The Thing About Bif

Bif sat next to Callie in the display room. The General was giving orders for the operation Bif had been trained for his entire life. It was called operation "Overlord." It was a crucial part of the war his humans were fighting. Bif did not like war, but he did not know any other way of life. He was just happy to be done with the rigorous training he went through. Day by day, he faced challenges. He knew he was vital to the mission. At the same time, he wished he could be curled up on a chair next to Callie. He wasn't a lazy cat. He just didn't enjoy all the action. He assumed his role was simple enough, drop down on a parachu

e, deliver any message he had to give. At least, he hoped it was that simple. Nobody notices a cat, right? He would sneak out every night and hunt fish in the river. None of the soldiers saw him. So why would the Axis soldiers they were fighting notice him? Bif heard the General mention his part of the plan. He perked his ears. The idea sounded simple, and he hoped it was. He followed Callie out of the room as it cleared out. He was excited about his first real mission. 

Bif ran along a trail of blood. He was unaware of where he was. Some sort of beach, he assumed. The sand was rough on his little paws. He felt so tired he felt as though he would pass out. A fire burned in his heart to keep going. Suddenly, unfamiliar soldiers circled him. He felt his fur bristle. All of a sudden, everything went dark.

Bif awoke with a start. Callie was in front of him. "Bif! Come on. It's time to leave for Normandy! Today is the day." Bif felt a jolt of shock. He had totally forgotten it was the day. Callie carefully placed her hands on him and picked him up. "Don't worry, Bif, Karlisle will help you with your parachute. She stroked his head and gave him to Karlisle. "Hey, buddy!" Karlisle said. He seemed cheerful, but Bif could tell he was afraid. Karlisle placed the parachute on Bif's back as they boarded the aircraft. Bif had only been on an aircraft a few times. 

The flight was mostly smooth. Bif enjoyed looking out onto the ocean. The aircraft smelled of fear. He could tell the soldiers were anxious. Bif was troubled too. Finally, they began to approach the area where they would jump out. Suddenly, the aircraft shook and burst into flames! They were shot down! The aircraft was losing elevation fast. "Hurry, we must get out of here!" Karlisle shouted. They all jumped out of the plain. Bif felt himself falling fast. Debris was collapsing around him. Why hadn't the parachute opened?  Bif was very afraid. Then, he jolted up. His parachute opened! Unfortunately, the jolt caused him to slip out of his parachute. He quickly grabbed onto it with his paw and held on for dear life. He was able to pull himself up and back into the suit. As he made it close enough to land, he let himself fall out. Of course, cats always land on their feet. 

As the battle raged around him, he felt overwhelmed. His paws were cold from the morning water. Guns blasted from around him. He did not know what to do. He hoped Karlisle or Callie would find him soon. Bombs exploded all around him. Bif was very nervous. Suddenly, he heard a strange noise. Something was hurled at him. It was a grenade! He quickly ran as fast as he could. Thankfully, he got away in time. 

As Bif explored the battlefield, he noticed a soldier approach him. The soldier looked very familiar. It was Roy! "Bif! There you are. We need you to send a message to Callie's troops on Gold beach. If there's any chance of winning, you must deliver this message." Roy's voice sounded frantic. Roy carefully attached a note on a string to Bif's tail. Bif realized he would get to complete the mission he had been training for. He was charged with excitement. 

As Bif ran, he dodged debris, land mines, and explosions. It was terrifying! All of a sudden, Bif heard a familiar voice. "Bif! Help me!" The voice sounded frantic. It was Clive! Clive was one of the soldiers that were friendly to Bif and didn't think he was useless. Clive was struggling under the grasp of a German soldier. Both of them had lost their weapons. Bif quickly ran and bit the soldier. The soldier let go long enough for Clive to find a gun and shoot the soldier. Bif didn't like to see anyone die, but he knew it was inevitable. 

Bif's legs began to ache. He was only halfway to Gold Beach. He needed to keep going. His comrades' lives depended on it. Thankfully, not many soldiers noticed him. He was very grateful for that. They all probably thought he was just a stray. Bif wondered what would happen once he got back from his mission. That is if he got back. An immense blast knocked him off his feet! He had tripped on a landmine. He could barely move. Despite the pain, he forced himself to get up and keep going. 

Bif knew he had to keep moving. Gold Beach was very close now. Only half a mile away. All of a sudden, two soldiers prevented him from going any further. They didn't look familiar. Suddenly, one of them shot at him. He realized they were not with the Allies. In a very swift movement, he dodged their bullets and bit one of them in the arm. They dropped their gun in agony. As the other one shot at him, Bif lunged at their face, scratched them, and ran. He did not look back. 

At this point, Gold Beach was very close. He could see Callies troops. Callie noticed him. She ran towards him. "Bif! Do you have a message?." Her voice seemed shocked. Nobody besides Callie thought he would actually carry out the mission. Callie read the message and frantically alerted her troops. Whatever that message said, it was likely crucial to the mission. Bif would probably never know. Suddenly, Bif could barely stand. His vision went black.

Bif awoke in a strange place. "Bif! You're awake. You're a hero!" Bif realized Callie was sitting next to him, along with an unfamiliar man. "Hello there, Bif, my name is Charles De Gaulle, you are in a resistance hospital. Thank you for your service. Callie, you better get him ready for the ceremony in England." Charles De Gaulle seemed very kind. 

Bif sat on the stage. Many soldiers sat in front of him.  Winston Churchill stood next to him on the stage. "Thank you, everybody. Please be seated. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to 10 Downing Street. It has been said that "where there is a brave man, in the thickest of the fight, there is the post of honor." This is the same for anyone or any cat. Today, we pay tribute to a cat who placed himself in the thick of the fight. In doing so, he has earned our nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. And we are extraordinarily proud of our Special Forces cat, Bif."