"Letting Go" A retelling of that fateful day in Pearl Harbor

Honorable Sacrafice

 Panting as I ran to my boat, the U.S.S Arizona, I dashed past my comrades and ignored their annoyed looks. I sprinted up the stairs to the captain's quarters, taking them two at a time. An ominous line appeared on the horizon, casting dark shadows into the quiet waters below.

  Bursting into the room I screamed, "Captain! The Japs..."

 I never finished my sentence. A deafening boom catapulted me towards the stairway I had climbed less than a minute ago. I flew through the air as powerless as a ragdoll. It seemed like the whole world had exploded and torn itself to pieces. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as I was flung towards the deck.

 I lay there stunned from the impact, my mouth opening and closing in an effort to breathe. Greedily I sucked in a lungful of air. I stared at the sky now thick with planes.

 A plane broke free from the clouds, and little wisps clung to its tail. As a bold ray of sunshine illuminated the plane, I squinted at its symbol, the rising sun. I snapped out of my reverie as it flew low. Artillery shells spewed from the plane, taking lives with its acid fire. Blood filled the water that surrounded the ship, turning it into an angry scarlet. The cerulean blue waters teemed with men; both dead and alive.

 I got up, delicately testing myself for injuries. Pain shot through me from everywhere at once as I grunted and doubled over. Gingerly, I touched my head, combing through my short cropped hair. I brought my hand up to my face and inspected it. I jerked as my eyes adjusted to the bloody mess that covered my fingers. "Pretty bad,I guess," I whispered to no one in particular. Swaying, I got to my feet.

 Cautiously, I walked over to what were the captain's quarters. Picking my way through the debris, I found the captain, dead, glazed eyes staring at the smoke covered sky. I stared at my terrified reflection in his hollow eyes. Eyes that would never see his family, never see his friends, his pets, his home everything that mattered to him. Eyes that would never see the end of the war. Reverently, I closed those eyes, his long eyelashes caressing my fingers in a last farewell.

  "Goodbye Captain," I murmured. Sorrowfully, I turned away from the dead captain, heading down the stairs I had bounded up so freely just a minute ago.

 My footsteps echoed loudly in the stairwell as I headed below deck. The cement walls were sticky and damp. Splashes of colorful graffiti covered the once gray walls. Spiders and cockroaches scrambled for cover, startled by my sudden appearance. Fascinated, I observed a spider delicately weave its web. An unfortunate moth floated by and was caught in its clutches. I watched it struggle a while, only getting itself securely entrenched in the spider's web. The lightbulb, which was covered in cobwebs and dead flies, flickered in and out sending dark sinister shadows against the walls.

 The faint whine of a plane followed by the now familiar sound of spewing artillery, snapped me out of my gruesome reverie. We were at war, and those were my comrades. I had to try to save them if I could.

 With these thoughts I quickly descended the rest of the steps, each footstep sending a reverberating echo that mirrored my own heartbeat. I wrapped my hand over the knob, but stopped short.

I stared at the menacing steel door suddenly paralyzed with fear. What if none of them had survived? What if all was behind this door were corpses of my friends? A cold band wrapped around my heart, each beat pounding in my ears. Determined, I yanked open the door, which let out a squeak of protest. I had to get to them first before the Japs did.

 I bolted down the corridor that held my fellow soldiers as the door slammed shut with a shattering clang. Like Paul Revere, I darted down the hall, pounding on the rough wooden doors shouting, "The Japs are here, get to your stations, the Japs are here!"

 When I finally reached my room, I was astonished by what I saw. My roommate, who was usually very alert, was sitting placidly on his bunk completely absorbed by his book. Reading! Of all things!

"Jerry, get up! The Japs are here!" I hollered.

 Unperturbed he regarded me with a cool gaze.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," he replied casually.

 I stepped over yesterday's lunch which by now was filled with hungry creatures. The room had a foul odor that reeked of sweat, rotten food, and dirty clothes.

 Desperately, I looked at the moldy ceiling and retorted,"Jerry, it's worse than that. I'm not kidding, you have to go now."

 As to second my warning the room shook as another torpedo tore through the vessel. Quickly he sat up, grabbed his rifle, and with shaking hands loaded it. He stepped out of our room, rifle in hand onto the navy blue carpet.

  I studied the hidden designs in the rug. It was full of cream swirls and velvet curlicues. The colors swam together as my eyes glistened with tears. I contemplated the hard task that stood before me.

"You coming?" he asked uncertainly as the battle sounds crescendoed.

"No," I whispered as I turned my face away. A single tear made its way down my young face.

 "Al-Alright then," he faltered and fear haunted his eyes as he heard my answer.

 After I had somewhat composed myself, I turned to say goodbye. But he was gone, and all that answered my farewell was the slam of the door. I knew then that I would never see him again.

  Rising, I pressed on with my mission. I continued pounding on doors to which war toughened soldiers and the inexperienced both fled for their lives. Men fought their way up the stairs in a desperate race to which their lives were the prize.

 Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the boat, and a gaping hole appeared in the crowded hallway. A torrent of water gushed in a flash flood, knocking the soldiers over in its wake. Water soon covered every crack and crevice in the floor. Slowly, ever so slowly, the battleship let out a final groan and started to sink. Panic struck me, and I clawed my way to the steps.

  As a shaking voice startles me, I glance over my shoulder. A man is trapped under a piece of wood. He writhes against the rough wooden beam that secures him prisoner. Finally, he goes limp from the effort. It takes a while, but I realize that he is mumbling something. His face is trembling, and he can barely make out the words,

"I don't want to die, I don't want to d—" I gasp in a breath just as a frantic hand closes over my head, pushing me down under the stormy waters. Desperately, I shot to the surface my nose to the ceiling anxiously taking what I knew were my last breaths.

 A noise catches my attention, and a shaft of bright light thrust its way down on to the man's conflicted face. Hope filled me, its warm touch embracing my shaking soul. Maybe this wasn't the end. I put my bloody and bruised hand in the tiny crack, hoping against hope that I would live. That fate would have mercy on me. A soft, gentle hand grasps my rough, calloused one. Briefly, I envisioned it was my mother's soothing touch.

 "You deserve to live. I'll get you out. I promise!" A gentle voice breathes down to me. But it was not so.

  Air rushed out and water replaced it, violently pushing the man back under the board. I watched as the man died, and one by one my comrades succombed to death's embrace. I knew that soon I would be just like them, nothing but a lifeless corpse floating in the iniquitous waters. I would die nameless, with the ocean as my only companion in my unperturbed slumber. Smiling, I thought of those who had escaped. As the water covered my chin and filled my mouth, nose, and finally covered my eyes, I eased myself into the waters, letting go of everything I knew. And as darkness amassed on the edge of my eyes, I decided it was worth it.