Beyond the Call of Duty

It was quiet. It seemed far to quiet as I sat still that windy morning just outside the beaches of Normandy. There were 5000 ships assembled across the water, moving along like a group sea turtles, slowly but slowly. I could hear the crisp splash of waves across the boats. The soldiers who were in the boats(adjective clause) knew what they were heading into. We knew this next battle would be bloody. I thought about the fellow G.I.’s I had befriended in my time in England. I knew they were in these boats as well. I also knew they probably would not make it. We knew nothing we could do could guarantee our safety. No amount of training, smarts or courage could save us. We could only follow our orders and pray for the best.
We knew our orders and now I understood what must be done.(noun clause) Once and if the boats we were on managed to get to the beach, we were to secure our portion of the beach. “Omaha” as it was codenamed , would be one of the biggest zones of the battle. It also would be one of the bloodiest. There were German cannons everywhere scattered across the beach, just waiting for us. I felt like a mouse running headlong into a mouse trap, but I am also less ignorant than a mouse about what that trap will end up doing to me.
I checked my gear one last time to make sure I was ready, then poked my head out of my boat. Although I would not call these boats because they were more like floating steel boxes. They stretched out as far as the eye could see; moving closer and closer to the beach. I looked around me, the other soldiers in my boat were silent, as there was nothing to be said. It was quite peaceful at that moment as the waves of the channel were the only thing that could be heard. I knew that if I survived I would remember this last moment of peace. I felt like David charging into Goliath(religious allusion), but I was far less confident that I would succeed as he did. Thinking of that story, I had a sudden burst of confidence. I looked down at my carbine gun, and thought to myself, “This is my stone!”
Suddenly, as if I had just sprung the mouse trap, explosions of gun fire started booming around me, as if I was the centerpiece of a fire work show on the Fourth of July.(adverb clause) The boat went into a panic as my Sergeant screamed to keep our heads down. The boat was shaking with the waves as the force of the gun fire rocked everything around us, as if I was taking off in an unstable airplane. The beach was close now. I peeked up for a moment as curiosity got the best of me, and I saw the boat next to me blown away as if it was a mere fly being swatted. It occurred to me that all of these people were dying, all of these peoples family’s were being destroyed, and we could not even pause to think about them. The harsh reality of war had finally set into me. Were these lives worth throwing away? Was there no other answer?
I was snapped back into reality as my boat came to a severe halt, as if someone had just pulled the hand brake in a moving vehicle, and I fell forward. We had hit Omaha Beach. The explosions were now more common and far more loud, as my ears started to ring in my head. The cannons were now accompanied by German rifle fire. I felt a bullet whiz past my head like a hysterical fly at full speed. The door dropped and we started to file out of the boat at a frantic pace, as if the boat was going to explode at any moment. Some men were shot two steps out of the boat while others began their long deadly crawl up the beach. I jumped out of the boat and seconds later it ignited into a ball of fire, as if someone had covered it in oil and threw a match into it. The explosion blinded me and I stood there dazed for a moment until my Sergeant pulled me to the ground and reminded me if I just stood there I would be German target practice.
I surveyed the situation. Thousands of troops were slowly crawling up the beach. Most of them being blasted away by the German guns. I started to crawl up the beach methodically and just stared ahead and kept moving up the beach as explosions sounded around me. I glanced down at the sand, and noticed a fallen soldier’s dog tags stuck in the sand(symbol). I thought about all the people dying every second around me. I prayed for them and me, since I knew I could be next at any moment(adverb clause). I had a long way up the beach to go, so I just kept moving as I couldn’t think straight with the blinding smoke and loud bangs of the explosions. Germans started coming in range of us as we neared ever closer to the end of the beach. The soldier next to me was shot in the head by a sniper, and his blood spewed all over me. I figured the sniper would simply shoot me next, but I got lucky. I started to recollect my thoughts so I would remember what to do if I somehow made it out of the beach. I recalled Eisenhower’s plan to clear out the entire area so we could have a staging area for the attack. It seemed I was the only troop who didn’t get shot as bullets whizzed around me. The stench of death was in the air, and I couldn’t believe what was happening. How could all of these people just be obliterated? It was a nightmare of sorts, but there would be no waking up from it.
Suddenly, I saw a German pop out of cover and aim his rifle at me. I scrambled to get a hold on my gun, and without thinking, as if it was simple reflex, and shot him, and he staggered to the ground, lifeless and limp. That was the first person I had ever killed and a sadness of sorts sept through me like water through a stream. I had just ended someone’s life. I had personally been responsible for ending someone. Did he have a family? Kids? I didn’t know, but I put the thought aside for now as I was almost at the end of the beach. I saw a tunnel of sorts, or maybe one elaborate hole in the ground at the end of the beach. I saw my fellow soldiers filing into it and moving ahead. I had made it through Omaha Beach, but I had no clue what lied ahead of me.
I formed with my platoon, or what was left of it, and I made my way into the German tunnel. Here is where I had a better chance at keeping my life in my hands. The tunnel really was just a complex hole that ran into the German base at Omaha Beach. The gray concrete surrounded me, and although I was off the beach, I could still here the gunshots and explosions around me. The tunnel was fairly wide, my mission was to push through it and continue to clear out the Germans. I stuck with my group as we turned the first corner. The first thing I saw was my comrade get shot 3 times in front of me, as a group of Germans sprung seemingly out of nowhere like a jack n’ the box. I took cover and started firing. It all happened so fast. I don’t know if I killed anybody or not, but I did know a lot of my squadron was wiped out within seconds of the first shots being fired. That thought of Dad’s, Husbands, and Brothers just being obliterated as if they were nothing continued to shock me. It is as if they never mattered, as if we were sent here simply for the purpose of soaking up enough bullets to overwhelm the Germans. I managed to survive that encounter, and those that were left of my squad regrouped. I had no idea who any of these people were. I’m not even sure if I was in the correct position. I didn’t have time to think about that though. I had to keep moving. We made our way out of the tunnel with little German resistance. We climbed out into what seemed to be woodlands, still in the thick of battle. My Commander managed to survive the battle and he gathered us around.
“ Men, we have made it towards the end of the area we need to secure” he told us quickly and rushed, knowing we had to keep moving. “ We still have a lot of work to do.” He pointed out to us multiple areas in the forest. “ We must take out those gun emplacements. We must clear the area for the other troops. Now, I don’t know if all of you troops are technically under my command, but you are now.” He split us up into groups to go destroy the guns. The all seemed so dangerous, and they seemed like some kind of impenetrable fortress we had to break through. We took off to do our jobs. We ran though the woods, and the fresh snap of broken twigs filled the air. It seemed we were making great time. Suddenly, bullets singed through the air, and the sound of bullets hitting flesh suddenly replaced the peaceful sound of boots on twigs. Troops fell all around me, as if they had all just passed out around me, but I knew they would never wake up. It took cover behind a tree, although I knew I wouldn’t be safe for long. I ducked out of my cover and sprinted from tree to tree, firing at Germans, and watching my comrades fall around me. I heard someone yell “ Keep Moving!” so I continued to move forward. I was shocked that someone didn’t end up shooting me. I finally found the first gun emplacement. It was a small cement building heavily guarded by Germans with a huge gun at the front of it, firing on Omaha Beach. I was immediately shot at. I was scared. I thought about my Dad, and the bravery he showed in his time in the army. I thought about what he would do in this situation. Stuck behind minuscule cover, being shot at and severely outnumbered. I thought to myself I probably would die any moment now. So I decided to go out in a blaze of glory, killing as many Germans as I could. I popped out of my cover, and shot two Germans at the top of the small building. I ran towards the gun shooting Germans as I went. I no longer paused to think about the people I was shooting, I did not have time. I stormed into the building, shooting German’s throughout the room. I felt a bullet skin my arm, but there was not time for pain. I cleared the Germans and with the help of fellow troops, and destroyed the Gun encampment. I moved to the next position, my body not even noticing that it should be tired. The adrenaline pumped through me, as I raced through the wood’s like a mad dog hunting it’s prey. I had lost all fear in me, no longer considering the danger, the pain or the consequences of every move I made.

I stumbled upon the next emplacement and took cover. It seemed to be about the same situation as last time. I pulled out of cover and took a shot at a German. I realized I was out of ammo. How many Germans had I killed? The soldier next to me was shot and killed. I thought of my options when I realized the poor dead soldier next to me had a gun. Luckily it was the same as mine. I grabbed it and started firing again at the gun emplacement. I felt invincible! Nothing could hurt me it seemed as I rushed in the small building shooting and killing everywhere I went. I was a one man wrecking ball! I looked down at my leg, and I was shot! It did not look bad but I didn’t even notice that the wound was there! I needed to stop being so timid. I found the courage inside of me. I destroyed the gun emplacement and moved on. The next one was placed at the top of a steep hill. I simply charged at it, ducking from tree to tree.
Suddenly, I lost my balance and fell to the ground, and I slid down the steep hill. Sticks and rocks beat up on my face like a punching bag. I got back up, and realized all my ammo had fallen out of my pockets! I would have to live with what I had. So I charged right back up the hill.
We made our way to the gun when someone stepped on a mine and a fiery explosion sliced through the air, sending limbs and blood flying everywhere. Once again the horror’s of war stuck with me. All of those deaths had happened so quickly! It was unbelievable! I pushed on. It all became a blur, I seemed to be in a different world, my mind having no control of my body. I sped from place to place, killed soldier after soldier. I could not believe it! I had just destroyed another gun! I believe that was my third!. I was running towards another when my commander saw me. “ Good work Daily! I heard you had been go’ in real crazy out there!” I was responding, “ Thank you sir, I d..” when a bullet screamed right through me, sending a surge of pain of which the likes I had never imagined. The pain coursed through and blood started flowing out of my face like a dam had broken. The bullet ripped right through my cheek like a piece of paper, and gone straight through my face. I fell to the ground as all noise slowly died. I just laid there, blood pouring around me. I felt as if I would drown in it any second now. I vaguely felt as if I was being dragged through somewhere. I made out the faint buzz of a helicopter somewhere around me. All that I felt was excruciating pain. I tried calling out to communicate to someone but I could not muster the power to speak at all. I couldn’t see, as my vision was blurred by pain and tears. I had no comprehension of anything going on. I completely forgot about any war, or any battle or anything like that. I felt darkness starting to overcome me, to overpower me. Everything went black…
I woke up in a hospital bed in England. I had no idea what I was doing there. I only felt horrible pain in my cheek. Suddenly it all came back to me. I remembered the battle I had partaken in, the Battle of Normandy. I remembered I had destroyed a machine gun position, when something happened. I was shot! I could not believe it. The door opened and I saw the familiar face of my father, who was still recuperating from his injury at Pearl Harbor. “ Hello, son.” he said in his familiar, calm voice. I tried to speak, but a rasp grunt came out instead. I coughed a few times and managed to squeak out a “Hello.” He looked at me and said, “ Son, what you did at Normandy was amazing.” I was confused, “ All I did was get shot.” He looked at me with a very puzzled confused look on his face. “ Michael, you single handedly killed 15 Germans, and destroyed 3 machine gun positions, and then you were horribly wounded! You were shot in one cheek, and the bullet traveled through your other ear!” I was shocked at his remark, “ I did that?” My dad chuckled. “ Yes, son, you did do that. I have something to tell you son, I just got a phone call from Mr. Dwight D. Eisenhower.” I couldn’t believe it! He was the general of the entire Allied Army! “ What did he want to say?” I asked. My dad looked toward me with a tear in his eye. He let out a big grin and said, “ Michael J. Daily, you have been officially nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor.”