Here I am, sitting in a dark, gloomy, stinky trench. But I have to be grateful, because of the simple fact that I am not dead yet. My rifle is sitting by my side, ready to be used at any time. We are wary of the Germans, because of what we faced today.
My platoon, and most probably, other platoons, arrived at the German coast by boat. Extremely smelly boats. Why? We were really not prepared for sea. Virtually every soldier was severely seasick. Every second, one poor man would suddenly clutch at his stomach, his eyes widening, before a fountain of vomit spewed from his throat and onto the floor of the boat, and the stench would be unbearable. The seasickness had drained our strength, but still, we held on. Finally, Sgt. Bruce Williams issued the command: Men, get up, prepare yerselves. Pick up your weapons, and fight for yer damn lives and the lives of yer families!!!
As one, we immediately snatched up our rifles, checked quickly for sufficient ammo, then scrambled to our feet to face our adversaries. At once, bullets sliced through the air and slugs ricocheted everywhere. Many comrades fell as soon as they stood up. Directly in front of me, a bullet punched through the forehead of Private Johnson Whiteman. Pieces of bone splintered like wood, and blood spurted high up into the air as Johnson fell, dead, at my feet. I stared down at his fallen frame, horrified, and the world slowed to a crawl. I looked around me. In slow motion, comrades were falling and twisting into grotesque positions as they fell. Someone rapped on my helmet, and I slowly turned to face him. It was Sgt Bruce. He was glaring at me with those deep blue eyes of his and his mouth was working rapidly, but I could not hear him. I cocked my head, puzzled. Then everything rushed back into reality. Bruce's voice was pounding into my ears and the air seemed to be getting hotter and hotter. "Private!! We gotta jump, right now!!! The boat is on fire!!!" He grabbed my wrist, and then flung himself toward the sea. Ravenous flames licked the air where we stood, and the very floor of the boat crumbled beneath our feet as we hurled ourselves overboard.
Would the bullets never leave us alone?? Even underwater, those cold pieces of steel powered through the waters, leaving streaks of bubbles behind them. When they entered human skin and flesh, a dark red cloud exploded like a chemical experiment gone wrong. Rapidly, I swam to shore.
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