BOOK EXCERPT
A Soldier's Reflection Before D-Day
A major storm came up, so we sat in the channel and waited for the weather to subside. The invasion was delayed twenty-four hours because of the storm. We had to just sit there and wait, which gave us too much time to think about the situation and try to guess what was in store. After all the training and preparation, the time had come, but we were not sure what to expect. We were headed into an unknown situation, and everyone was very subdued. There wasn’t much talking at all.
Except one of my buddies sitting next to me asked, “Johnny, if I get scared and start running, will you shoot me?”
“I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll shoot you.’”
“You will?”
“You can count on it.” I just kind of looked at him and didn’t say anything else. I didn’t feel much like talking. I closed my eyes and began to pray to myself something like this:
Prayer: Dear Lord, Help me be a good soldier, To serve my country, not let my buddies down, and to make it home safely. But Lord, if I must die, Then Lord, please make it quick. Amen.
I realized that we were headed into combat and knew that the 101st Airborne had already landed before daylight. I was hoping they were accomplishing their mission, whatever the hell that was! I was mostly very nervous as I sat quietly deep down in the hull of this ship. I couldn’t see anything that was happening outside.
It was almost dead silent except for the humming of the engines. Then, all of a sudden, I heard planes flying over our ship, where I assumed they were headed to the beaches. I imagined that the planes were over the beaches when they started dropping bombs. The noise from the exploding bombs was almost constant. At about the same time, I could tell there was a big battleship nearby and just ahead of us. It was sitting out in the channel when it started launching those big shells inland. We could hear the explosions off in the distance.
“They shouted, ‘Let’s go! Let’s go!’”
Four Stages of a Soldier
John C. Estes shares the emotional journey of a soldier, divided into four distinct stages:
First Stage: Top Dog
He feels like he’s the best damn soldier in the world. After receiving the best kill-and-destroy training, he’s tough, motivated, and ready to fight.Second Stage: Scared
During the “top dog” stage, many will die, and the survivors will get scared. Reality sets in that it’s not a game, and he realizes the enemy is just as good a soldier as he is and just as vulnerable.Third Stage: Doesn’t Care
After losing more of his buddies, he reaches a point of indifference. He knows the odds of surviving are very poor, and he wants to take as many of the sons-of-bitches with him as he can. This is when he becomes the best soldier.Fourth Stage: Careful
After surviving a few months of active combat, the soldier starts to think, “I’ve made it this far. It would be a shame to get bumped off at the last minute.” So, he becomes careful, realizing he might actually make it home after all.