Post by choongsung on May 31, 2013 12:43:29 GMT -8
Basic Information
Name: Vincent Ju Hyun Chung
Also Known As: Vince, Jae
Age: 24
Height: 5'10
Weight: 170
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: Korean
Blood Type: A+
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Hair: Black
Pass Time Information
Hobbies: Fixing machines, Writing, Playing Guitar, Martial Arts, Archery, Physical Activity
Talents: Work Ethic
Favorite things: Dogs and Cats, History, Ancient Korean superstitions
Abilities/Skillset
Mechanic: While in the Marine Corps, his occupational specialty was 3523, Logistics Vehicle Systems Mechanic. His job was to provide inspection, diagnosis, and maintenance of power train, air induction, exhaust, hydraulics, cooling, electrical, fuel, brake, steering, and suspension components for the Corps’ 8-wheeled all-terrain vehicles. He had also grown up helping fix cars in his father’s workshop when he was younger.
Weapons Ballistics Proficiency: Vincent has been around firearms and projectile weapons long enough to be able to accurately gauge the distance and effectiveness of particular weapon systems. Almost every projectile has a straighter flight path when a small amount of spin is applied. Every projectile will either fall or hit a target. Just depends on how far and how fast. Vincent is able to estimate the effects of such weapon systems with a couple of trial runs.
Mental Information
Personality: Vincent is generally an introvert. He likes to keep a lot of thoughts to himself and does not like to reveal his actual opinions unless it is necessary. During his time in the Marine Corps, Vincent has learned to balance his introvert personality with that of those extrovert qualities that many of his officers expected of him. As a result, he has developed a tempered aggression when dealing with people he does not know. Once he feels like he can open up to another individual, Vincent is more prone to exhibit slightly more extrovert qualities. As a Marine, Vincent enjoys sparring with or improving his martial arts skills with another opponent. He does not however, enjoy inflicting damage or pain on other people. Vincent prefers avoiding fights if at all possible.
Mentality: Very Stubborn, willing to finish anything he has started
Ideal: “Even in the blackest of nights, the smallest of lights can and will inspire hope.”
Belief: Christian
Physical Information
Build: Athletic
Arms: Muscular, not defined
Legs: Strong, well toned from years of hiking around heavy equipment
Defining Marks:
Scars: Long gashes along left arm and upper left leg due to shrapnel wounds
Tattoos:
Left Shoulder:
Right Forearm: Invictus
Torso: Psalms 91. Right side, chest to ribs
Left Hand: Black band on ring finger
Description: Vincent maintains a close cropped hair cut as he did in the days as a Marine. Instead of wearing a ridiculous looking mop of hair on top with a medium skin fade, he now sports a buzz cut with about an inch of hair all around.
Apparel Information
Head Gear: Varies
Shirts: Usually wears a simple monocolor tee. Almost always dark or earth toned.
Pants: Usually wears tactical cargo pants. Loos fitting with many pockets Often worn with a rigger's belt
Shoes: Usually wears lightweight all terrain boots
Misc: Usually wears a black or dark gray jacket. For cold weather, he usually wears a green and black or tan and black shemagh around his neck for cold weather
Fighting Information
Fighting Style: Tae Kwon Do
Years Practiced: 13. On and off
Description of style: The art of kicking and punching. . Tae means “to strike or break with the foot”, Kwon means “to strike or break with the fist”, and Do means “the art or the way of.” Tae Kwon Do is a Martial Art which originated in the Korean peninsula in the 1950s-1960s. The names and symbolism of the traditional patterns often refer to elements of Korean history, culture, and philosophy. It is an art which utilizes high speed kicks in combination with punches to either block or check an opponent. Tae Kwon Do training also includes open handed strikes, various take-downs, sweeps, throws, joint locks, and pressure points.
Fighting Style: Eskrima
Years Practiced: 6
Description of style: The art of the live blade. This martial art originated in the Visayan Islands of the Philippines. Though the art itself existed for over hundreds of years, a formalized system of the art did not come about until the 1930s under the school of Doce Pares. From there, other well-known schools, such as the Balintawak Self Defense club, was created. The art of Eskrima is centered around the use of weapons. More specifically, the use of fighting sticks known as Olisi or Baston, made of Rattan Vines, and bladed weapons such as knives and machetes. Eskrima is a martial art which practices efficiency, wasting no movements in any of its techniques. Each strike is followed up by an unarmed strike, known as the “Live Hand” to either lock or disarm an opponent. In addition, the movements/strikes for the sticks, are exactly the same for knife technique with added variations, and the empty hand.
Fighting Style: MCMAP-Marine Corps Martial Arts Program
Years Practiced: 7
Description of style: : The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program was introduced to the United States Marine Corps in 2001. It is centered around two concepts. The first is One Mind, Any Weapon. The Second is the three synergies of Mental, Character, and Physical development. The first concept, “One Mind, Any Weapon” is a testament to this fighting system’s curriculum which trains Marines in unarmed combat, edged weapons, weapons of opportunities, and rife and bayonet techniques. The second concept, “The three Synergies” stresses mental and character development, including the responsible use of force, leadership, and teamwork.
The techniques used in MCMAP range from grappling techniques from Jiujitsu and Wrestling, all the way to Leg Sweeps and Counters to strikes from Judo and TaeKwonDo. It is by no means an end all be all martial art. The techniques in MCMAP are meant to be able to be done with over 100 lbs of gear including Body Armor, Weapon, Assault Pack, or a Full Field Pack.
History Information
History:
Pre-PHS 259
Vincent grew up in a family of six. He had two older siblings. Eldest being the sister who was five years older than he, next was the brother who was two years older. Last was his baby little sister who was about three years younger than he was. Like many first generation Korean-American families in the United States, Vincent’s parents immigrated to California from South Korea several years before he was born. Back then, his sister was already four and his brother just one.
Vincent’s father made a living as an autoshop mechanic, so it was natural for him to grow up learning about cars and the way they operated. Though he never intended on growing up to become an auto mechanic, Vince took his father’s advice and work. He felt obligated to respect his parents’ wishes.
Then 9/11 happened. Just a small taste of what the world had to offer for the young children growing up in the 90’s and early 2000s. Vincent had never seen his family so terrified. He had heard of the Los Angeles riots growing up but this was different. This was someone who wanted to and took pleasure in taking the lives of those who were closest to him. That is at least, what Vincent away from this traumatic event in his young life. Sure, he was thousands of miles away from what had happened. But growing up in a city with over a million people? The fear was palpable.
While in high school, Vincent was not anything special. He was not a particular genius. He was not a supreme athlete, although he did have a passion for martial arts. He was a hard worker, and managed to make grades good enough to keep his traditional Korean parents happy. By many people’s standards, Vincent was a bright kid. But he always compared himself to his siblings. His oldest sister was already a speech therapist. His brother was an engineering major. His younger sister… well, she was still a kid, but nonetheless smart for her age.
Unlike his other siblings, he did not really care much for college. He felt his destiny was to serve in one way or another. With his parents’ blessing, Vincent enlisted in the Marine Corps at the young age of 17.
Post PHS 259-USMC
“Alright gents, listen up. The moment we get out of the green zone, anything is fair game,” said the Marine Sergeant who was in charge of the mounted patrol. “Your mission, is to locate and recover two Routine casualties, one Priority Casualty, and one Up-Armored Humvee.”
A group of about twenty Marines were gathered around a large terrain model made of piles of dirts, rocks, colored strings, and flashcards which labeled key areas of their sector of operation. Several minutes earlier, an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) explosion was reported about five kilometers away from this Marine unit’s COP. (Combat Outpost) An urgent radio transmission was made requesting immediate TACEVAC (Tactical Evacuation) and vehicle recovery. Vince’s unit was the one called to conduct the operation.
The year was 2006 and the United States military was closing in on the Iraqi city of Ramadi which was at that time, an Al-Qaeda stronghold. During that time, a combined force of U.S. Soldiers, Marines, Navy SEALs and Iraqi security forces fought insurgents for the control of key locations of the city. Insurgent actions during this battle led to an event called the Anbar Awakening, in which the local Iraqi Sheiks were encouraging their tribesmen to band together in order to drive the foreign fighters from Ramadi. This was Vince’s first deployment and like any other “boot” he was naturally nervous, scared out of his mind, but eager to prove himself.
The Sergeant continued his Fragmented Order, “ We will be traveling in a closed column formation. We may be more vulnerable to IEDs and raking machine gun fire, but we will be able to mutually support each other. It is a risk we have to take.” He looked at each of his security leaders, Corporals and Lance Corporals who have been tasked with the important job of lead, middle, and rear vehicles respectively. “Stay vigilant Marines, shit will hit the fan real quick if we do not keep our heads on a swivel.”
Upon finishing the fragment order, the patrol immediately dispersed and made their final precombat checks and inspections before climbing into their vehicles. Vince was a dismount on the lead vehicle, an up-armored Humvee with a mounted M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun.
“Ready for your first real mission boot?” asked the Corporal, who was his vehicle commander while grinning from ear to ear. He was referring to seventeen year old PFC (Private First Class) Vincent Chung, the youngest member of that maintenance shop at that time.
“Y-yes Corporal!” stammered Vince as he familiarized himself with the inside of his Humvee once more. He slid the bolt back a little bit to make sure he had brass in the chamber, pushed the forward assist to make sure the bolt was secure, and went over all of his gear once more to make sure everything was still there. Yes, he was to be honest, scared shitless.
The radio crackled in Vince’s headset, “Warhammer, this is Dingo 1. Departing, time is now.” And then the patrol began its recovery mission.
“Well shit… Here we go” thought Vince to himself as the convoy sped away from friendly territory into a potentially hostile environment. The convoy sped through the streets of Ramadi keeping a dispersion of about 25 meters to avoid not only losing sight of each other, but also ambushed or blockaded by a Vehicle Borne IED barreling in from another direction. The turret gunners swiveled around in their nest, keeping a close eye on the rooftops. Once or twice, loud thumps could be heard against the armored vehicle’s doors as insurgents popped their heads over the rooftops to take a couple pot shots at the passing vehicles.
“Approaching the package. Time to target, 2 mikes.” The Corporal said crisply into his radio headset. Vince felt his heart rate increase and heard the blood pumping in his ears.
“This is it” he said to himself, "hopefully nothing shitty happens my first time out in this craphole”
“100 meters to target. Visual Confirmation is A- oka-“
Boom. Braaaaaaaaaap Clack Clack Clack. Just 50 meters away from the downed vehicle and the wounded Marines, the second vehicle was thrown into the air by a large explosion, knocking the front two wheels off and ripping a gigantic hole in its engine block. The gunner was thrown out of his turret and landed flat on his back 10 meters away from his vehicle. The convoy came to a screeching halt and was immediately greeted by a hail of inaccurate gunfire. The seven vehicle convoy was caught in a complex ambush.
“Fucking shit! Damn IEDs.” cursed the Corporal as he tried to get a hold of the second vehicle. Vince was still dazed by the explosion and the chaotic environment he was suddenly caught in. His throat went dry, sweat was dripping off his face, and his arms felt like lead. For what seemed like an eternity, Vince was frozen with fear.
Thoomp Thoomp Thoomp Thoomp. The gunner in Vince’s vehicle began shooting at the insurgents on the rooftops.
“Contact right! 150 meters! Enemy on the rooftops!!” yelled the Gunner as he dismantled those rooftop parapets brick by brick. Slowly, Vince felt his sense come back to him. Hyperclarity. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. He could practically hear a fly fart a city block away. Vince quickly dismounted and began to acquire and shoot at targets, just as he was trained to do so.
“You hanging in there boot?!” yelled the Corporal as he fired off a well-aimed shot at an insurgent position. Vince took his eyes off the enemy position for a second to answer his section leader’s question.
“I’m doing fucking awe-“ and everything went black.
Vince had taken a bullet square in the helmet which knocked him unconscious.
Someone was slapping him in the face. He heard muffled yelling. It sounded like a human voice.
“Yo, Chung! You alright man?! Corpsman! Hurry and get the hell over here!” It was his Corporal standing over him. The Corporal’s face was pale as if he had seen a ghost. There was some distant gunfire in the distance, but nothing in the convoy’s immediate vicinity.
“Corporal… you look like shit…” said Vince groggily as he attempted to sit up. His head was throbbing, there was some blood on his face. “The fuck happened?”
“Chung, you better go see doc. You got shot in the head.”
“…what?” Vince looked over at his helmet which was now on the ground. There was a clean penny sized hole on the right side of his helmet. The round was still embedded in the Kevlar. Miraculously though the tip of the 7.62mm round was completely flattened. Had the round maintained its shape, it would have embedded itself in Vince’s skull.
“You’re one lucky son of a bitch you know that Chung. I thought I got you killed dammit. That’s why you NEVER take your eyes even if you’re RESPONDING!!!”
Vince did not respond. He just continued staring at that penny sized piece of lead which should have killed him.
…Thank you God he thought to himself. What in the world happened?
When the bombs fell…
Vincent was relaxing, reading a book in the berthing section of the ship. He was on a big deck Amphibious Ship, the kind that carries Marines and their equipment to and from their deployments. By this point, he had been in the Marine Corps for seven years made the rank of Sergeant, and had several deployments under his belt. He and his unit had just finished up another deployment cycle and they were finally heading home. They had made their final port visit in Hawaii and were on-route to Naval Base San Diego. They were already in sight of land. Just one more hour and he would be able to see his wife and three year old daughter.
I wonder if Clara’s been holding up okay, he thought as he mindlessly flipped through the pages of his book. Things must have been really hard for her especially since all of that nonsense has been going on in Long Beach. Guess I gotta make it up to her, take her out for a nice romantic dinner. I’m sure we can leave Kara with my brother.
Even though he made plans to appease his very patient wife, Vince wanted hold his precious daughter in his arms again. The joy of his life, other than his wife of course.
General Quarters! General Quarters! Went the ship’s intercom system.
“The heck man!” grumbled another Marine in frustration. “Another drill so close to home. Really?!”
The ship’s intercom answered the disgruntled Marine’s answer for him.
This is not a drill. Man your battle stations. I repeat this is not a drill.
Marines immediately got out of their racks, hastily put on their camouflage utilities and began rushing up to the flight decks and well decks, to their appointed place of duty. Once Vince got up to the flight deck, he began taking accountability of the Marines in his squad. As he began walking around the flight deck searching for his Marines, Vince found that most of them were milling about at the front edge of the flight deck. They were not just milling about. They appeared to be screaming, yelling in anger.
Then he saw the scene of destruction before him. Bombs were being dropped on the city of San Diego.
No… No NO NO NO.. This is not happening
Vince, his Marines, and Sailors watched in horror and in tears as their home port was being bombed. And then they came. The nearby Amphibious Assault ships began sending out their attack helicopters and vertical take-off jets to intercept the hostile’s aircraft.
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the ship. Another bomb fell, square on the middle of the flight deck, sending Vince and several other Marines flying off the ship into the ocean. Within a couple minutes, the entire task force was sinking off the coast of San Diego.
“Dammit… something’s not right…” said Vince to himself as he gritted his teeth and swam around looking for other survivors. There were bodies, debris, and chunks of floating metal everywhere. Some were living, some were dead, and some were terribly injured. Already, the survivors began grabbing hold of floating debris and consolidating towards several locations.
Vince knew that he had taken some shrapnel from the explosion that knocked him off the ship. His arm was numb and there was a trail of blood seeping out slowly in the water. Although there were many things going through his mind, he and several of the survivors of that attack began paddling their way towards the shore. What greeted them at the pier was not a pleasant sight.
They were not the only ones coming home from deployment that day. Bodies littered the beach head they swam upon. There were bodies on a nearby pier. In the parking lot. Everywhere.
Pier 7…They are there waiting for me… Such thoughts kept running through Vince’s mind as he mindlessly walked about the sad remains of what was supposed to be a joyous homecoming. At this point, Vince had already left the other survivors, his mind racing to find his family.
I am sure they made it… they cannot have died.. I taught Clara how to avoid things like this… Vince came to a stop at the parking lot adjacent to Pier 7. Though all the cars were torn apart from the sheer overpressure of the bombs, he could still make out his wife’s license plate number. And there she was, twenty feet or so away from the wreckage of their car. A bouquet of flowers lay just an arms length distance away and in her arms, held their child. His daughter. The centers of his life. Both lifeless. On that spot, he dropped to the ground…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
...Sunlight. Must be morning. Vince squinted as the sun slowly crept up over the horizon and shed light over the small shelter he had scrounged together overnight. It had been several weeks since the bombs fell. By this point, he had shed his digital camouflage uniform and exchanged it for something that would allow him to blend in better. The uniform would cause too much attention to himself. Vince still carried the uniform around in a medium sized bug out bag he kept in a storage unit on base. It was all he had. He had to at least make it to his home in Oceanside. Maybe all the way up to Long Beach where he had attended school before. There had to be something left. He was going to find out what had happened.
Living Status Information
Type of residence: Roaming
Roommates: (N/A)
Stats:
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 22
Constitution: 20
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 10
Exp
Father's Day Present?: +5 exp
The Disappearance: +4 exp
Bio Approval Code Phrase: "No, I don't want to dance with the cookie!"
Thread History
The Disappearance
Going North (The beginning)
Along the Broken Highway
From Within
Name: Vincent Ju Hyun Chung
Also Known As: Vince, Jae
Age: 24
Height: 5'10
Weight: 170
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: Korean
Blood Type: A+
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Hair: Black
Pass Time Information
Hobbies: Fixing machines, Writing, Playing Guitar, Martial Arts, Archery, Physical Activity
Talents: Work Ethic
Favorite things: Dogs and Cats, History, Ancient Korean superstitions
Abilities/Skillset
Mechanic: While in the Marine Corps, his occupational specialty was 3523, Logistics Vehicle Systems Mechanic. His job was to provide inspection, diagnosis, and maintenance of power train, air induction, exhaust, hydraulics, cooling, electrical, fuel, brake, steering, and suspension components for the Corps’ 8-wheeled all-terrain vehicles. He had also grown up helping fix cars in his father’s workshop when he was younger.
Weapons Ballistics Proficiency: Vincent has been around firearms and projectile weapons long enough to be able to accurately gauge the distance and effectiveness of particular weapon systems. Almost every projectile has a straighter flight path when a small amount of spin is applied. Every projectile will either fall or hit a target. Just depends on how far and how fast. Vincent is able to estimate the effects of such weapon systems with a couple of trial runs.
Mental Information
Personality: Vincent is generally an introvert. He likes to keep a lot of thoughts to himself and does not like to reveal his actual opinions unless it is necessary. During his time in the Marine Corps, Vincent has learned to balance his introvert personality with that of those extrovert qualities that many of his officers expected of him. As a result, he has developed a tempered aggression when dealing with people he does not know. Once he feels like he can open up to another individual, Vincent is more prone to exhibit slightly more extrovert qualities. As a Marine, Vincent enjoys sparring with or improving his martial arts skills with another opponent. He does not however, enjoy inflicting damage or pain on other people. Vincent prefers avoiding fights if at all possible.
Mentality: Very Stubborn, willing to finish anything he has started
Ideal: “Even in the blackest of nights, the smallest of lights can and will inspire hope.”
Belief: Christian
Physical Information
Build: Athletic
Arms: Muscular, not defined
Legs: Strong, well toned from years of hiking around heavy equipment
Defining Marks:
Scars: Long gashes along left arm and upper left leg due to shrapnel wounds
Tattoos:
Left Shoulder:
Right Forearm: Invictus
Torso: Psalms 91. Right side, chest to ribs
Left Hand: Black band on ring finger
Description: Vincent maintains a close cropped hair cut as he did in the days as a Marine. Instead of wearing a ridiculous looking mop of hair on top with a medium skin fade, he now sports a buzz cut with about an inch of hair all around.
Apparel Information
Head Gear: Varies
Shirts: Usually wears a simple monocolor tee. Almost always dark or earth toned.
Pants: Usually wears tactical cargo pants. Loos fitting with many pockets Often worn with a rigger's belt
Shoes: Usually wears lightweight all terrain boots
Misc: Usually wears a black or dark gray jacket. For cold weather, he usually wears a green and black or tan and black shemagh around his neck for cold weather
Fighting Information
Fighting Style: Tae Kwon Do
Years Practiced: 13. On and off
Description of style: The art of kicking and punching. . Tae means “to strike or break with the foot”, Kwon means “to strike or break with the fist”, and Do means “the art or the way of.” Tae Kwon Do is a Martial Art which originated in the Korean peninsula in the 1950s-1960s. The names and symbolism of the traditional patterns often refer to elements of Korean history, culture, and philosophy. It is an art which utilizes high speed kicks in combination with punches to either block or check an opponent. Tae Kwon Do training also includes open handed strikes, various take-downs, sweeps, throws, joint locks, and pressure points.
Fighting Style: Eskrima
Years Practiced: 6
Description of style: The art of the live blade. This martial art originated in the Visayan Islands of the Philippines. Though the art itself existed for over hundreds of years, a formalized system of the art did not come about until the 1930s under the school of Doce Pares. From there, other well-known schools, such as the Balintawak Self Defense club, was created. The art of Eskrima is centered around the use of weapons. More specifically, the use of fighting sticks known as Olisi or Baston, made of Rattan Vines, and bladed weapons such as knives and machetes. Eskrima is a martial art which practices efficiency, wasting no movements in any of its techniques. Each strike is followed up by an unarmed strike, known as the “Live Hand” to either lock or disarm an opponent. In addition, the movements/strikes for the sticks, are exactly the same for knife technique with added variations, and the empty hand.
Fighting Style: MCMAP-Marine Corps Martial Arts Program
Years Practiced: 7
Description of style: : The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program was introduced to the United States Marine Corps in 2001. It is centered around two concepts. The first is One Mind, Any Weapon. The Second is the three synergies of Mental, Character, and Physical development. The first concept, “One Mind, Any Weapon” is a testament to this fighting system’s curriculum which trains Marines in unarmed combat, edged weapons, weapons of opportunities, and rife and bayonet techniques. The second concept, “The three Synergies” stresses mental and character development, including the responsible use of force, leadership, and teamwork.
The techniques used in MCMAP range from grappling techniques from Jiujitsu and Wrestling, all the way to Leg Sweeps and Counters to strikes from Judo and TaeKwonDo. It is by no means an end all be all martial art. The techniques in MCMAP are meant to be able to be done with over 100 lbs of gear including Body Armor, Weapon, Assault Pack, or a Full Field Pack.
History Information
History:
Pre-PHS 259
Vincent grew up in a family of six. He had two older siblings. Eldest being the sister who was five years older than he, next was the brother who was two years older. Last was his baby little sister who was about three years younger than he was. Like many first generation Korean-American families in the United States, Vincent’s parents immigrated to California from South Korea several years before he was born. Back then, his sister was already four and his brother just one.
Vincent’s father made a living as an autoshop mechanic, so it was natural for him to grow up learning about cars and the way they operated. Though he never intended on growing up to become an auto mechanic, Vince took his father’s advice and work. He felt obligated to respect his parents’ wishes.
Then 9/11 happened. Just a small taste of what the world had to offer for the young children growing up in the 90’s and early 2000s. Vincent had never seen his family so terrified. He had heard of the Los Angeles riots growing up but this was different. This was someone who wanted to and took pleasure in taking the lives of those who were closest to him. That is at least, what Vincent away from this traumatic event in his young life. Sure, he was thousands of miles away from what had happened. But growing up in a city with over a million people? The fear was palpable.
While in high school, Vincent was not anything special. He was not a particular genius. He was not a supreme athlete, although he did have a passion for martial arts. He was a hard worker, and managed to make grades good enough to keep his traditional Korean parents happy. By many people’s standards, Vincent was a bright kid. But he always compared himself to his siblings. His oldest sister was already a speech therapist. His brother was an engineering major. His younger sister… well, she was still a kid, but nonetheless smart for her age.
Unlike his other siblings, he did not really care much for college. He felt his destiny was to serve in one way or another. With his parents’ blessing, Vincent enlisted in the Marine Corps at the young age of 17.
Post PHS 259-USMC
“Alright gents, listen up. The moment we get out of the green zone, anything is fair game,” said the Marine Sergeant who was in charge of the mounted patrol. “Your mission, is to locate and recover two Routine casualties, one Priority Casualty, and one Up-Armored Humvee.”
A group of about twenty Marines were gathered around a large terrain model made of piles of dirts, rocks, colored strings, and flashcards which labeled key areas of their sector of operation. Several minutes earlier, an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) explosion was reported about five kilometers away from this Marine unit’s COP. (Combat Outpost) An urgent radio transmission was made requesting immediate TACEVAC (Tactical Evacuation) and vehicle recovery. Vince’s unit was the one called to conduct the operation.
The year was 2006 and the United States military was closing in on the Iraqi city of Ramadi which was at that time, an Al-Qaeda stronghold. During that time, a combined force of U.S. Soldiers, Marines, Navy SEALs and Iraqi security forces fought insurgents for the control of key locations of the city. Insurgent actions during this battle led to an event called the Anbar Awakening, in which the local Iraqi Sheiks were encouraging their tribesmen to band together in order to drive the foreign fighters from Ramadi. This was Vince’s first deployment and like any other “boot” he was naturally nervous, scared out of his mind, but eager to prove himself.
The Sergeant continued his Fragmented Order, “ We will be traveling in a closed column formation. We may be more vulnerable to IEDs and raking machine gun fire, but we will be able to mutually support each other. It is a risk we have to take.” He looked at each of his security leaders, Corporals and Lance Corporals who have been tasked with the important job of lead, middle, and rear vehicles respectively. “Stay vigilant Marines, shit will hit the fan real quick if we do not keep our heads on a swivel.”
Upon finishing the fragment order, the patrol immediately dispersed and made their final precombat checks and inspections before climbing into their vehicles. Vince was a dismount on the lead vehicle, an up-armored Humvee with a mounted M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun.
“Ready for your first real mission boot?” asked the Corporal, who was his vehicle commander while grinning from ear to ear. He was referring to seventeen year old PFC (Private First Class) Vincent Chung, the youngest member of that maintenance shop at that time.
“Y-yes Corporal!” stammered Vince as he familiarized himself with the inside of his Humvee once more. He slid the bolt back a little bit to make sure he had brass in the chamber, pushed the forward assist to make sure the bolt was secure, and went over all of his gear once more to make sure everything was still there. Yes, he was to be honest, scared shitless.
The radio crackled in Vince’s headset, “Warhammer, this is Dingo 1. Departing, time is now.” And then the patrol began its recovery mission.
“Well shit… Here we go” thought Vince to himself as the convoy sped away from friendly territory into a potentially hostile environment. The convoy sped through the streets of Ramadi keeping a dispersion of about 25 meters to avoid not only losing sight of each other, but also ambushed or blockaded by a Vehicle Borne IED barreling in from another direction. The turret gunners swiveled around in their nest, keeping a close eye on the rooftops. Once or twice, loud thumps could be heard against the armored vehicle’s doors as insurgents popped their heads over the rooftops to take a couple pot shots at the passing vehicles.
“Approaching the package. Time to target, 2 mikes.” The Corporal said crisply into his radio headset. Vince felt his heart rate increase and heard the blood pumping in his ears.
“This is it” he said to himself, "hopefully nothing shitty happens my first time out in this craphole”
“100 meters to target. Visual Confirmation is A- oka-“
Boom. Braaaaaaaaaap Clack Clack Clack. Just 50 meters away from the downed vehicle and the wounded Marines, the second vehicle was thrown into the air by a large explosion, knocking the front two wheels off and ripping a gigantic hole in its engine block. The gunner was thrown out of his turret and landed flat on his back 10 meters away from his vehicle. The convoy came to a screeching halt and was immediately greeted by a hail of inaccurate gunfire. The seven vehicle convoy was caught in a complex ambush.
“Fucking shit! Damn IEDs.” cursed the Corporal as he tried to get a hold of the second vehicle. Vince was still dazed by the explosion and the chaotic environment he was suddenly caught in. His throat went dry, sweat was dripping off his face, and his arms felt like lead. For what seemed like an eternity, Vince was frozen with fear.
Thoomp Thoomp Thoomp Thoomp. The gunner in Vince’s vehicle began shooting at the insurgents on the rooftops.
“Contact right! 150 meters! Enemy on the rooftops!!” yelled the Gunner as he dismantled those rooftop parapets brick by brick. Slowly, Vince felt his sense come back to him. Hyperclarity. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. He could practically hear a fly fart a city block away. Vince quickly dismounted and began to acquire and shoot at targets, just as he was trained to do so.
“You hanging in there boot?!” yelled the Corporal as he fired off a well-aimed shot at an insurgent position. Vince took his eyes off the enemy position for a second to answer his section leader’s question.
“I’m doing fucking awe-“ and everything went black.
Vince had taken a bullet square in the helmet which knocked him unconscious.
Someone was slapping him in the face. He heard muffled yelling. It sounded like a human voice.
“Yo, Chung! You alright man?! Corpsman! Hurry and get the hell over here!” It was his Corporal standing over him. The Corporal’s face was pale as if he had seen a ghost. There was some distant gunfire in the distance, but nothing in the convoy’s immediate vicinity.
“Corporal… you look like shit…” said Vince groggily as he attempted to sit up. His head was throbbing, there was some blood on his face. “The fuck happened?”
“Chung, you better go see doc. You got shot in the head.”
“…what?” Vince looked over at his helmet which was now on the ground. There was a clean penny sized hole on the right side of his helmet. The round was still embedded in the Kevlar. Miraculously though the tip of the 7.62mm round was completely flattened. Had the round maintained its shape, it would have embedded itself in Vince’s skull.
“You’re one lucky son of a bitch you know that Chung. I thought I got you killed dammit. That’s why you NEVER take your eyes even if you’re RESPONDING!!!”
Vince did not respond. He just continued staring at that penny sized piece of lead which should have killed him.
…Thank you God he thought to himself. What in the world happened?
When the bombs fell…
Vincent was relaxing, reading a book in the berthing section of the ship. He was on a big deck Amphibious Ship, the kind that carries Marines and their equipment to and from their deployments. By this point, he had been in the Marine Corps for seven years made the rank of Sergeant, and had several deployments under his belt. He and his unit had just finished up another deployment cycle and they were finally heading home. They had made their final port visit in Hawaii and were on-route to Naval Base San Diego. They were already in sight of land. Just one more hour and he would be able to see his wife and three year old daughter.
I wonder if Clara’s been holding up okay, he thought as he mindlessly flipped through the pages of his book. Things must have been really hard for her especially since all of that nonsense has been going on in Long Beach. Guess I gotta make it up to her, take her out for a nice romantic dinner. I’m sure we can leave Kara with my brother.
Even though he made plans to appease his very patient wife, Vince wanted hold his precious daughter in his arms again. The joy of his life, other than his wife of course.
General Quarters! General Quarters! Went the ship’s intercom system.
“The heck man!” grumbled another Marine in frustration. “Another drill so close to home. Really?!”
The ship’s intercom answered the disgruntled Marine’s answer for him.
This is not a drill. Man your battle stations. I repeat this is not a drill.
Marines immediately got out of their racks, hastily put on their camouflage utilities and began rushing up to the flight decks and well decks, to their appointed place of duty. Once Vince got up to the flight deck, he began taking accountability of the Marines in his squad. As he began walking around the flight deck searching for his Marines, Vince found that most of them were milling about at the front edge of the flight deck. They were not just milling about. They appeared to be screaming, yelling in anger.
Then he saw the scene of destruction before him. Bombs were being dropped on the city of San Diego.
No… No NO NO NO.. This is not happening
Vince, his Marines, and Sailors watched in horror and in tears as their home port was being bombed. And then they came. The nearby Amphibious Assault ships began sending out their attack helicopters and vertical take-off jets to intercept the hostile’s aircraft.
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the ship. Another bomb fell, square on the middle of the flight deck, sending Vince and several other Marines flying off the ship into the ocean. Within a couple minutes, the entire task force was sinking off the coast of San Diego.
“Dammit… something’s not right…” said Vince to himself as he gritted his teeth and swam around looking for other survivors. There were bodies, debris, and chunks of floating metal everywhere. Some were living, some were dead, and some were terribly injured. Already, the survivors began grabbing hold of floating debris and consolidating towards several locations.
Vince knew that he had taken some shrapnel from the explosion that knocked him off the ship. His arm was numb and there was a trail of blood seeping out slowly in the water. Although there were many things going through his mind, he and several of the survivors of that attack began paddling their way towards the shore. What greeted them at the pier was not a pleasant sight.
They were not the only ones coming home from deployment that day. Bodies littered the beach head they swam upon. There were bodies on a nearby pier. In the parking lot. Everywhere.
Pier 7…They are there waiting for me… Such thoughts kept running through Vince’s mind as he mindlessly walked about the sad remains of what was supposed to be a joyous homecoming. At this point, Vince had already left the other survivors, his mind racing to find his family.
I am sure they made it… they cannot have died.. I taught Clara how to avoid things like this… Vince came to a stop at the parking lot adjacent to Pier 7. Though all the cars were torn apart from the sheer overpressure of the bombs, he could still make out his wife’s license plate number. And there she was, twenty feet or so away from the wreckage of their car. A bouquet of flowers lay just an arms length distance away and in her arms, held their child. His daughter. The centers of his life. Both lifeless. On that spot, he dropped to the ground…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
...Sunlight. Must be morning. Vince squinted as the sun slowly crept up over the horizon and shed light over the small shelter he had scrounged together overnight. It had been several weeks since the bombs fell. By this point, he had shed his digital camouflage uniform and exchanged it for something that would allow him to blend in better. The uniform would cause too much attention to himself. Vince still carried the uniform around in a medium sized bug out bag he kept in a storage unit on base. It was all he had. He had to at least make it to his home in Oceanside. Maybe all the way up to Long Beach where he had attended school before. There had to be something left. He was going to find out what had happened.
Living Status Information
Type of residence: Roaming
Roommates: (N/A)
Stats:
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 22
Constitution: 20
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 10
Exp
Father's Day Present?: +5 exp
The Disappearance: +4 exp
| Slot | Item(s) |
| Head | |
| Hat/Bandana | Row 19 Column 2 |
| Earrings | Row 20 Column 2 |
| Glasses | Row 21 Column 2 |
| [/td | |
| Torso | |
| Shirt | Row 2 Column 2 |
| Jacket/Coat | Row 3 Column 2 |
| Necklace | Row 4 Column 2 |
| [/td | |
| Arms | |
| Arm | Row 6 Column 2 |
| Wrist | Row 7 Column 2 |
| Gloves | Row 8 Column 2 |
| Ring | Row 9 Column 2 |
| [/td | |
| Legs | |
| Pants | Row 11 Column 2 |
| Shin | Row 12 Column 2 |
| Shoes | Row 13 Column 2 |
| Belt | Row 14 Column 2 |
| [/td | |
| Misc | |
| 1 | Row 16 Column 2 |
| 2 | Row 17 Column 2 |
Bio Approval Code Phrase: "No, I don't want to dance with the cookie!"
Thread History
The Disappearance
Going North (The beginning)
Along the Broken Highway
From Within
