Guadalcanal Diary (1943)
William Bendix: Cpl. Taxi Potts
Photos
Quotes
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Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : [In dugout waiting out a heavy artillery barrage] I don't mind the one with my name on it. It's the one that says, 'To whom it may concern' that I don't like.
[after the barrage increases]
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : They're throwing everything at us but the kitchen stove.
Gunnery Sgt. Hook Malone : [after an even louder explosion] That's the stove now!
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Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : Hey, Butch. Ya got a cigarette?
Sgt. Butch : [hands him a pack] Sure. Help yourself.
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : [examines the pack] Jap cigarettes!
Sgt. Butch : Yeah. They're half tobacco, half stinkweed.
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : Oh, well now I'll enjoy them more than ever. I thought they were *all* stinkweed.
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Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : As soon as our planes get here they'll be sorry. They won't look so pretty!
Pvt. Johnny 'Chicken' Anderson : Yeah, but where *are* our planes?
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Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : Maybe if we keep digging we'll come up someplace around Ebbets Field.
Pvt. Johnny 'Chicken' Anderson : Yeah, I'm practically standing on second base right now.
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Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : Hey, Tex.
Pvt. Tex Mcllvoy : Yeah?
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : Hot, ain't it?
Pvt. Tex Mcllvoy : Yeah. Hotter'n a Texas cattle call in August.
Gunnery Sgt. Hook Malone : So you think it's hot, do ya?
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : Yeah.
Gunnery Sgt. Hook Malone : How'd you like a nice tall glass of ice cold beer?
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : Beer! Strictly a middle class beverage. The last time I was back in Brooklyn, there was just such a night as this. We was havin' cocktails. My old lady brought 'em in, I took one taste, and boy what a kick. You know what she did?
Gunnery Sgt. Hook Malone : What?
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : She took 'em out and put in another slug of gin.
[smiles]
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : What a sweet old lady.
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Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : Say, Father, how many Japs they got on that island?
Father Donnelly : Hard to say. Several thousand, I expect.
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : Any natives?
Father Donnelly : About 16,000.
Cpl. Aloysius T. 'Taxi' Potts : [nervously] Uh.. uh... cannibals?
Father Donnelly : No, I believe they're strict vegetarians. But then of course they've never tasted Marine meat.