This past weekend the five boys had been to the Saturday matinee and had seen a newsreel about a battle in the Pacific. A boys mind can play tricks on its owner, your know!
Bud suggested they play a pretend game and tell how they would picture themselves in the battle. "Let me start this pretend experience, by saying how I would put myself into the battle. Here I am aboard the aircraft carrier, the "USS Lexington", and we've been involved in the battle for Guadalcanal for weeks now, and finally the Japanese have been forced to leave these islands. Looking around at the other sailors aboard ship I am proud of how well all of them fought this battle."
Donny said, "I am aboard our destroyer the "USS John Paul Jones", and my gunnery crew have successfully protected the aircraft carrier, "USS Lexington." Their planes have been able to carry out their mission, without a problem, against the Japanese forces on Guadalcanal."
Stanley added, "Here I am flying off of the "USS Lexington", heading for a bombing run on Guadalcanal! I can picture the Japanese soldiers running for cover as we fly over the island. My plane completes its mission and successfully returns to the carrier."
Wally explained his part of the battle, "Let me tell you this has been one exciting week. First our fighter planes made a very successful attack on Guadalcanal, and now my lead plane is chasing the Japanese warships out of the area; hopefully all the way back to Japan."
Duncan detailed his battle, "It has been my honor to be chosen for this small-boat detachment. We have been selected to be part of the mop-up forces in the Guadalcanal vicinity, and our PT boats move in so fast the slower Japanese ships don't even realize we're there until it's too late for them. Our torpedoes are a deadly force that cripples their retreating fleet."
After awhile the boys came out of the trance and just looked at each other with grins on their faces. Each knowing, what they had shared about their part of the battle had really happened - in their minds.
