Gale stood in the trainyard, feeling bored but not entirely upset by the lack of action. Officer Gale Prentice had been patrolling the trainyard when he noticed a man siphoning oil from one of the tankers. The oil in the tankers being siphoned was meant to be sent to Africa to fuel General Patton's tanks. This theft put US troops at risk, as well as the French civilians who depended on the US for protection.

Gale was very annoyed by this careless act; French civilians would drill a hole in a tanker and fill their jerrycan when stealing oil. They would never plug the hole afterward, wasting an entire tanker’s worth of fuel for their one jerrycan. He approached the man, who appeared startled and dropped the drill. However, before Gale could apprehend him, the man turned and began running away.

Gale gave chase, shouting for the man to stop. As they ran, the man pulled out a gun and fired a few shots in Gale's direction. Gale took cover behind a stack of crates, unholstered his weapon, and fired back. The man quickly ducked into a nearby boxcar.

Seeing an opportunity, Gale quickly latched the boxcar shut, trapping the thief inside. Gale circled the boxcar cautiously, knowing the man was still likely armed. He yelled out, "Surrender; you’re surrounded!"

Gale then heard metal clanging against metal. Curious, he moved closer to the boxcar and peered through a gap in the door. He saw the thief frantically trying to pry open a small window.

Gale couldn't help but chuckle - the thief must have been getting desperate if he was trying to escape through a tiny window. Gale called out, "You know, I can open this door. It would save you a lot of trouble if you just gave up." The thief ignored him and continued to work on the window.

After a few minutes, he pried it open, and Gale heard him climb up to the boxcar roof. Gale shook his head in disbelief. "Well, I guess he's not giving up that easily," he muttered.

Looking through the pried-open window, he realized the thief was using a tool to pry open the boxcar's roof hatch. Gale called out, "Stop what you're doing and surrender now! You're only making things worse for yourself."
Gale had all day and took advantage of this. He simply waited. After nearly another half-hour of waiting, he finally heard the man's surrender. "Alright, alright, I'm coming out," the man said.

Gale unlocked the boxcar door and opened it, his weapon still drawn. The man stepped out with his hands raised, clearly defeated. Gale motioned for him to turn around and searched him for weapons. He then patted him down before holstering his own gun. "You're under arrest," Gale said, cuffing the thief.

My grandfather reflects the American value of working smarter, not harder. He minimized the risk of danger by waiting for the suspect to surrender rather than charging into the boxcar. Gale's conduct also reflects the American ideal of doing things on your own terms. Instead of blindly following protocol and rushing into the boxcar, he made a decision that he felt was best.

His carefree yet witty nature is what I value about my family and myself. I try new things even when they differ from the usual method. Creative, simple, and straightforward solutions are usually the best.

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