Tod Olson's LOST In The Pacific 1942

LOST in the Pacific, 1942

The book my report is over is " LOST in the PACIFIC, 1942" ,the author of said book is Tod Olson. This is a true story of survival that captivated a nation at war. This takes place during World War II, October 21, 1942. A group of World War II soldiers crash landed a B-171 bomber in the pacific and were left to survive with no food or water on tiny inflatable rafts. The water was shark invested and was close to near enemy territory. They survived these treacherous conditions for three weeks prior to being rescued.

The purpose of the B-17 was not combat, but for transportation of Eddie Rickenbacker.2 Rickenbacker was a living hero of World War 1, he was often nicknamed Ace because his flying abilities. He was

Alex Kaczmarczyk 's health was declining the quickest. He often had a fever, and would not make sense when he talked. On the 12th day at sea, the other crew members were relieved to see that his health seemed to be improving. However, he quickly returned to his fevered and incoherent state. He began mumbling unrecognizable words. "Somewhere around two or three in the morning, he mumbled what sounded like a familiar prayer: "Holy Mother Mary. Mary Mother of God, pray for us." He ended with an "Amen." (111). He immediately stopped breathing. Bartek knew immediately that he had passed away. On the morning of November 2, they removed Alex 's wallet from his pants and his identification tags from his neck in hopes of returning them to his family. Bartek removed Alex 's leather jacket to help him stay warm at night. DeAngelis, the navigator, said what he could remember of the Catholic burial service, and they rolled Alex 's body into

On the 18th day at sea, they finally heard the sound of a plane. They tried with all their strength to get the plane 's attention. The plane did not spot them, and they were crushed with disappointment. They next day, two more planes appeared, but once again disappeared without seeing them. Frustration peaked and Cherry, Whittaker, and DeAngelis once again decided to go on their own. They also took Reynolds with them, who was too far gone to ask. Rickenbacker was once again furious with this decision. The next morning, DeAngelis woke Whittaker asking him to look. They two were actually seeing the outline of trees. Finally, after 21 days at sea, they had