How I Helped Win World War II

For my fifth birthday my daddy gave me the greatest present I ever had. It was a real sail boat. It was about eighteen inches long and eighteen inches high, with thick cloth sails and made from some fancy wood. It was the greatest toy I ever had. My daddy would pour me a bath at night and make it real deep; up to my neck. He would then hand me my boat and I would float it back and forth in the tub pretending all kinds of things; like it was being attacked by submarines, kamikazes, and torpedoes. Then sometimes I would pretend it was carrying marines to fight the war on some island. My boat made taking a bath more fun .

We lived in Cincinnati at the time and we were about a block away from a place called Duck Creek. It was a little stream that ran all the way to the Ohio River. Well, me and Stanley used to take my boat down there. The water was only about a foot deep and maybe ten feet across, so we would put it in the creek and let it sail away. Then we would run along the side pretending my boat was a great battle ship or a troop carrier. We’d make waves on the water and pretend we were marines. Stuff like that.

We always had to catch my boat before it went around the corner or else it would sail down behind Stanley’s house, and then go all the way to the Ohio River and then on to some ocean someplace. But that was easy. We just waded in and got it and took it back for some more fun.

One time Stanley told me something I didn’t know. Now, I was five years old by that time, so I knew quite a bit, but this was news to me. He told me that the United States Navy communicated during the war between ships with little boats just like mine. He said telephones didn’t work because they needed wires and there weren’t any wires in the ocean. Stanley explained that when one ship wanted to tell another ship something in a big battle, they did it with little sail boats that sailors would float back and forth. I didn’t know that! I never really thought about it, I guess.

Stanley also told me something else I didn’t know. He said that the United States Navy got those little boats to help fight the war from little kids just like me who would send their sail boats down their creeks to the Ohio River. The little boats would go down all the way to the big ocean somewhere where navy guys would be waiting. They would grab each skiff and yell "Hey, we got another little boat to help fight the war." And off they’d go to have some battles with the help of the little boats. Well, I didn’t know that.

Then Stanley asked me if I’d like to donate my boat to the war effort. Secretly, I’d been trying to figure out how to help fight the war, but I had to face it; there wasn’t that much a five year old could do, so this was perfect. I said "Yeah, let’s do it."

We decided to make it an important ceremony since my boat was going off to war. I ran home and put on my little navy uniform. In those days every kid had either a navy or an army outfit. I had a navy one. I put that thing on and set my white hat on my head. I was ready for the ceremony. I ran down to Duck Creek with my boat where Stanley was waiting. He didn’t have a uniform, but instead was wearing a World War I helmet he got from his grandfather. We looked official.

We used our mouths to make bugle music and then gave a twenty-one gun salute. After that, I gave an impassioned speech to my boat that I had been practicing. "You be careful and don’t let any torpedoes or kamikazes shoot you. And watch out for storms too." I felt pride as I put my boat into the water to watch it sail away to war. Both Stanley and I saluted as it went on its way. When it turned the corner and headed to the ocean I almost cried. I stopped though when I remembered that Stanley told me that boys aren’t supposed to cry...only girls. Then Stanley had to go home for something and there was nothing left for me to do, so I went home too.

When I got home I couldn’t wait to tell my daddy what I had done. I kept my uniform on so that I would be more official when he heard the news. I made my announcement during supper. I told him about the ceremony. He just sat there listening. When I finished my story he was scratching his head. My daddy then got up right in the middle of supper and went in the other room and made a phone call. I could hear him dial and talk to somebody, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

When he came back to the dining room he told me we were going to take a walk. I got down from my chair and followed him to the door. Actually it was a good thing we were leaving at that point because I had some peas I didn’t know what to do with since my mom figured out my trick of feeding them to the dog.

We walked to the street and before we crossed, my daddy took my little hand in his big old hand so I’d be safe. You know what that makes you feel like when your daddy holds your hand? It makes you feel like "Nothing can get you now." You feel safe. I still didn’t know where we were going.

Turns out we were going to Stanley’s house. He was standing on his porch next to his daddy, and he was holding my boat. It had already gotten back! I ran up the stairs and he handed it over to me and said he was sorry. Stanley was crying but I didn’t know why. I was just happy to get my boat back because it was getting to be about bath time.

My daddy took me back to the street and took my little hand in his big old hand before we crossed. As we were crossing the street, that’s when he told me that World War II had ended. I started thinking, "Did I have anything to do with it? Was it because of my boat?" It made sense. The timing was perfect. I had helped win World War II! Oh boy, was I happy then. I felt so proud as we were going home.