Day of Infamy

Chapter 3

Suddenly I felt a hand touch my arm. I swirl around to face Martha, my closest friend here on the island. “Are you alright?” she asks in her small voice.

“I hope so.” Is all I can say in response.It was the truth after all. I shook my head to clear away my unpleasant thoughts. I take the red marker in my hand and walk over to a group of men sitting under a palm tree. They look up at me with sad eyes trying to persuade me to stay and help them. I kneel down to examine the man sitting at the far right. “What’s your name?” I ask.

“Charlie Emerson.” He said. “My neck hurts real badly.” I looked at his wound in his neck; it looked like a bullet hit his neck severing a vein. I took him by the hand and pulled him up and began running towards the hospital, Charlie following behind me, dazed and confused. Inside I yelled for a doctor. No one came. Without hesitation, I cleared an area on the floor and laid Charlie down. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” I scurried around the room to find a doctor; as soon as I found one, I helped him finish what he was doing and then dragged him over to Charlie. “Can you help him?” I ask, uncertain. Poor Charlie had lost so much blood that his face was as white as snow.

“I’ll see what I can do.” The doctor went to work right away, I helped wherever I could. Charlie’s life was saved that day. I should have been proud, but I wasn’t, not at that time at least. I went back to that tree to find the other men still there. Recognizing me, they called out to me. All of them looked flushed from blood loss and did not have much longer to live. If I took them into the hospital one by one for assistance, some of them will die before they are even treated. That’s when an idea hit me. I turned back the way I came to look for that doctor. I found him giving morphine to someone. His eyes looked up at me for a split second and said, “It’s you again.”

“I need your help again. There are several men under a tree who still can be saved.” The doctor took out the needle.

“Sure, why not?” he went on to say, “Please call me Dr. Tim.” I nodded. “Bring that bag with us.” Dr. Tim pointed to a bag on the floor. I grabbed the bag and led him outside to the tree. The men looked relieved to finally see a doctor come their way. Dr. Tim studied them for a moment then started his work. I helped by handing the doctor the instruments he needed and by calming the men with idle conversation. Much to my satisfaction, these men were also saved.

The day dragged on very slowly. At one point I heard people cheering; I looked up in the sky to see American fighter pilots shoot down some Japanese planes (Fitzgerald 57-58).