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The twenty minute whistle blew. So we had to make a break for it then or never. Here they got guys all blockin’ everybody from going forward, standing there. Soon we got down there, we pushed the officer—one of the guys—out of the way. And the guy says, “Was ist loss!” You know, one of the officers, “What’s the matter!” And one fella, who led the way, we called him “Low-life” McCormick, that was his nickname, “Low-life” McCormick—wonderful guy—he didn’t waste no time in explaining “was ist loss”. He belted the officer one, rolled ‘im over, so he hollered to me “Keep goin’, keep goin’, keep goin’! Get up there! Get up there!” That’s the way it was. So I was young enough to hurdle these big sea-breakers and I got up to the bow… Anyhow, there I was with this flag and I thought it’d be an easy deal, and I remember yankin’ it and the first—part of the halyard ripped. Rrrip! And I thought it was home free, all I had to do was give it another yank—but it would not give. And I gave it a third yank, and a fourth yank, and a fifth yank—and it would not give. And you believe in panicky, I was… And here we had the job already done, and that son of a bitch of a swastika would not give. And I didn’t know what the hell to do—I would’ve eaten the thing! And the crowd on the dock was absolutely hysterical, the roar was just crazy. So I turned around and it was this guy named Duffy, and he just said “Hold the flag still! Hold it still! Gimme the halyard, gimme the rope, and hold it still!” And he took out a switchblade knife and I heard “Click-click”…”Zzzing!” and he let it go, that part of the halyard, and the flag is now home free, and believe me it was a moment worth everything that ever happened afterwards just to see that son of a bitch just flutter! And the Germans were stark mad, absolutely stark mad! And the crowd on the dock stark mad with delight. (en) |
