Travis was a quite a bit older than the other soldiers who enlisted for service during World War 11. He was in his early thirties, but most of the soldiers were in their late teens or early twenties. Travis had been working since he was a boy, so he felt that he knew something about how the world worked. He enlisted because he not only felt it was his duty to do so, but he also was looking for adventure. He was a tall, friendly man, with a booming voice and a good sense of humor. Soon, the younger soldiers were coming to him for advice or just to talk about how homesick they were. When his platoon needed a leader, Travis was chosen.
It wasn’t long before Travis’s unit was shipped overseas. They eventually wound up on an island in the Pacific, far different from any place that the soldiers had ever seen. Snakes, monkeys, and bugs were everywhere, and the heat was almost unbearable. Many of the men quickly became sick, but their biggest problem was the enemy fire that constantly surround them. Travis had been looking for adventure, but he had to admit that this was not the kind of adventure he had hoped for. Still, he found himself doing things he never thought he would or could do : bandaging wounds, planning attack strategies, thinking up camouflage ideas, and even writing letters home for the wounded soldiers. He knew that the men in his platoon trusted him and relied on him, and he was determined not to let them down.
Travis served nearly four years in the army, all during World War 11. When he finally returned home, he was welcomed with great excitement and joy by his family and friends. Travis was glad to be home, of course, but he knew he was not the same person who set out adventure years before. He had seen horrible sights and watched good men die. Still Travis was grateful for the friends he had made, the times he had been able to help his men, and the opportunity to defend his country. Travis had left home to see the world, but instead, his trip to the other side of the globe forced home to look inside himself and make new discoveries about his strength, character, and abilities.
