The Kokoda Track

To The End

We have been walking for 3 days now and still hadn't found camp. There were no rations left and we had one canteen of water left. I heard the quiet trickle of running water. We broke the cover of trees and saw a small river in front of us. Making camp Sam kept watch while I filled up the canteens along with Jim and had a drink myself. We walked the short distance back to the others and they immediately stopped talking.

"Leave me." I said with determination.

"But..." Luke tried to protest but I interrupted him.

"No. I can't fire a gun so I'm practically defenceless and my wound is starting to fester. I'm just slowing you down." I say, "Just leave me behind."

"No!" I turn in surprise to see Sam behind me. "We've lost so many already we're not going to loose you too." He states tears forming in his eyes. He sniffs and wipes them away angrily. "You were the one to say we have to fight back and stay hopeful. Start following your own advise, fight back and stay hopeful. I am not leaving you behind Jack." Sam looks around, furiously staring everyone in the eye as if daring them to argue.
"Okay Sam. I wont leave. You're right I need to follow my own advise as well. Thanks mate."

"That's settled we need to follow this creek. It will lead us back onto the track and to camp." Max say taking control again. "How d'you know this it the right creek?" Ben argued.

"I don't but it's our best shot. It should cut off up there, Isurava up that way." Max pointed.

We all start making our was up the steep path with difficulty. I struggle to not slide down the path with only one hand to help me. Luke groaned in pain.

"I gotta go." He stated.

Everyone stopped and Ben sighed rolling his eyes. Jim looked at him before pulling out his bayonet and ripping a hole in the back of pants.

"Give you some ventilation." Jim smirked before continuing the struggle up the path. I grinned in spite of myself. Trust Jimmy to think up something like that.

We finally made it to the top weak and exhausted but alive. That's what it had come to, if you were alive or dead. We took turns to be on guard duty and those who weren't tried to sleep. Night fell and we pulled ourselves to our feet with what little strength we had left. Creeping through the jungle we saw the light of a campfire. I shifted my gaze to Jim who looked nervous. Peering through some bushes I saw a group of around three Japanese soldiers sitting around a fire. Carefully I made to retreat with the others when Sam lunged forward and stabbed one of them with his bayonet.

"You idiot!" Luke yelled as we all ran for our lives. Max covered us firing his gun down on them before retreating as well.

Sliding down an embankment stumbled forward before I regained my footing. We all stopped to catch our breath before Ben rounded on Sam.

"You stupid idiot!" He said before launching himself at Sam. They rolled on the ground grappling and cursing each other.

"Son of a..." Sam cursed.

"Boys." I said trying to break it up. The of cause ignored me. "Hey boys!" I yell. They stopped to look at me, "We made it." Looking over they saw two Australian soldiers. After confirming we were Aussie soldiers we found that these were the reinforcements that we had been waiting for. The 2/14th and 2/16th battalions. Our small tired battered group of soldiers started to make its way up the slippery muddy hill to the camp in Isurava.

We had survived. Our group of six chocos from Australia had survived. We were part of the few from the 39th battalion that had survived. I had to loose my left arm because the bullet wound had become infected and I wouldn't survived the infection if my arm wasn't amputated. I was deported back to Australia among the wounded and never saw the heat of battle again. We won the war 3 years later in '45. Ben and Max had died in New Guinea but Luke, Sam and Jim all made is back alive. I lived for another 4 years after the war ended and died at the age of 29 in '49.