Kaden DiPaola
Mr. Persinger
English 9th, Period 4
5 February, 2017
Short Story
Enemy Territory
Boom! Dirt flew everywhere. The sound of gunshots and the smell of black powder filled the battle field.
“Johnny!” I screamed to my friends as he lay motionless on the ground.
“August, he’s dead, there isn't anything we can do for him now except win this war!” A fellow soldier yelled to me
All I could do was pray for strength. I just lost my best friend, I didn't know what to feel. Finding the strength necessary to move on, I said
“Let’s win this war, lets win this war for Johnny.”
Before the war things were still a little rough. My dad died when I was young, maybe six or so, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. He was fighting in the army, and one day when my family and I were sitting down and getting ready to eat dinner, there was a knock at the door.
My mom went to the door to go answer it. There stood two big men. I recognized their uniforms, they were soldiers. When my mom opened the door they took off their hats and one of them said,
“I have been asked to inform you that your husband has been reported dead in Haiti at 0700 on August 26, 1931. He was trying to save a soldier and was shot in the back, he instantly died. On the behalf of the Secretary of Defense, I extend to you and your family my deepest sympathy in your great loss”.
My mother fell to her knees in tears.
From that time on, my mother had to work long hours to provide for our small family. My Uncle Simon owns a bread and pastry bakery. My mom would wake up every morning at four O’clock. She would get dressed, eat, and be out the door before anyone woke up. She barely made enough to get by, but that is all she could do. But that all changed when she became ill of cancer. When she found out she couldn't work she didn't know what to do. She didn't want me to drop out of school, but it was the only way. She took me aside one day, and said
“August, I’m going to need you to start working for this family, I know it is a bit of a change but it’s our only hope right now.”
“But what about you mom, What is going to happen to you?”
“Don’t you worry about me, all I want you to worry about is your brother and sister, can you do that for me?”
“Yes mom.”
“You promise that no matter what happens to me, you take care of those children, can you promise me?”
I was silent for a moment, then she asked again
“Promise me?”
“I promise.”
A year has already passed and Im about to turn 18. I go to work every morning for long hours. I get there on my heavy, black, sturdy workhorse of a bicycle. We didn't have much but I still managed to take care of my mother and my siblings. My Friend Johnny came up to me while I was working.
“Well if it isn't anxious August, now what is a birthday boy doing, working on his birthday?”
“Oh Hey Johnny how’s it going?” I said.
“I’m doing good, and you? Hows your mom doing?”
“I’m fine. Oh, well you know, she’s doing alright given her current situation”
“Well thats good to hear, you know that since we are in the middle of world war II that soon your going to have to enlist for service or you'll be drafted”
“Yeah I know, I've been giving it a lot of thought, and I'm scared. I have no idea what will happen to my family while I'm gone, how are they going to survive, I’m the only one that provides for them. Plus what about me? What if I end up dead like my father, then what?”
“Listen August, don’t worry so much. I bet your Uncle Simon is going to take car of your family while your gone, and I'm sure the Lord will take care of you out in that battle field”
“You really think so?”
“I know so”
Two weeks went by and sure enough I was drafted to the U.S. Army. I was deployed to Europe. The first day I got there was a lot of work. We got up at 0400 and ran and ran and ran. We went over a few drills before we started training. We had to crawl under barbed wire, hop walls, shoot at targets and much more. I thought to myself “If I don't die on that battle field, I might just die here.” We worked hard. I knew I was going to need the Lord’s help to get through it all, because there was no way I was gong to do it on my own.
Our first day at battle was the worst thing I've ever experienced. We were passing by enemy territory and all of a sudden a few of our soldiers were walking and there were explosions everywhere, they had stepped on landmines We saw thousands of Nazi’s. People started dropping like flies. I went into a shock. No amount of training, no amount of debriefings or any amount of preparation could prepare a man for this. War was no a reality for me, it wasn't a matter of future anymore, I was living in it, I had no clue what to do. My face went cold and I couldn't feel my legs for a moment. I almost puked. The images of my fellow soldiers, I knew would never get out of my mind.
I had to raise my voice towards heaven and ask for strength. I said
“Our Father in Heaven, I cannot go through this war without thy help. Please guide me and give me the knowledge and strength necessary to survive and win this war. For these things I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
The moment I finished that short but mighty prayer, I felt as if the Lord himself were there with me in the battlefield. I immediately ran towards the enemy and fought. We retreated and went back to our base. I found Johnny and I told him what I felt.
“Johnny, I don't know if I can go through with this, I’ve seen things today. that no man should ever see.” I said.
“I know what you mean, I didn't think I was going to get out of there alive, honestly, I panicked”. He said.
“So what do we do?”
“Well, we finish this war, we win. Then when we get home we get our minds off this, get married, start families. Finish this war August, do this for your family.”
The next few months flew by pretty fast. We were on the battle field once more. Myself and a few other soldiers were hiding in some trenches. Johnny was next to me and when he looked at me, his face was full of fear, even though he tried to hide it. We flinched overtime the sound of gunfire went off and the sound of tanks went off. There was a loud boom. Dirt went flying and smoke and gun powder filled the battle field.
Johnny said “We’ve got to get out there and fight”
Lets wait it out” I said.
“August, I didn't enlist in this war to not fight in it, I'm going out there, follow behind me.”
The second he went out there he was shot down. This was the worst thing I've ever experienced. Worse than my dad dying, worse than leaving my family, worse than seeing anything I've seen in this war. Johnny was like my brother and now within a blink of an eye, he was gone. I was full of such sorrow. I ran over to his motionless body and screamed
“Johnny, Johnny! Please, wake up, we still need to win this war buddy”
He looked at me and said “Gods speed brother, I’ll see you on the other side”
The light left his eyes and he was gone. The general called a retreat and yelled for me to come on
“SMITH!” he yelled, fall out.”
When I got back to base I was laying in bed and I thought to myself, “Never again, I'm going to do all I can to save every possible soul I can.” For the rest of the time in that war, I saved hundreds. There was this one man, his name was Tipton Shields. We were on the battlefield and I happened to be walking and saw Tipton laying wounded on the ground. I hurried and rushed to his side.
“Oh my gosh, what happened to you?” I asked.
“I walked over a landmine and it went off, I cant feel my leg.” he weeped.
I took him to safety and made sure he was properly treated. He ended up loosing his leg, but he lived. When he woke up he asked for me. When I walked in he smiled
“August,” he said, “You were an answer to my prayers”.
“How is that.” I asked.
“Well after the landmine went off, I was in so much pain, I lied there and thought I was completely alone, I thought that there was no way I was going to get out of there. I said a prayer and asked God to please send someone to come help me, and moments later you showed up. Now I can tell you I'm not a religious man, but after that, well I sure as heck know that there is a God in heaven, and that he cares for each and every one of us.”
“I’m glad to hear that Tipton, thank you”
“No, thank you.”
Finally the war was over. The United States had won. The Nazi’s were defeated and the Jews were free. It was then that I realized that I truly was an instrument in the Lords hands in that battlefield, had I not gone, hundreds of men would have died. I know that the Lord had protected me in that battlefield. He walked with me every step of the way and he gave me the strength I asked for to finish that war. When I got back, I met a lovely woman named Elizabeth Carter. We were married a year later. It is unfortunate that my mother passed away, but my siblings went to live with our Uncle Simon.
I lived in Salt Lake City, Utah. We lived on a mountain where we could see the beautiful trees, and inhale the smell of pine. We would watch the sunset and sunrise of everyday. I had three beautiful children and shared with them my experiences in the battlefield and taught them of the savior Jesus Christ. I told them about perseverance and most importantly a love for God. Life may not be what we want it to be, sorrow will come and we will need to learn from that, and some things happen that I cannot explain. But I can explain one thing, that there is a God in heaven who is the one to wipe away all that sorrow and through him I may see my loved ones again.
