"They got word that the Japanese planes were coming back, so we sunk her ourselves so the Japanese wouldn't get it. We didn't want the Japanese to get it intact"

This quote is from Barney Ross, a World War II veteran who served in the United States Navy. He is referring to a ship that his crew was assigned to secure. When they got word that Japanese aircrafts were coming back, they decided to sink the ship themselves so that the Japanese would not have the ability to take it intact. This was a tactical decision, as the Japanese would have been able to utilize the ship for their own purposes if they had had the ability to take it. Ross and his team were willing to sacrifice the ship in order to prevent the Japanese from getting an advantage. This quote speaks to the guts and devotion of Ross and his crew, who were willing to make a difficult choice in order to protect their nation.