John Harrington
24
Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts
Physical Description: The squad leader possesses an athletic frame void of tattoos and heavy scarring. The most notable mark he does have is two healed bullet wounds on the right side of his chest. He stands an even six feet in height with a clean military regulation black shaded hairstyle.
Squad Role: Squad leader
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Equipment:- M-16 Rifle with an attached M7 bayonet
- M1911A1 handgun
- Combat knife
- Frag grenades
- Hand flares
- A pack of cigarettes missing two
- A lighter with the Baltimore Orioles logo on it
- Binoculars
- Flashlight
- Canteen
- A picture of his wife and daughter, a water mark staining the top right corner
Skills: - As a veteran military man John has a solid knowledge of military tactics. He's been through the 'Nam grind before, he's solid at recognizing traps as well as laying out battleplans.
- The staff sergeant is a determined leader, part of the reason he was promoted was that he could inspire the men in his command. Fiery peptalks are his bread and butter. He's capable at getting through to his men and getting them to trust his word.
- John is quite skilled with his M16, during training he was near the top of his class in marksmanship. His family were gun aficionados so he knows his way around a rifle. Even when left with just his sidearm he is not to be underestimated.
Flaws:- John's worst addiction is smoking, a nasty habit which worsened with the stress of the war effort. He'll often puff on a cigarette when especially stressed out. When unable to smoke he gets that much more frustrated.
- Having been in the jungles too long he is scarred mentally and emotionally, his last shore leave feels like decades ago. Images of past fatalities of friends take a toll on his mind and ripple through his nightmares. He's able to tune them out decently well, but when everything gets worse these moments become more unbearable.
- Perhaps tied into his interior scarring is a brutality which fills John. He is not a sadist but rather a completely violent man towards the enemy. He'll often beat downed opponents savagely or show a lack of emotion when faced with surrendering opposition. War is hell and it bears down roughly on the staff sergeant.
Fears: John's biggest fear is never seeing his family again, he wants out of the hellish jungles but keeps getting pulled in. The last thing he wants is for them to become his grave. He just wants to hold his daughter. He also holds an intense fear of losing the men under his command, having had it happen before and it inflicted scars upon him. A more simple fear he holds is that he is claustrophobic, which does not mix well with the caverns and tunnels of Vietnam.
Personality: The staff sergeant is an outwardly confident man, with a straightforward, honest attitude about things. Its rare for the battle ravaged man to crack smiles or show much in the way of positive emotions. He'll often turn the intensity up to light a fire under the feet of his men. He notably does not possess a dictator type mindset as a squad leader, he'll often ask those under him for suggestions or ideas as well as thoughts on his plans. Though John does not handle disrespect well, he expects his men to address him as sir, 'Sarge' or 'Boss'. He's found that keeping the tension low often results in an efficient, well oiled team. But if one of his men makes a boneheaded decision the staff sergeant is not beyond cussing them out to get a point across.
His belief in the war effort is flimsy at best, he's grown disillusioned with the it all. The pure brutality of the conflict has done much to diminish his eagerness to fight. He grew up on heroic tales told by his father and grandfather, of their time in the World Wars. He hopes to one day tell his own tales to his daughter but the things that he have seen gives him second thoughts on that matter. This war has hit him deeply to where he practically feel it is a part of him. He's terrified of this and does his best to shield out such thoughts.
Personal History: John was born to a comfortably middle class family in downtown Boston during the midst of World War II. His father, Lucas, a Lieutenant in the Marines was overseas fighting in the war at the time of John's birth. He was one of two siblings, having an older sister, Anna. His family was very much a military one, his grandfather having fought in World War I while older generations served stretching back several generations. As the only son of a Marine it was expected from a very young age that John would one day serve his country and make his family proud. The expectation weighed on him heavily from his youth. His father would survive the war and return home, having fought in such efforts as the Battle of Normandy.
John's childhood was a tough one, his father very much keeping up the military mindset in the household. Punishments were frequent and respect was demanded by Lucas. John's high school days weren't anything unique in particular, he excelled on the baseball team and had solid grades. His father continued to push him towards the military as he drew closer to graduation but his dream was to become a professional baseball player. He was his team's best player and right after highschool was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. Lucas was very displeased with this, seeing such a decision as fool-hearted and against the family's proud history of service.
John entered the team's minor league system as a well regarded third base playing prospect. While he showcased his abilities and gradually began to climb the ranks of the minors, fate would have other ideas. Two years into his fledgling baseball career the conflict in Vietnam had escalated to the point of heavy US involvement. As the Marines were deployed in 1965 the young John was caught up in the fever. He set aside his dream of a baseball career in order to make his father proud and uphold his family's tradition of military service. He would enlist in the Marine Corps where he'd begin his journey as a soldier. At the time he had felt he'd made the correct decision, he did not expect the war to drag out like it would or for it to affect him as much as it would. Following completion of basic training the young Marine would find himself shipped off to South Vietnam in December of 1965.
Upon arrival and his first engagements in the foreign land John was struck by how different it was from what he'd been told. It was no straightforward action like his father faced during the second World War, the enemies he hunted fought with ambush guerrilla tactics. His compatriots often dropped dead beside him without any prior notice as they were caught in the path of a land mine or fell through the floor onto a brutal trap. Still he carried pride in what he was doing within his heart while he did his duty for his country. The war intensified in 1967, as the Tet Offensive began. By this time John had been promoted to sergeant, having earned respect with the Marine Corps. He'd also return to the US for a few weeks, having earned a brief shore leave due to his efforts. He felt genuine joy at his father's reaction to him returning in a Marine's uniform, which helped him regain some confidence in the war effort. He's also spent time with his high school sweetheart, Miranda he'd propose to her before he was redeployed.
He was recalled to Vietnam in October of 1967. This endeavor was much more of a slog than before, as it seemed the war had only intensified. John was a team leader within the 7th Marine Regiment's 3rd Battalion. He made friends with those under him, as they began to drop around him he felt his spirit for the war fall with each loss. Following a particularly brutal battle in which he and his squad were ambushed by Vietnamese forces John the effects of war truly affected him. As he laid on the ground struck with two bullet wounds he experienced horrifying flashbacks, The entire jungle seemed to be screaming at John as he laid in his own blood, death seemingly waiting for its moment to take him into the void. The only saving grace was his soldiers fighting off the enemy forces but having suffered heavy losses. Following this brutal battle John was brought back home once more, in a hope to give the Marine some time to recuperate.
During this time John would marry Miranda as the visions of war began to fade away from his walking mind. She would become pregnant a short time after, a genuinely happy moment for a battle stricken man who desperately needed one. He'd spend two more months at home, much of it spent with his beautiful wife. The Marine would soon be brought back to the jungles of Vietnam, wondering if he'd truly ever get away from this endless war. The battles began to bleed into each other as he felt himself slowly drawing numb to it all. The effects of battle crept back into his subconscious though he has conditioned himself to shove away the most unbearable parts of it.
By 1969 he's been promoted to staff sergeant where he is now squad leader. The men under his command are many that he does not know, most of his war buddies had either died or been brought back home in varied conditions. As the Marines ride off on a search and destroy mission the staff sergeant cannot even think of the horrors that truly await them.
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