Alyssa's+WWII+Narrative+Essay

__**World War II Narrative Essay Project**__ =**Through My Father's Eyes**=

The once quiet house was now filled with the sound of the loud doorbell. I got up from my seat to go get the door. When I opened it, Owen was there, holding a small, torn up book. I am Tanner Adams and the man at the door is Owen Taylor. He was my father’s best friend from the war. My dad was very recently killed in the war, and Owen came to our house to give us his condolences. All was well, until I looked back into our house.

My mother was on the floor sobbing incessantly. Her husband had just died, and the deep wound from his passing hadn’t healed yet, and seeing Owen hadn’t helped the problem. Mr. Taylor and I went to help comfort her. She slowly regained her composure, now only quietly shedding a few tears. Owen went on to explain the small book he had was my dad, Joe’s, journal. He wrote in it during the war, and it went everywhere with him. “Take good care of it and read through every page with your mother. It might be hard, but it will help both of you.” he said, and slowly handed me the journal.

The journal was an old, worn book, only the size of a hand. It had traveled with my father everywhere, and you could definitely tell it had from it’s condition. I thanked him and sent him back to his family to see them for the first time after he had left to fight over seas. I told myself I must read every page, every line, and every word no matter how long it would take. That’s where this story begins.

“June 1, 1942. Our squadron is near the island of Midway on an aircraft carrier. We were briefed on our next mission today. This upcoming battle will be one of the first battles in this war for the navy. I think the officers are trying to get us excited for the battle by saying all these things they’ve been telling us. Until we begin fighting, I won’t know what it will be like. I am in the 462nd dive bomb squadron. Along with me here are Frank Martin, John Walters, and Owen Taylor. I had enlisted in the war, and so had Owen. John and Frank were called in on the draft. We all grew close to each other during training, but Owen and I became especially good friends. We are very close, and I hope we continue to keep in touch if we make it through this war,” I read and looked at the picture my father had attached to the bottom of the page.



I have been reading my dad’s journal to my mom since Mr. Taylor has given it to me a few days back. I have read from the beginning of his training up to where we are now, with his first time in battle. She listens quietly, with the occasional cry or sniffle. I knew it would be hard for her to hear all of it, but it would help her recover from her husband’s tragic death, so I proceeded to read.

“I have to get back to prepare for the battle. I’ll write to you later. -Joe Adams.”

For the next two days, I read my father’s adventures before the battle began. Some were exciting, some were funny. He wrote about all the people he met, all the fun things he did, and all the anticipation and anxiety he had for what was to come in the approaching days. I then started to read his entry he wrote just before the fighting started. “June 4, 1942. Today is the day. We begin fighting today. I am up at extremely early hours to inform you of what is happening before we leave and to get ready to attack. The Japanese naval code, the JN-25, has been broken, and we now know the Japanese battle plan. We are planning a surprise attack to defeat them before they reach Midway. I am a dive bomber, and my goal is to destroy the Japanese aircraft carriers sailing towards us. I will be flying a Douglas SBD Dauntless. I am nervous and scared for the battle, and I have no clue of what’s ahead of me. I hope to write again soon. -J. Adams.” I looked at another picture my dad had put in the journal once again.



The next day we didn’t read any of the journal entries. I thought it would be a good idea to give my mother a break and allow her to take everything we’ve read in. We have already read countless entries and the next one was the longest in the journal. It was what my dad went through at Midway, and I knew it would take a while to read, so I saved it for another time to read. We would begin the most important entry of my father’s journal tomorrow.

My mother and I began reading bright and early the next day. “June 7, 1942. We did it. We have beaten the Japanese at Midway. You probably would like to know the whole story, so I’ll begin with when we planned our attack.

"The Japanese had been sending letters back and forth using a secret code. An American was able to break the JN-25 naval code. With the breaking of the code, we were able to get an idea of the Japanese naval plan. They planned to send numerous ships and planes, including some of their major aircraft carriers, to attack American forces at Midway island. Once we knew the plan, the USS Enterprise, the USS Hornet, and the USS Yorktown were sent to surprise the oncoming Japanese headed toward us. The Japanese had no clue, and we were ready to attack.

"The men and I in the 462nd dive bomb squadron were to use what we used about dive bombing during training to bomb Japanese carriers and ships. We would dive down and wait until the last moment to lift up. Just before we went back up, we would drop a bomb on the target. This way of fighting would help us bomb and sink many ships. Next thing I knew, my squadron, my SBD Dauntless, and I were preparing to fly into battle.

"We were then on our way to fight. I was afraid, and I knew that was a mutual feeling between us all. The odd thing was I wasn’t afraid of dying. I knew if I died, I would die an honorable death fighting my country. I didn’t know if I’d make it out or not, but whatever happened, I would have helped my country. We were on our way to fight.

"We started nearing Midway. I got more and more nervous by the second, but I knew I had been trained well and could accomplish what I had to do, no matter what the cost.

"There we were. We had entered the battle. Below me I could see the American fleets preparing to attack. I heard a loud voice come over the radio. “Japanese spotted down below. This is it. We’re going in boys.”

"I made my steep descent down, saying a silent prayer on the way. By now I felt like I could puke, but I knew I had to be strong and concentrate. I was nearing the target, a Japanese ship. It was a smaller one, but it was still important. It still needed to be bombed and taken out. Just before I crashed into it, I quickly released the bomb and flew up into the sky as fast as possible. As I climbed back up, I could faintly hear the explosion over the loud sound of the engine. I had hit the ship.

"All around me, the men in my squadron were doing the same. One of the main carriers had been bombed repetitively and had sunk already. Someone else was working on taking another one out. Havoc was everywhere.

"After what felt like centuries of fighting had passed, a few other men and I were told to bomb the remaining aircraft carrier. I slowed down, took a deep breath, and started my plunge after I had targeted the ship. I went down and released the bomb as I had been doing for some time now. It was almost natural to me, as natural as killing and slaughtering men on a battleship could be. I made my way up again and I looked down. The ship was burning, fire and smoke billowing out of it at an alarming rate. I knew I had done my job successfully.

"I had defeated the Hiryu with the help of a few other men, bombing and sinking it. The fleet under direction of Yamamoto was now retreating. We did it. We had beaten the Japanese at Midway.

"As I looked down, there were ships on fire everywhere. Sometime between the beginning of all the fighting and now, this place had gone from a body of water on Earth to a strange, unfamiliar place that looked more like hell than any other place I could think of. I hadn’t ever seen anything like it.

"Later, I found out the devastating numbers. 340 U.S. men were killed, 145 aircraft destroyed. The Yorktown and the Hammann were also lost. Japanese losses were far greater. 3,057 were killed, along with 228 aircraft that were ruined. The biggest part of the Japanese defeat was the four large aircraft carriers- the Akagi, the Kaga, the Soryu, and the Hiryu. This was a great victory for the United States. We all knew it would be a turning point for us in the war. The losses were great, but it was well worth it. We have changed history. -Joe A.” I carefully articulated every word. This was the last entry with a picture, so I pulled the book close to my face to examine it.

I had just read my father’s account of the Battle of Midway. I knew it was enough for today, so I closed the journal and set it down on the table next to me. We would begin again tomorrow.

My mother and I began slowly reading about when my father came back to the states and got to see his family again. I remember how happy that time was. He told me exciting stories of the war and showed me everything he had collected along the way. The time I spent with him I was very thankful for. That was the last time I would ever see him.

“February 15, 1945. I am off to fight in the war again. We are going to Iwo Jima this time, to take control of Japanese territory. I am sad to leave my family and I hope I am blessed enough to see them again soon. I will write again soon, but I am here already and I must begin to prepare to fight once again. -Joe.”

This was the last thing my father wrote in the journal. My mother broke down in tears, bawling. She knew what happened next. My dad was shot down at Iwo Jima fighting for his country. His body was never found after the war. He died a hero.

After reading my dad’s worn, old journal with stories of war, love, and everything in between, I began to feel better about his passing. I felt like I had just seen the war through my father's eyes. It gave me a whole new perspective on things. I realized how brave and strong he was, and I was proud to be his son. I hope one day I will be as courageous as he and the men he served with were. I think it helped my mother come to grips with what happened to her husband. She realizes he died honorably and she will see him again one day. Reading his journal had helped both of us and was something we needed to do. I cannot thank Mr. Taylor enough for giving us the journal. This is the first time I have finally felt complete after my father’s passing. I hope to follow in his footsteps. My father is a true hero.

=**Bibliography**=

"Battle of Midway: 4-7 June 1942." //Naval History and Heritage Command//. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. [].

"World War II: Battle of Midway - Turning Point in TheÂ Pacific." //About.com Military History//. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. [].

"Dive Bomber." //The Free Dictionary//. Farlex. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. [bomber].

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