Forgotten Memories

Charles Buckner had lived a life full of adventure, had known great victories and heart breakingly more defeats. He had seen men so courageous that their stories would live on for generations to come. He had loved only one woman his entire life and it was to her that he owed his many great victories. But as Charles walked down his driveway and opened the mailbox his heart stopped when he saw a letter from someone he had not thought about in a very long time.

In a daze Charles limped up his driveway, past the confused look on his wife’s face and into the living room, where he collapsed into a chair. He ran a hand through his thin graying hair and unsteadily opened the letter pouring out the contents onto a coffee table. A small piece of metal clinked as it bounced against the hardwood. 

“Is that…?” His wife Milly asked, taking a seat beside him. She put her hands up to her mouth as she saw what it was. Disbelief danced in her eyes as she looked at her husband and the small object that sat between them. But Charles was already half a world away as he closed his eyes, remembering that day as if it were yesterday. 

Wind whistled through the bullet holes that puckered through the so-called indestructible aircraft. Gunners swam in a sea of brass as they rocked the Browning .50 caliber heavy machine gun back and forth, searching the skies for enemy fighters. Flak polluted the skies camouflaged among the dark clouds that enveloped the flying fortress.

The tension was palpable as the coast drew near, they would be over their target within minutes if they survived that long. The lines of their fleet grew thin as plane after plane was shot down, each bursting into flames only to be extinguished by the ocean. The number of parachutes were far too few and those who landed in the water could arguably be in for a worse fate. 

Charles peered through the bombsight, his gloved hands rapidly drumming the map sprawled out before him. Months of study, memorizing each and every building surrounding the target it all came down to a single flip of a button. Wiping the sweat from his cold face, Charles looked through the bombsight one last time, knowing that timing was everything. Grabbing the radio Charles cleared his throat as his finger hovered over the button.

“Target is covered, repeat target is covered” Flying over a target once was dangerous, but flying over it twice was suicide. A long stream of vulgarity erupted through the static of the radio. Charles joined in, throwing aside the shells that still streamed down from the rapid fire of the machine gun. 

“Boys” Captain Sigurd said, his voice unnervingly calm among the chaos “We came out here with a job to do and I’ll be damned if we don’t get it done” Charles looked up to see the navigator rolling his eyes, using his hand to mimic what the Captain said. The engines roared as the plane banked hard to the right, ready to take another run at the target and finally go home.

Prayers were muttered under breaths as they once again soared through the flak covered clouds and over the war torn city. With one last glance at the picture of his beautiful Milly waiting back home for him, Charles looked through the bombsight as the crosshairs finally landed on the uninhibited target. 

“Bombs away” He shouted through the radio, watching as the bomb doors opened dropping nearly 8000 pounds of deadly explosives. Crewmen cheered and whooped as orange and gray smoke carpeted the ground, watching as half the city was destroyed. Slumping back in his chair Charles held his hands up in silent victory. But his triumph quickly turned to panic as an explosion happened to close for comfort.

“Engines one and three are out” Captain Sigurd said, his voice now beginning to tremble. Metal began to peel back as bullets ripped through the B-17, followed by screams of pain. Wind screeched through the cockpit as the plane began to lose altitude. Another explosion caused the plane to tumble in an uncontrollable talespin. “Parachutes, parachutes” Someone shouted over the chaos. Black smoke flooded through the plane as the last engine burst into flames. 

The roaring sea and the darkening sky blurred into one as Charles tumbled end over end. Desperate fingers clawed at the ripcord that hung over his shoulder, only to discover it was nowhere to be found. A primal scream erupted from Charles' lungs as the crashing waves drew closer. He knew he was going to die and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

Just as he closed his eyes ready to take his final plunge something struck him in the back. Burned and frayed straps were all that remained of the harness that now hung by a thread. Praying for dear life, Charles tugged the ripcord and was rewarded with an intense feeling of weightlessness as he was pulled skyward. Only to wish he had just fallen as he saw an enemy pilot turn, catching him in the crosshairs. 

Charles fought to remain conscious as the pain became unbearable. His leg now numb from the knee down bleed profusely. His hands slipped from the parachute, dropping the last remaining fifteen feet into the cold dark ocean. An involuntary scream was drowned out as his lungs began to fill with salt water. Darkness flooded the edges of his vision as the last of the air escaped his lungs. 

A muffled splash echoed through the crushing waves. Strong hands tore away what remained of his parachute as his limp body was pulled to the surface. Water and vomit emptied onto the floor of the life raft as Charles took a ragged breath. Captain Sigurd kneeled beside him, his face half burned from the plane’s explosion. “Where are the others?” Charles coughed out, wincing as he got to his knees.

A grim expression crossed Sigurd’s face as he shook his head. “There is no one else” He pointed at what remained of the plane. Charles held back more vomit as he noticed for the first time bodies floating in the water, bobbing up and down with each passing wave. “It’s just us” The captain said “Just us.”

Waves lazily slapped against the life raft as Charles and Sigurd lay staring up at a sky as empty as their bellies. There had been nothing for days, no food, no water, only the knowledge that their chances of survival dwindle by the minute. A flare gun was tucked into Sigurd belt but with only a single shot, they knew getting the attention of a passing plane or ship was nearly impossible. Sharks pressed up against the life raft, patiently waiting for their chance at fresh meat. 

 Soon Charles and Sigurd were enveloped by a sea of stars, as the night washed over them. Its beauty lost among the two men that clung to life, drifting out into the seemingly endless void. A buzzing noise drowned out the silence of the night as a handful of stars began to move. As the sound grew louder, the two men looked at each other, hope staggering back to life in their eyes. 

Sigurd pulled out the flare gun aiming it at the black sky and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Charles yelled, waving his hands as Sigurd tried desperately to work the flare gun each time meeting with the deafening click of a misfire. “It’s empty,” Sigurd croaked, falling to his knees “look for the flare.” The roar of the ship’s engine began to fade into the night as the two men blindly searched the raft for the flare. 

Charles gasped as his hands landed on something cool and metallic. With trembling hands Sigurd inserted the flare and aimed it to the heavens. The flare burned bright, the red a stark contrast to the never ending black. Charles slumped back into the life raft as the roar of the engine became a barely audible whisper. For the first time since being in the war, both men wept as their chance of rescue drowned with the flare. 

As Charles buried his hands in his face he didn’t notice the ship’s lights turning back in the direction of the flare. “Charles,” Sigurd said, hitting him on the shoulder. Large waves crashed against the raft as the ship cautiously approached. Charles sighed with relief when he saw a red, white and blue flag waving proudly on top of the ship. 

Milly squeezed Charles hand as he held the chain up with two metal plates. He held the dogtags close to his chest as he rubbed the name with his thumb, Captain William Sigurd. Milly slid the note from the envelope and began to read. 

Dear Charles,

My beloved friend and brother, I have known hell, I have lived through it, nearly died for it, burned in its fire, I never thought I would survive–

Milly stopped reading, swallowing passed the lump in her throat. Charles held back tears as he nodded for her to continue.

But thanks to you and your bravery I got to live these many years with my wife and three wonderful kids. I know my time is short but I go with a full heart to my Heaven. 

Your Brother, Captain William Sigurd

P.S I kept it safe for you all these years but I believe this is yours.

Charles looked down at the medal that sat on his coffee table with a smile on his face as he picked up his purple heart.