 What is the significance of the mission Colonel Walsh gives Major Polk?
A PLANET NAMED JOE By S. A. LOMBINO There were more Joes on Venus than you could shake a ray-gun at. Perhaps there was method in Colonel Walsh's madness—murder-madness—when he ordered Major Polk to scan the planet for a guy named Joe. [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Planet Stories November 1952. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] Colonel Walsh had a great sense of humor. For example, he could have chosen a Second Looie for the job on Venus. But he liked me about as much as I liked him, and so he decided the job was just right for a Major. We were somewhere in Area Two on Earth, takeoff point for any operations in Space II. The rest was gravy, and Colonel Walsh wasn't going to let me get by with gravy. "It will be a simple assignment, Major," he said to me, peering over his fingers. He held them up in front of him like a cathedral. "It will involve finding one man, a Venusian native." He paused, then added, "For a native, that is." "I always figured Venus was under the jurisdiction of Space III, sir. He folded his fingers like a deck of cards and dropped them on his desk as if he were waiting for me to cut. If Walsh really wanted to know the reasons for the revolt, I could give them to him in one word: Walsh. It had been going on for six months now and we'd lost at least a thousand men from Space II. Revolt. "And this man is on Venus now?" It was just like Walsh to ship me off to a strange place. "This man is on Venus." That was before I'd reported him for sleeping on Boiler Watch. He'd goofed off on a pile of uranium that could've, and almost did, blow the barracks sky-high that night.
 Walsh sends Major Polk on a fools errand so that he can trick Polk into the Venusian jungle and kill him, serving as revenge for the embarrassment Polk caused him years ago.
 Walsh sends Polk on a fools errand in order to trick him into time away from Earth so that Walsh can botch the occupation on Mars once and for all.  Walsh sends Major Polk on a fools errand so that he can trick Polk into the Venusian jungle and kill him, serving as revenge for the embarrassment Polk caused him years ago.  Walsh sends Polk on a fools errands in order to trick him into a full time job on Venus.  Walsh sends Polk on a fools errand in order to trick him into finding trader Joe, who is responsible for some of Walsh’s recent military problems.