Chapter 14 Getting Back To Colorado example essay topic

Introduction My name is Jack Andrews and I still live with my parents, Robert and Marie Andrews, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have one brother named John Andrews, and he is married and is living in California. These past few months my dad has been trying to persuade me to join the Army, like John did. I have given it some serious thought, and I am really thinking about joining. After all, I will get in better shape and it will be fun shooting fully automatic weapons.

There is only one problem, I don't know if my dad can run the farm by himself, but he says he can do it. He said he is sure he can so, I think I will join the Army. Chapter 1 Getting In It has been three weeks since I sent my letter in and I finally got one back. In the letter it said I can go to one of three bases, Colorado, Texas, or California. I have about two weeks to decide, but I think I will go to California to be with John. I have talked it over with dad and mom, and they said it is okay to go to the one in California.

Now, all I have to do is send my letter back saying where I want to go and, after they send something back, I can go. Until I get something back from the Army, I guess I will be helping dad around the farm. I wrote John a letter telling him the news and he wrote back saying whenever I am on leave I can stay with him. The Army wrote back and said they accepted my choice to go to California. It also said to report as soon as you can.

Chapter 2 Leaving for Base I went to the airport today and got a ticket to California. My plane is leaving in two days, and I have a lot of things to do. Tomorrow I leave and all I have to do today is pack the things I want to take. I can't believe I am actually doing this, but I am, and dad and mom are very proud of me. Right before I got on my plane, I gave dad and mom a hug and told them I loved them. I am very nervous about flying.

I have never flown before, but it is too late now to drive myself there, because we are already heading for the runway. Well, we just crossed into California and I haven't lost my breakfast yet. Actually, I think flying is quite fun. Chapter 3 Landing in California We have landed and are starting to get off the plane. John said he would be here to pick me up.

I am looking forward to seeing him. I can't remember the last time I saw him. I finally got off and walked up the tunnel to the airport building. I am the last one off besides the pilots and stewardesses, so it should be easy to find. "Hey, Jack, over here!" John yelled. "Okay, I'm coming", I said in reply.

"How was your flight?" John asked. I told him I thought it would be bad, but I actually liked it. From there we went to John's house. His wife, I found out, is really nice. I will be heading for the base on Monday morning. We " ve got the rest of today and all of tomorrow to do things together.

"You brought your golf clubs, didn't you? , John asked me. "Yeah I did", I answered. "Let's go then", John said. We then left to go golfing at the golf course in town. Of course, he beat me bad, because he golfs here all the time and knows the course.

Chapter 4 Going to Base It's 6: 00 a.m. Monday morning and I decided to get up. I didn't get much sleep. I don't really know if I am nervous or excited about doing this. John said he would give me a ride, so I don't have to pay for a damn taxi. When I arrived I had to register and check in.

When I got to my bunk, the other three guys were already there. I introduced myself and they introduced themselves. Their names were Bill, Joe, and Jake. We all unpacked and told each other where we were from and stuff like that. Bill is the one I like the best so far, but I have only been here a few hours.

Today we got to sit around, because training and whatever else doesn't start until tomorrow. Chapter 5 Shooting Fully-Automatic Weapons It's been four months, and today is the first day we get to fire real weapons. We have trained with fake weapons, but that isn't good enough. Bill and I have become great friends.

Bill told me he used to live in Colorado Springs, but moved to Denver with his family. We are in the middle of an open area waiting for our turn to shoot. We are learning how to fire handguns, rifles, fully-automatic weapons, and how to throw grenades. Bill and I are in the same group, so while shooting the handguns, we made a little bet on who could shoot the best. Bill barely beat me with the handguns. I will beat him with the fully-automatic weapons.

I beat Bill with the fully-automatic weapons. Now, the grenades will determine who wins. I hit the target and Bill didn't, so I won. Training will be over soon and we will get to go home for awhile. Chapter 6 The Feared Letter Vietnam has been going on for three months now. I was hoping I wouldn't get called out, but today I got the letter that said I had to be back at base in five days.

John has already gone over there fighting. I am hoping I can join him at his camp. I didn't want to go, but now I have to. I am going to serve my country proudly. The killing will be hard, but I will do it so I don't get shot. Chapter 7 Going to War Once I arrived at base, we had to go through everything, and they said we will leave in three days.

Bill got the letter too, so he is here. It's now time to go. We all loaded onto a big cargo plane. We have all our gear, which includes our gun, ammunition, first aid, and food and water. I think this is really going to suck. While on the plane we found out where we will be going.

Bill and I are being sent to the same camp my brother is at. Chapter 8 Beginning of War I have been at camp for a couple of months now, and we haven't had any big battles yet. Just little ones where the Viet Cong are out in groups of five to ten. I have killed ten people so far, but I had to do it or they would do it to you. I have also seen guys get burnt alive by napalm. That's not the best sight to see.

There is a rumor of a Viet Cong camp being formed in the woods, but there has been no sign of it. Only three of our guys have died at our camp, and it wasn't even in battle. They were just going down the path to the bathroom and stepped on a landmine. Those damn Viet Cong put land mines on our trails to the bathroom. I can't wait for a real battle where there are more than ten guys to kill. I just want to have them charging at us, and us mowing them down.

We have ammunition and other supplies built up. Bill and my brother are still at this camp, which is good. John and I have written letters home telling our parents we are all right, but we know they worry about us every day. Chapter 9 Middle of War The war has been getting worse every day. Those damn Viet Cong have been attacking us hard for the past two days. They come day and night.

We " re running out of supplies and we need more men. John, Bill, and I are going to sneak into their camp tonight and set some explosives. It was easy getting in and getting out, but on the way out John stepped on a mine and we had to leave him. He said, he will defuse it and meet us back at camp. On our way back we noticed the Viet Cong trying to sneak up towards our camp.

Bill and I ran back and warned the rest. When we approached camp, they asked for the password. I said", screw the damn password", the Viet Cong are coming. They were coming on stronger than ever before. We were taking them out as fast as we could. There were hundreds of them.

The barb wire around our camp was slowing them down a little. Our guys were dropping their guys. All you heard were gunshots and screaming. John, Bill, and I were next to each other unloading round after round. When I looked over Bill was lying on the ground all bloody.

"Damn it, Bill is dead!" We finally got things under control. There were only a few Viet Cong left running around, and most of them were running for the woods. We picked them off if we could. When I turned and looked for John, he wasn't there. He must be somewhere else. When I found him, he was lying face first in the dirt.

When I rolled him over, he had a hole in his head. "Those bastards killed my brother!" Then I took another guy with me and headed for the woods. I am going to get those damn Viet Cong. When we caught up to them, we killed them. When we reached the camp, they didn't have many guys left.

We killed them and took their commander hostage. On our way out of the camp, we planted more explosives to destroy what the other explosives didn't destroy. When we were about fifty feet from camp, I felt something rip through my leg. I had been shot in the leg by a wounded Viet Cong. We all instantly turned and shot him. Now, I was bleeding badly from my leg.

They bandaged me up and called in a medical helicopter. When it arrived, they loaded me and the other wounded on and took us to the hospital. There wasn't enough room for the dead, so they will have to come back. How can I tell mom and dad and John's wife, who we found out is pregnant when we got here? Why him and not me? he has a kid that won't have a father. I don't know what I would have done without a dad.

I don't think I could have lived without one. Chapter 10 In the Hospital The bullet was removed and my leg was stitched back together. It's been two days and the pain is still there. I just feel like ripping my damn leg off. I have written a letter to mom and dad, and to John's wife, telling them what happened.

They all wrote back asking if I was okay. The doctor said I will be well enough to go back to war, but I will not go back to my old camp. I just couldn't knowing my brother and best friend were killed there. The doctor said it could be a month or two before I am back though. That is perfectly fine with me, because I am sick of the Viet Cong.

Those guys know their way around and they live in the area, so they don't need to ship in like us Americans. I am starting to wonder why I joined the Army. All I wanted to do was get in better shape and shoot fully-automatic weapons. Now, I've got fully-automatic weapons being shot at me.

This is not a pleasant thing to experience, not to mention I have to shoot at other people instead of just paper and metal targets that look like people. Chapter 11 Back to War I am all better from the bullet wound to my leg, so they sent me back to fight. I am at a new camp now, though. At this one there are more men and better supplies. It's easier fending off the Viet Cong at this camp. If only John, Bill, and I were sent to this camp the first time.

They attack by the hundreds here too, but it seems easier to keep them from getting close to the camp. I really don't talk to anybody, I just keep to myself and follow the orders I am given. I have to do a lot of things since I am the new guy around here, although I think I have been in Vietnam longer than most of them. I will talk to one of them eventually, but I really don't want to talk to anyone. They know what happened to me, so I just think they are waiting for me to talk to them first. I think I will talk to this guy named Will one of these days, because he is just the way I am.

I overheard some guys talking and they said Will lost his dad and his brother. That is worse than what happened to me; he lost a dad and a brother. I don't think he was wounded, though which is good. I haven't seen him talk to anyone either, so I think we will make good friends. If only I had the courage to talk to him. Chapter 12 End of the War I have become great friends with Will, just like I was with Bill, although I still miss John and Bill greatly.

When I need to talk to someone about the death of John and Bill, I talk to Will, and he does the same with me. Will told me he doesn't know how his mom is handling things. She writes letters telling him to come home, since he's the only one she has left now that her husband and one of her two sons is dead. My camp has received word that we get to go home. The war is settling down a bit and they don't need us anymore. We get to go home in a month.

All I have to do during this month is try not to get killed. The Viet Cong haven't attacked us hard in a while, but we still expect it every day. There is no telling what those bastards will do. A total of eight guys in my camp have died, but we got eight new men to replace them. Four of them were killed by our own planes flying over and dropping napalm. They were burnt alive, and I didn't like watching that.

The other four were killed by either stepping on a landmine or getting shot. Since being here, I haven't even come close to dying. I haven't really noticed any bullets hitting near me when we were in battle. Will stepped on a landmine and had to defuse it. If he would have lifted his foot, he would have been blown up into pieces.

I have seen guys step on them, and it isn't pretty. Basically, you have to pick them up with a scoop shovel. I just can't wait to leave this damn place and go home. I know my mom is worried that I might die, because I am the only son she has left.

Dad needs me to help on the farm. I want to get home and comfort my mom about the death of John. She probably cries herself to sleep every night ever since John died. I told her in a letter it would have better if it had been me instead of John, since his wife is pregnant. She wrote back saying it was the way God wanted it to be, but I still think it should have been me.

Chapter 13 Going Home Today a helicopter is supposed to come and get us and take us to an airport somewhere. Then we will be going home. I have been waiting for this day since I got here. Will is going home, too. Only a few of the guys have to stay. I thank the Lord that I am not one of them that has to stay here.

I wonder if we get to keep our weapons. I took some of the Viet Cong weapons off some of their dead soldiers. I think we get to keep them. I suppose I'll have to give the grenades back, which pisses me off.

Maybe I can sneak one back home. Some of the guys told me I will get a Purple Heart, since I was injured. I think that will be cool. I just wish John and Bill were coming home alive with me.

The helicopter is here and all the guys that are leaving are getting on. I sat next to Will and we talked about how we can't believe we actually get to go home. We have landed at some airport now, and I don't really care where. I just want to get home. We all proceed to board a big plane, just like the one that brought us over here.

Of course, I sat by Will because, after we get home, he will go home and so will I. This could be the last day I ever see him again. When we were about to get out of Vietnam and over the Pacific Ocean, the Viet Cong tried shooting us down. We were hit, but not bad enough. The pilot said there is only minor damage, and we will make it to America just fine. This is probably the longest flight I will ever take considering it seems to take longer when you just want to get home. I know we are almost there, because we are flying over land, unless it is an island.

I sure hope it is not an island, though. We finally land after a flight that seemed to take a lifetime. There were people outside waiting for us. Most of them are hippies, but some of them aren't.

As we proceeded to get off the plane, the people started booing. I think this is odd, because shouldn't they be cheering us, as we came home alive? Then they started chucking things at us, like paper bags with dog shit in them. I can't believe they are doing this.

After all, we are alive. Just because they are against the war, they are doing this to us. Shouldn't they be protesting the government. If it was my choice, there wouldn't be any Americans in Vietnam.

Once we were inside the buildings, we were okay. I immediately called my parents and told them I was back in America. I couldn't talk long since everybody seemed to want to use a phone. I told them I would call them back soon and tell them when my plane will be flying into Colorado. Chapter 14 Getting Back to Colorado I have arrived back in Colorado now. My parents were waiting for me when I got off the plane.

We all said our hellos and hugged each other. Then we got my stuff and got into the car to head home. In the car on the way home, I told them how John and Bill died and how I got injured. I told them it was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. Mom immediately started crying when I told them all of this. I guess she just can't stand knowing she lost a son.

John's wife has had her child, and it was a boy. I know John would be very proud if he were here. I guess she is living with us in Colorado. She can't support herself and the baby. Now mom can baby-sit while she goes to work. Dad said I didn't have to start working on the farm right away.

I guess he wants me to take a break from all that has happened. Chapter 15 Five Years Later It has been five years since I have been home. All the Americans are back from the war. I have received my Purple Heart, which was a great honor to receive. I will cherish it for the rest of my life. Dad, mom, John's wife, and I are going to go see the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC.

I am having John's son take a crayon and a piece of paper so he can get his dad's name off the wall. I really don't think he understands what happened yet. He knows his dad was in a war, but I think he still thinks he will come home some day. We are taking a plane, because driving would take too long.

I like flying anyway. I only hated flying when I was on the way over and back from Vietnam. We have landed and I think we are going to get a taxi and go to our hotel. Then I think we will go on to the Memorial. Once we got to the Wall, I broke down crying. All of the memories of Vietnam started coming back to me, such as finding John and Bill dead and being shot.

I just couldn't stay there. I ran off and sat on a bench crying. Mom came over and tried comforting me, but it didn't help. We toured the rest of Washington DC and then went back home. I don't think I will ever forget what happened in Vietnam and I hope my country doesn't either.