What Makes Heroes
By: Allen Wang
Life in
“Your father was already killed by this war. I don’t want anymore deaths in this family”, she said mournfully
No matter how hard he tried to persuade his mother, the answer was always the same; no. Adam wanted some of the glamour. The war would end soon and all he would be able to say was that he spent the entire war in stupefying safety.
Adam hatched a plan. He would persuade his mother to let him finish his schooling with his grandpa, Emory Pelko. In reality, he would try to get his grandfather to let him join. Adam’s grandfather had served in WWI; surely he would let him join. His mother thought that finishing his schooling with his grandpa was a great idea. She said he needed a man’s influence.
Adam’s grandpa
lived in
“Go eat your spinach Fred”, the Marine recruiter said to a kid who couldn’t be much younger than Adam.
“You’re still two inches short Jimmy”, he said irritably to a smaller kid.
Then he spotted Adam.
“You there”, he said. “You’re just right for a Marine; how old are you?”
“Seventeen, sir”.
“That’s okay, take these recruiting forms and have your father sign them.” he said as he forced the papers into Adam’s hands.
“Actually, it’s my grandpa.”
“That’s still okay.”
On the train, Adam started to worry. What made him so sure that his grandfather was going to sign? What if he didn’t? These thoughts kept running through his mind, and when he got there, he was in a state of absolute panic. But when he saw his grandpa, all of his worries melted away.
“Grandpa!” he shouted as he hopped off the train. “It’s so good to see you!”
“You too, kiddo”, he said with a smile.
His grandpa
was an old soldier who had lost an arm serving in WWI. He owned a farm in the
rural areas of
They drove to his grandpa’s house where they had supper and talked about nothing. It was only after supper that Adam remembered about the form.
“Grandpa…” he started.
“Yes?” he asked warmly.
“Grandpa…, I- I want to join up”, Adam stammered
“You want to join up.” He repeated. The warm expression slid off his face.
“Yes, the Marines.” He continued, “You were a soldier, then dad, now it’s my turn.”
“Hmmmm”, he thought. He thought for a long time. Finally, he answered.
“No” he said flatly.
Adam hung his head. He had been hoping and hoping, but his grandfather had said no.
“War is a terrible thing” his grandpa continued, a slight quiver in his voice. “War turns men into monsters. Killing makes men, different, scarred.”
Adam had trouble sleeping that night. He woke up early the next morning and sat on the porch, thinking. Not long after, his grandfather came and sat down on the porch next to him.
“You have trouble sleeping, too?” his grandpa asked.
“Yeah…”
“Thinking is a curious thing” his grandpa said. “I was thinking, we’ll go down to the station today and sign you up.”
Adam could hardly believe his ears. “Really?” he asked
“Yup, you need to experience it to truly understand the magnitude of war.”
Adam was overjoyed.
After months of boot camp, Adam and his comrades were actually Marines now. He was different now. The guys who worked at the boot camp had shaved his head, along with the others; he also had Marine gear and an MI rifle. He felt like a Marine now
A few days before they were going over seas, Adam visited his mother. She had prepared a feast. Steak, salads, and pastas covered the table. After they ate, his mother said, “I want a word with you Adam.”
“What?” Adam asked, though he knew what was coming.
“I just want you to know that I am so angry at your grandpa for letting you join. I know what you did, the old soldier routine. I just don’t want you to die”. She started to cry.
“Mom, don’t cry, I’ll come back, I won’t die”, Adam answered.
“Who can promise that? Don’t you think your father said that?” she asked.
Adam didn’t answer.
After weeks of going overseas, they could see
their objective over the horizon, a thin line of green,
“
There was no mad dash for cover under enemy fire on the beaches. No enemy fire. Stepping off the ships were as easy as getting off a ferry, they didn’t even get wet. They piled food, ammunition, and fuel into trucks, and got into some other trucks themselves. Soon they got to a field HQ. Adam went to the captain and asked where he should go.
“Pelko…Pelko… okay, come with me.”
He led Adam to a squad of disheveled men.
“Okay Rosenthal, here’s your new man”, the officer said to a sleeping man.
“What d’you mean ‘my man’?” the disgruntled soldier named Rosenthal asked. “I’m not in charge of anything”.
“C’mon Rosie, there’s no one else left, what am I gonna do, put this kid in charge?”
“Do I get a sergeant’s stripes?” Rosie asked.
“Guaranteed”, the captain answered, and walked away.
That night, Adam made friends with a veteran called Ben who had fought in Peleliu. Ben was an easygoing, big, kind guy
The next day, Rosie took them to battle. They encountered a bunker positioned on a hill.
“TAKE COVER!!” Rosie bellowed as the machine gun chattered. Adam dove into a shellhole with Rosie and Ben, and started firing at the bunker. One of the squad members ran up to the bunker, there was a flurry of shots, and he returned, rifle held high. Adam didn’t know if a minute had passed or his whole life.
Adam was
very jumpy that night. Whenever an explosion sounded, he would dive for cover,
so he didn’t get much sleep. You’ll be
okay he kept telling himself. This is
just the first day, you’ll get used to it.
Weeks passed with the same routine. They would go ahead in the morning, carrying supplies, and pull back at night, carrying the dead and the wounded. Sometimes, the Japanese would pull a banzai charge with swords and bayonets, and they would have to kill them. Adam quickly learned that in war, you must kill or be killed.
Adam looked up to Rosie like a big
brother. Rosie stopped Adam from being too hard on himself.
Rosie looked after him. Sgt. Rosie was also a veteran. He had fought in
One day, when Adam, Rosie, and Ben were digging a foxhole, Adam realized that he must have been standing too high when Rosie suddenly pulled him down and hissed, “What are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed?”
“He wants to die a hero”, Ben said.
“Hero? I’m no hero; I’m scared all the time!” Adam spat.
“Hey, anyone who lives in these foxholes and fights the enemy like this is a hero to me”, Rosie answered. A little while later, Rosie asked, “What are you going to do after the war, Pelko?” Adam hadn’t really thought of what he would do after the war; he never even thought of living through it. He shrugged his shoulders.
“Tell me that you’ll finish school, Adam, promise me that.”
He was about to say I promise when he heard it. It was probably a fraction of a second after he screamed “Rosie!” that a mortar round landed on top of them.
“Hey Mac,
Mac, stay with me now! Let’s see what these dog tags say, Pelko! Hey Pelko, I’m
“Rosie… Ben”, he mumbled.
“Yeah, I hear you Mac, Just stay with me, alright?” that same voice said.
Those were the last things he heard before everything went black and his mind went completely blank.
Home 1945
Adam woke up to see that the scene around him had changed. He was no longer in a muddy foxhole, but in a nice warm bed. When he looked around, he saw Ben, waiting at the foot of his bed.
“Hey”, he said
“Hey”, Adam replied. His voice was very scratchy.
“D’you know where you are?” Ben asked.
“Regimental…” the next words caught in his throat.
“Yup,
that’s right, Regimental Aid Station, in
“Where’s Rosie?” Adam asked.
Ben suddenly became more serious. “He landed on top of you and me. He probably saved us.”
Adam didn’t; couldn’t say anything.
Adam was hospitalized for the next few weeks. He felt empty without Rosie. He admired the man, and now he was gone. When he got home, his mother was so happy to see him alive.
“I thought you were going to die!” she sobbed.
“Mom, don’t cry, I’m alright”, Adam said. He had tears in his eyes too.
He went into this war with visions of glory, and came out of it with knowledge. His grandpa was right, and he was glad that he was out of it now, and that some would never have to experience it.