Lost in the Pacific 1942

Cherry is the pilot of the B-17 transport plane and the crewmember who clashes the most often with Rickenbacker. He believes that his seniority as the pilot is equal to Rickenbacker’s seniority as a VIP passenger and decorated war hero. Rickenbacker finds Cherry’s demeanor to be overly relaxed for an Army pilot: “His attitude was way too casual for Rickenbacker. A war demanded discipline, not one-liners delivered in a Texas drawl” (24).

As the first crewmember who is rescued, Cherry’s daring and opposition to Rickenbacker are crucial for the rest of the crew’s survival. Against Rickenbacker’s wishes, Cherry leaves the crew in the middle of the ocean and searches for land or a rescuer on his own. His independence pays off. After Cherry is rescued by an Army plane, he tells his rescuers that there are six other men who are still lost at sea. This greatly increases the rest of the crew’s chances of survival because the American public has already assumed that Rickenbacker and his crew are dead.

Whittaker has a background in flying planes, but not for the Army. He only joined the Army after the war broke out: “At forty, he was too old to fly in combat, but he figured if he flew transport planes it would free up a younger pilot to fight” (17). His desire to serve his country during the war despite his age demonstrates his courage, patriotism, and civic-mindedness. However, his age is often viewed as his greatest weakness throughout the book. Rickenbacker even regards Whittaker’s old age with suspicion: “[T]his was a young man’s war. Why, Rickenbacker wondered, had they given him a copilot in his forties?” (24). Though he does not meet Rickenbacker’s strict military standards, Whittaker relies on his many years of wisdom to help the crew survive their ordeal, and this knowledge becomes indispensable to their survival. 

Kaczmarczyk is the only crew member who does not survive being lost at sea. He dies from a combination of jaundice and dehydration. (During his sickness, he is unable to stop himself from drinking salty ocean water.) Before boarding the B-17 transport plane, he writes letters to his girlfriend, Snooks. She continues to receive letters from him even after the crew buries his body at sea. Her ignorance about his death gives the letters a ghostly quality. They also illustrate the deep gulf between military life and the civilian life during the war. While Snooks reads letters from her boyfriend, soldiers are burying men at sea and desperately trying to survive dire circumstances.

The burial of Kaczmarczyk is important because it demonstrates the crew’s dedication to ceremony and propriety. When Kaczmarczyk dies, the crew is already experiencing the first stages of starvation and dehydration. Though they never say it out loud, they all know that cannibalism could help them survive. However, instead of allowing themselves to devolve to such an act, they choose to honor their fallen crewmate and bury his body where they can no longer reach it. Once they’re rescued, Kaczmarczyk’s death serves another purpose: it demonstrates the capriciousness of fate and survival, especially during wartime.