The willingness to fight for one’s country was once perceived as a heroic crusade but has since been left behind in the folklore of history. This fabled heroism was exhibited on a global stage during World War II by the pilots of the Army Air Force. One such pilot, eager to enlist, was an exuberant 22 year old John “JR” Plowden. In my interview with him, I realized, that even through the atrocities of war, goodness and peace can still be found. He was more than happy to be part of the war and made the most out of it. My veterans job in the army was much more dangerous because of the huge risks and the small survival chances they had. This is true because of the increase in air usage, the risk of getting shot down, and when you were shot down
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There was large numbers of enlistment, excitement, a sense of glory in sacrifice and death. Death was romanticized to something that they would love doing for their country. People from all over the United States came to enlist because they cared about their country more than they did their own safety. Flying was especially dangerous, because if you were shot and went down, your chance of survival was much lower. During World War II, flying was just starting to be used in war. The amount of pilots had increased significantly on both sides. With the increase in flying, there was also an increase in defense against planes. When planes were shot down, there was little chance of survival because of the altitude that they were falling from. Even if they were to survive that, they were faced with the challenge of crashing in enemy territory which could be highly dangerous because they ran the risk of being captured and becoming prisoners of war. Plowden flew a P-47 Thunderbolt throughout all of his missions in World War II. Flying was a dangerous task and only the people with a brave heart would ever even consider stepping into a plane and go out to fight. By the time the war was over, he had to stay in Germany for another year to keep any military activity from growing and to make sure the Germans realized that America was still there to show their dominance over them. Once he returned home after …show more content…
When I was interviewing John, he told stories of the incredible times he had. He discussed the days he would go into town and have fun with the locals. There was a picture of him in the backyard of a local's house, sitting around the pool and enjoying a conversation. It occurred to me that with all of this fighting going on, people continued to live their lives the same way. To this day, he still has reunions with the people he fought with. He keeps in touch with them and is good friends with there people he met in the most unlikely circumstance. During the interview, one portion of it that struck me the most was when he talked about witnessing casualties. Plowden recalled a time where he saw his partner next to him get shot down and explode right next to him. He remembered feeling the heat of the explosion and all they could do was move on and continue their mission. This is when the harsh reality of war set in on him. He realized that this was not a joke any more where you get another chance if you mess up. From that point on he strived to be the best he could be, not only to help his own country, but also for the sake of his own
There was large numbers of enlistment, excitement, a sense of glory in sacrifice and death. Death was romanticized to something that they would love doing for their country. People from all over the United States came to enlist because they cared about their country more than they did their own safety. Flying was especially dangerous, because if you were shot and went down, your chance of survival was much lower. During World War II, flying was just starting to be used in war. The amount of pilots had increased significantly on both sides. With the increase in flying, there was also an increase in defense against planes. When planes were shot down, there was little chance of survival because of the altitude that they were falling from. Even if they were to survive that, they were faced with the challenge of crashing in enemy territory which could be highly dangerous because they ran the risk of being captured and becoming prisoners of war. Plowden flew a P-47 Thunderbolt throughout all of his missions in World War II. Flying was a dangerous task and only the people with a brave heart would ever even consider stepping into a plane and go out to fight. By the time the war was over, he had to stay in Germany for another year to keep any military activity from growing and to make sure the Germans realized that America was still there to show their dominance over them. Once he returned home after …show more content…
When I was interviewing John, he told stories of the incredible times he had. He discussed the days he would go into town and have fun with the locals. There was a picture of him in the backyard of a local's house, sitting around the pool and enjoying a conversation. It occurred to me that with all of this fighting going on, people continued to live their lives the same way. To this day, he still has reunions with the people he fought with. He keeps in touch with them and is good friends with there people he met in the most unlikely circumstance. During the interview, one portion of it that struck me the most was when he talked about witnessing casualties. Plowden recalled a time where he saw his partner next to him get shot down and explode right next to him. He remembered feeling the heat of the explosion and all they could do was move on and continue their mission. This is when the harsh reality of war set in on him. He realized that this was not a joke any more where you get another chance if you mess up. From that point on he strived to be the best he could be, not only to help his own country, but also for the sake of his own