The Weight of War (2nd Place)

Joe stared at the results. He’d done it – cracked the code. The hours of intense precision work and tinkering with the gears and settings on the code breaker named the Rattler paid off. He held the paper in his hands and read the Japanese code. This was his trophy.

He turned and wrote out a message to send to Washington:

“Have broken the code. Will send the encryption by courier. Joe.”

He pulled the catalog from the shelf and recorded the message as was procedure. He glanced at the message once again. The Japanese assault clearly defined, he realized the desperation of the attempt. He also felt the cold chill of death shoot through his soul. When this message came to the attention of the chiefs of staff and military heads, the Japanese attack would be thwarted and thousands of young Japanese would die in vain.

He knew his duty. The message must be sent. Still, holding that slip in his hands and the thousands of lives attached to it was a feeling that stirred an overwhelming sense of awe bubbling inside him.

He could see the whole scene. The island would be invaded. The march of the soldiers on the beaches. The surprise attack in coordination with the sinking of the very ships that were scheduled to pick up those same soldiers.

Tears welled in Joe’s eyes. All of those lives right here. The only man in America with this information. I wonder if there is another man. Standing in front of another machine. Somewhere in Japan with the same slip of paper in his hands.

Katherine entered the room. He handed the slip to her. She placed it in a courier envelope and left.

Joe’s tear-stained resignation letter surprised his boss the next morning.


299 Words
Flash Story Must contain: Trophy, March, Catalog




Note: This story is based upon a true story of the WWII genius code breaker Joe Desch. He produced the code breaking machine called the Bombe in Dayton Ohio under a contract with NCR. He actually did resign after breaking the Japanese codes only to return later in 1945 at the pleading of many. A man ahead of his time at a time of great nationalism, he saw the whole picture of war and realized his important part in it. At one time, he literally did hold the lives of thousands of Japanese in his hand. This story is a tribute to his understanding of that momentus occasion.

Please read more about Joe Desch here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Desch