Young patriots rushed to the nation's defence.

Don Karkos
tagged along after school as his older brother, Eddie, went unbelievable
to enlist at the Navy recruiting station in Lewiston, Maine.
The boy hunched in the back of the room as Eddie
answered questions and filled out paperwork. A recruiter
barked out at Don,
"Hey, kid, whatsa matter, you don't like the Navy?"
"Sir, I'm not old enough," Don told him. "I don't turn 17

True stories
until Friday."
"Good enough," snapped the recruiter.

MONTICELLO MIRACLE: TRUE STORY

SYNONYMS
WORD-MATCH Seaman Don Karkos, 17, lost his sight in the summer of
1942 while serving on the USS Rapidan in the North 1. Commercial
1. ON
Atlantic. The Rapadan was a merchant marine ship that 2. Woke up
2. SHOUT
fuelled battleships and cruisers at sea.
3. LOUD
He was on deck of the Rapidan when there was a loud 3. Survive, manage
4. MERCHANT
5. COSMETIC explosion. Twisted metal flew everywhere and something 4. Rotated
6. RUB heavy hit him above his right eye.
7. SECURITY When Karkos awakened, he found himself in a military 5. Middle
8. CLOSE hospital in Iceland and was told by the doctors that he’d 6. Vision
9. MOVE never again see out of his right eye. But for cosmetic
purposes Karkos chose to leave that eye in place rather 7. Over
A) GUARD than remove it as the doctors suggested.
B) DECK 8. Wiping
For about 60 years, Karkos got by without sight in his
C) PURPOSES
right eye. 9. Recommended
D) FRIENDS
E) EXPLOSION
“Oh, it wasn’t all that bad, but I got embarrassed from time 10. Shocked, amazed
F) SUDDENLY to time when I’d run into objects or people on my right
G) YOUR EYE side,” he told one newspaper reporter back in mid- 11. In disbelief
H) SHIP December when his story got out.
12. Become known
I) INCREDULOUSLY One day as he was preparing a horse named My Buddy
Chimo for an early morning workout at Monticello 13. Continued
DESCRIBING
Raceway, the horse suddenly moved his head and hit
 Reluctant: slow
14. Training, exercise
Karkos on the head, just above his right eye.
and unwilling to do Karkos said that the hit by the horse’s head made him see 15. Become famous
something
stars and that he was dizzy for a while, but he went on
 Modest: do not 16. Light-headed
talk about his/her about his work. But when he got home that evening and
achievements was rubbing his left or “good” eye, he was stunned and 17. Reason, point
 Dizzy: feeling called his wife, April right away.
unable to stand
TRUE OR FALSE
“I can see out of my right eye,” he shouted to his wife
steadily incredulously. a) Don is modest man.
 Stunned: too
And the rest, as they say, is history. b) He was hit in the
surprised or
shocked to speak Karkos, a long-time paddock security guard and horse face.
 Embarrassed: owner, was reluctant to gain celebrity and hid his gained c) He has lived without
feeling eyesight from all but a few close friends. But once the sight in his left eye
uncomfortable or word got out the story was too big to keep hidden for 60 years.
nervous anymore. d) He went to the Navy
 Cosmetic: dealing
And a wonderful story it was – a Monticello Miracle. Recruiting Centre to
with the outside
appearance, rather enlist.
than sth important e) He was minor when
FACT:
 Twisted: bent in HORSES CAN RUN SHORTLY AFTER BIRTH. he went to war.
many directions DOMESTIC HORSES HAVE A LIFESPAN OF AROUND 25 f) Twisted metal hit
and turned many YEARS. him in his left eye.
times HORSES HAVE AROUND 205 BONES IN THEIR SKELETON.
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HORSES HAVE BEEN DOMESTICATED FOR OVER 5000