My_Grandfather's_Will

Justin Logan Mrs. Bruno AP English III 4 Nov 2009 My Grandfather’s Will In the mid 20th century, the United States of America was in a war against North Viet Nâm and Viet Cong militants fighting to roll back and contain communism, in an attempt to stop the spread of it once and for all. Aided by the United Soviet Socialist Republic, both the Northern Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong militants killed well over 50,000 armed force members of the opposition. This war was fought in Southern Viet Nâm and in the areas bordering Cambodia and Laos, in the dense vegetation of the jungles of Viet Nâm. My grandfather fought in this war through the means of conscription. The will in which my grandfather had possessed during the Viet Nâm War was a vital tool for his survival, but to me it symbolized his strength to overcome adversity. My grandfather is now seventy years old, fifty years after the start of the Viet Nâm War. At the age of thirteen, I had heard the first of his many war stories. He told me these war stories sparing no painstaking details, not that I want him to. Over the next years, with more and more stories being told to me from my grandfather, I began to gain a greater understanding of not only the cause of the war but also to the effects it had, directly and indirectly on the world. When this subject, the Viet Nâm War, comes to mind, only one particular story elucidates the reason my grandfather had the strength to overcome an extremely hard time. Its 1960, Bernard Martin was just drafted to the United States Army. Going in, Bernard already knew he would have a “twin crisis” to deal with, the intense combat in the dense jungles of Viet Nâm and racial discrimination that was diminishing yet still present and a mediating factor in every decision. Inducted into the Army after only three months of basic training, Private Martin stood six-two and weighed two hundred pounds. Martin, a native of Charleston, North Carolina, received a miniscule amount of military training, due to the immense need of infantry. Deployed to South Viet Nâm, he was put in a squad commanded by Lieutenant Johnson. This platoon consisted of both United States Army soldiers and South Vietnamese militants. Private Martin worked in this squad diligently and distinguishably, obeying every command no matter its morality. Eight years into the war, 1967, the squad commanded Lieutenant Johnson was briefed into a mission dealing with gaining a strategic vantage point, traveling up river to flank the enemy. They were going to be entering the Iron Triangle, an area dominated by the Viet Cong between the Thi Tinh and Saigon rivers which, because of its dense vegetated jungles it limited lines of sight and arcs of fire. Lieutenant Johnson accepted the mission with open arms, due to the fact he wanted to glorify his name stopping the constantly comparing between him and his World War II war hero father. At this point, Bernard Martin had speedily progressed through the ranks and now proudly was a Sergeant. Sergeant Martin had begun to develop a strong relationship with a Southern Vietnamese recon sniper, named Chinh Trung. Chin Trung was a very small yet agile man; standing only five foot and weighing 125 pounds he was easily belittled in the presence of the United States soldiers. Bernard and Chinh gained a deeper connection more so than with the others because of their similar predicaments; Sergeant Trung was fighting to gain his families’ and countries’ liberation from the communistic Northern Vietnamese while Sergeant Martin was often subjected to racial discrimination and treated unfairly. Three days after the mission briefing with only two klicks left until the arrival of the designated target location, the platoon sat impatiently waiting for some action only hoping for the best outcome. Sergeant Martin and Sergeant Trung were discussing their families and what they wanted to do when the war was over. Bernard wanted to defy the stereotype at the time and make something of himself by become a civil engineer, designing building and restoring infrastructures. Chinh wanted to get involve in government in an attempt to make his country a better place; he believed that virtue and righteousness would guide him to victory. Second Lieutenant Lee, coordinator of the mission, informed the squad that they would be getting dropped off ½ klick away from their intentional objective. As he announced this, a mason jar was flung in the air hitting Second Lieutenant Lee in the head exploding on contact. His upper body was completely torn apart for his lower half, spreading Lee’s body parts all over the motor boat and into the river. Acting on instinct, both Sergeant Martin and Sergeant Trung in unison threw grenades before jumping in the water with the rest of the squad, annihilating the enemy forces. Everyone in the squad walked cautiously to avoid any booby traps, with only meters away from the designated intent. Lieutenant Johnson commanded Chinh and Staff Sergeant Gibson to go and set themselves in an elevated position with a clear view of the soon to be battle zone. The three large machine gun personnel set themselves up behind an enormous tree trunk covered with ferns and vegetation, to supply support fire to the rest of the infantry. Leaded by Lieutenant Johnson, the rest of the infantry stormed into the Viet Congs’ base camp. They swipe the camp easily for the first fifteen minutes until the enemies’ booby traps, commonly referred to as grenades in a can, began to go off instantly killing one member of the squad. The Viet Congs began to fire RPG-2s. The Large machine guns doubled their fire unloading slings after slings of ammo. Sergeant Martin began to feel scared and overwhelmed but he didn’t let that stop him from continuing to pursue toward the completion of the task. Clearing hut by hut, working their way up to the command center. Sergeant Martin was charged to lead three member of the squad through the front of the command center while, Lieutenant Johnson led the other three soldiers through the back. At the same time, Sergeant Trung just had run out of ammo and didn’t want to wait there so, he ran towards the base camp picking up a North Vietnamese militant’s AK-47. That instant a woman appeared from a hut with what appeared to be a baby wrapped in a blanket and ran toward Chinh. Seconds later, the woman pulled out a sawed off shotgun that dismantled Sergeant Trung’s abdomen and evidently killed him. Bernard witnessed this and immediately ran toward the woman’s direction firing his weapon. Martin dropped to his knees and held Chinh’s head in his hands. Chinh told Bernard that, it was his patriotic duty to swear allegiance to his country and defend it. Not because of political reasons but of pure patriotism. He knew that blood had been sacrificed by his ancestors before him and it would shame them, not to offer his own blood for his country. At that moment Sergeant Martin realized what his name meant, righteous and loyal. When Sergeant Martin had finally entered the command center, Lieutenant Johnson was already there waiting. Johnson signaled Bernard to go up stairs. There, Martin had encounter General Chu, the leader of the base camp. Bernard immediately wanted to unload a whole clip on Chu but, he knew that Chu was essential for needed Intel. General Chu shot Sergeant Martin in the shoulder immobilizing his right arm, making his weapon drop to the ground. Chu began to reload his side arm when Bernard flung a knife at the hand of Chu, with his left arm. Thereafter, Sergeant Martin dove on top of Chu and restrained him. The rest of the squad stormed the room assisting Martin. Bernard then ran outside and called in the eagle flight so they could drop the foo gas on the circumference of the base camp. He then picked up the dead corpse of Chinh Trung and waited for the choppers. My grandfather’s will, in my eyes, was his strength to overcome adversity but, to him it was only relevant to his survival in Viet Nâm. This story displays Sergeant Bernard’s strength to keep going after increasingly more difficult obstacles stood in his way. Bernard Martin, after the war, went on and pursued his dreams of becoming a civil engineer. He was so determine to defy the stereotype that he actually gained a job, as a civil engineer, managing the construction of federal buildings. His mission was a success and because of it Sergeant Martin of the United States Army received both a Purple Heart and a Congressional Medal of Honor. If it was for the war Bernard Martin wouldn’t have been what his is told, a caring grandfather and a successful business man driven by ambition and persistence.