Corporal Whitcomb
Corporal Whitcomb, the chaplain's assistant, is a study in bureaucratic malevolence, a disgruntled atheist who views his superior's gentle faith and indecisiveness as personal affronts and obstacles to his own advancement. He is the embodiment of the corrosive ambition that flourishes within the military's irrational system, using its own rules and procedures as weapons against those he perceives as weaker.
Identity and Role
Whitcomb lives in a tent of his own, as spacious as the chaplain's, in the clearing in the woods, and is openly rude and contemptuous, having discovered that the chaplain will let him get away with it. He regards the low attendance at religious services as a sad reflection of his own status, not the chaplain's, and his mind germinates feverishly with ideas for sparking a spiritual revival—box lunches, church socials, form letters, censorship, Bingo—all of which the chaplain blocks. Whitcomb bridles with vexation under this restraint, concluding that people like the chaplain are responsible for giving religion a bad name. Unlike the chaplain, he detests the seclusion of the clearing and intends, after deposing his superior, to move back into the Group Headquarters building to be in the thick of things.
Manipulation and Ambition
Whitcomb's primary method is psychological warfare. He walks in and out of the chaplain's tent repeatedly, delivering accusations and ultimatums designed to keep his superior off-balance and guilty. He accuses the chaplain of not backing up his men, not trusting him with information, and not knowing how to delegate responsibility. When the chaplain returns from a difficult meeting with Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn, Whitcomb is waiting with a C.I.D. man whose gums have been painted purple, and he later reveals that he has forged the chaplain's name to censor a letter, using the alias "Washington Irving" to implicate him further. He explains this as a favor, claiming it will make a good impression at C.I.D. headquarters, and then immediately demands permission to send out his form letters of condolence. When the chaplain refuses, Whitcomb walks out, only to return and accuse him of ingratitude.
The Condolence Letters and Promotion
Whitcomb's most significant act of insubordination is going over the chaplain's head directly to Colonel Cathcart with his proposal for form letters of condolence to the families of men killed or wounded in combat. He correctly anticipates that Cathcart, desperate for publicity and a feather in his cap, will embrace the idea. The ploy works: Colonel Cathcart promotes Whitcomb to sergeant and summons the chaplain to reprimand him for not having thought of it himself. Whitcomb gloats, telling the chaplain that Cathcart is "absolutely sure they'll get him into The Saturday Evening Post." He even uses the chaplain's own needle and thread to sew his new sergeant's stripes onto his sleeve, sitting in the chaplain's chair. This promotion solidifies his power and leaves the chaplain feeling more isolated and ineffectual than ever.
Relationship with the Chaplain
The dynamic between Whitcomb and the chaplain is a perfect inversion of the military hierarchy's intended order. Whitcomb, the subordinate, dictates the terms of their relationship through a campaign of passive-aggressive manipulation. He eats the chaplain's candy bars, reads his Bibles with a sneering expression, and puts his muddy shoes on the chaplain's blanket. He intercepts a letter from Major Major to the chaplain, reads it, and throws it away, claiming he did the chaplain a favor. The chaplain, in turn, is perpetually apologetic and guilt-ridden, blaming himself for Whitcomb's malaise and wondering what he has done to cause such lasting ire. Whitcomb's final triumph is his alliance with the C.I.D. man, whom he helps to build a case against the chaplain, solidifying his own position as a man of action and influence within the squadron's corrupt power structure.
