I cannot die this way!
The latch finally opens, forcing the canopy to flip back, violently ripping off the plane as the wind gusts carry it away.
I release my harness. My last ounce of strength forces my burnt frame out of the cockpit.
I’m free!
The flames follow me out of the plane, twisting and turning to continue burning me as I slowly fall away from the plummeting aircraft.
Read MoreOn Memorial Day we must all remember the true nature of war.
War is not a series of events on maps or a set of dates in a history book, or even a few words about an individual’s experience. Instead war is a personally enduring trial of what it means to belong to humanity.
Who are we as a species?
What differentiates us from others?
How do we identify, manipulate, and attempt to overpower others in our personal existence?
Can we resolve our differences of opinion in other ways?
I do not touch on those topics very much here. Instead, I simply seek to show the world war is only experienced on a personal level.
War is one person traversing time and space while feeling the moment of existence.
Whether it is positive negative, or neutral, all War is simply personal experience.
Until we can understand what each of these experiences is like for those within their confines, we cannot understand war and its costs.
May we come to see war on the human level, realizing next time we have the choice to engage in one we recognize that choice leads to personal histories which should never be lost.
Looking back over the stern of the boat, my eye just above the rail, I can see that the men have been moved from the mole. All that remains is a German machine gun squad setting up to fire on us.
Please, either hit me with a bullet or allow me to stop pedaling; I cannot keep going!
We’re about 60 meters out now. Gentle waves carry us out with the morning tide. I can tell that others are suffering from sore muscles too because the speed at which the pedals are moving begins to slow.
“Keep going, Keep going!” another man yells.
We’re all pushing as hard as we can.
The burn is worse than spilling acid on my thighs. When can it end?
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