Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 28

Chapter 28 Joshua's ministry was three years of preaching, sometimes three times a day, and although there were some high and low points, I could never remember the sermons word for word, but here's the gist of almost every sermon I ever heard Joshua give. You should be nice to people, even creeps. And if you: a) believed that Joshua was the Son of God (and) b) he had come to save you from sin (and) c) acknowledged the Holy Spirit within you (became as a little child, he would say)(and) d) didn't blaspheme the Holy Ghost (see c), then you would: e) live forever f) someplace nice g) probably heaven. However, if you: h) sinned (and/or) i) were a hypocrite (and/or) j) valued things over people (and) k) didn't do a, b, c, and d, then you were: l) fucked Which is the message that Joshua's father had given him so many years ago, and which seemed, at the time, succinct to the point of rudeness, but made more sense after you listened to a few hundred sermons. That's what he taught, that's what we learned, that's what we passed on to the people in the towns of Galilee. Not everybody was good at it, however, and some seemed to miss the point altogether. One day Joshua, Maggie, and I returned from preaching in Cana to find Bartholomew sitting by the synagogue at Capernaum, preaching the Gospel to a semicircle of dogs that sat around him. The dogs seemed spellbound, but then, Bart was wearing a flank steak as a hat, so I'm not sure it was his speaking skills that held their attention. Joshua snatched the steak off of Bartholomew's head and tossed it into the street, where a dozen dogs suddenly found their faith. â€Å"Bart, Bart, Bart,† Josh said as he shook the big man by the shoulders, â€Å"don't give what's holy to dogs. Don't cast your pearls before swine. You're wasting the Word.† â€Å"I don't have any pearls. I am slave to no possessions.† â€Å"It's a metaphor, Bart,† Joshua said, deadpan. â€Å"It means don't give the Word to those who aren't ready to receive it.† â€Å"You mean like when you drowned the swine in Decapolis? They weren't ready for it?† Joshua looked at me for help. I shrugged. Maggie said, â€Å"That's exactly right, Bart. You got it.† â€Å"Oh, why didn't you say so?† Bart said. â€Å"Okay guys, we're off to preach the Word in Magdala.† He climbed to his feet and led his pack of disciples toward the lake. Joshua looked at Maggie. â€Å"That's not what I meant at all.† â€Å"Yes it is,† she said, then she took off to find Johanna and Susanna, two women who had joined us and were learning to preach the gospel. â€Å"That's not what I meant,† Joshua said to me. â€Å"Have you ever won an argument with her?† He shook his head. â€Å"Then say amen and let's go see what Peter's wife has cooked up.† The disciples were gathered around outside of Peter's house, sitting on the logs we had arranged in a circle around a fire pit. They were all looking down and seemed to be caught in some glum prayer. Even Matthew was there, when he should have been at his job collecting taxes in Magdala. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Joshua. â€Å"John the Baptist is dead,† said Philip. â€Å"What?† Joshua sat down on the log next to Peter and leaned against him. â€Å"We just saw Bartholomew,† I said. â€Å"He didn't say anything about it.† â€Å"We just found out,† said Andrew. â€Å"Matthew just brought the news from Tiberius.† It was the first time since he'd joined us that I'd seen Matthew without the light of enthusiasm in his face. He might have aged ten years in the last few hours. â€Å"Herod had him beheaded,† he said. â€Å"I thought Herod was afraid of John,† I said. It was rumored that Herod had kept John alive because he actually believed him to be the Messiah and was afraid of the wrath of God should the holy man perish. â€Å"It was at the request of his stepdaughter,† said Matthew. â€Å"John was killed at the behest of a teenage slut.† â€Å"Well, jeez, if he wasn't dead already, the irony would have killed him,† I said. Joshua stared into the dirt before him, thinking or praying, I couldn't tell. Finally he said, â€Å"John's followers will be like babes in the wilderness.† â€Å"Thirsty?† guessed Nathaniel. â€Å"Hungry?† guessed Peter. â€Å"Horny?† guessed Thomas. â€Å"No, you dumbfucks, lost. They'll be lost!† I said. â€Å"Jeez.† Joshua stood. â€Å"Philip, Thaddeus, go to Judea, tell John's followers that they are welcome here. Tell them that John's work is not lost. Bring them here.† â€Å"But master,† Judas said, â€Å"John has thousands of followers. If they come here, how will we feed them?† â€Å"He's new,† I explained. The next day was the Sabbath, and in the morning as we all headed to the synagogue, an old man in fine clothes ran out of the bushes and threw himself at Joshua's feet. â€Å"Oh, Rabbi,† he wailed, â€Å"I am the mayor of Magdala. My youngest daughter has died. People say that you can heal the sick and raise the dead, will you help me?† Joshua looked around. A half-dozen local Pharisees watched us from different points around the village. Joshua turned to Peter. â€Å"Take the Word to the synagogue today. I am going to help this man.† â€Å"Thank you, Rabbi,† the rich man gushed. He hurried off and waved for us to follow. â€Å"Where are you taking us?† I asked. â€Å"Only as far as Magdala,† he said. To Joshua I said, â€Å"That's farther than a Sabbath's journey allows.† â€Å"I know,† Joshua said. As we passed through all of the small villages along the coast on the way to Magdala, people came out of their houses and followed us for as long as they dared on a Sabbath, but I could also see the elders, the Pharisees, watching as we went. The mayor's house was large for Magdala, and his daughter had her own sleeping room. He led Joshua into the bedchamber where the girl lay. â€Å"Please save her, Rabbi.† Joshua bent down and examined the girl. â€Å"Go out of here,† he said to the old man. â€Å"Out of the house.† When the mayor was gone Joshua looked at me. â€Å"She's not dead.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"This girl is sleeping. Maybe they've given her some strong wine, or some sleeping powder, but she is not dead.† â€Å"So this is a trap?† â€Å"I didn't see this one coming either,† Joshua said. â€Å"They expect me to claim that I raised her from the dead, healed her, when she's only sleeping. Blasphemy and healing on the Sabbath.† â€Å"Let me raise her from the dead, then. I mean, I can do this one if she's only sleeping.† â€Å"They'll blame me for whatever you do as well. You may be their target too. The local Pharisees didn't devise this themselves.† â€Å"Jakan?† Josh nodded. â€Å"Go get the old man, and gather as many witnesses as you can, Pharisees as well. Make a ruckus.† When I had about fifty people gathered in and around the house, Joshua announced, â€Å"This girl isn't dead, she's sleeping, you foolish old man.† Joshua shook the girl and she sat up rubbing her eyes. â€Å"Keep watch on your strong wine, old man. Rejoice that you have not lost your daughter, but grieve that you have broken the Sabbath for your ignorance.† Then Joshua stormed out and I followed him. When we were a ways down the street he said, â€Å"Do you think they bought it?† â€Å"Nope,† I said. â€Å"Me either,† Joshua said. In the morning a Roman soldier came to Peter's house with messages. I was still sleeping when I heard the shouting. â€Å"I can only speak to Joshua of Nazareth,† someone said in Latin. â€Å"You'll speak to me or you'll never speak again,† I heard someone else say. (Obviously someone who had no desire to live a long life.) I was up and running in an instant, my tunic waving unbelted behind me. I rounded the corner at Peter's house to see Judas facing down a legionnaire. The soldier had partially drawn his short sword. â€Å"Judas!† I barked. â€Å"Back down.† I put myself between them. I knew I could disarm the soldier easily, but not the legion that would follow him if I did. â€Å"Who sends you, soldier?† â€Å"I have a message from Gaius Justus Gallicus, commander of the Sixth Legion, for Joshua bar Joseph of Nazareth.† He glared at Judas over my shoulder. â€Å"But there is nothing in my orders to keep me from killing this dog while delivering it.† I turned to face Judas, whose face was on fire with anger. I knew he carried a dagger in his sash, although I hadn't told Joshua about it. â€Å"Justus is a friend, Judas.† â€Å"No Roman is the friend of a Jew,† said Judas, making no effort whatever to whisper. And at that point, realizing that Joshua hadn't reached our new Zealot recruit with the message of forgiveness for all men, and that he was going to get himself killed, I quickly reached up under Judas' tunic, clamped onto his scrotum, squeezed once, rapidly and extremely hard, and after he blasted a mouthful of slobber on my chest, his eyes rolled in his head and he slumped to his knees, unconscious. I caught him and lowered him to the ground so he didn't hit his head. Then I turned to the Roman. â€Å"Fainting spells,† I said. â€Å"Let's go find Joshua.† Justus had sent us three messages from Jerusalem: Jakan had indeed divorced Maggie; the Pharisees' full council had met and they were plotting to kill Joshua; and Herod Antipas had heard of Joshua's miracles and was afraid that he might be the reincarnation of John the Baptist. Justus' only personal note was one word: Careful. â€Å"Joshua, you need to hide,† said Maggie. â€Å"Leave Herod's territory until things settle down. Go to Decapolis, preach to the gentiles. Herod Philip has no love for his brother, his soldiers won't bother you.† Maggie had become a fiercely dedicated preacher herself. It was as if she had channeled her personal passion for Joshua into a passion for the Word. â€Å"Not yet,† said Joshua. â€Å"Not until Philip and Thaddeus return with John's followers. I will not leave them lost. I need a sermon, one that can serve as if it was my last, one that will sustain the lost while I'm gone. Once I deliver it to Galilee, I'll go to Philip's territory.† I looked at Maggie and she nodded, as if to say, Do what you have to, but protect him. â€Å"Let's write it then,† I said. Like any great speech, the Sermon on the Mount sounds as if it just happened spontaneously, but actually Joshua and I worked on it for over a week – Joshua dictating and me taking notes on parchment. (I had invented a way of sandwiching a thin piece of charcoal between two pieces of olive wood so that I could write without carrying a quill and inkwell.) We worked in front of Peter's house, out in the boat, even on the mountainside where he would deliver the sermon. Joshua wanted to devote a long section of the sermon to adultery, largely, I realize now, motivated by my relationship with Maggie. Even though Maggie had resolved to stay celibate and preach the Word, I think Joshua wanted to drive the point home. Joshua said, â€Å"Put in ‘If a man even looks at a woman with lust in his heart, he has committed adultery.'† â€Å"Really, you want to go with that? And this ‘If a divorced woman remarries she commits adultery'?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"Seems a little harsh. A little Pharisee-ish.† â€Å"I had some people in mind. What do you have?† â€Å"‘Verily I say unto you' – I know you like to say ‘verily' when you're talking about adultery – anyway, ‘Verily I say unto you, that should a man put oil upon a woman's naked body, and make her go upon all fours and bark like a dog, while knowing her, if you know what I mean, then he has committed adultery, and surely if a woman do the same thing right back, well she has jumped on the adultery donkey cart herownself. And if a woman should pretend to be a powerful queen, and a man a lowly slave boy, and if she should call him humiliating names and make him lick upon her body, then surely they have sinned like big dogs – and woe unto the man if he pretends to be a powerful queen, and – ‘† â€Å"That's enough, Biff.† â€Å"But you want to be specific, don't you. You don't want people to walk around wondering, ‘Hey, is this adultery, or what? Maybe you should roll over.'† â€Å"I'm not sure that being that specific is a good idea.† â€Å"Okay, how 'bout this: ‘Should a man or a woman have any goings-on with their mutual naughty bits, then it is more than likely they are committing adultery, or at least they should consider it.'† â€Å"Well, maybe more specific than that.† â€Å"Come on, Josh, this isn't an easy one like ‘Thou shalt not kill.' Basically, there you got a corpse, you got a sin, right?† â€Å"Yes, adultery can be sticky.† â€Å"Well, yes†¦Look, a seagull!† â€Å"Biff, I appreciate that you feel obliged to be an advocate for your favorite sins, but that's not what I need here. What I need is help writing this sermon. How we doing on the Beatitudes?† â€Å"Pardon me?† â€Å"The blesseds.† â€Å"We've got: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness; blessed are the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, the whiners, the meek, the – â€Å" â€Å"Wait, what are we giving the meek?† â€Å"Let's see, uh, here: Blessed are the meek, for to them we shall say, ‘attaboy.'† â€Å"A little weak.† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"Let's let the meek inherit the earth.† â€Å"Can't you give the earth to the whiners?† â€Å"Well then, cut the whiners and give the earth to the meek.† â€Å"Okay. Earth to the meek. Here we go. Blessed are the peacemakers, the mourners, and that's it.† â€Å"How many is that?† â€Å"Seven.† â€Å"Not enough. We need one more. How about the dumbfucks?† â€Å"No, Josh, not the dumbfucks. You've done enough for the dumbfucks. Nathaniel, Thomas – â€Å" â€Å"Blessed are the dumbfucks for they, uh – I don't know – they shall never be disappointed.† â€Å"No, I'm drawing the line at dumbfucks. Come on, Josh, why can't we have any powerful guys on our team? Why do we have to have the meek, and the poor, the oppressed, and the pissed on? Why can't we, for once, have blessed are the big powerful rich guys with swords?† â€Å"Because they don't need us.† â€Å"Okay, but no ‘Blessed are the dumbfucks.'† â€Å"Who then?† â€Å"Sluts?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"How about the wankers? I can think of five or six disciples that would be really blessed.† â€Å"No wankers. I've got it: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.† â€Å"Okay, better. What are you going to give them?† â€Å"A fruit basket.† â€Å"You can't give the meek the whole earth and these guys a fruit basket.† â€Å"Give them the kingdom of heaven.† â€Å"The poor in spirit got that.† â€Å"Everybody gets some.† â€Å"Okay then, ‘share the Kingdom of Heaven.'† I wrote it down. â€Å"We could give the fruit basket to the dumbfucks.† â€Å"NO DUMBFUCKS!† â€Å"Sorry, I just feel for them.† â€Å"You feel for everyone, Josh. It's your job.† â€Å"Oh yeah. I forgot.† We finished writing the sermon only a few hours before Philip and Thaddeus returned from Judea leading three thousand of John's followers. Joshua had them gather on a hillside above Capernaum, then sent the disciples into the crowd to find the sick and bring them to him. He performed miracles of healing all morning, then coming into the afternoon he gathered us together at the spring below the mountain. Peter said, â€Å"There's at least another thousand people from Galilee on the hill, Joshua, and they are hungry.† â€Å"How much food do we have?† Joshua asked. Judas came forward with a basket. â€Å"Five loaves and two fish.† â€Å"That will do, but you'll need more baskets. And about a hundred volunteers to help distribute the food. Nathaniel, you, Bartholomew, and Thomas go into the crowd and find me fifty to a hundred people who have their own baskets. Bring them here. By the time you get back we'll have the food for them.† Judas threw down his basket. â€Å"We have five loaves, how do you think – â€Å" Joshua held up his hand for silence and the Zealot clammed up. â€Å"Judas, today you've seen the lame walk, the blind see, and the deaf hear.† â€Å"Not to mention the blind hear and the deaf see,† I added. Joshua scowled at me. â€Å"It will take little more to feed a few of the faithful.† â€Å"There are but five loaves!† shouted Judas. â€Å"Judas, once there was a rich man, who built great barns and granaries so he could save all of the fruits of his wealth long into his old age. But on the very day his barns were finished, the Lord said, â€Å"Hey, we need you up here.† And the rich man did say, â€Å"Oh shit, I'm dead.† So what good did his stuff do him?† â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"Don't worry about what you're going to eat.† Nathaniel, Bart, and Thomas started off to their assigned duty, but Maggie grabbed Nathaniel and held him fast. â€Å"No,† she said. â€Å"No one does anything until you promise us that you'll go into hiding after this sermon.† Joshua smiled. â€Å"How can I hide, Maggie? Who will spread the Word? Who will heal the sick?† â€Å"We will,† Maggie continued. â€Å"Now promise. Go into the land of the gentiles, out of Herod's reach, just until things calm down. Promise or we don't move.† Peter and Andrew stepped up behind Maggie to show their support. John and James were nodding as she spoke. â€Å"So be it,† said Joshua. â€Å"But now we have hungry people to feed.† And we fed them. The loaves and the fish were multiplied, jars were brought in from the surrounding villages and filled with water, which was carried to the mountainside, and all the while the local Pharisees watched and growled and spied, but they hadn't missed the healings, and they didn't miss the Sermon on the Mount, and word of it went back to Jerusalem with their poison reports. Afterward, at the spring by the shore, I gathered up the last of the pieces of bread to take home with us. Joshua came down the shore with a basket over his head, then pulled it off when he got to me. â€Å"When we said we wanted you to hide we meant something a little less obvious, Joshua. Great sermon, by the way.† Joshua started helping me gather up the bread that was strewn around on the ground. â€Å"I wanted to talk to you and I couldn't get away from the crowd without hiding under the basket. I'm having a little trouble preaching humility.† â€Å"You're so good at that one. People line up to hear the humility sermon.† â€Å"How can I preach that the humble will be exalted and the exalted will be humbled at the same time I'm being exalted by four thousand people?† â€Å"Bodhisattva, Josh. Remember what Gaspar taught you about being a bodhisattva. You don't have to be humble, because you are denying your own ascension by bringing the good news to other people. You're out of the humility flow, so to speak.† â€Å"Oh yeah.† He smiled. â€Å"But now that you mention it,† I said, â€Å"it does seem a little hypocritical.† â€Å"I'm not proud of that.† â€Å"Then you're okay.† That evening, when we had all gathered again in Capernaum, Joshua called us to the fire ring in front of Peter's house and we watched the last gold of the sunlight reflecting on the lake as Joshua led us in a prayer of thanks. Then he made the call: â€Å"Okay, who wants to be an apostle?† â€Å"I do, I do,† said Nathaniel. â€Å"What's an apostle?† â€Å"That's a guy who makes drugs,† I said. â€Å"Me, me,† said Nathaniel. â€Å"I want to make drugs.† â€Å"I'll try that,† said John. â€Å"That's an apothecary,† said Matthew. â€Å"An apothecary mixes powders and makes drugs. Apostle means ‘to send off.'† â€Å"Is this kid a whiz, or what,† I said, pointing a thumb at Matthew. â€Å"That's right,† said Joshua, â€Å"messengers. You'll be sent off to spread the message that the kingdom has come.† â€Å"Isn't that what we're doing now?† asked Peter. â€Å"No, now you're disciples, but I want to appoint apostles who will take the Word into the land. There will be twelve, for the twelve tribes of Israel. I'll give you power to heal, and power over devils. You'll be like me, only in a different outfit. You'll take nothing with you except your clothes. You'll live only off the charity of those you preach to. You'll be on your own, like sheep among wolves. People will persecute you and spit on you, and maybe beat you, and if that happens, well, it happens. Shake off the dust and move on. Now, who's with me?† And there was a roaring silence among the disciples. â€Å"How about you, Maggie?† â€Å"I'm not much of a traveler, Josh. Makes me nauseous. Disciple's fine with me.† â€Å"How 'bout you, Biff?† â€Å"I'm good. Thanks.† Joshua stood up and just counted them off. â€Å"Nathaniel, Peter, Andrew, Philip, James, John, Thaddeus, Judas, Matthew, Thomas, Bartholomew, and Simon. You're the apostles. Now get out there and apostilize.† And they all looked at each other. â€Å"Spread the good news, the son of man is here! The kingdom is coming. Go! Go! Go!† They got up and sort of milled around. â€Å"Can we take our wives?† asked James. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Or one of the women disciples?† asked Matthew. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Can Thomas Two go too?† â€Å"Yes, Thomas Two can go.† Their questions answered, they milled around some more. â€Å"Biff,† Joshua said. â€Å"Will you assign territories for everybody and send them out?† â€Å"Okey-dokey,† I said. â€Å"Who wants Samaria? No one? Good. Peter, it's yours. Give 'em hell. Caesarea? Come on, you weenies, step up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Thus were the twelve appointed to their sacred mission. The next morning seventy of the people who we'd recruited to help feed the multitude came to Joshua when they heard about the appointing of the apostles. â€Å"Why only twelve?† one man asked. â€Å"You all want to cast off what you own, leave your families, and risk persecution and death to spread the good news?† Joshua asked. â€Å"Yes,† they all shouted. Joshua looked at me as if he himself couldn't believe it. â€Å"It was a really good sermon,† I said. â€Å"So be it,† said Joshua. â€Å"Biff, you and Matthew assign territories. Send no one to his hometown. That doesn't seem to work very well.† And so the twelve and the seventy were sent out, and Joshua, Maggie, and I went into Decapolis, which was the territory of Herod's brother, Philip, and camped and fished and basically hid out. Joshua preached a little, but only to small groups, and although he did heal the sick, he asked them not to tell anyone about the miracles. After three months hiding in Philip's territory, word came by boat from across the lake that someone had intervened on Joshua's behalf with the Pharisees and that the death warrant, which had never really been formal, had been lifted. We went home to Capernaum and waited for the apostles to return. Their enthusiasm had waned some after months in the field. â€Å"It sucks.† â€Å"People are mean.† â€Å"Lepers are creepy.† Matthew came out of Judea with more news of Joshua's mysterious benefactor from Jerusalem. â€Å"His name is Joseph of Arimathea,† said Matthew. â€Å"He's a wealthy merchant, and he owns ships and vineyards and olive presses. He seems to have the ear of the Pharisees, but he is not one of them. His wealth has given him some influence with the Romans as well. They are considering making him a citizen, I hear.† â€Å"What makes him want to help us?† I asked. â€Å"I talked to him for a long time about the kingdom, and about the Holy Ghost and the rest of Joshua's message. He believes.† Matthew smiled broadly, obviously proud of his powerful convert. â€Å"He wants you to come to his house for dinner, Joshua. In Jerusalem.† â€Å"Are you sure it's safe for Joshua there?† asked Maggie. â€Å"Joseph has sent this letter guaranteeing Joshua's safety along with all who accompany him to Jerusalem.† Matthew held out the letter. Maggie took the scroll and unrolled it. â€Å"My name is on this too. And Biff's.† â€Å"Joseph knew you would be coming, and I told him that Biff sticks to Joshua like a leech.† â€Å"Excuse me?† â€Å"I mean, that you accompany the master wherever he travels,† Matthew added quickly. â€Å"But why me?† Maggie asked. â€Å"Your brother Simon who is called Lazarus, he is very sick. Dying. He's asked for you. Joseph wanted you to know that you would have safe passage.† Josh grabbed his satchel and started walking that moment. â€Å"Let's go,† he said. â€Å"Peter, you are in charge until I return. Biff, Maggie, we need to make Tiberius before dark. I'm going to see if I can borrow some camels there. Matthew, you come too, you know this Joseph. And Thomas, you come along, I want to talk to you.† So off we went, into what I was sure were the jaws of a trap. Along the way Joshua called Thomas to walk beside him. Maggie and I walked behind them only a few paces, so we could hear their conversation. Thomas kept stopping to make sure that Thomas Two could keep up with them. â€Å"They all think I'm mad,† Thomas said. â€Å"They laugh at me behind my back. Thomas Two has told me.† â€Å"Thomas, you know I can lay my hands upon you and you will be cured. Thomas Two will no longer speak to you. The others won't laugh at you.† Thomas walked along for a while without saying anything, but when he looked back at Joshua I could see tears streaking his cheeks. â€Å"If Thomas Two goes away, then I'll be alone.† â€Å"You won't be alone. You'll have me.† â€Å"Not for long. You don't have long with us.† â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"Thomas Two told me.† â€Å"We won't tell the others quite yet, all right, Thomas?† â€Å"Not if you don't want me to. But you won't cure me, will you? You won't make Thomas Two go away?† â€Å"No,† Joshua said. â€Å"We may both need an extra friend soon.† He patted Thomas on the shoulder, then turned to walk on ahead to catch up with Matthew. â€Å"Well, don't step on him!† Thomas shouted. â€Å"Sorry,† said Joshua. I looked at Maggie. â€Å"Did you hear that?† She nodded. â€Å"You can't let it happen, Biff. He doesn't seem to care about his own life, but I do, and you do, and if you let harm come to him I'll never forgive you.† â€Å"But Maggie, everyone is supposed to be forgiven.† â€Å"Not you. Not if something happens to Josh.† â€Å"So be it. So, hey, once Joshua heals your brother, you want to go do something, get some pomegranate juice, or a falafel, or get married or something?† She stopped in her tracks, so I stopped too. â€Å"Are you ever paying attention to anything that goes on around you?† â€Å"I'm sorry, I was overcome by faith there for a moment. What did you say?† When we got to Bethany, Martha was waiting for us in the street in front of Simon's house. She went right to Joshua and he held out his arms to embrace her, but when she got to him she pushed him away. â€Å"My brother is dead,† she said. â€Å"Where were you?† â€Å"I came as soon as I heard.† Maggie went to Martha and held her as they both cried. The rest of us stood around feeling awkward. The two old blind guys, Crustus and Abel, whom Joshua had once healed, came over from across the street. â€Å"Dead, dead and buried four days,† said Crustus. â€Å"He turned a sort of chartreuse at the end.† â€Å"Emerald, it was emerald, not chartreuse,† said Abel. â€Å"My friend Simon truly sleeps, then,† Joshua said. Thomas came up and put his hand on Joshua's shoulder. â€Å"No, master, he's dead. Thomas Two thinks it may have been a hairball. Simon was a leopard, you know?† I couldn't stand it. â€Å"He was a LEPER, you idiot! Not a leopard.† â€Å"Well, he IS dead!† shouted Thomas back. â€Å"Not sleeping.† â€Å"Joshua was being figurative, he knows he's dead.† â€Å"Do you guys think you could be just a little more insensitive?† said Matthew, pointing to the weeping sisters. â€Å"Look, tax collector, when I want your two shekels I'll ask – â€Å" â€Å"Where is he?† Joshua asked, his voice booming over the sobs and protests. Martha pushed out of her sister's embrace and looked at Joshua. â€Å"He bought a tomb in Kidron,† said Martha. â€Å"Take me there, I need to wake my friend.† â€Å"Dead,† said Thomas. â€Å"Dead, dead, dead.† There was a sparkle of hope amid the tears in Martha's eyes. â€Å"Wake him?† â€Å"Dead as a doornail. Dead as Moses. Mmmph†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Matthew clamped his hand over Thomas's mouth, which saved me having to render the twin unconscious with a brick. â€Å"You believe that Simon will rise from the dead, don't you?† asked Joshua. â€Å"In the end, when the kingdom comes, and everyone is raised, yes, I believe.† â€Å"Do you believe I am who I say I am?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"Then show me where my friend lies sleeping.† Martha moved like a sleepwalker, her exhaustion and grief driven back just enough for her to lead us up the road to the Mount of Olives and down into the Kidron Valley. Maggie had been deeply shaken by the news of her brother's death as well, so Thomas and Matthew helped her along while I walked with Joshua. â€Å"Four days dead, Josh. Four days. Divine Spark or not, the flesh is empty.† â€Å"Simon will walk again if he is but bone,† said Joshua. â€Å"Okey-dokey. But this has never been one of your better miracles.† When we got to the tomb there was a tall, thin, aristocratic man sitting outside eating a fig. He was clean-shaven and his gray hair was cut short like a Roman's. If he hadn't worn the two-striped tunic of a Jew I would have thought him a Roman citizen. â€Å"I thought you would come here,† he said. He knelt before Joshua. â€Å"Rabbi, I'm Joseph of Arimathea. I sent word through your disciple Matthew that I wanted to meet with you. How may I serve?† â€Å"Stand up, Joseph. Help roll away this stone.† As with many of the larger tombs carved into the side of the mountain, there was a large flat stone covering the doorway. Joshua put his arms around Maggie and Martha while the rest of us wrestled with the stone. As soon as the seal was broken I was hit with a stench that gagged me and Thomas actually lost his supper in the dirt. â€Å"He stinks,† said Matthew. â€Å"I thought he would smell more like a cat,† said Thomas. â€Å"Don't make me come over there, Thomas,† I said. We pushed the stone as far as it would go, then we ran away gasping for fresh air. Joshua held his arms out as if waiting to embrace his friend. â€Å"Come out, Simon Lazarus, come out into the light.† Nothing but stench came out of the tomb. â€Å"Come forth, Simon. Come out of that tomb,† Joshua commanded. And absolutely nothing happened. Joseph of Arimathea shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. â€Å"I wanted to talk to you about the dinner at my house before you got there, Joshua.† Joshua held up his hand for silence. â€Å"Simon, dammit, come out of there.† And ever so weakly, there came a voice from inside the tomb. â€Å"No.† â€Å"What do you mean, ‘no'? You have risen from the dead, now come forth. Show these unbelievers that you have risen.† â€Å"I believe,† I said. â€Å"Convinced me,† said Matthew. â€Å"A no is as good as a personal appearance, as far as I'm concerned,† said Joseph of Arimathea. I'm not sure any of us who had smelled the stench of rotting flesh really wanted to see the source. Even Maggie and Martha seemed a little dubious about their brother's coming out. â€Å"Simon, get your leprous ass out here,† Joshua commanded. â€Å"But I'm†¦I'm all icky.† â€Å"We've all seen icky before,† said Joshua. â€Å"Now come out into the light.† â€Å"My skin is all green, like an unripe olive.† â€Å"Olive green!† declared Crustus, who had followed us into Kidron. â€Å"I told you it wasn't chartreuse.† â€Å"What the hell does he know? He's dead,† said Abel. Finally Joshua lowered his arms and stormed into the tomb. â€Å"I can't believe that you bring a guy back from the dead and he doesn't even have the courtesy to come out – WHOA! HOLY MOLY!† Joshua came backing out of the tomb, stiff-legged. Very calmly and quietly, he said, â€Å"We need clean clothes, and some water to wash with, and bandages, lots of bandages. I can heal him, but we have to sort of get all of his parts stuck back together first.† â€Å"Hold on, Simon,† Joshua shouted to the tomb, â€Å"we're getting some supplies, then I'll come in and heal your affliction.† â€Å"What affliction?† asked Simon.

Protecting Animals From Neglect And Cruelty Essay

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Problems Encountered in Entering a Catering Business

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN ESTABLISHING A CATERING BUSINESS A Research Paper Presented to The Faculty of the English Department Polytechnic University of Quezon City Novaliches, Quezon City In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Subject English 123 Jennefer T. Macasa Abigaille P. Marcelo Charmaine D. Gaspar Ernie Bacaran Jerry Mar Gelizon Lady Lyn E. Lupango March 2009 i APPROVAL SHEET This thesis entitled PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN ESTABLISHING A CATERING BUSINESS, PREPARED AND SUBMITTED by Jennefer T. Macasa, Abigaille P. Marcelo, Charmaine D. Gaspar, Lady Lyn E. Lupango, Ernie Bacaran, Jerry Mar Gelizon in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree in Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management is†¦show more content†¦Whether you cater events on a full-time or a part-time basis, the opportunities are excellent. Each catered event is a new experience and challenge with a new group of people. 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Emile Durkheim On Suicide Summary - 1081 Words

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Night World Dark Angel Chapter 2 Free Essays

Everything was freezing confusion. Her head was under water and she was being tumbled over and over. She couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, and she was completely disoriented. We will write a custom essay sample on Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 2 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Then her head popped up. She automatically sucked in a huge gasp of air. Her arms were flailing but they seemed tangled in her backpack. The creek was wide here and the current was very strong. She was being swept downstream, and every other second her mouth seemed to be full of water. Reality was just one desperate, choking attempt to get enough air for the next breath. And everything was so cold. A cold that was pain, not just temperature. I’m going to die. Her mind realized this with a sort of numb certainty, but her body was stubborn. It fought almost as if it had a separate brain of its own. It struggled out of her backpack, so that the natural buoyancy of her ski jacket helped keep her head above water. It made her legs kick, trying to stand firm on the bottom. No good. The creek was only five feet deep in the center, but that was still an inch higher than Gillian’s head. She was too small, too weak, and she couldn’t get any kind of control over where she was going. And the cold was sapping her strength frighteningly fast. With every second her chances of surviving dropped. It was as if the creek were a monster that hated her and would never let her go. It slammed her into rocks and swept her on before her hands could get hold of the cold, smooth surfaces. And in a few minutes she was going to be too weak to keep her face above water. I have to grab something. Her body was telling her that. It was her only chance. There. Up ahead, on the left bank, a projecting spit with tree roots. She had to get to it. Kick. Kick. She hit and was almost spun past it. But somehow, she was holding on. The roots were thicker than her arms, a huge tangle like slick, icy snakes. Gillian thrust an arm through a natural loop of the roots, anchoring herself. Oh-yes; she could breathe now. But her body was still in the creek, being sucked away by the water. She had to get out-but that was impossible. She just barely had the strength to hold on; her weakened, numb muscles could never pull her up the bank. At that moment, she was filled with hatred- not for the creek, but for herself. Because she was little and weak and childish and it was going to kill her. She was going to die, and it was all happening right now, and it was real. She could never really remember what happened next. Her mind let go and there was nothing but anger and the burning need to get higher. Her legs kicked and scrambled and some dim part of her knew that each impact against the rocks and roots should have hurt. But all that mattered was the desperation that was somehow, inch by inch, getting her numb, waterlogged body out of the creek. And then she was out. She was lying on roots and snow. Her vision was dim; she was gasping, open-mouthed, for breath, but she was alive. Gillian lay there for a long time, not really aware of the cold, her entire body echoing with relief. I made it! I’ll be okay now. It was only when she tried to get up that she realized how wrong she was. When she tried to stand, her legs almost folded under her. Her muscles felt like jelly. And †¦ it was cold. She was already exhausted and nearly frozen, and her soaking clothes felt as heavy as medieval armor. Her gloves were gone, lost in the creek. Her cap was gone. With every breath, she seemed to get colder, and suddenly she was racked with waves of violent shivers. Find the road †¦ I have to get to the road. But which way is it? She’d landed somewhere downstream-but where? How far away was the road now? Doesn’t matter†¦ just walk away from the creek, Gillian thought slowly. It was difficult to think at all. She felt stiff and clumsy and the shivering made it hard to climb over fallen trees and branches. Her red, swollen fingers couldn’t close to get handholds. I’m so cold-why can’t I stop shivering? Dimly, she knew that she was in serious trouble. If she didn’t get to the road-soon-she wasn’t going to survive. But it was more and more difficult to call up a sense of alarm. A strange sort of apathy was coming over her. The gnarled forest seemed like something from a fairy tale. Stumbling†¦ staggering. She had no idea where she was going. Just straight ahead. That was all she could see anyway, the next dark rock protruding from the snow, the next fallen branch to get over or around. And then suddenly she was on her face. She’d fallen. It seemed to take immense effort to get up again. It’s these clothes†¦ they’re too heavy. I should take them off. Again, dimly, she knew that this was wrong. Her brain was being affected; she was dazed with hypothermia. But the part of her that knew this was far away, separate from her. She fought to make her numbed ringers unzip her ski jacket. Okay†¦ it’s off. I can walk better now†¦ She couldn’t walk better. She kept falling. She had been doing this forever, stumbling, falling, getting up. And every time it was a little harder. Her cords felt like slabs of ice on her legs. She looked at them with distant annoyance and saw that they were covered with adhering snow. Okay-maybe take those off, too? She couldn’t remember how to work a zipper. She couldn’t think at all anymore. The violent waves of shivering were interspersed with pauses now, and the pauses were getting longer. I guess †¦ that’s good. I must not be so cold—– I just need a little rest. While the faraway part of her brain screamed uselessly in protest, Gillian sat down in the snow. She was in a small clearing. It seemed deserted-not even the footprints of a ground mouse marked the smooth white carpet around her. Above, overhanging branches formed a snowy canopy. It was a very peaceful place to die. Gillian’s shivering had stopped. Which meant it was all over now. Her body couldn’t warm itself by shivering any longer, and was giving up the fight. Instead, it was trying to move into hibernation. Shutting itself down, reducing breathing and heart rate, conserving the little warmth that was left. Trying to survive until help could come. Except that no help was coming. No one knew where she was. It would be hours before her dad got home or her mother was†¦ awake. And even then they wouldn’t be alarmed that Gillian wasn’t there. They’d assume she was with Amy. By the time anyone thought of looking for her it would be far too late. The faraway part of Gillian’s mind knew all this, but it didn’t matter. She had reached her physical limits-she couldn’t save herself now even if she could have thought of a plan. Her hands weren’t red anymore. They were blue-white. Her muscles were becoming rigid. At least she no longer felt cold. There was only a vast sense of relief at not having to move. She was so tired†¦ Her body had begun the process of dying. White mist filled her mind. She had no sense of time passing. Her metabolism was slowing to a stop. She was becoming a creature of ice, no different from any stump or rock in the frozen wilderness. I’m in trouble†¦ somebody†¦ somebody please†¦ Mom †¦ Her last thought was, it’s just like going to sleep. And then, all at once, there was no rigidity, no discomfort. She felt light and calm and free-and she was floating up near the canopy of snowy boughs. How wonderful to be warm again! Really warm, as if she were filled with sunshine. Gillian laughed in pleasure. But where am I? Didn’t something just happen-something bad? On the ground below her there was a huddled figure. Gillian looked at it curiously. A small girl. Almost hidden by her long pale hair, the strands already covered in fine ice. The girl’s face was delicate. Pretty bone structure. But the skin was a terrible flat white-dead looking. The eyes were shut, the lashes frosty. Underneath, Gillian knew somehow, the eyes were deep violet. I get it. I remember. That’s me. The realization didn’t bother her. Gillian felt no connection to the huddled thing in the snow. She didn’t belong to it anymore. With a mental shrug, she turned away- -and she was in a tunnel. A huge dark place, with the feeling of being vastly complicated somehow. As if space here were folded or twisted-and maybe time, too. She was rushing through it, flying. Points of light were whizzing by-who could tell how far away in the darkness? Oh, God, Gillian thought. It’s the tunnel. This is happening. Right now. To me. I’m really dead. And going at warp speed. Weirder than being dead was being dead with a sense of humor. Contradictions†¦ this felt so real, more real than anything that had ever happened while she was alive. But at the same time, she had a strange sense of unreality. The edges of her self were blurred, as if somehow she were a part of the tunnel and the lights and the motion. She didn’t have a distinct body anymore. Could this all be happening in my head? With that, for the first time, she felt frightened. Things in her head†¦ could be scary. What if she ran into her nightmares, the very things that her subconscious knew terrified her most? That was when she realized she had no control over where she was going. And the tunnel had changed. There was a bright light up ahead. It wasn’t blue-white, as she would have expected from movies. It was pale gold, blurred as if she were seeing it through frosty glass, but still unbelievably brilliant. Isn’t it supposed to feel like love or something? What it felt like-what it made her feel-was awe. The light was so big, so powerful†¦ and so Just Plain Bright. It was like looking at the beginning of the universe. And she was rushing toward it so fast-it was filling her vision. She was in it. The light encompassed her, surrounded her. Seemed to shine through her. She was flying upward through radiance like a swimmer surfacing. Then the feeling of motion faded. The light was getting less bright-or maybe her eyes were adapting to it. Shapes solidified around her. She was in a meadow. The grass was amazing- not just green, but a sort of impossible ultra green. As if lit up from inside. The sky was the same kind of impossible blue. She was wearing a thin summer dress that billowed around her. The false color made it seem like a dream. Not to mention the white columns rising at intervals from the grass, supporting nothing. So this is what happens when you die. And now†¦ now, somebody should come meet me. Grandpa Trevor? I’d like to see him walking again. But no one came. The landscape was beautiful, peaceful, unearthly-and utterly deserted. Gillian felt anxiety twisting again inside her. Wait, what if this place wasn’t-the good place? After all, she hadn’t been particularly good in her life. What if this were actually hell? Or †¦ limbo? Like the place all those spirits who talked to mediums must be from. Creatures from heaven wouldn’t say such silly things. What if she were left here, alone, forever? As soon as she finished the thought, she wished she hadn’t. This seemed to be the kind of place where thoughts-or fears-could influence reality. Wasn’t that something rancid she smelled? And-weren’t those voices? Fragments of sentences that seemed to come from the air around her? The kind of nonsense said by people in dreams. â€Å"So white you can’t see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"A time and a half†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"If only I could, girl†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Gillian turned around and around, trying to catch more. Trying to figure out whether or not she was really hearing the words. She had the sudden gut-trembling feeling that the beauty around her could easily come apart at the seams. Oh, God, let me think good thoughts. Please. I wish I hadn’t watched so many horror movies. I don’t want to see anything terrible-like the ground splitting and hands reaching for me. And I don’t want anyone to meet me-looking like something rotting with bones exposed-after all. She was in trouble. Even thinking about not thinking brought up pictures. And now fear was galloping inside her, and in her mind the bright meadow was turning into a nightmare of darkness and stink and pressure and gibbering mindless things. She was terrified that at any moment she might see a change- And then she did see one. Something unmistakable. A few feet away from her, above the grass, was a sort of mist of light. It hadn’t been there a moment ago. But now it seemed to get brighter as she watched, and to stretch from very far away. And there was a shape in it, coming toward her. How to cite Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 2, Essay examples

Andrew Jackson Renegade President or Trailblazer free essay sample

Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States. Jackson was viewed as renegade President due to his loyalty to the common man. He opposed the wealthy men of America that controlled the government. His first rebellion against the wealthy men of America was relieving them of their jobs in government through Spoils System. His renegade attitude caused him to act immorally toward the Native Americans by removing them from their homes for the nations expansion.Lastly, his beliefs that the national bank as in favor of the of the typical wealthy elite of America led him to set a goal to destroy the national bank. Therefore, the Spoils System, the policies against Native Americans and the goal set out to destroy the Bank of USA made Andrew Jackson a renegade President. Andrew Jackson was seen as the voice of the people a quality many politicians of his time did not possess. We will write a custom essay sample on Andrew Jackson: Renegade President or Trailblazer? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This instantly classified him as a renegade among his political peers. Also, he believed that average American should play a role in a democratic government. Ultimately, president Andrew Jackson decided to lead the support in a system called the Spoils System. The system worked as a benefit to the common man of America. The Spoils System marked the process of firing experienced and qualified government employees from their jobs in place of average Americans, that were supporters of President Jackson. Many government officials questioned his bias decisions and were outraged by President Jacksons decision. However, Jackson stood by his beliefs by claiming that the Spoils System was democratic because in put the general public of America first.The following tote further explains what was previously stated. it put an end to a permanent, no elected office- holding class. Because government jobs were so plain and simple, they could easily be rotated at will and given to supporters. (Appleby et al, 224). It was for those reason, that make the Spoils System a controversial decision that makes Prestidigitation a renegade. Andrew Jackson made a commitment to extend democracy to benefit everyone, apparently everyone did not involve the Native Americans. In order to move democracy westward Jackson had to find a way to move the NativeAmericans out of those locations needed to extend democracy. As a result, came the Indian Removal Act, which was an act to relocate Native American in order, to expand democracy westward. President Jackson presented this act to congress. Unfortunately for Jackson congress did not pass it then, he took it up to the Supreme Court where Chief Justice John Marshall opposed the Indian Removal Act. However, President Andrew Jackson stated that in-acted the Indian Removal Act without the consent of congress and the Supreme court.This act of rebellion by President Jackson led to the Native American genocide called the Trail of Tears. Trail of Tears accounted for 2,000 plus people dead from causes such as starvation and diseases. This decision by Andrew Jackson was the darkest moment in his term as President. President Jacksons biggest obstacle he faced as a president was his ongoing fight to destroy the first and second Bank of USA. The reason why he wanted to destroy the bank was due to him regarding that the Bank was a monopoly that benefited the wealthy. Prestidigitation believed that the bank did not benefit farmers for its policies and heavily Favored the Northeast States oppose over the Southern and Western states. Lastly, Andrew Jackson wanted to put an end to the bank of USA because the bank had too much influence over congress. Sadly, his goal was never reached because the government supported industrial and commercial development. Andrew Jackson was a renegade president. He was a renegade because he wanted to involve average Americans in government through the Spoils System.Andrew Jackson was a renegade because he went behind the countrys back and initiated a genocide of Native Americans. President Jackson was a renegade because he wanted to destroy the Bank of USA so that it benefit the common American. Although, President Jackson was a renegade, he was not a renegade for no reason. Andrew Jacksons purpose of being a renegade President was to give the average American a voice in everything concerning the nation. Therefore, Andrew Jackson was a renegade President to support the average Americans.

THE INVASION OF NORMANDY Essay Example For Students

THE INVASION OF NORMANDY Essay D-Day, June 6, 1944 was the focal point of the greatest and most planned out invasion of all time. The Allied invasion of France was long awaited and tactfully thought out. Formonths the Allied forces of millions of soldiers trained in Britain waiting for the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, General Eisenhower to set a date. June 5, 1944 was to be the day with the H-hour at 06:30. The vast power of an Allied Army 2.5 million strong lay coiled in England, ready to spring across the channel into German occupied France. Some of the more than 5000 strong armada of ships and small craft of the invasion fleet had already put to sea. On that June morning screaming winds and a downpour of rain threatened to cancel the invasion. General Eisenhower had to make a decision and make it soon. He postponed the attack 24 hours and waited for the weather to clear. If he was to cancel it one more time it would be another month before the tide and moonlight conditions would be once again favorable for both a Seaborne and Airborne attack. Predictions by the staff meteorologist cautiously predicted clearing skies for the next day, 6 June. General Eisenhower conferred with his generals and admirals. He then thought for a minute, then stood up Okl he said lets go.Aircraft bombed German installations and helped prepare the ground attack. The ground forces landed and made their push inland. Soon Operation Overlord was in full affect as the Allied Forces pushed the Germans back towards the Russian forces coming in from the east. D-Day was the beginning and the key to the fight to take back Europe. The thesis of this paper is that the Allied Invasion of Normandy was the beginning Operation Overlord was in no way a last minute operation thrown together. Whenthe plan was finalized in the spring of 1944 the world started work on preparing thehundreds of thousands of men for the greatest battle in history. By June of 1944 the landing forces were training hard, awaiting D -Day, 1,700,000 British, 1,500,000 Americans, 175,000 from Dominions (mostly Canada), and another 44,000 from other countries were going to take part. Not only did men have to be recruited and trained but also equipment had to be built to transport and fight with the soldiers. More than 1,300 warships, 1,600 merchant ships, 4,000 landing craft and 13,000 aircraft including bombers, fighters and gliders were built. Several new types of tanks and Armored vehicles were built. Two examples are the Sherman Crab flail tank and the Churchill Crocodile. On the ground, Britain assembled three Armored Divisions, eight Infantry Divisions, two Airborne Divisions and ten independent fighting Brigades. The United States had six Armored Divisions, thirteen Infantry and two Airborne Divisions. With one Armored Division and two Infantry Divisions, Canada also contributed greatly with the war effort especially when you look at the size of the country at the time. In the air Britains one hundred RAF s quadrons (1,200 aircraft) paled in comparison to the one hundred and sixty-five USAAF squadrons (2,000 aircraft). The entire Operation Overlord was supposed to go according to Montgomerys Master Plan which was created by General Sir Bernard L. Montgomery. His plan was initiated by a command system which connected the U.S. and Britain and helped them jointly run the operation. This plan was to have five Divisions act as a first wave, landing on the sixty-one mile long beach front. Four more Divisions, as well as some Airborne landings, would support the first wave. The beaches of Normandy would be separated into five beaches, codenamed, from west to east Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The Americans would invade the two westernmost beaches, being Utah and Omaha and the British and its Dominions would take Gold, Juno and Sword. The Canadians were nearly the entire force to land on Juno beach. The operation was also coordinated with various French resistance groups called the Secret Army. The naval plans were to transport the Allied expeditionary forces, help secure and defend a beachhead, and to help setup a method of constant resupplying of Allied forces. Operation Overlord, in short, was as follows: The Airforce would be used to knock out German defenses and immobilize their forces. Blowup tanks and other misinformation was used to fool Germans into thinking the invasion was coming at Pas de Calais. The navy would transport the troops while doing whatever it could to help them gain ground, and enough of France would be liberated and held by the Allied forces so that they would not fail by being pushed back into the sea.Utah beach was a stretch of beachfront approximately five miles long and located in the dunes of Varreville. Like most beach attacks that day, the planned attack time was 06:30 or H hour. As early as 02:00 (H-4:30) the preparations for attack was being made as minesweepers started working at creating a safe path for Allied battleships, frigat es, and corvettes. At about 02:30 the flagship for Utah beach was in place and the order was given for the landing crafts to be loaded and placed into the water. The four waves of troops were ready to go and the German radar had not spotted any buildup of ships. The first gunfire occurred at daybreak when some ships were spotted and fired upon by coastal guns. A group of 276 planes, all B-26 Marauders flew in to drop their payload of 4400 bombs on the targets. Almost all missed and nearly a third fell short onto the beaches and into the sea, far away from their targets. Although some guns were silenced the poor accuracy of the aircraft was costly and would turn out to be only one of the many errors made by the Allied forces. At 06:30 the first of the troops landed, the 4th Infantry Division and the 8th Infantry Regiment missed the correct beach and landed 2,000 yards away on what turned out to luckily be a less heavily defended beach. This mix up was blamed on tides, smoke and rough seas. These first troops were all part of the twenty landing craft, each carrying thirty men that made up the first wave. After the first wave came the 32 amphibious tanks. The second wave of troops consisted of 32 craft carrying Combat Engineers and Naval Demolition Teams. Dozer tanks would make up the third wave. Shortly after the securing of the beach 2 Engineer Battalions arrived. This may sound like all the Divisions made it easily to shore but that is not true. Many of the amphibious tanks were unable to swim through the rough surf and sank. Two out of the three control vessels for the beach hit sea mines and sank and countless landing craft were shelled by German coastal guns. There were also numerous drownings involving troops that were so weighed down by the equipment that they wore that they were drowned in water only six feet deep. If the soldiers managed to make it to shore they were still faced with devastating German machine gun fire. Fortunately, the beach and much o f its surroundings had become the victim of a large sea launched rocket attack clearing some of the German defenses. Once the Division had made it on the beach and secured it they had to start moving inland on their pre-planned missions. The units that landed on the wrong beach decided to start the war from right here. Most of the landed troops were supposed to secure the areas and push inland, eventually meeting up with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions that had dropped behind the enemy on the western flank by St. Mere Eglise in order to work their way to the beach and secure the major crossroads and so that they could be attacked from two angles. The 4th Infantry Division and 8th Infantry Regiment that landed on the wrong beaches still continued on with their missions. The 4th, which was originally supposed to land on the islands of St. Marcouf to destroy coastal guns thought to be there ended up moving inland and linking up with the 101st Airborne Division. The other Unit tha t unfortunately landed in the wrong location was the 8th Infantry. Their mission was to reduce beach fortifications and to move inland. The last two Infantry Regiments were the 12th and 22nd. Both units were to work together to secure the northern region of the beach. The 22nd was to move northwest clearing beaches and the high ground overlooking them while the 12th moved inland on their left flank. Unfortunately the 22nd was unable to make its deep swing into the Northwest. By the end of the day, the only Infantry unit that was able to achieve its objective was the 8th Infantry, and they landed on the wrong beach. Most of the area was secure except for a pocket of Germans that controlled a small area shaped like a two mile finger on the ridges north of Les Forges. The experimental idea of having two Airborne Divisions drop farther inland had helped make the Utah Beach attack a near success. We will write a custom essay on THE INVASION OF NORMANDY specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 , .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 .postImageUrl , .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 , .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927:hover , .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927:visited , .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927:active { border:0!important; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927:active , .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927 .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ueaabcaf03c8d463deff5628e0a001927:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Biotechnology Essay Order now The Omaha beach area was the largest of all the Normandy beaches at approximately 34,500 yards in length. The beach itself had only five passable ways off, creating a challenge for the landing troops and vehicles. Behind the beach were heavily defended bluffs and high cliffs. In order to invade the area, which was defended by twelve German strongpoints, over 34,000 troops and 3,300 vehicles would be involved in the Omaha Beach invasion. The large number was partly because of the fact that beginning in April, of the same year, German military had started to fortify the area in hopes of deterring any invasion from the area. The sandy beaches themselves were free of mines but three bands of obstacles were put into place in order to create impassable obstacles for landing sea craft. First, large gate-like structures called Belgian Gates were built, simply to get in the way of landing craft. The second band of obstacles were large posts and logs dug into the beach at an angle towards the sea and topped off with a waterproofed landmine also creating a deadly obstacle. The third and final obstacle was farther up the beach, they were large hedgehogs which were mined steel I beams shaped in an X to impede the movement of armored vehicles .Like the rest of the beaches, the planned attack time (H hour) was 06:30. Many would think that this would be when the death toll would first start to rise but this just wasnt so. Many men died far from the beach. Two companies of amphibious DD tanks sank because of heavy seas. Included with the 27 tanks that sunk were 11 landing craft that tipped over by rough seas. Most soldiers on these transports drowned because of the weight of the equipment they were carrying held them under the water, and their inflatable lifesavers failed to inflate. Other craft hit mines, losing valuable troops, supplies and weapons. Most of the landing craft hitting the beach were being fired upon by deadly accurate German machine gun fire even when the craft were still over 1,000 yards away from the beach. Some even ran aground while still 100 feet from shore. Attempts to improve the situation were made by groups such as the 29th Division who decided to bring their tanks in on the landing craft. Only 8 of the 16 tanks made it to the beach. Other landing craft either missed their landing area or arrived too late. The lateral current dragged some Infantry units hundreds of yards from their objectives and a few battalions, like the 2nd Ranger Battalion, arrived 40 minutes after they were scheduled to land. Once most of the craft had managed to make it to the beach the soldiers still faced many problems. Air strikes that were planned to knock out enemy machine gunners were not successful enough. Most of the troops were pinned behind the sea wall and other obstacles by machine gun fire ahead of them and the raising tides behind them. Tides rose four feet per hour, shrinking the beach by eighty feet in the same time period. Those soldiers wh o were too injured to walk or crawl drowned as the tide sped up on them. With soldiers pinned down and not enough vehicles being able to get off the beach other craft were unable to land due to the lack of room.For the first few hours at Omaha Beach things looked grim. No major advances were being made. The real turnaround that day was when a few destroyers actually came in as close as four hundred yards in order to fire at enemy strongpoints. The risk of grounding the destroyers took and the arrival of tanks, lead to the eventual fall of the German beach defenses. Once the units could move inland their individual missions were put into place. One of the most important missions put upon any division was the destruction of five French-made 155mm naval guns at Pointe du Hoc. This responsibility was given to the 116th Brigade and its two combat teams: The 5th Ranger and 2nd Ranger teams. The 5th met the fate of many Battalions as the landed on the wrong beach. Luckily, the remaining tw o teams did manage to destroy the naval guns that were capable of attacking ships as far out as 25,000 yards (22km) as well as soldiers on both Utah and Omaha beaches. These guns were not in the concrete bunkers, as aerial reconvenes had observed, but were actually located inland several hundred yards. This would prove to be one of the few missions that the Rangers completed that day. Because of the great break downs in planned assaults, the day started to look like a chaotic day with the only missions being that of individual survival. Most divisions managed to stay organized and plan their survival and attack plans. Col. George H. Taylor of the 16th Regiment said, Two kinds of people are staying on this beach, the dead and those about to die. These sort of speeches sparked other soldiers to continue with their slightly revised missions. Originally it was planned for the areas above the beaches to be taken by an advance up the heavily defended bluffs but the plan was changed to a l ess organized direct assault on the German gunners in the high cliffs. Other such companies that decided on newly created missions included the 16th Infantry and the 29th Division. These two units decided on a joint mission to save their buddies who were pinned on the beach. Also involved on the Omaha Beach invasion were the 1st Infantry Division, and the 18th and 115th Brigades. By the end of D-Day on Omaha Beach the advance had gone barely one and a half miles inland. Several of the enemy strongpoints were intact and the beachhead was still under fire. Although this hectic day sounds like a disaster, the major exits from the area were held, three villages were under Allied control and a hole in the German line about two and half kilometers long was made and the coastal guns were destroyed. The landing had been made, all the troops could do was secure the area and organize the beach for the introduction of Gold Beach was the second largest of the beaches of Normandy and was also th e middle beach: Utah and Omaha to the west and Juno and Sword to the east. Gold beach was like most of the other beaches invaded on D-Day except it had one characteristic which was disadvantageous to the allies. Coral reefs, ranging from twenty to a hundred yards out could ground landing craft at low tide. Because of this factor the Gold Beach was postponed almost an hour after most of the other attacks that day. H hour on this beach was to be 07:25. It turned out the this adverse condition would soon show to have its pros and cons. The largest pro being that this left more time for bombardment of German defenses by RAF bombers and naval guns. The cons were of course the fact that with the rising tides men landing on the beach would end up facing the fate of many soldiers on Omaha beach, being pinned behind a sea wall and being drowned by the advancing waves. It would also turn out that, along with beach obstacles, the rising tide would make it even harder for landing craft to make their transport runs. Not soon after the arrival of the first wave of landing crafts the problems started to mount. Also, regiments decided to bring their DD Sherman tanks on their LCD 38transports instead of floating them in. This was mainly because of the weather, which created high seas. Unfortunately, this sort of tactic left the tanks as sitting ducks and all but one of the tanks were disabled or destroyed. Soon one problem lead to another as those soldiers that landed on the beach were unable to advance and were without any tanks to bail them out of their predicament. Eventually with the help of the one tank that survived the landing, the troops at Gold Beach were able to press forward. Not unlike any of the other beaches, Gold had a complicated battle plan including many Divisions, Regiments and even a commando group. The overall goal was to take the key points of the German defenses and secure the area. One such key point was Port-en-Bessin which was to be invaded by the Bri tish 47th Royal Marine Commando who would later meet up with an America Regiment from Omaha. The problem was that not everything went according to plan and they were unable to take the city. The Americans who were supposed to help in the fight inland by moving through the North-west flank of the area never showed up.Another such joining of teams did go according to plans as the 50th Division met up with a Division of Canadians from Juno beach after coming within a mile of their D-day objective of the taking of Bayeux. The only two groups to succeed in their D-day objectives as Gold Beach were the 69th and 231st Regiments. The 231st successfully took the city of Arromanches while the 69th took la Riviere even after they were forced to originally bypass the stronghold and return and destroy it later on. Other groups involved included the British 8th, 151st and 56th Regiments who aided in the push inland and the clearing of the beaches of mines and obstacles. By the end of the day ,mos t of the D-day objectives had failed but three brigades were ready to push farther inland at sunlight. The beach was secured and ready for reinforcements. Unfortunately, Bayeux was not taken but most of the areas hidden bunkers and trenches were. Some in fact were found to be manned by unwilling Asiatic conscripts from the southern Soviet republics who were put there by Germans. Juno beach was Canadas beach with over 21,000 Canadians landing there. Not unlike other beaches, Junos H-hour was delayed until 07:45. The reason was that air reconnaissance had spotted some underwater shoals (rocks/reefs) and the Canadians wanted to wait until the tide had gone in to make it safer for the landing craft. (Later on the shoals turned out to be masses of floating seaweed). The beach itself was wide enough to land two Brigades side by side, the Canadian 7th at Courseulles and the 8th at Bernieres. The decision to wait until 07:45 caused more problems than it solved. The rising tide hid most of t he beach obstacles meaning two things: it was dangerous for the landing craft to come ashore and the demolition crews couldnt get at the obstacles to make room for the landing craft. Thirty percent of all the landing craft at Juno beach on D-day were disabled in beach obstacle related incidents. One such example was when one craft started to disembark troops, a wave threw the craft onto a mined beach obstacle. Like at most of the beaches that day, Armored Divisions started to bring their tanks in on the landing craft but like on all the other beaches this caused problems. The Regina Rifles, one of the first groups to land, had to wait twenty minutes on the beach without the aid of any tanks or heavy artillery. Due to heavy seas and tanks coming in on the landing craft it meant that people who should have been in front were behind.The Canadians were smarter than most in the setup of their landing. They chose a position at sea which was only seven or eight miles out instead of the dis tance most other beach operations were using of about eleven miles. This greatly increased the speed and accuracy of the landings and the first Canadian wave was on the beach by 08:15. Once on the beach the amount of German defenses surprised the Allied forces, once again the air assault on the German gunneries was not 46as successful as planned. However, like at Gold beach, the Canadians did find out that the firepower of their tanks was the difference between being able to push inland and being pinned down at the beach. After the main beach defenses of the Germans were taken the inland push became slower and slower the farther south they got. A few of the main objectives were successful. The 3rd Division reach the Caen-Bayeux road and a lot of French towns were liberated. The one strongpoint that would become a problem for troops at Juno, as well as Sword, would be Caen. The Canadians found increased resistance the closer they got and in that aspect their D-day mission did not suc ceed. As night fell the Canadians were still well short of a lot of objectives. They did get their tanks on the Caen-Bayeux road but that was about it. The British 3rd Division from Sword beach was planned to meet up with the Canadians in order to close the gap between Juno and Sword beaches but they never showed. This left a two mile gap in the beaches and would be the area of the only German counterattack of the day. The other linkup between beaches was successful as Canadians met the 50th Division from Gold beach. Overall the Canadians didnt get all that far but were in a good position to move inland. .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 , .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 .postImageUrl , .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 , .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0:hover , .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0:visited , .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0:active { border:0!important; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0:active , .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0 .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udfc972a84b213ecba1d661651050fae0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: John Adams, Who Became The Second President Of The United States, Has EssaySword beach was the easternmost beach in Normandy. Like at Juno Beach H-hour was again postponed because of shoals until 07:25. The main objective at Sword beach was to advance and invade the German strongpoint of Caen. Four whole brigades of the 3rd Division were sent to Caen. There were also Airborne Divisions that dropped behind lines using large gliders which could carry troops as well as other Armored vehicles. Those groups not supposed to head toward Caen were planned to reach the Airborne Divisions and secure the areas bridges from counterattack. Even as the Canadians moved inland, trouble wa s developing back at the beach. Although all the DD tanks made it to the beach the tide was turning the already small beach into one with only ten yards from the seafront to the waters edge. With only one road off the beach the overcrowding caused delays in most objectives for that day. Some of the Armored Divisions like the 27th Armored Brigade abandoned their objectives in order to bail out 52Infantry pinned down on the crowded beaches. Those who did make it off the beach in time were quite successful in reaching their D-day objectives. By late afternoon the leading troops of the Brigades heading for Caen had reached and liberated the towns of Beuville and Bieville which were only two or so miles short of Caen. Strongpoints, like the one at La Breche, were taken as early as 10:00. Those troops that didnt make it off the beach in time, like the 185th Brigade, had to leave all their heavy equipment behind in order to catch up with the forces already nearing Caen. The move inland was really looking quite promising until the Germans launched the only counterattack of the day. The 21st Panzer Division was sent out from Caen, half to take on the southward allies and the other half to head right up between Juno and Sword beach where that two mile of beach was unoccupied by Allied forces. Fifty German tanks faced the Brigades heading for Caen. Luckily the British were ready with artillery, fighter-bombers and a special Firefly Sherman tank that was fitted with a seventeen pound anti-tank gun instead of the normal 75mm gun. Soon, thirteen of the German tanks were destroyed with only one M- 5510 tank destroyer damaged. This just went to show that the British were slow in advance but almost unbreakable in defense. Still the Germans pressed forward until about 21:00 when the last wave of gliders of the 6th Airborne Divisions came in. The Germans 56looked up and saw about 250 gliders fly in and land behind them. The allies now were attacking from two directions and the o nly German counterattack ended quickly. By the end of the day the German resistance at Sword beach was almost obliterated other than that at Caen. A lot of the success was because of the joint effort of Airborne Divisions and Divisions landing on the beach. Of the 6,250 troops of the 6th Airborne that landed there were only 650 casualties. Unfortunately Caen was not taken but its liberation was By the end of June 6, 1944 one of the most complicated and the most coordinatedinvasions the world would ever witness had started. On Utah Beach, the American 1st Army held a firm beachhead with several Divisions already receiving the supplies they needed and would soon be ready to move inland. On Omaha Beach, the troops there had recovered from what had looked like an impending disaster in the first hours and started to break through the stiff German defenses. At the British run beaches of Juno, Gold and Sword the forces had managed to push inland an average of six miles. Even with the amoun t of soldiers numbering about seventy-five thousand, the casualties between the three U.S. beaches were only approximately three thousand. Overlooking the Omaha beach landing site is the Normandy American Cemetery. Under headstones of white Italian marble lie 9386 American soldiers, airmen and sailors. Of these men whom are buried here are 307 whose names are known but to God. Their valiant soldiers unselfishly gave their lives in landing operations, the establishment of the beachheads and the drive inland towards Paris. The remains of 14,000 others had originally been buried here but had been returned home at the request of their next of kin. This was the price paid for a foothold on Europe.D-Day was the beginning of the end for the Germans in Europe and the end of the beginning for the fight for Europe. Bibliography:SOURCES USEDAmbrose, Stephen E. D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climatic Battle of World War II, ( New York New York, Simon and Schuster 1994)Golstein, Donald M. Katherine V. Dillon, and Michael Wenger, D-DAY NORMANDY: The Story and The Photographs, ( Washington, New York, London, Basseys 1994) Young, Brigadeir Peter D-DAY, ( London England, Bison Books Limited, 1981)The American Battle Monuments Commission, Normandy American Cemetary and Memorial, ( A Handout; The American Battle Monuments Commission 1987)