We’ve Never Been Licked

Brad Craig begins his first year on campus, fresh from years in the Philippines. He meets his new cadet roommate Cyanide Jenkins and his stern upperclassman Panhandle Mitchell, setting up the social dynamics that will drive his college experience.

During an artillery exercise, Brad notices the brakes on his section's caisson may be faulty. Panhandle ignores his concerns, and the brakes fail, sending the caisson out of control. Brad improvises a risky solution that saves Cyanide and earns him a hard-won measure of respect.

Brad's quick thinking during the caisson incident earns him promotion to fish sergeant. His upperclassmen retaliate by staging fights and forcing Brad to intervene, a pattern he eventually learns to outsmart. The hazing ordeal strengthens his resolve and military discipline.

Brad becomes involved with Nina Lambert, daughter of chemistry professor Pop Lambert. Though Nina is secretly attracted to Cyanide, both she and Brad hesitate to acknowledge their feelings at first. The campus romance threads through the social circles of the cadets.

At the Field Artillery Ball, Brad nudges Cyanide and Nina toward each other, encouraging them to dance. Their mutual attraction becomes undeniable, strengthening the love triangle around the cadet corps. The moment marks a turning point in Brad's personal life.

As Brad's college years progress, some classmates worry about his support for Japan during rising tensions. Two Japanese-American cadets, Kubo and Matsui, defend him, but their views provoke anger and contempt among others. The campus climate grows increasingly tense as the war clouds gather.

While patrolling the Chemistry Building, Brad discusses a counter-poison-gas invention with Pop Lambert. Pop hides the formula to protect it, but Brad notices tampering as Kubo and Matsui raid the office. He realizes a larger plot is at work among outside agents.

Brad tails the conspirators to a traveling salesman working for the Japanese. He offers to provide the formula in exchange for a bribe, but hands them a version missing a key element that would render it useless. The treachery deepens Brad's sense of danger and betrayal.

The commandant lacks sufficient evidence to charge him formally, but the student body shuns him and he is effectively ostracized. Facing isolation, he decides to leave the university rather than endure further hostility. His departure marks a shift from student life to a life shaped by foreign entanglements.

Months after leaving, Brad works for the Japanese Navy, recording English-language propaganda for distribution back home. He is tasked with radio commentary about an impending Japanese assault, a role that drags him into the conflict from the other side. The loyalty test is complete as the war intensifies.

As a Japanese mission unfolds, Brad calls in to the American air forces, revealing his undercover infiltration and offering his services to the U.S. forces. The move helps coordinate a counterstrike and undermines the Japanese plan. The radio contact rekindles a personal link with Cyanide, his former ally.

During the battle, Brad crashes his own aircraft into the Japanese carrier's flight deck, crippling the vessel and giving American forces a critical edge. He dies in the attack, fulfilling his complicated arc from campus to war.

Brad's heroism is recognized after his death. He is awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery, closing his arc from a cadet to a war hero. The award cements his legacy within the annals of the war effort.