The Last Leaf Epilogue

Just as he was halfway down the spiraling wooden staircase of the lighthouse he heard a muffled, “Mayday, mayday, mayday!”. Could it be? Am I imagining this? Without skipping a beat, he bolted back up the stairs, feeling something go out in his hip, disregarding his injury, he plopped back into his worn out armchair and picked up the microphone. Trying to mask his kid like excitement, he mustered up an authoritative voice and answered back, “This is coast guard Ogden Hall, please state your emergency,

It’s 0430, and it’s time to hike ten miles uphill. Exhausting. The chants of my instructor are locked into my mind desperately trying to find some relief. My knees want to collapse, and my head is starting pound. There it comes again…”Mama, Mama, can’t you see? What this Corps has done for me? Put me in a barber's chair snip, snap and I had no hair. And if I die in a combat zone, box me up and ship me home! Put me in a set of Dress Blues, comb my hair and shine my shoes. Pin my medals upon my chest. Tell my Mama I did my best. Mama, Mama don’t you cry. Marine Corps motto is "Do or Die!" Say, left, right, left. Left, right, left. Low, right, left. Lefty, right, low. I hear a conversation being held behind me. Odd. I tried not to listen, but it was

“Thanks a lot for the help, we’ve been stuck here for a while.” Peyton said. They proceeded to tell the fisherman about their erratic adventure.

is “mission accomplishment.” Above anything else accomplish the mission. Seeing how I’m in charge it lies with me to get the Ammo to the Battery tonight. Knowing I can’t sit around and twiddle my thumbs it’s time to move but first thing is first, I bow my head on the spot and say a very popular prayer I say, “Lord see me through this, amen.” Huddled up with my marines they ask me “what is the plan Mangan?” I say to them “well first thing is first, we a’int going anywhere without fuel.” On que like a scene out of a movie a gas tanker comes rolling into the FASP and with the voice of an angel he says, “Does anyone need Gas?” The irony of it is that Gas Tanker comes once a month to fill up a couple of generators. I tell him our conundrum that we’re in and he hooks it up with enough gas to at least have a dreamer’s chance of wondering through the desert at night in hopes of finding our battery. Fortune has it that my sergeant was big on making me learn the map of 29 Palms so I at least knew what direction to aim for. I confidently tell my Marines that I know the general direction and we’re going to go find the highest ground and survey the area with hopes of seeing our battery (and also hope we don’t accidently drive through a live fire Range and blow up and die, that was somewhat on our

"Men began shouting fiercely to be heard over the din they themselves were causing." (11)

said "If anyone hears me please say something" and he heard a voice and Captain John said"

"Push forward, PUSH FORWARD!" He bellowed his voice hoarse from all the smoke. His men tired and sore from being pushed to near breaking scrambled to fill the gap left by their imposing leader. The men sunk gratefully to the ground, with the retreat sounded, their leader had ordered them back to the main encampment for some well earned rest. The leader shrunk to the ground a little way off from his men,

“But I didn't call to him for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone--he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn

“All right Marines it has been a long hard tough course are you ready to turn.” Aye aye sir hoorah.”

They were startled by the fear they could hear in the voice of the young Petty Officer making the call. “Blackbeard Main, this is Blackbeard Actual we have an estimate of 500 hostiles in view. We are requesting reinforcements.” Said the young Petty Officer.

“I want you to organize a chopper filled with our finest soldiers. We are going to try to draw it out and that’s a order. We need to create a diversion in order to save them from the beast.” The General gave the order.

Suddenly, there was a crack of lightning and the low rumble of thunder. The waves crashed against the ship and the sailors yelped as they toppled over. As for Tom, he fell to his knees, put his hand to his mouth, and muttered, "L-LAVATORY..."

"We stood around awaiting orders of some kind. General Quarters sounded and I started for my battle station in secondary aft. As I passed through casement nine I noted the gun was manned and being trained out. The men seemed extremely calm and collected. I reached the boat deck and our anti-aircraft guns were in full action, firing very rapidly. I was about three quarters of the way to the first platform on the mast when it seemed as though a bomb struck our quarterdeck. I could hear shrapnel or fragments whistling past me. As soon as I reached the first platform, I saw Second Lieutenant Simonson lying on his back with blood on his shirt front. I bent over him and taking him by the shoulders asked if there was anything I could do. He was dead, or so nearly so that speech was

I had no idea what was going on. We were only on a routine trip across the Black Sea. “How’d it get this bad?” I thought to myself.

The evening was cold, stormy, and growing darker. CRAAACK! The storm raged on and on through the night. Captain Matthias White of the Seahawk yelled, "Starboard side! Bail!" As the crew started to bail, Matthias handed a spyglass to his second-in-command, first mate Benjamin Elliot. "Tell me what you see," Matthias