Three Messages from The Death of a Turret Gunner
An Analysis of Three Messages from The Death of a Turret Gunner
The average typical age of a Ball Turret Gunner is 15 to 16 years. Their average number of missions they complete before death is three. If they make it past that, it is extraordinary. A ball turret gunner is faced with many challenges while on the job. They must hang upside for long periods of time in the night. Another terrifying thing of having this job is if the mechanical parts of the plane fail, there is no chance of survival. The wheels will not open for a safe landing, therefore causing the plane to do a belly landing which will definitely smash and kill the turret gunner. The poem, "The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner", by Randall Jerrell, is a incredible explanation of life and death as a turret gunner. We can learn many lessons from the lives of turret gunners and especially in the poem, "The Death of a Turret Gunner". There are three main messages in the poem.
One Message from the poem is facing fear and having endurance. Life as a ball turret gunner was definitely difficult. These guys had one of the most …show more content…
The ball turret gunners had to show tremendous courage and bravery. They knew that once they entered the turret, there was a very good chance they were not coming back out. Tim Schatz once said, “Ball turret and Tail were the two that I'd heard got the worst of it. Doubt you were getting out of either position once that thing entered a flat spin.” This showed that they barely ever made it out. Sergeant Ashes once said, “Allied airpower was decisive in the war in Western Europe. Hindsight inevitably suggests that it might have been employed differently or better in some respects. Nevertheless, it was decisive. In the air, its victory was complete. It helped turn the tide overwhelmingly in favor of Allied ground forces.” These people had to have so much courage to do what they
An Analysis of Three Messages from The Death of a Turret Gunner
The average typical age of a Ball Turret Gunner is 15 to 16 years. Their average number of missions they complete before death is three. If they make it past that, it is extraordinary. A ball turret gunner is faced with many challenges while on the job. They must hang upside for long periods of time in the night. Another terrifying thing of having this job is if the mechanical parts of the plane fail, there is no chance of survival. The wheels will not open for a safe landing, therefore causing the plane to do a belly landing which will definitely smash and kill the turret gunner. The poem, "The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner", by Randall Jerrell, is a incredible explanation of life and death as a turret gunner. We can learn many lessons from the lives of turret gunners and especially in the poem, "The Death of a Turret Gunner". There are three main messages in the poem.
One Message from the poem is facing fear and having endurance. Life as a ball turret gunner was definitely difficult. These guys had one of the most …show more content…
The ball turret gunners had to show tremendous courage and bravery. They knew that once they entered the turret, there was a very good chance they were not coming back out. Tim Schatz once said, “Ball turret and Tail were the two that I'd heard got the worst of it. Doubt you were getting out of either position once that thing entered a flat spin.” This showed that they barely ever made it out. Sergeant Ashes once said, “Allied airpower was decisive in the war in Western Europe. Hindsight inevitably suggests that it might have been employed differently or better in some respects. Nevertheless, it was decisive. In the air, its victory was complete. It helped turn the tide overwhelmingly in favor of Allied ground forces.” These people had to have so much courage to do what they