From Past To Present, You Will Live On Within Me...

It has been a long time since I have spoken to of this to someone, but now I want to tell you of all that has occurred on that one eventful day. My name is General Tristan Lestgrad of the British army front lines during the Second World War with Germany. As a front line commander, my men and I have seen many deaths, ones of enemies and of friends. We have been through much together throughout the course of this war and have bonded through our efforts. As the front line general, I made it my job to try and keep as many of my men alive as possible. That day was soon approaching, and a meeting of all generals was to be held.

We were told that the French and British soldiers at Dunkirk were to be saved, and it had to be done soon and fast. Those retched Nazi Germans had cornered our allies and we were going to save them - I should have been overjoyed right? I knew that many of my men were going to die in this effort, but there was nothing I could do. My commanding officers had ordered me to take them to the front lines prepared for their possible death in this effort. I had one of my subordinates call my men to meet; I was to tell them of their fates.

“My men, we have been fighting for a long, long time now, and now that France has fallen, we are the Allies’ last line of defense. I know you are all exhausted from the battles; however there are still some of our men back at Dunkirk. We have been ordered to go and rescue them-” They all rejoiced and shouted in happiness that their fellow soldiers were to be saved. “-As the front line… we are the first to enter battle and the first to meet the enemy’s fire power. Men… there are many of you that will not be coming back….” They quieted and their faces looked grim. “Please, take tonight to write to your loved ones. We set out on our journey over the English Channel at o’six hundred tomorrow… that is all, you are dismissed.” My heart was heavy as I walked toward my quarters.

“Thank you…” I turned at the low, shocking words. I saw my men all saluting me, their faces covered in respectful pride and smiles that spread wide across their sullen faces. These men who knew they were to be faced with death were now saluting me, the man who has sent them to their deaths. Even to this day, I will never forget their loyalty, respect, and above all, bravery.

The ships came in abundance as we all approached the shores of Dunkirk. My memory is old, but the looks of those French and British soldiers as they saw us come closer was one of sheer joy, there was no way to explain it other than that. The only thing we had left to do now was to get our men out there into the water, reach the shore successfully, get those stranded soldiers across the waters of the English Channel, and safely retrieve our own men. The front line was first; I told my men that as soon as the ships stopped, they were to go into the water, swim as quickly as they could to shore, get all the soldiers across safely, and if any of them were to fall to enemy fire, another soldier must take up their position as quickly as possible. The ships stopped, and all of them were off. One by one, the lines that were tethered to my men reeled in those poor soldiers, and as I helped them get on board, I could see some of my men falling under the waters surface. My heart pained, I had wished it was my life instead of the lives of these young soldiers and fine men.

France had fallen in early June on the 14th and were surrendered to the Germans by the 22nd of 1940. From 1940 to 1944, France was under the control of the Germans. However, from May 26th till June 4th of 1940, we were on those waters slowly rescuing 338,000 French and British soldiers. So many were saved due to the bravery of my men and many others, even so, many died as well. The last few men from those stranded beaches had finally been brought on board our many ships so I had been looking for my men who remained still on those shores with tethers attached to their bodies. My heart was racing as my men slowly boarded our ship; many were wounded, and some close to death. The only deaths I had counted among them were the first deaths in this battle where some of my men slipped underneath the waves of the English Channel’s waters. As the last of my men boarded, there was one still in the waters - Trace Gerald; the youngest of my men and probably the most brave of them all. He was one of my close friends as well as a sort of younger brother to me personally. He was the baby of our troop, but no one looked down on him, in fact they all admired him for his continued courage and bravery. Some nights, he and I would stay up late watching the stars and sharing stories of our lives back at home. He was a young lad who had married a beautiful gal and raised a son of 7 this year. He invited me to visit once the war ended and I agreed eagerly, but now, that same happy-go-lucky lad was swimming for his life across the rigid Channel waters while the Germans shot nonstop at him from behind. I shouted at him to hurry, to make it back so that he could celebrate his son’s 7th birthday and all the birthdays from that year onward. He finally reached the ship, exhausted from his swim as I can easily understand, but the moment his hand reached out to mine and I grabbed it, a German soldier shot him through the back. His body tensed and then went limp as I pulled him aboard and the gate rose to protect us from further harm.

“Solder, you better stay awake! That’s an order!” His limp body was starting to grow cold as his hand grabbed the sleeve of my uniform.

“General Lestgrad, sir. Permission to speak freely, sir.” The stupid lad, following regulations till the end; he is hopelessly young and dedicated.

“Granted soldier… my best friend… speak freely….” My eyes quivered with tears as his mouth filled with blood and tears from the young lad’s eyes. He spoke with obvious pain, but it was something he felt he needed to say, and I wasn’t about to keep that from him.

“General Lestgrad, you are our precious commander and we will all always cherish you…” he paused to choke on his own blood.

“You fool…” My tears choked back my words as I grieved his undeniably cruel fate.

“General… after I die, I need you to do me a favor…”

“Anything, soldier…” He was giving me his will, and I wished he wouldn’t have to.

“After the war is over and 10 years have passed, please take my ashes here and scatter them over the waters of the English Channel so that I may go with all those who lost their lives here.” Dedicated as always, the stupid fool.

“Will do, soldier. You have my word.”

“Thank you, sir. And also, tell my son and wife that I died thinking of their happiness after we won the war. Tell them… that I will never leave them, that I will always be watching over our son and that I wish him a happy birthday.”

“Will do… I will make sure they get your message….” He coughed up more blood, reached his hand up and wiped away my tears before his hand fell to the deck. His eyes closed and his smile stayed strong as his life faded away and I held him tightly bidding him farewell in silence.

After that battle, the whole tide of the war changed in our favor. Not long after France got liberated, the war ended with a ripe victory for the British. I lost many men throughout that time frame, but Trace’s last words never fell on deaf ears. It has been 10 years since the end of the war and I am back at the waters of Dunkirk and the English Channel to fulfill my long awaited vow to a precious friend.

“General Tristan Lestgrad, sir?” said a young lad of 17 standing next to me.

“I’m retired now, lad. What do you need?”

“He was a wonderful man wasn’t he?”

“Yes… and very brave. He was my most trusted friend and a true soldier.”

“Then one day, I’ll be as brave as he was. Maybe I might even meet a General as cool as you!” I laughed.

“Yes, maybe you will. Just take care of yourself first, my boy; he would haunt me for the rest of my life if he knew his son had gotten hurt. Now come along, lad. Your mother is waiting at home for us to return. She is making a feast to celebrate your father’s courage 10 years ago.” Goodbye my friend, and one day, we will meet again.