He was a quiet man , with the soft hands of a woman and the look of one startled by the world around him. He was a patient in the officer’s ward when I knew him, suffering from the vague complaints the pilots and combat soldiers were often lumped into the syndrome, " battle fatigue". The only medical manifest symptom of his illness was a slight but persistent hypertension, hardly enough his doctors felt to warrant a prolonged stay in the hospital. He was under consideration at the time for imminent dismissal.

He was taciturn, soft-spoken and secretive , a loner in every sense of the word, and therefore suspect of his fellow officers . His only contact with the men that I had observed was in the perennial poker game in the evenings. My personal encounter with him was quite unexpected when, one day on my way to lunch in the mess, he shyly presented me with a package wrapped in brown paper, addressed to Warrant Officer Ira Hazlitt, from Hollywood, California.

"I noticed you smoke a pipe, " he said , thrusting the package in my hands." Take it , it’s good tobacco."

Puzzled, and feeling a bit awkward to take a package addressed to another, I hesitated." But this is yours--"

"Its from my girlfriend, Karen. She keeps sending me these tins. More than I can use. And besides, " he added, "I’ve given up smoking."

He was gone abruptly, almost before I could thank him. And when I went back to the ward that afternoon to thank him properly, he was asleep facing the corner by his bed .The tobacco was good, mild and aromatic, much better than the cheroots of Fr. O’Brien.

Two nights later as I was returning from the near-by British detachment where I had visited my English friend, I noticed a light on in the mess hall; very unusual for the time of night. A bigger than usual poker game, I thought , and was about to dismiss it with that until a nagging urge prompted me to investigate.

"I estimate I’ve lost close to a thousand dollars," I heard the familiar voice of Sgt. Baker say, obvious anger in his tone , as I closed the screen door quietly and sat down at a table at the back of the hall.

"This has been going on a lot longer than we thought ". Another familiar voice, that of Lt. Myers, the officer with the reputation as the friendliest to enlisted men." I haven’t kept account of my losses, but I’d say they’re substantial."

" Me, too " Everybody knew Captain Burley ; he was the glory boy of the fly-the hump pilots, the darling of derring-do who did everything with panache, even to the way he wore his pilot’s cap at a rakish angle. " I don’t give a damn about the money , but to lose it like this. The fact that a man would cheat his fellowmen-- that’s what burns me up ."

" I thought sure as hell something was wrong , " another sergeant whose name I didn’t know blurted out. " A guy just don’t win like that all the time -- legitimate, I mean."

" I suspected something the first time he played with us." Lt. Greely, the finance officer , joined in .

I counted ten men in a ll , including the man in pajamas who sat at a table facing the semi-circle of mess tables, in front of which sat the accused, his back to me I immediately recognized the man in pajamas as the Provost-Marshall, Major Dominick, a man prematurely gray whose rugged features were penciled with the lines of sadness. He was in the hospital for one of his periodic bouts with alcoholism, listed officially, if I remember rightly, as a kidney problem. As the ranking figure of authority he directed his question to the accused , " How do you answer these charges, Mr. Hazlitt?"

" I don’t . "

"You mean you refuse?"

"Is this an official court martial ?"

"Well, we need some answers and hope you’ll cooperate--"

"You know it isn’t. What right have you to be doing this ?"

"I remind you that I ‘m the Provost Marshall, Hazillitt."

" You’re a patient like me in the hospital, and this is not a court of law. I don’t have to answer --+

"Cut the shit, Hazlitt," Captain Burley shouted.

" You know why we brought you here. You’ve been playing with marked cards, and every man here’s been your victim."

A sudden silence , in which I was astounded not only to find the quiet Hazlitt as the accused but also to hear him answer with such defiance.

As if he were afraid of losing control, Major Dominick spoke sharply:" Do you deny the charge ?"

"I answer nothing unless I ‘m officially charged ."

"There’s such a thing as a hearing ." Major Dominick said, a conciliatory tone creeping into his voice. " We’re giving you a chance to admit --"

" I will not be tried in a Kangaroo court, " Hazlitt said, his voice shrill for the first time. "If I’m to be charged , I demand the real thing. A full court martial."

" Another Philadelphia lawyer heard from ," somebody muttered.

" You will admit," Major Dominick pressed on , " that you own a casino in Hollywood."

"I own a club, not a casino."

"It has gambling and --"

"It has a supper club."

" Who’s running it for you now?"

" A friend."

" This friend, she send you packs of cards , doesn’t she?"

"She send me food packages and tobacco. Doesn’t everybody get packages from home?"

"Everybody doesn’t get cards, marked cards."

"Why do you always insist on a new pack of cards,"

Captain Burley said, " and you always have new packs handy."

"Ask him why he never loses," Sgt. Baker spoke up, deferring his question to rank.

"And if his club has connections back home," Lt. Greely piped up, thumping the table to make his point." he knows what I mean I ‘ve been doing a little investigation and -- "

"I don’t have to take this crap!" Hazlitt was on his feet , his face red with rage . He bumped briskly one of the tables as he broke the confinement of the semicircle. Then he stopped suddenly and turned to face his accusers.

"You’re a bunch of sore losers and you’re trying to take it out on me. You know damn well you haven’t got a leg to stand on. If you want to court martial me , you’ll all have to stand trial. Or didn’t you know that gambling in the service is illegal."

Again he started away and quickly turned to face them. : If you decide to make this a real court martial, " he exclaimed, his voice breaking slightly with emotion, "you know where to find me . But I want you to know I’m fully qualified to represent myself."

" What do you mean, Hazlitt?" Captain Burley growled.

"Just what I said ."

"Why can’t you shoot straight with us without all this horseassing around.?"

"You guys are doing the horseassing."

" Just admit you used marked cards," Captain Burley said." Play it straight for once, Hazlitt."

Hazlitt stared at him for a moment, the same quiet defiance in his look ." You have my terms . Good night, gentlemen."

He turned briskly and made a hasty exit without so much a s a glance as he passed me, and I must admit to a fleeting admiration for the little man whose defiance belied his milquetoast appearance. he let the screen door slam behind him.

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