环球英语 — 244：The Men Who Saved a President

Voice 1
Hello, I’m Marina Santee.

Voice 2
And I’m Ruby¹ Jones. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easy for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1
War. What does that word make us think of? Death. Suffering. Hate. Survivors³ know all these things well. But survivors would also talk about courage, bravery and friendship. War often brings people from many different areas of life together. Difficult experiences can turn strangers into brothers. In today’s Spotlight we tell the war story of one of the most famous men of politics in history. And we tell of the two island men who helped to save his life.

Voice 2
A small, thin old man sits on a wooden step. His eyes are bad and he cannot hear very well. He is holding a picture in his left hand. The black and white image shows a young, smiling man. He was one of the most famous presidents of the United States – John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The old man’s name is Eroni Kumana. Eroni lives in the Solomon Islands. This small group of beautiful islands lies in the South Pacific Ocean. During the Second World War, the Solomon Islands became an area of intense⁴ conflict. The United States and its allies⁵ fought many battles there. They were fighting against Japanese forces. And both sides were in a race to take control of the South Pacific islands. Controlling these islands was important. It meant that the soldiers could have a ready supply of fresh water and food. Some of the islanders helped the allied⁶ forces in their struggle. And Eroni Kumana was one of these men.

Voice 1
John Fitzgerald Kennedy spent some years in the United States Navy⁷. And he fought in the South Pacific Ocean in World War Two. In 1943, Kennedy was the chief officer on a small wooden boat – the PT109. The navy ordered him to sail his boat around some of the smaller Solomon Islands. He had to try and stop the Japanese supply boats from reaching Japanese camps. One dark night, Kennedy and his men were sailing quietly in that area. Suddenly, a Japanese boat came out of the darkness. It started to sail after Kennedy’s boat. After a short chase⁸, the Japanese boat hit the small wooden boat. Two sailors died immediately. The rest of the men fell into a sea of burning fuel.

Voice 2
JFK was one of the survivors. He felt responsible for his men. He showed great courage in rescuing one man who had very bad burns. All the men swam to a nearby island. And Kennedy pulled the injured man with him. He later swam out to sea, alone, with a light. He looked for allied boats. But not one passed by. The surviving men then decided⁹ to swim to a larger island. Kennedy wanted to save his men. They had suffered so much together. They had become like his brothers.

Voice 1
At last, they landed on Nauru Island. Kennedy and another man went to search the island for food. Suddenly, they met two Solomon Islanders. One of them was Eroni Kumana. The other was his friend, Biuku Gasa. Eroni and Biuku worked as scouts¹⁰ for the allied army. They kept watch on the coast for any sign of the enemy. They did not trust the two American officers at first. Communication was difficult. But Kennedy managed to show them that they were friendly. And he signalled to Eroni and Biuku that his men needed help. Biuku answered by giving JFK a coconut¹¹. Coconut trees are very common in the Solomon Islands. Biuku then pointed¹² to JFK’s knife. JFK understood what he had to do. He used his knife to write the following message on the skin of the coconut:

Voice 3
“NAURU NATIVE KNOWS OUR POSITION. HE CAN GUIDE US. ELEVEN MEN ARE ALIVE. WE NEED A SMALL BOAT. KENNEDY”

Voice 1
Eroni and Biuku rowed their wooden boat through enemy waters. And they succeeded in taking Kennedy’s message to an allied Naval¹³ base. This was on Olasana Island, fifty–five [55] kilometres away. An allied boat then came and rescued Kennedy and his men – six days after their accident.

Voice 2
These Americans and the Solomon Islanders had all shared a very dangerous experience. They came from very different countries. And they spoke¹⁴ a different language. But they had become like brothers in a situation of great danger. Kennedy told Eroni and Biuku that he would see them again one day.

Voice 1
After the war, John F. Kennedy entered the world of politics. And in 1960, he became president of the United States. But he did not forget his Solomon Island brothers. He invited Eroni and Biuku to the United States. He wanted them to attend the ceremony where he was officially made president. But Eroni and Biuku only made it as far as the capital city of the Solomon Islands, Honiara. Officials did not approve of these two men representing the Solomon Islands overseas. So, two government officials attended the ceremony instead.

Voice 2
Eroni Kamana is now a very old man. But he remembers how he felt when they turned him away:

Voice 4
“After the rescue, John F. Kennedy said that he would meet us again... Biuku and I spoke no English. I was very sad.”

Voice 2
President John F Kennedy only lived for three years after that time. A gunman shot Kennedy dead when he was visiting the city of Dallas. Eroni remembers:

Voice 4
“We heard that Kennedy died. I would never meet him again. I mourned for a whole week when I heard about my friend’s death.”

Voice 1
For many years, the United States navy believed that Eroni and Biuku were dead. But in 2002, a team of American scientists came to the Solomon Islands. They wanted to find the wreck¹⁵ of Kennedy’s boat. Also, they discovered that Biuku was still alive! The US Navy wanted to thank him. So they presented Biuku with a special statue of John F. Kennedy. They also gave him money for a new house.

Voice 2
The US Navy did not manage to find Eroni until 2007. They then gave him his award – a statue of Kennedy and enough money to put a new roof on top of his house. But Eroni and Biuku never asked for any award for saving¹⁶ the future president of the United States. For them, John Kennedy was a friend. The war had brought them together for only a short time. But danger, suffering and courage had connected them for ever. Their love was stronger than death.

 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 intense   

adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的

参考例句：

• Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
• The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。

5 allies   

联盟国，同盟者； 同盟国，同盟者( ally的名词复数 )； 支持者； 盟军

参考例句：

• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。
• A number of the United States' allies had urged him not to take a hasty decision. 美国的一些盟友已力劝他不要急于作决定。

6 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

7 navy   

n.海军，海军人员，海军军力，藏青色

参考例句：

• My brother is in the navy.我兄弟在海军服役。
• He has transferred from the army to the navy.他从陆军转到海军。

8 chase   

vt.追逐，追赶，追求；n.追赶

参考例句：

• The police grabbed the robbers after a long chase.警察经过长距离追赶后逮住了抢劫犯。
• Would you chase me if I did?如果我逃开了，你会来追吗？

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

11 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

12 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

13 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

16 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。