English & Literature

Who is Chet Przyastawaki from Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War and what is their importance? "Goodbye

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Chet Przyastawaki is one of the original enlisted men in the author's intelligence section. Przyastawaki is described as intense, athletic, and wiry—but without much intuition. During one memorable episode, Przyastawaki and the author are running a message when they are pinned down by a Japanese sniper. Being unable to escape the situation, the two men devise a plan to kill the sniper. Przyastawaki throws a grenade at the sniper—who is out of grenade range—to distract the sniper; meanwhile, Manchester rolls into firing position in the open and kills the sniper with several well-placed shots. During the exchange, a mortar shell explodes in the area and kills Przyastawaki by striking him in the face. The author describes the horrible feeling of seeing his friend without a face. Before entering the military, Przyastawaki had attended Colgate with the class of 1945, and was an undecided major.