.

I waved my hand and told him to stop, but it was no use.

“dad.”

Donovan, who had come over before I knew it, handed Mary to me.

“Dad, that’s awesome. That’s the best.”

“okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah.”

Mary’s eyes sparkled as she continued to praise me, perhaps because she was so moved by the sight of so many people calling my name.

And Mary’s compliments made me laugh too.

Of course, the sight of me smiling brightly while holding Mary was the best scene for the gathered reporters.

##

“Damn. Why is that guy there?”

“That, that···.”

And as the mob dispersed peacefully after a few words, there was a greeting that made people jump for joy: none other than New York City Mayor Guardia.

We knew full well that this would be a much better result than forcibly dispersing them by sending in armed police.

But seeing MacArthur smiling confidently in the midst of the blinding flash made me very angry.

“This is how I became a very incompetent mayor.”

“Surely that shouldn’t happen?”

The secretary next to him tried to comfort Guardia, but it was no use.

And as he said, the next day,

“MacArthur, who saved New York after Washington.”

“The governor who stopped the communist plot.”

“Good citizens are not in danger, and they have the luxury of bringing their young daughters to the scene.”

“I can see the governor, but where is the mayor?”

“The mayor came only after everything was over, and the governor came early with his young daughter.”

Actually, if you think about it, the Guardia market wasn’t late.

No, in the first place, who would be the mayor to come to the scene when a riot like this breaks out?

On-site command was the responsibility of the police or military, not the mayor.

However, because MacArthur took his daughter with him, Guardia was getting a lot of criticism that he didn’t need to.

And what made Guardia even more uncomfortable was the actions of that damn MacArthur.

She declared that she would not return to Albany and would remain in New York, even taking her young daughter with her.

‘I plan to stay in New York for the time being and consult with Mayor Guardia on current issues in New York City.’

‘There is no effect without a cause. There must be a reason why a large-scale riot like today occurred.’

It was certainly not wrong. But if it were like this,

“They’ve taken all the initiative away from them.”

“But wasn’t that a sudden decision?”

“Yes, there are only a few people here right now, including Secretary Donovan.”

“You talk a lot, but how much do you really know about this New York?”

Some people had a hopeful outlook, thinking that if they knew something, they would say something, and that they might damage the image they had built by saying something irrelevant.

And soon after, the person who had expressed such hopeful outlook realizes that his hopes were nothing more than delusions.

“So this problem is my fault?”

“Then no?”

“Governor.”

Even as Guardia’s voice called out to me with an excited face, Governor MacArthur’s face remained calm.

“War on crime. Sounds good. Sounds good. I want to tear apart the mafia guys, too.”

Although it wasn’t New York, there was an unsuccessful attempt by criminal organizations such as the Mafia to assassinate Roosevelt.

Giuseppe Zangara, from Italy, was captured after a failed attempt to assassinate Roosevelt in Miami, Florida in 1933.

At the time, there was a lot of talk about who was behind Zangara. However, Roosevelt, who did not want to create a fuss right after taking office, quickly executed Zangara.

Since Jang Ga-ra also did not appeal at all, Jang Ga-ra died after ten days.

And that’s a thing of the past now, but well.

Is it really a coincidence that the Mafia, Jangara, and the Guardia before our eyes are all of Italian origin?

In fact, it didn’t matter whether it was a coincidence or not. What was important was that this gave him an excuse to grab Guardia right in front of him.

“War on crime is good. I too am one of those who want to wipe out the mafia in New York. But, Mayor, is that more urgent than Hoovertown?”

The first thing Guardia did after taking office as mayor was to fight crime.

But the biggest problem in New York today is not the Mafia, but Hoovertown.

The reason why Nana Guardia tried to suppress this riot quickly by any means necessary was also Hoover Village.

The only difference was that I had a solution in my presence and words, while Guardia had a solution in his deployment of armed police.

We both knew what would happen if the black rebellion in Harem was not suppressed at an early stage.

Central Park, not far from Harlem where the riots took place.

It had long since been turned from a park to a hoover village.

And New York’s Hoover Village was qualitatively different from the Bonus Army’s Hoover Village in Washington.

Whatever you say, it wasn’t hard to maintain order in Hoover Village, where the Bonus Army gathered.

First of all, didn’t these people have a goal?

These were people who gathered with the hope that if they received their bonus quickly, they would at least be able to make a living.

There they were all veterans.

It may seem like nothing special, but retired soldiers of this era are above average intellectuals. It is not comparable to the 21st century, but by 20th century standards, they are equipped with an excellent level of cleanliness, ethics, and law-abiding spirit.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that those with a military background were elite.

So, the Bonus Army’s Hoover Village was only a shantytown on the outside, but it could be managed like a proper military base.

But New York’s Hoover Valley was different.

“Most of the people there are writers who have no future.”

“Not only cleanliness, but also security···.”

The story was that even the mob, which would commit looting, arson, and even more serious crimes for immediate gain without regard to consequences, could change if given the chance.

So, as mayor of New York City, the first thing Guardia had to solve was not the war against the damn mafia, but solving that Hoovertown problem.

“But that wasn’t the case. Instead, they used the term “war on crime” to get people to project their grievances onto the mafia.”

“That’s all···.”

There must be a reason. Since he said he was a capable person, he must have had a goal.

But that wasn’t all.

“Isn’t it because you don’t want to be lumped in with those Italians?”

A little goes a long way