“They took turns staring out the windows at the ocean below, mistaking cloud shadows for islands. ‘Island eyes,’ the airmen called it—the surest sign that desperation had set in.” 

This early moment on the plane, in which the men keep believing that they see Canton Island, foreshadows the delirium and hallucinations that they will encounter when they are lost at sea. The fact that the men are familiar with a term—“island eyes”—for this phenomenon shows how routine this sort of disorientation is for military men. 

“‘It’s sure been swell knowing you, Bill,’ he said offering his hand.

Cherry gripped his co-pilot’s hand for a second, and then said in his Texas drawl, ‘You’re going to know me a long time yet, Jim.’” 

This exchange between the two pilots, Cherry and Whittaker, shows the difference between their personalities. It also shows the formality and camaraderie that exists in the military. Though the men are in a crashing plane, they still take the time to shake hands and acknowledge their bond.  

“It was so peaceful in the Hawaiian sun that Jim Whittaker had trouble imagining the violence that had torn this place apart ten months ago when the Japanese had launched a surprise attack.”

World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor exist as a backdrop to this story. This quote shows that even for an Army pilot like Whittaker, recent disasters like Pearl Harbor can seem remote on peaceful, sunny days.