The Consequence of Loyalty

The Unprepared Army (1941)

━─━────༺August 11, 1941༻────━─━

When his dad told him he was being sent to the Philippines, Kentucky knew what it meant. He was being sent as appeasement, a way to add more legitimacy to the half-hearted attempt to reinforce the Phillippine Islands. Kentucky knew that he would never actually see actual conflict, as he would be pulled out as soon as the Phillippines were sure to be lost.

No matter what, his father's plan would always be to cut the dead weight of the Phillippines and take him back once they had better supplies and conditions. Kentucky knew the plan would be called callous and outrageous, but it was necessary.

It's not like he had any personal stake in it anyway. Kentucky barely knew the Philippines. They had never spoken, not even in passing. So Kentucky did not feel any doubt or shame about the plan. War was war. Phillippines was old; he would understand. War always meant sacrifice, and Pa would come back for the Philippines once he was in a better position to do so.

Kentucky's first impression of the Philippines wasn't at all a good one. It was hot, it was sticky, and it was so far away from home. At the very least, Kentucky didn't have to venture into the jungle and could just stay in Manila.

Kentucky didn't want to be here, but orders were orders. The worst part was that other states had volunteered to go. And by other states, Kentucky really meant New Mexico. But Pa shut that down, saying that it would not help add more influence behind the reinforcements if he sent a female state and that the state had to be male.

Kentucky was just unlucky enough to be the state whose name got pulled.

So here he was, in his Pa's backwater territory, ready to defend a territory that put up with his family at best and hated them at worst.

Kentucky always loved being an ungrateful savior. Then again, Philippines didn't seem like a man who felt gratitude, and instead always seemed to have a complaint about anything Pa did to help him.

Kentucky was not looking forward to meeting him.

"Now, as grateful as I am that you have joined us, Kentucky, but I wish that your father would send us more supplies and men. We have the ability to defend Philippines and his land successfully, but your father is reluctant to do so." General MacArthur said when he greeted Kentucky at the airfield, going straight into business.

"We aren't at war yet, General. We still have diplomatic relationships with Japan." Kentucky answered, avoiding the problem he knew his general wanted him to address. General MacArthur was most definitely aware of the fact that almost all American war plans required temporarily giving up the Philippines. Kentucky's presence would change that.

"Still, if you could write to your father—"

"My father is not in charge of that, and you know it. I am only here because it looks better for the people in charge to send a state out here to prove that they are 'committed.' I know you want me to do more, but I can't. We will make do with what has and will be sent out here." Kentucky explained with a sigh, "Now, I'd like to know where I am stayin'. I have yet to be assigned to any fightin' force, as I was just sent out here very suddenly."

"We don't know if we will assign you to a unit just yet. We think it is better that you stay with the Philippines and his unit for now until we can work something out." General MacArthur said. Kentucky groaned, unhappy with that arrangement, but nodded in agreement anyway.

"Yes, sir. Where do I go to meet up with them?" Kentucky asked, eager to get on with the miserable months he would be spending in this sweltering hellhole instead of joining up with the 138th Field Artillery Regiment as he did during the Great War. Hopefully, the quicker he got on with things, the faster the time would go.