G.I. Combat #255 (1983)

The Haunted Tank is in the middle of a battle against two Panzer tanks. Lt. Stuart orders Rick to continuously fire at the enemy, but Rick's mind seems to be off the job. He realizes that he's only a tool for the others to use, and that outside of battle he is a nobody to them. He has no home and no where to go, no family and no wife waiting for him when the war is over. No one seems to notice how unhappy his is, except for the ghost of General Stuart. The ghost realizes that Rick has a sickness known to many soldiers over time - loneliness. That evening, after the Haunted Tank has returned to headquarters and the others are fast asleep, Rick takes a walk to try and decide what he will do with the rest of his life. While he is out, the camp is attacked by a German Nightfighter plane. Rick quickly runs to the Haunted Tank and jumps aboard. Taking control of the machine gun, he fires at the approaching plane and hits it dead on, destroying the enemy. With the battle over and the camp safe, Capt. Jamison thanks Rick and tells him that they all owe him one. He then tells Jeb that him and his crew have been given one week leave in San Remo after spending so much time on the front line. The next day in San Remo, Rick begins to notice a young village girl by the name of Gina during a traditional dance being held in the village. Just before the last dance is about to begin, Gina walks over and gives Rick her tiara, as is their tradition of selecting a partner for the final dance. Rick is shocked to be chosen, and spends a happy and fun evening with Gina. The next day, despite the objections from her parents about dating a soldier, Gina invites Rick to a picnic in the hills. They walk for a mile into the hills at the edge of town. It begins to rain, and the two take shelter in an ancient temple hidden away. Gina explains that for thousands of years lovers have come to the temple to exchange gift to remember each other. She gives him a holy medal from around her neck, and Rick in turn gives her his dog tags. Then suddenly, Gina pushes Rick out of the way just as an explosion rocks the temple and separates the two. Not knowing if she is dead or alive, Rick grabs his rifle just as three German soldiers appear around the corner. He shoots them, then begins to frantically search for Gina. He finds her lying in the rubble, unconscious and badly hurt. He picks her up and carries her back to the village. On the edge of town, Rick finds a convent, and the nuns quickly take Gina from him and rush her inside for medical treatment. Rick waits for word on her condition for hours, and then finally one of the nuns return and tells him that Gina will live, but that she will never be the same. Flame from the explosive blast has disfigured one side of her face. Leaving Gina with the nuns to recover, Rick returns to the village to ask the others what he should do. None of them can give him the answer he is looking for, but Jeb reminds Rick that any decision is up to the Skipper. Rick hitches a ride back to headquarters, having made up his mind to marry Gina. Capt. Jamison wants Rick to wait a week, in order to have time to think, but Rick is adamant and reminds Jamison that the captain owes him one. Jamison gives him permission to marry, and tells Rick that he will take care of all the paperwork for him. Rick then hitches a ride back to San Remo to tell Gina of the good news. Arriving back at the village, Rick receives word that Gina is awake and has returned to be with her parents. Rick rushes over to their house, but Gina turns away from him. She refuses to believe that any man would want to marry a woman who is as revolting has her. Rick takes her into his arms and tells her that he wants to marry her no matter what. The next day, Rick puts on his best dress uniform and rushes to the church ahead of the rest of the crew. When he arrives, he finds only Gina's parents there waiting for him. They give him a letter, written by Gina, telling him that she feels he is marrying her out of pity and that she has ran off into the hills to hide until he is gone. Jeb and the others finally arrive in the Haunted Tank, and tell Rick that the wedding will have to wait. They have received information that the Germans have broken through the valley and they have orders to hold them off until the rest of the outfit can arrive. Rick refuses to go, wanting to go search for Gina, but Jeb reminds him that he's a soldier first and orders him onto the tank. Rick obeys. The tank takes position on the high ground as the enemy approaches, and as soon as they are within range Rick unload everything they've got into the Germans using the battle to vent out his rage from losing Gina. After the battle, the Haunted Tank never returned to San Remo. HQ ordered the squadron to push on as the enemy moved back through the valley and into the hills. As they leave the area forever, Rick is reminded of the medal given to him by Gina to remember her with. Not far away, at the convent, Gina holds Rick's dog tags tight in her hand, never forgetting the man she was to marry.