Guard of Honor
Encyclopedia
- for the ceremonial guard see Guard of honourGuard of honourA guard of honour is a ceremonial event practice in military and sports as a mark of respect.-Military:In the military a guard of honour is a ceremonial practice to honour visiting foreign dignitaries, or the fallen in war, or a ceremony for public figures who have died.The commander is three paces...
Guard of Honor is a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning novel by James Gould Cozzens
James Gould Cozzens
James Gould Cozzens was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist.He is often grouped today with his contemporaries John O'Hara and John P. Marquand, but his work is generally considered more challenging. Despite initial critical acclaim, his popularity came gradually...
published in 1948. The novel is set during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with most of the action occurring on or near a fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
base in central Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The action occurs over a period of approximately 48 hours. The novel is chapterless in form, using three progressively longer parts entitled "Thursday", "Friday" and "Saturday". From dates on various memoranda quoted, the story takes place on September 2, 3, and 4, 1943.
Before entering the USAAF in 1943, Cozzens had already published 10 novels; his duties included writing speeches and article
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
s for Henry H. Arnold
Henry H. Arnold
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the grades of General of the Army and later General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps , Commanding General of the U.S...
, commanding general of the USAAF. Cozzens worked in the USAAF Office of Information Services, a liaison and "information clearinghouse" between the military and the civilian press (like his Guard of Honor character Nathaniel Hicks, Cozzens' first duty was revising field manuals). One of the functions of his office was in controlling news, and it became Cozzens’ job to defuse situations potentially embarrassing to Arnold.
One such incident occurred in April 1945: African-American officers protested the segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
of officer club facilities in what became known as the Freeman Field Mutiny
Freeman Field Mutiny
The Freeman Field Mutiny was a series of incidents at Freeman Army Airfield, a United States Army Air Forces base near Seymour, Indiana, in 1945 in which African American members of the 477th Bombardment Group attempted to integrate an all-white officers' club. The mutiny resulted in 162 separate...
. Cozzens included a fictional but similar incident in Guard of Honor, not as a dramatic recreation of the incident but as backdrop for his analysis of the relationship between fate and the character and personality of leaders. Although several African-American characters appear in Guard of Honor, none are point-of-view figures.
Guard was one of Cozzens' "professional novels", in which he drew detailed portraits of individuals, centering on their professional lives and the details of their work. He expertly recreates the feel of the stateside Army Air Forces, accurately recalls historical facts pertinent to the story line without becoming academic, and references airplanes and technical aspects without excessive explanation and without bogging down the action. All characters in the novel, except Nathaniel Hicks, are named throughout using their rank or title and last name.
Plot introduction
The novel opens with seven characters flying to Ocanara Army Air Base, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, following a daylong visit to Sellers Field, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, aboard an AT-7 navigation trainer
Beechcraft Model 18
The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
. It revolves around the activities of a fictional administrative command called Army Air Forces Operations and Requirements Analysis Division, acronymed AFORAD. This organization had as its closest real-life counterpart the directorate of the Assistant Chief of Air Staff for Operations, Commitments, and Requirements (OC&R).
The opening segment, the shortest of the novel, introduces the major characters and their traits by examining their reactions to a minor subplot of the handling of the querulous base commander at Sellers Field: an old Regular Army colonel who is an alcoholic. Much of the chapter is spent examining Colonel Ross' thoughts while he perfunctorily reviews his seemingly routine daily paperwork, which he has brought with him on the brief trip.
Two memoranda foreshadow
Foreshadow
Foreshadow is a Polish record label.The label formarly included such artists as As All Die, Moss, Niko Skorpio, Oktor, Quercus, The River, Transcendent Device, Váli. Current artists include Dream System, Nadja, and Newbreed....
major incidents in the storyline: the arrival of officers of Project 0-336-3, a group of African-American pilots slated to form a bombardment squadron; and an ever-expanding grandiose plan by another problem colonel (this one General Beal's own Executive Officer) to hold a surprise birthday parade ceremony for General Beal on Saturday using numerous military aircraft and troops in a flyover.
The chapter ends when the general's AT-7, in the midst of the harrowingly-described turbulence of a nighttime thunderstorm, barely avoids a mid-air collision with a B-26 landing at Ocanara. After an angry exchange with his own co-pilot, in which he impetuously puts the co-pilot under arrest, General Beal is distracted while mollifying Colonel Ross; his co-pilot confronts the bomber's crew, who are all African-American, and punches the black pilot in the face.
Events quickly begin to pile up early the next morning. A local newspaper, using leaks from classified memos, skewers AFORAD both for the coming parade and its many old colonels. Indignation among the newly-arrived African-American pilots, because of the assault and the Executive Officer's arbitrary decision to create a separate officer's club
Mess
A mess is the place where military personnel socialise, eat, and live. In some societies this military usage has extended to other disciplined services eateries such as civilian fire fighting and police forces. The root of mess is the Old French mes, "portion of food" A mess (also called a...
for them, results in a protest being organized. General Beal has cooled off and wants to quietly overlook his co-pilot's behavior. A black newspaper reporter shows up on base at an inopportune moment. The old alcoholic commander at Sellars Field has committed suicide after General Beal's visit. Two generals are due to arrive in the afternoon from the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, one bearing a high decoration
Military decoration
A military decoration is a decoration given to military personnel or units for heroism in battle or distinguished service. They are designed to be worn on military uniform....
to be presented to the black pilot for prior heroism, the other investigating the suicide.
Guard of Honor then begins to examine the motivations behind and interlocking effects of these problems (and those of a tragic accident yet to come) on General Beal, Colonel Ross, and Nathaniel Hicks as each tries to juggle his part in them with as little consequence as possible while still "doing the right thing."
Major characters
- Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Ira "Bus" Beal – Commander of AFORAD, youngest major generalMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in the USAAF by virtue of heroics in the PhilippinesBattle of the Philippines (1941-42)The Philippines Campaign or the Battle of the Philippines was the invasion of the Philippines by Japan in 1941–1942 and the defense of the islands by Filipino and United States forces....
and the invasion of North AfricaOperation TorchOperation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, about to celebrate his forty-first birthday. Although a long-time officer, General Beal is still uncomfortable with high command, prone to act or make decisions on impulse and emotion.
- ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Norman Ross – called "Judge" by General Beal, former National GuardUnited States National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
officer recalled to active duty, a county judgeJudgeA judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in civilian life who is General Beal’s Air InspectorInspector GeneralAn Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
. Colonel Ross is sixty and acts as both mentor and sounding board for Beal; much of the book is from Colonel Ross’s viewpoint.
- Captain Nathaniel Hicks – 38 years old and a wartime volunteer in the Reports Section of AFORAD's Special Projects Directorate. Formerly an editor of a national magazine, Nathaniel Hicks is collecting interview material for a project to revise a manual on fighter tactics.
- LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Amanda Turck – a WACWomen's Army CorpsThe Women's Army Corps was the women's branch of the US Army. It was created as an auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on 15 May 1942 by Public Law 554, and converted to full status as the WAC in 1943...
officer in her late twenties, apparently divorced, highly intelligent but self-consciously tall and plain. In civilian life a medical librarianLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
who had attempted medical school, Lieutenant Turck now tracks classified documents.
Other important figures
- Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Benny Carricker - an imperious young fighter pilot who served with General Beal overseas, ostensibly the Base Flight Control Officer but actually General Beal's co-pilot and flying companion
- Brigadier GeneralBrigadier GeneralBrigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Joseph Josephson Nichols - Deputy Chief of Air Staff, a consummate Pentagon politician known familiarly as "Jo-Jo" by pre-war Regulars. General Nichols' demeanor is dispassionate, almost detached, and loyalties or past accomplishments hold little sway with him in judging performance.
- Captain Donald Andrews - one of Nathaniel Hicks' roommates, Captain Andrews is a goodnatured mathematical genius with an innocent's belief in justice and goodness
- Captain Clarence Duchemin - Nathaniel Hicks' other roommate, a large, garrulous and hedonistic co-worker in Special Projects who views the war as a basis for having a good time.
Catalyst figures
- Colonel Mowbray - AFORAD's Executive Officer, known as "Pop", he was one of the original pilots of the air serviceAviation Section, U.S. Signal CorpsThe Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the military aviation service of the United States Army from 1914 to 1918, and a direct ancestor of the United States Air Force. It replaced and absorbed the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and was succeeded briefly by the Division of Military...
, taught to fly by Wilbur Wright. Almost sixty and not very bright, and passed over for high command, Colonel Mowbray inadvertently creates one mess after another.
- Lieutenant Jim Edsell - Nathaniel Hicks' other co-worker, a writer and former newspaperman. Lieutenant Edsell is vocally headstrong and socially conscious, but blatantly smug, with a superior opinion of himself and a corresponding contempt of the military (or authority) and anyone voluntarily in it (or has it). A secretary innocently observes of him, "You're sort of against everything all the time, aren't you?"
- Lieutenant Colonel Howden - Head of counter-Intelligence at AFORAD and Edsell's extreme opposite in every manner. Paranoid, authoritarian, Lieutenant Colonel Howden sees subversion everywhere and uses intimidation and threats indiscriminately.
- Chief Warrant OfficerWarrant OfficerA warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
F. X. Botwinick - Colonel Mowbray's assistant, Mr. Botwinick, called "Botty" by his associates, is very military in bearing, a product of the old Army, and seemingly deferential to all rank. He operates a network of "snitches" to gather information for Colonel Mowbray and is not beyond spying on General Beal.
- Mrs. Sal Beal - General Beal's young, beautiful and immature wife, the virtual antithesis of Lieutenant Turck, Mrs. Beal is flighty but has the standing of her husband behind her actions
Quotes
"The original AT-7’s, of which this was one, were delivered to the Army Air Forces in the second summer of the war. Meant for use in navigator training, their cabins were equipped with three navigator’s positions- a seat; a plotting table; a drift meter and an aperiodic compassCompass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
; a radio headset and a hand microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
".
"The whole morning had been upsetting, with too many things going on at once. Counting his own pulse, Colonel Ross could tell that his blood pressure, which troubled him occasionally, must be up, close to the point where the headache would begin."
"Colonel Ross knew that Captain Collins had been sports editor for a large city newspaper, though he could not remember what city. Though he was now in his middle thirties, wearing glasses, and somewhat filled-out and softened, it was evident still that there had been a time when Captain Collins was an athlete himself – probably a football player at one of the big state universities where football was a business".
"'Oh, Judge!' General Beal said. 'That boy is a honey! You can believe me. Because we have a few more like him we’re going to win the war'".
"It seemed more probable to Colonel Ross that they were going to win the war, not because they had a few more Bennys, but because they had thousands and thousands of run-of-the-mill pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
s; and hills of bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s; and dumps of supplies as large as small cities, which could not be neutralized as Benny had so nearly been, by one burst of one automatic rifle in one ditch".
"... it ought not to be forgotten, while they beat their brains over this teapot tempest in a Zone of Interior installation, ... ... ...; now at this very moment, if the weather had been at all possible, Eighth Air Force bombers were turning, a certain number of them damaged with engines out and dead and wounded on board, to try to make their English bases".
Publication
In September 1948, Harcourt-BraceHarcourt Trade Publishers
Harcourt was a United States publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. The company was based in San Diego, California, with an Editorial / Sales / Marketing / Rights offices in New York City and Orlando, Florida.In 2007, the U.S...
published Guard of Honor. There are at least 10 subsequent editions, some with changes (generally the removal of certain colorful sentences).