Bridges at Toko-Ri

In the novel The Bridges At Toko-Ri by James Michener, the main character Harry Brubaker is a voluntary man. This novel is set during the Korean War, which took place in the early 1950s. Harry Brubaker is a lawyer from Colorado who is called back into service, as a pilot against his will. Despite the fact that he doesn’t want to be there, however, Brubaker does his job to the best of his ability.

Admiral Tarrant, the Commander of Task Force 77, in the novel, defines the voluntary man. He says “But some men don’t veer away. They hammer on in, even though the weight of the war has fallen unfairly on them. I always think of such men as the voluntary men” (57). These words describe men who step up to the plate to perform difficult tasks even though they would rather not. Throughout the novel, Brubaker encounters several of these men.

The CAG is the first Voluntary man Brubaker comes across. The objective of the task force is to destroy the bridges at Toko-Ri. They are a dangerous target that represents the last straw for the communist. In order to accomplish his task CAG his task, CAG must fly a photo recon mission. Brubaker is his cover. While Brubaker watches amazed, CAG flies low through the deadly valley twice to get the pictures they need. Later, Brubaker tells Tarrant, “I saw a man so brave, Admiral, he went in so low that he simply had to get knocked down” (101). In this way, Brubaker identifies CAG as a voluntary man. He also witnesses a small SNJ spotter plane being shot down as it marks enemy targets for the pilots. The pilot of this tiny outdated plane just keeps swooping down upon the targets releasing his smoke flares right up to the point where he is blown out of the sky. Brubaker says of this voluntary man, “Sometimes you look honor right in the face…. I have to go out tomorrow. If he could fly an SNJ, I can fly a jet” (101). These two men act as models of courage for Harry Brubaker.

When is it finally time to fly over the bridges, Brubaker demonstrates that he is a voluntary man as well. The night before the mission, Brubaker is overcome with fear and dread. He thinks about going to the ship’s doctor and telling