Dubus Andre Killers Essay Example

Dubus Andre Killers Essay Example Dubus Andre Killers Essay Dubus Andre Killers Essay Killers Richard Strout is the true killer of this story. This man walks through the â€Å"front door† (Dubus 107) of his ex-wife’s house and proceeds in shooting Frank â€Å"twice in the chest and once in the face with a nine millimeter automatic† (107). Standing over the blood spattered couch he shifts his eyes from the brainy chaos, which was a man’s face just seconds before, to the children that are sitting on that same couch. He then looks at the mother of those children, his children. She is not looking at the killer, rather she is intently staring at her babies who are covered with the remnants of the man they have recently begun to call dad. And how does the executioner react to this entire scene? He â€Å"went home to wait for the police† (107). He waits for the police as though he just stole a loaf of Wonder Bread at the dollar store. This man is cold, grey and calculating. He goes home to wait because he knows what he has done, he lives in it, accepts it. Matt and Ruth, Frank’s parents, will never accept the cold blooded murder of their son. It is pure torture for a mother or father to see the man that took away from them, something that can never be returned, their child. â€Å"He walks the goddamn streets,† (103) Matt says. Matt did not think that the justice system would release a man like this on bail. This murderer is now tending to his daily routines without a care in the world, while the victims of his injustice helplessly watch. They watch as the killer of their child is shopping at a local grocery store; Buying skirt steak and quart of two percent milk while they wait in line to buy flowers for their dead son’s tombstone. Watch as that same man, who has shattered a mothers bond, is enjoying a Saturday afternoon at a local barbershop for his weekly high and tight haircut. â€Å"It’s killing her,† said Matt. Dubus writes â€Å"she can’t even go out for cigarettes and aspirin† (103) without seeing him. Not only has he killed their child, he is now killing them indirectly. Matt’s marriage is suffering and he is only a shell of his old self. How many people must endure pain and suffering before justice is dealt? Matt cannot bear the thought of facing his son’s murderer in everyday life. He believes that the only way to remedy this problem is to take matters into his own hands. Richard Strout shot and killed Matt’s son with a nine millimeter pistol. Matt pulled the trigger on his unregistered thirty eight millimeter pistol (104) ending the life of Richard Stout hoping to find closure in his death. Both men have now committed murder. Dubus named this story Killings because of Matt’s revenge. If the Justice system worked properly this story might have been called Killer. The real problem here is not the revenge murders but the inefficiency of the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system should be blamed for the murder of Strout, releasing this man back into the same community where the murder took place is outrageous. Laws and regulations in the justice system are in place to prevent people from taking matters into their own hands. It is very difficult to deal with your emotions when you are being haunted by your child’s murderer. Everyone thinks they know someone that the world would be better off without. But why are we not running amok in the streets, viciously murdering our bosses, and curb stomping our neighbors or grimy politicians? Even the guy who stepped on your new shoes the night before nobody would miss him. We do not go around decimating each other because there is a system in place that punishes the wicked. The Laws must be followed and people must be held accountable for their actions. It is this accountability that allows us to move along comfortably through our lives. Not having to worry that you’re going to get shot in the face because you stole a parking spot from a driver that was taking too long. Or that your children are being shoved into creepy white vans after being lured with candy. The narrator tells us that Frank â€Å"was relieved when he came home in the evenings and they were there; usually the relief is the only acknowledgement of his fear , which he never spoke of, and which he controlled within his heart† (107). Frank was pushed into action due to the failure of the law to protect his family. Yes, Frank did commit murder and he should be held responsible. But there needs to be a difference between a man who blasts a guy’s head away while he’s enjoying television with his children and a guy who takes revenge because of the pain of seeing this murderer walk. The hard truth is that we need a criminal justice system that works. Criminals need to be punished to protect guys like Richard, who will never accept the cold blooded murder of his son, from taking matters into his own hands and become a criminal himself. Dubus, Andre. Killings. The Compact Bedford Introduction To Literature With 2009 MLA Update, Reading, Thinking, Writing. Ed. Michael Meyer. 8th ed. Boston, New York: Bedford/St Martins, 2009. 103-07. Print.

Battle of the Philippine Sea in World War II

Battle of the Philippine Sea in World War II The Battle of the Philippine Sea was fought on June 19-20, 1944, as part of the Pacific Theater of World War II (1939-1945). Having island-hopped across the Pacific Ocean, Allied forces advanced on the Mariana Islands in mid-1944. Seeking to block this thrust, the Imperial Japanese Navy dispatched a large force to the area. In the resulting battle, Allied forces sank three Japanese aircraft carriers and inflicted crippling losses on the Japanese fleet air arm. The aerial battle proved so one-sided that Allied pilots referred to it as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. The victory allowed Allied forces to isolate and eliminate Japanese forces on Saipan, Guam, and Tinian. Background Having recovered from their earlier carrier losses at the Coral Sea, Midway, and the Solomons Campaign, the Japanese decided to return to the offensive in mid-1944. Initiating Operation A-Go, Admiral Soemu Toyoda, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, committed the bulk of his surface forces to striking at the Allies. Concentrated in Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawas First Mobile Fleet, this force was centered on nine carriers (5 fleet, 4 light) and five battleships. In mid-June with American forces attacking Saipan in the Marianas, Toyoda ordered Ozawa to strike. Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa, IJN.   Public Domain Steaming into the Philippine Sea, Ozawa counted on support from Vice Admiral Kakuji Kakutas land-based planes in the Marianas which he hoped would destroy a third of the American carriers before his fleet arrived. Unknown to Ozawa, Kakutas strength had been greatly reduced by Allied air attacks on June 11-12. Alerted to Ozawas sailing by U.S. submarines, Admiral Raymond Spruance, commander of the U.S. 5th Fleet, had Vice Admiral Marc Mitschers Task Force 58 formed near Saipan to meet the Japanese advance. Consisting of fifteen carriers in four groups and seven fast battleships, TF-58 was intended to deal with Ozawa, while also covering the landings on Saipan. Around midnight on June 18, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, alerted Spruance that Ozawas main body had been located approximately 350 miles west-southwest of TF-58. Realizing that continuing to steam west could lead to a night encounter with the Japanese, Mitscher asked permission to move just far enough west to be able to launch an air strike at dawn. Battle of the Philippine Sea Conflict: World War II (1939-1945)Dates: July 19-20, 1944Fleets and Commanders:AlliesAdmiral Raymond SpruanceVice Admiral Marc Mitscher7 fleet carriers, 8 light carriers, 7 battleships, 79 other warships, 28 submarinesJapaneseVice Admiral Jisaburo OzawaVice Admiral Kakuji Kakuta5 fleet carriers, 4 light carriers, 5 battleships, 43 other warshipsCasualties:Allies: 123 aircraftJapan: 3 carriers, 2 oilers, and approximately 600 aircraft (around 400 carrier, 200 land-based) Fighting Begins Concerned about being lured away from Saipan and opening the door for the Japanese slip around his flank, Spruance denied Mitschers request stunning his subordinate and his aviators. Knowing that battle was imminent, TF-58 deployed with its battleships to the west to provide an anti-aircraft shield. Around 5:50 a.m. on June 19, an A6M Zero from Guam spotted TF-58 and radioed a report to Ozawa before being shot down. Operating on this information, Japanese aircraft began taking off from Guam. To meet this threat, a group of F6F Hellcat fighters was launched. Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher.   U.S. Navy History and Heritage Command Arriving over Guam, they became engaged in a large aerial battle which saw 35 Japanese aircraft shot down. Fighting for over an hour, the American planes were recalled when radar reports showed inbound Japanese aircraft. These were the first wave of aircraft from Ozawas carriers which had launched around 8:30 a.m. While the Japanese had been able to make good their losses in carriers and aircraft, their pilots were green and lacked the skill and experience of their American counterparts. Consisting of 69 aircraft, the first Japanese wave was met by 220 Hellcats approximately 55 miles from the carriers. A Turkey Shoot Committing basic mistakes, the Japanese were knocked from the sky in large numbers with 41 of the 69 aircraft being shot down in less than 35 minutes. Their only success was a hit on the battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57). At 11:07 a.m., a second wave of Japanese aircraft appeared. Having launched shortly after the first, this group was larger and numbered 109 fighters, bombers, and torpedo bombers. Engaged 60 miles out, the Japanese lost around 70 aircraft before reaching TF-58. While they managed some near misses, they failed to score any hits. By the time the attacked ended, 97 Japanese aircraft had been downed. Fighter plane contrails mark the sky over Task Force 58, during the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot phase of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, June 29, 1944.   U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command A third Japanese attack of 47 aircraft was met at 1:00 PM with seven aircraft being downed. The remainder either lost their bearings or failed to press their attacks. Ozawas final attack launched around 11:30 a.m. and consisted of 82 aircraft. Arriving in the area, 49 failed to spot TF-58 and continued on to Guam. The rest attacked as planned, but sustained heavy losses and failed to inflict any damage on the American ships. Arriving over Guam, the first group was attacked by Hellcats as they attempted to land at Orote. During this engagement, 30 of the 42 were shot down. American Strikes As Ozawas aircraft were launching, his carriers were being stalked by American submarines. The first to strike was USS Albacore which fired a spread of torpedoes at the carrier Taiho. Ozawas flagship, Taiho was hit by one which ruptured two aviation fuel tanks. A second attack came later in the day when USS Cavella struck the carrier Shokaku with four torpedoes. As Shokaku was dead in the water and sinking, a damage control error aboard Taiho led to a series of explosions which sank the ship. Recovering his aircraft, Spruance again held off turning west in an effort to protect Saipan. Making the turn at nightfall, his search aircraft spent most of June 20 trying to locate Ozawas ships. Finally around 4:00 p.m., a scout from USS Enterprise (CV-6) located the enemy. Making a daring decision, Mitscher launched an attack at extreme range and with only hours remaining before sunset. Reaching the Japanese fleet, the 550 American aircraft sank two oilers and the carrier Hiyo in exchange for twenty aircraft. In addition, hits were scored on the carriers Zuikaku, Junyo, and Chiyoda, as well as the battleship Haruna. Japanese Carrier Division Three under attack by United States Navy aircraft from Task Force 58 in the battle of the Philippine Sea, late afternoon of June 20, 1944. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command   Flying home in the darkness, the attackers began to run low on fuel and many were forced to ditch. To ease their return, Mitscher daringly ordered all of the lights in the fleet turned on despite the risk of alerting enemy submarines to their position. Landing over a two-hour span, the aircraft set down wherever was easiest with many landing on the wrong ship. Despite these efforts, around 80 aircraft were lost through ditching or crashes. His air arm effectively destroyed, Ozawa was ordered to withdraw that night by Toyoda. Aftermath The Battle of the Philippine Sea cost Allied forces 123 aircraft while the Japanese lost three carriers, two oilers, and approximately 600 aircraft (around 400 carrier, 200 land-based). The devastation wrought by American pilots on June 19 led one to comment Why, hell it was just like an old-time turkey shoot down home!† This led to the aerial fight earning the name The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. With the Japanese air arm crippled, their carriers only became useful as decoys and were deployed as such at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. While many criticized Spruance for not being aggressive enough, he was commended by his superiors for his performance.