"That's what General
Rawson thought you would say,"
Lauffer said emotionally, "as
your father's son, as the
great-grandson of General Pueyrredon. That you would join us!"
Don't
get carried away, Roberto,"
Clete said. "I'll fly the airplane, if it comes down to that, but I'm not enlisting in your army."
"Actually, the subject of a temporary commission did come up," Martin said. "Would you be willing-"
"I already have a Marine Corps commission," Clete said.
"This would be a temporary commission," Martin said. "It would solve a lot of problems...."
"Would I have to swear an oath? Of allegiance?"
"Yes, naturally. Of course."
"The moment I did that," Clete said, "I would lose my American citizenship."
"That would be difficult for you?"
"Yeah, it would," Clete said without thinking about it. "I don't want to do that."
He happened to glance at
Martin's eyes.
And saw in them that be had just closed a door that would never again be opened.
If I had accepted that temporary commission under these circumstances, where accepting it might mean that I would find myself standing in front of a wall with Rawson, Martin, and Lauffer, even if it lasted only 3 days, they would thereafter have accepted me a bona fide Argentine. Now that will never happen.
Well,
so be it. I'm an American. I don't want to give thatup.
"That leaves you, of course," Martin said, cordially enough, "as the English would put it, as neither fish nor good red meat"
-W.
E.B. Griffin p-591 (Blood and Honor)
