Left For Dead

The great depression had finally lifted and things were picking up. A baby boom brought with it the demand for bigger houses. People with trades found themselves a purple patch in the building game.

Benny was a self employed carpenter who was busy building house before the war. He was a happy kind of fellow who quietly kept his weekends free for art. He loved to paint pictures of natural settings. In all of his canvasses he included yellow button daisies somewhere in the scene. It was like his hallmark. Many of his finished works were sold to tourists passing through his town on the South Coast of New South Wales.

When the war came, it put things on hold for a time. Benny went over with a group of Australian soldiers to Papa New Guinea where he was given the job of maintaining the American wooden glider planes. The Americans had no carpenters and so Benny was called up. He never minded because the Americans had good food and lots of other extras that the Australian troops never got. His work as a carpenter was invaluable on the glider planes Benny loved to watch the tow planes hook up the gliders with awesome precision and power. About thirty paratroopers were on board the glider as it was hoisted into the sky by its carrier plane, and then off it went on its own. Gliding down to the ground unheard and mostly unseen, the element of surprise was devastating on the enemy. The war was being won and Benny enjoyed serving as an Australian for America. His skills were appreciated by the allies.

The day finally arrived when the war had come to an end Benny said farewell to some of his American friends and began to pack things up for his return to Australia. He decided to sketch a few things on the final week of his stay in Papa New Guinea. Early one morning he went off on his own to seek out a place to work. To his amazement he heard some cries for help. Benny found two Japanese soldiers in a hole; they had been left by their own forces and by the look of it, were near death’s door. Benny was able to drag them out off the hole and clean them up a bit. The two young Japanese soldiers could only speak English, but understood what they needed. They kept pointing to their mouth and Benny gave them what food he had. He was able to get them back to his Barracks and into the hospital where they were looked after. Benny thought about those young soldiers who had been left behind in a hole. They were unaware that the war was over and were happy when they heard the news. Benny stayed with them until it was time for him to return to Australia.

It wasn’t that long before Benny was back building houses again in Australia. A few years had passed and one day a knock came to Benny’s front door. What a pleasant surprise it was for Benny to find the two young Japanese soldiers standing there. They had a brand new fully imported Japanese motor car parked outside – it was their gift for saving their lives. Benny was so proud of that little car. It was only a short lived experience however; the car was stolen within a few weeks. The car was never found and Benny continued to build houses.

It was sad that Benny had lost the car but you know what, it never really bothered him that much. He was just a real happy fellow who kept his weekends free to paint pictures of nature. He had now some new hobbies that pleased him. As he walked most everywhere, Benny often picked up dress rims and hub caps on the side of the road. These he took home a painted beautiful artwork on them. There were always yellow button daisies somewhere in the scene. Benny retired from the workforce long after he should have. People often visited Benny’s workshop to admire the hundreds of hub caps hanging on the walls.

Benny was a soldier who refused to leave two of the enemy in a hole. He realized that they were human beings and most probably never wanted to go to war like the rest of those who had to go. So who do we call our enemy? Would you have left them there to die?

The End 

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