Marmur, Jacland "Hero's Son"

One in the Collier’s “short story complete on this page” series. World War 2 story set in San Francisco. Tommy Lackard, 2nd Mate aboard the freighter PARCIFAL, doubts his own courage under fire and fears that he cannot measure up to the example of his deceased father, who had been an acclaimed World War 1 merchant marine hero. In flashback we see that, under fierce Japanese aircraft attack, Tommy had continued to stand by his station aboard the PARCIFAL, even though he was deathly afraid. During the course of this short, short story, the young 2nd Mate comes to understand that fear is a natural part of courage, and that true courage depends upon men (and women) working together as a team to “face what they must.”