The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner: Piqued Interest

 This poem automatically gained my interest by its title. Prior to reading this poem I had no idea that the ball turret gunner existed. However now that I do I find it interesting. The balter gunner is a is a metal sphere attached to aircraft and is a type of weaponry that was used during World War Two. The book provides us with an image showing us what a ball turret gunner looks like. Strangely enough, my first reaction was that it looks like some kind of spinning amusement ride. However, it was a very dangerous position to uphold during World War Two. I have since seen a few articles that name the ball turret gunner as one of the worst positions in the military to uphold during this time. There was only one way to enter or exit the ball turret and the plane had to be landed for easy accessibility. It was also an extremely confined space and held minimal visibility, as well as being a more visible target. The poem describes a man joining the military, and eventually dying in the ball turret while away fighting for his country. The poem itself is rather short and morbid. But it really piqued my interest in spurred me on to look further into something new.