Disclaimer; All characters of the "M*A*S*H" series belong to 20th Century
Fox, and are based on the characters in the novels by Dr. Richard
Hornberger, who wrote under the penname Richard Hooker.
The Korean War started in 1950 and lasted until 1953, during that time 36,570 American soldiers died and 103,284 were wounded. A total of 4 million Koreans lost their lives during the war, as well. In 1997, the last MASH unit was retired in South Korea. Larry Linville, who passed away on April 10th, 2000, attended the ceremony.
This fanfiction is dedicated to all those involved in the M*A*S*H movie, released in 1969, the series that followed it in 1972, which lasted until 1983, and those brave men and women who served during the Korean War. We salute you all and thank you all.
Information gathered from the following sites:
http://korea50.army.mil/welcome.shtml http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~korea/casualties.html http://www.mash4077.co.uk/index.php
~~ Black Widow
M*A*S*H Charlie Strikes at Five by; Black Widow
Shin snarled to himself, at the fading laughter of his comrades, as he climbed into his beat-up old plane. They were always laughing at him. Nothing he did was right or worthy of praise, but was flawed in their eyes and worthy of nothing but scorn.
Jin-Ho handed Shin his helmet and sighed "Another day, another attempt, eh, Shin?"
"I WILL destroy that storage hold, Jin-Ho," Shin snapped at his only friend "I promise you that!"
"You have made that promise before."
Shin did not reply, he merely adjusted his helmet.
"You have been trying to destroy the hold for six weeks, Friend." Jin- Ho spoke softly
"And I will keep trying!" Shin snarled "I will try for another six years if need be! I will not fail!"
Jin-Ho sighed and shook his head. Nothing he could say would change Shin's mind, not with so much honor riding on his shoulders.
Shin dawned a stern, heartless face and held out his hand. "The bomb."
Jin-Ho picked up the football sized bomb and carefully handed it to Shin, who placed it next to him in the pilot's seat.
"Come back safe, my friend." Jin-Ho said
Shin snorted.
Jin-Ho sighed and raced back towards the camp. Shin took a deep breath and prepared himself of take-off. It took him several tries before he finally started the metallic junk heap the army called an airplane and started down the runway. The plane was small and old, and it felt every bump and dip in the unleveled dirt.
The plane began to pick up speed. The wind slammed itself into Shin's face. There was an unsettling pull on his stomach as the plane took off and climbed, higher and higher, into the quiet blue sky.
Shin counted to twenty then leveled the plane off. He made a quick glance back at the base, then turned his attention on the landmarks ahead of him. He had been doing this for six weeks, he knew the way by heart, but on days like this one he needed the landmarks.
Shin let out a sad sigh. His shoulders sank and his heart beat painfully. He had just received a letter from his mother, a letter that made it hard to go on and put much pressure on Shin. Shin's older brother, Jung , had been killed by South Korean forces a few days ago.
Jung was the ideal son. He was tall, handsome, brave and charming. He was married to the most beautiful girl in the village and had a baby on the way. He was selfless, helping any and everyone he could, and could make everyone laugh. Shin was none of these things. He was short, rather plain, and a bit of a coward. The girls paid him little heed and no one asked him for help, let alone the time of day. When the two boys were together, Jung was praised and Shin ignored.
When Jung joined the army, Shin was berated by his father for not following in his brother's footsteps.
"Why do you stay behind? Why do you not respond when your people need you?" his father demanded
"Because you need me here." Shin protested "Who will care of the farm if I go?"
"Do you think our need is greater than our people's? You are a coward looking of an excuse to stay home where you can be warm and well fed, Shin. You are a disgrace."
Shin merely walked outside and returned to his chores, but the words haunted him.
Two days later he ran to the nearest recruitment center and joined the army. He was trained and sent to a division where he learned to fly airplanes. He loved flying! It was a great release. He did not write to his family until his training was complete, and when he did the letter simply read "I disgrace you no more. ~~ Shin"
* When Shin received his first leave time he raced home as fast as he could. Oh, the stories he had to tell his father! Oh, the joy they would see in the metal he had won for bravery! Shin burst through the front door and called out for joy....only to see his older brother sitting at the table with his parents.
Jung was the center of attention once again. Shin tried to tell of his own military exploits, but was silenced by his father's harsh words. The day wore on, like a nightmare, until the sun set and Jung dragged his little brother into a near by pub. There Shin drowned his sorrow in whatever alcoholic beverage they had, caring little about the awful taste or the fact that it merely made him angrier. Jung, though married, spent most of the night charming the waitresses and making the soldiers in the bar laugh.
Finally, Shin rose and left the bar, unable to stand it any longer.
Jung raced after him. "Come, little brother! Celebrate with me! I am home!"
"That you are!" Shin hissed
Jung swung one arm over Shin's shoulder and grinned "Then let us celebrate!"
Shin stopped and shoved Jung away "I will do no such thing! I am leaving."
"But the night is too young to waste on sleep."
"I do not leave for the house. I leave for my unit."
"Your unit?" Jung blinked "But you have three days with us. I was hoping we~"
"We will do nothing!" Shin snapped, started off down the road "I am leaving!"
Jung was confused. He raced after his brother and grabbed Shin by the arm. "Wait."
Shin whirled and slammed his fist into Jung's face as hard as he could, breaking his brother's nose. Jung stumbled to the ground, one hand cupped over his bleeding nose and his wide, frightened eyes fixed on Shin. Shin was enraged, every ounce of hatred he had for his brother boiled to the surface and was urged on by the alcohol.
"I hate you!" Shin screamed, not caring who heard "I loath you as I loath nothing else in this world! I hate you more than I hate the Americans who have invaded our home! You are so perfect, so noble, so wonderful and so faultless! It makes me sick! Do you know how often father speaks of you? Do you know how many times I am told to be like you? How often I am called a coward because I stayed with Mother and Father while you chased a dream?"
Shin spat on the ground "Of course you do not. Why should the beloved Jung pay any attention to his lowly little brother? Why should he care that no one pays him respect, no one praises what good deeds he does because of all the wonderful things he does?"
Jung whipped to blood from his nose as Shin squatted down in front of him and showed him his metal, saying "Do you see this? This metal. A metal of honor. I earned it when I bombed an American camp not two weeks ago. I destroyed three tanks while under fire, got a bullet in my shoulder, too." Shin took off his shirt and pointed to his still healing wound "See that? My mark of bravery! My mark! My honor! Can you say that? Can you say that you have flown in the sky, attacked the enemy from the heavens like a vengeful sky god? Can you say that you have been wounded for doing a mission no one else would take? No, you can't."
Shin threw the metal down in the mud and rose "So why do you get all the praise? Why do you get all the praise while I am treated like a coward?!?"
Tears raced down Shin's face. His hands were clenched do hard his nails were drawing blood from his palms. Jung picked Shin's metal up carefully and looked up at his enraged brother. Shock, pride and sorrow filled his eyes as he sat up.
"Shin....I....I never~" he started, but was silenced when Shin kicked him in the face
"SILENCE!" Shin screamed "You have no right to speak to me! I have been spoken down upon ever since I was born, I will not stand for it! Never again, do you hear me? Never again!" Shin turned towards the forest "Show that metal to Mother and Father. They will praise you for winning it, for you are their perfect son. Get the credit for a deed you never did and be the perfect son...the only son they ever had!"
Shin raced off into the forest as fast as he could, ignoring Jung's pleas for him to stop. Shin ran on, his eyes blurred with tears and his lungs begging for air. He kept running and didn't stop until he tumbled down an embankment and passed out. *
Shin swallowed hard as he noted the bombed out school house, the first of his six land marks, and turned left above it. The wind ripped at his flight jacket and tore away the tears the ran down his face out of his broken goggles. That was the last time he had seen his brother. After that event he did not read his mother's letters, nor did he accept packages from home. He was enraged at them....and at himself.
It was to Jin-Ho that Shin's mother wrote to tell of Jung's death, and she begged Jin-Ho to have Shin come home where he would be safe. The letter made Jin-Ho cry as he read it to Shin....but Shin remained emotionless. When Jin-Ho was finished with the letter, and finished drying his eyes, Shin stood and started for the plane. He had a job to do, tears did not change that.
Shin sighed and adjusted his goggles. Maybe he should have written his mother before he took off, maybe he should not have flown today but told his commander his family need him. Shin rubbed the back of his neck with one hand....and his eyes caught site of the bomb.....No...he would not go home until his mission was complete.
And what of that mission? How did he get choosen to destroy this American ammo dump? It all happened the day after Shin punched his brother...it all happened when he found the M*A*S*H.
* When Shin woke up he found that he was lost, suffering from a bad hangover, and cold. He had dropped his shirt while he ran and was covered in morning dew. Shin shivered and started to wonder the woods carefully. After a while the woods, as well as his hangover, faded away and Shin found himself wondering along a dirt road. Shin jammed his fists in his pockets and started walking. He didn't care where he was or if he was killed or captured. He was too mad to care.
The road took him to a little make-shift bar, not far from which was....Shin stopped and gasped, amazed by his luck. An American Mobile Hospital! Shin swallowed hard and thanked the gods that he was wearing civilian clothes. He entered the bar cautiously, not sure what to expect.
He was greeted by a barrage of whistles from the waitresses. Shin blushed.
"Hello, good-looking." one of the waitresses said "You want a table...or something else?"
Shin cringed and took a step back.
"Hey!" an older woman from behind the bar shouted "Leave that kid alone and get back to work!"
The waitress frowned a pretty little frown and went back to her rounds, which included serving two very rowdy Americans. One had a head of curly blond hair, the other short black hair. Both were unshaven and looked as tired as Shin felt, but they were laughing and smiling. Neither were in uniforms, but rather Japanese kimonos, sneakers and cow-boy hats.
Shin took a seat at a table near the Americans and shivered, a part of him wishing he was home. The older woman came over to his table and placed a bowl of pretzels on his table. She had a wise look to her and eyes that burned with pride.
"You got money?" she asked in English
Shin frowned.
"Do you have money?" she asked in Korean
"Yes." Shin said
"Then go buy yourself some clothes, not beer."
"I have clothes. I was in a hurry and forgot them."
"Eh-he." the woman snorted
"Do you have something warm to eat?"
"I've got cold, warm and hot, depending on what kind of money you have with you."
Shin pulled out a wad of money from his pocket, money he was going to give his parents, and laid it on the table. The woman blinked and whispered "Put that away."
Shin did as he was told.
"You're in South Korean now." The woman warned "That kind of cash will get you what you want here and a room at a POW camp if the MP's catch you."
"I don't care." Shin sighed
"Hey, Rosie, who's your friend?" the blond hair American asked
"Oh, just a local kid looking for a free meal." Rosie laughed in English, then whispered harshly in Korean "Get out of here."
Shin didn't move.
"Rosie," the black haired American said with a smile "it is pay day at the old 4077 Mobile Army Surgical Hellhole of a Hospital, and I am feeling generous." He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out some army-issue money "Please give your young friend one house special and a beer, compliments of Hawkeye Pierce. And if he wants anything else Trapper will pay for it."
"Oh, sure, make me pay for desert while you pay for the main course." Trapper chuckled
"What, you want to pay for the meal?"
"I lost most of my cash last night at the poker game, remember?"
"Oh, yes, how could I forget. You lost it to me."
"One house special and a beer." Rosie said, taking Hawkeye's money and going into the kitchen. The two Americans rose their bottles in Shin's direction and smiled, then took a sip and returned to their conversation.
Shin watched the Americans until he got his meal, then focused all his attention on it. Noodles cooked with cabbage, rice, and meat. Steam rose from the bowl and the smell made Shin's mouth water. He ate greedily, savoring each bite.
When he was done, Shin looked up to find the Americans were gone and the sound of helicopters echoing through the sky. The bar was all but empty now and Rosie came to clear the table.
"Where did the Americans go?" Shin asked
"Back to the hospital. Casualties are coming."
"Which side?"
"They don't care. The only thing they care about is saving those boys' lives." Rosie looked Shin in the eyes "I hope you will never have to learn that first hand. How old are you?"
"I am 23, why do you ask?"
"You look very young to be a soldier."
Shin smirked and drew imaginary circles on the table with his index finger. "I have always looked younger than I really am...it is a curse." After a moment he said "I need a ride back to my unit."
Rosie started to leave.
"I can pay."
"I know."
"You will not help me because I am Nor~"
"I never said that." Rosie dumped the dished in a giant sink filled with water then returned to Shin "Can you be here at sunset?"
Shin nodded.
"I will have to pull some strings, but I can get you out by then. The ride will wait for only five minutes, then leave with or without you."
"I will be here."
Rosie threw Shin a shirt and went back to the sink to clean dishes. Shin quickly pulled the shirt over his head and left the bar. Out side the afternoon sun was bright and warm. With a full stomach and a warming torso, Shin decided to check out this 4077 Mobile Army whatever. He had never seen one before, and maybe he could get some information useful to his people.
The compound was all but empty. Shin wandered around, peaking into tent windows and walking into those tends that were empty. The one called "The Swamp" was the most fascinating. There he found a device that produced alcohol as well as several magazine featuring naked American females.
Shin sat down on the cleanest of the three beds and carefully 'read' one of the magazines from cover to cover....twice, before an angry voice snapped him back into reality.
"HEY!" a skinny, pale man snapped "What are you doing in my tent!"
Shin dropped the magazine and ran to the other side of the tent. The skinny man made a dart for him, but was forced back onto his bed by a pair of strong hands. Shin stopped made a dash for the door only to collide with the American who was entering the tent. Shin collapsed on the best nearest the door and alcohol machine.
"Ease off the kid, will ya Frank?" Trapper said
"He's lost, that's all." Hawkeye said "Lost and scared."
"And has good taste, if I might add." Trapper picked up the nudist magazine and waved it at Hawkeye
"Ahh, the July issues." Hawkeye grinned down at Shin "My favorite as well."
"He's a thief!" Frank hollered
"Did you see him take anything?" Trapper asked
"No, but I won't put it passed him!"
"Frank, why don't you curl up with the Good Book and find the passage 'Love thy neighbor'." Hawkeye snapped
"And apply it to someone other than HotLips." Trapper added
"Oh, you Ninnies!" Frank fumed as he stormed out of the Swamp
"Don't mind him." Trapper waved after Frank and smiled at Shin "He still can't accept the fact that he's human and has faults."
"But loves the fact that we are human and have faults." Hawkeye said, motionin to Trapper, himself and Shin.
Shin swallowed hards and pulled his knees up to his chest. What was he going to do? Had he been captured? Shin took a good look at the Americans...and noticed they were covered with blood. They both wore white outfits stained with human blooded, their faces were tired and filled with pain...but they smiled at Shin and spoke to him as a person.
"What's your name, kiddo?" Trapper asked, gently tapping Shin's foot
Shin pulled back a little farther.
"Trap, go see if you can find Ho-Jon, maybe he can get our young friend here to give us a name and forwarding address." Hawkeye said
"Sure thing." Trapper disappeared out of the Swamp and towards another large, long tent.
Shin watched Hawkeye with wide eyes, as the surgeon turned a tap on the alcohol machine and filled a triangle shaped glass. Hawkeye then settled down into a chair next to the bed and lifted his glass.
"To the end of the war." he said "Something that I hope will happen before you have kids."
Shin didn't even blink. He just watched Hawkeye sip his drink and sigh, clearly exhausted.
"Do you speak English?" Hawkeye asked, holding out his hand "I can fake a little Korean, but not much. I know 'Where is the bathroom' and 'Please don't shoot me', but that's it."
Shin narrowed his eyes. How was he supposed to know where the bathroom was? And it was clear that he didn't have a gun, so why did this man ask Shin not to him? Maybe he was making note of the Korean phrases he knew. Maybe.
Hawkeye finished his drink and poured himself another one. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, handing Shin the glass. Shin pushed the glass away and turned his head, not because it was offered by an American, but because he remembered his hang over.
"I know it smells like dirty socks, but it tastes a lot worse, trust me."
The door to the tent banged open and Trapper entered with a Korean boy several years younger than Shin.
"What's up, Hawkeye?" the boy asked in English
"Ahh, Ho-Jon, I was hoping you could help us ID this young man." Hawkeye said, getting up and offering the chair to Ho-Jon.
Ho-Jon took the seat. "Where did he come from?"
"That's what we're hoping you'll find out." Hawkeye said, filling another glass and handing it to Trapper
"We saw him in Rosie's a while ago." Trapper said "He was looking for a free meal."
"And a shirt." Hawkeye added
"Hello." Ho-Jon said in Korean "I'm Ho-Jon. What's your name?"
Shin didn't answer. He was trying to come up with a story.
"They're okay." Ho-Jon said, motioning towards the two Americans "Very nice and very funny. They're not your regular GI Joes."
Shin snorted and turned away. As he gazed out of the window he saw a young American with thick glasses rushing over to the tent....followed closely by a man dressed in a blue dress and high-heels.
"What the hell?" Shin couldn't help himself, he HAD to make a remark
Ho-Jon turned and followed Shin's gaze as the two Americans entered the tent.
"Hawkeye! Trapper!" The boy with the glasses shouted
"What is it, Radar?" Hawkeye asked
"You two sirs better come quick, something bad's about to happen!"
"If something bad is going to happen why do we want to be there?" Trapper asked
"Cuz if your not there the something bad is gonna stay bad." Radar said
"But," the man in the dress added "if you two are there, maybe Colonel Blake will have the backbone to stay 'no'."
"Say 'no' to what?" Hawkeye asked
"Klinger, will two stop speaking in code and tell us what's happening?" Trapper asked
"THAT'S what's happening." Klinger pointed out the back of the tent....towards several large, covered trucks that were rolling through the compound towards the southern field.
Trapper downed the last of his drink and raced out of the tent with Hawkeye, Radar and Klinger by his side. Ho-Jon rose and told Shin to stay where he was...but as soon as the young boy was gone, Shin got up and followed the crowd of Americans towards the rolling trucks.
The trucks rolled out into the field and stopped as a man with a long rope was measuring out a distance from the camp. The man with the rope was being followed by a tall, lanky American with blonde hair and a cap filled with hooks on his head. The tall American was trying to get the man with the rope to talk to him, to tell him what was going on, but the man with the rope ignored him.
"Now, look here, Buddy." the tall man said "I'm the Commanding Officer around here, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, and if your going to do something I don't know about I would like you to tell me what your going to do that I don't know about so I'll know about it."
The man with the rope stopped and looked Blake over with narrowed, confused eyes. "What?"
"Henry, what's going on?" Trapper shouted as he and the others raced up their commander
"I'm trying to find that out, McIntyre?" Blake sighed
"Yes, Sir." Radar said
"RADAR!" Henry called...and frowned when he realized the boy had beaten him again "Must you?"
"Must I what, Sir?"
"Predict what I'm/your going to say./?" the two said at the same time. Hawkeye grinned from ear to ear and Klinger whistled in amazement.
"It's a gift." Hawkeye explained to Henry
"It's weird if ya ask me." Klinger said, shaking his head
"Klinger, will you please take that dress off!" Henry demanded
Klinger's eyes widened in shock and motioned to the man with the rope "In front of a stranger?"
"Uh, excuse me, pal?" Hawkeye grabbed the man with the rope's arm and turned him around to face the group "Will you please tells us what you and your trucks are doing here before I have Radar here read your mind."
"Aww, come on, you guys!" Radar said
"I'm here on military business." the man with the rope said
"If you haven't noticed....uh...." Trapper looked the man over and found his bars "Captain, we're all on the same side."
"What ever side that is." Hawkeye snipped
"You can tell us what you're doing." Trapper ignored Hawkeye's remark
"Unless you don't know." Hawkeye added
"He's measuring the distance between the camp and the new ammo dump." the man named Frank snapped, walking over to the group followed by a blond haired woman. Shin won't have called her pretty, but she wasn't ugly either. She was...well.... plain....compared to those nudes. Shin grinned from ear to ear as he remembered the magazine.
"AMMO DUMP!" Henry shouted.
The crowd gasped and the group began to protest all at once.
"You can't store ammunitions near a hospital!" Hawkeye shouted
"Are you crazy, Frank!" Trapper demanded
"If they put that stuff here it'll draw fire!" Klinger pointed out
"Sir, that's crazy. Storing guns and stuff near a hospital!" Radar shouted "What if somebody gets it and hurts themselves?"
"Then we'll never be out of business." Hawkeye said
"We're a medical unit, Frank, we're supposed to be neutral ground, white flag territory." Henry snarled "If they put this dump here every North Korean wanting to be a hero is going to try and take us out!"
"Using our own stuff." Trapper added
"Fellows, fellows!" a gentle looking man said motioning everyone to be still "Please, let us not turn on each other now. We must approach this with level heads and clear minds."
"If we don't get ride of that thing, Father Mulcahy, those 'landmines' are going to clear and level us right to heaven!" Hawkeye said, motioning to the dump
"General Barker's orders~" the woman started
"General Barker!?" Henry said "What in the name of Saint Peter's toenails did we ever do to him to get stuck with an ammo dump in our backyard?....Sorry, Father."
Father Mulcahy smiled and nodded.
"Maybe it's not us, Henry." Hawkeye said "Maybe the General is hoping in the impending attack Frank will bite the dust so he can have HotLips all to himself."
The woman gasped, her eyes widening in rage as she turned to Frank.
"That's MAJOR HOULIHAN you to you, you, you~" Frank stuttered
"Frank, how would like for us to give your mouth an enima," Trapper offered "with embalming fluid!"
As the Americans bickered and fought among themselves, Shin watched the men with the trucks pitch a big tent and filled it with boxes and barrels marked "Ammo". There were a few English words the Korean soldiers were taught...and 'ammo' was one of them. It meant shells, landmines, bullets, bombs...American weaponry.
Shin swallowed hard and crept away from the group of Americans then ran as fast as he could to Rosie's' Bar. There he hid in the back room until sunset, when a mysterious Korean appeared in a wagon drawn by a donkey and took Shin back to his unit.
Upon arriving back at his unit, Shin told his commander everything he had seen. At first the older man refused to believe him, saying Shin's 'leave' had played tricks on his mind, but when their spies confirmed the ammo dump's existence, Shin was given a beat up old plan and told to destroy the dump. *
The fourth of Shin's six landmarks, a refuge village, raced passed him. Shin cracked his knuckles in anticipation. There was a feeling in his gut that today he was going to hit that dump, blow it to heaven. For six long weeks he had been trying to hit that dump and today...today would be the day he would get it.
It was strange...but after the first week of his attacks, the Americans at the hospital began to come to the edge of the field and cheer him on. Could it be they hated the war as much as he did? Could it be that they didn't want to be there and to see the dump destroyed would mean peace was one step closer? The black haired American had seemed very kind, as did the blonde haired man....and Rosie said they only cared about saving lives, no matter whose it was.
Shin shock his head. He didn't know the answers, and now was not the time to question his mission....but....in all honesty....Shin liked having the Americans cheer him on. He liked hearing them applaud and yell for joy when he raised the bomb high over his head and let it fall. His third week of attacking the dumb, they greeted him with music blasting over their PA system. There were times Shin wondered if he purposely missed the dump so he could keep coming back to the music and the cheers. He felt welcomed at the 4077th M*A*S*H....and it was that feeling that made his job hard.
As Shin rounded the last marker, a tall mountain, the clock in the plane hit 5 o'clock and from the ground below him he could hear the cheers of the Americans at the 4077th M*A*S*H. The PA announced Shin's arrival and the music began to play.
"And now!" Goldman said over the PA system "For your wartime pleasure, direct from North Korea; Five o'Clock Charlie, his airplane, and his astigmatism!"
Shin took a deep breath and smiled as the music floated up from the ground to his ears, along with the cheers and happy yells of the 4077th's medical staff. Shin circled the compound, eyeing the dump like a falcon...and decided that today was NOT going to be the day he destroyed it.
The Korean War started in 1950 and lasted until 1953, during that time 36,570 American soldiers died and 103,284 were wounded. A total of 4 million Koreans lost their lives during the war, as well. In 1997, the last MASH unit was retired in South Korea. Larry Linville, who passed away on April 10th, 2000, attended the ceremony.
This fanfiction is dedicated to all those involved in the M*A*S*H movie, released in 1969, the series that followed it in 1972, which lasted until 1983, and those brave men and women who served during the Korean War. We salute you all and thank you all.
Information gathered from the following sites:
http://korea50.army.mil/welcome.shtml http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~korea/casualties.html http://www.mash4077.co.uk/index.php
~~ Black Widow
M*A*S*H Charlie Strikes at Five by; Black Widow
Shin snarled to himself, at the fading laughter of his comrades, as he climbed into his beat-up old plane. They were always laughing at him. Nothing he did was right or worthy of praise, but was flawed in their eyes and worthy of nothing but scorn.
Jin-Ho handed Shin his helmet and sighed "Another day, another attempt, eh, Shin?"
"I WILL destroy that storage hold, Jin-Ho," Shin snapped at his only friend "I promise you that!"
"You have made that promise before."
Shin did not reply, he merely adjusted his helmet.
"You have been trying to destroy the hold for six weeks, Friend." Jin- Ho spoke softly
"And I will keep trying!" Shin snarled "I will try for another six years if need be! I will not fail!"
Jin-Ho sighed and shook his head. Nothing he could say would change Shin's mind, not with so much honor riding on his shoulders.
Shin dawned a stern, heartless face and held out his hand. "The bomb."
Jin-Ho picked up the football sized bomb and carefully handed it to Shin, who placed it next to him in the pilot's seat.
"Come back safe, my friend." Jin-Ho said
Shin snorted.
Jin-Ho sighed and raced back towards the camp. Shin took a deep breath and prepared himself of take-off. It took him several tries before he finally started the metallic junk heap the army called an airplane and started down the runway. The plane was small and old, and it felt every bump and dip in the unleveled dirt.
The plane began to pick up speed. The wind slammed itself into Shin's face. There was an unsettling pull on his stomach as the plane took off and climbed, higher and higher, into the quiet blue sky.
Shin counted to twenty then leveled the plane off. He made a quick glance back at the base, then turned his attention on the landmarks ahead of him. He had been doing this for six weeks, he knew the way by heart, but on days like this one he needed the landmarks.
Shin let out a sad sigh. His shoulders sank and his heart beat painfully. He had just received a letter from his mother, a letter that made it hard to go on and put much pressure on Shin. Shin's older brother, Jung , had been killed by South Korean forces a few days ago.
Jung was the ideal son. He was tall, handsome, brave and charming. He was married to the most beautiful girl in the village and had a baby on the way. He was selfless, helping any and everyone he could, and could make everyone laugh. Shin was none of these things. He was short, rather plain, and a bit of a coward. The girls paid him little heed and no one asked him for help, let alone the time of day. When the two boys were together, Jung was praised and Shin ignored.
When Jung joined the army, Shin was berated by his father for not following in his brother's footsteps.
"Why do you stay behind? Why do you not respond when your people need you?" his father demanded
"Because you need me here." Shin protested "Who will care of the farm if I go?"
"Do you think our need is greater than our people's? You are a coward looking of an excuse to stay home where you can be warm and well fed, Shin. You are a disgrace."
Shin merely walked outside and returned to his chores, but the words haunted him.
Two days later he ran to the nearest recruitment center and joined the army. He was trained and sent to a division where he learned to fly airplanes. He loved flying! It was a great release. He did not write to his family until his training was complete, and when he did the letter simply read "I disgrace you no more. ~~ Shin"
* When Shin received his first leave time he raced home as fast as he could. Oh, the stories he had to tell his father! Oh, the joy they would see in the metal he had won for bravery! Shin burst through the front door and called out for joy....only to see his older brother sitting at the table with his parents.
Jung was the center of attention once again. Shin tried to tell of his own military exploits, but was silenced by his father's harsh words. The day wore on, like a nightmare, until the sun set and Jung dragged his little brother into a near by pub. There Shin drowned his sorrow in whatever alcoholic beverage they had, caring little about the awful taste or the fact that it merely made him angrier. Jung, though married, spent most of the night charming the waitresses and making the soldiers in the bar laugh.
Finally, Shin rose and left the bar, unable to stand it any longer.
Jung raced after him. "Come, little brother! Celebrate with me! I am home!"
"That you are!" Shin hissed
Jung swung one arm over Shin's shoulder and grinned "Then let us celebrate!"
Shin stopped and shoved Jung away "I will do no such thing! I am leaving."
"But the night is too young to waste on sleep."
"I do not leave for the house. I leave for my unit."
"Your unit?" Jung blinked "But you have three days with us. I was hoping we~"
"We will do nothing!" Shin snapped, started off down the road "I am leaving!"
Jung was confused. He raced after his brother and grabbed Shin by the arm. "Wait."
Shin whirled and slammed his fist into Jung's face as hard as he could, breaking his brother's nose. Jung stumbled to the ground, one hand cupped over his bleeding nose and his wide, frightened eyes fixed on Shin. Shin was enraged, every ounce of hatred he had for his brother boiled to the surface and was urged on by the alcohol.
"I hate you!" Shin screamed, not caring who heard "I loath you as I loath nothing else in this world! I hate you more than I hate the Americans who have invaded our home! You are so perfect, so noble, so wonderful and so faultless! It makes me sick! Do you know how often father speaks of you? Do you know how many times I am told to be like you? How often I am called a coward because I stayed with Mother and Father while you chased a dream?"
Shin spat on the ground "Of course you do not. Why should the beloved Jung pay any attention to his lowly little brother? Why should he care that no one pays him respect, no one praises what good deeds he does because of all the wonderful things he does?"
Jung whipped to blood from his nose as Shin squatted down in front of him and showed him his metal, saying "Do you see this? This metal. A metal of honor. I earned it when I bombed an American camp not two weeks ago. I destroyed three tanks while under fire, got a bullet in my shoulder, too." Shin took off his shirt and pointed to his still healing wound "See that? My mark of bravery! My mark! My honor! Can you say that? Can you say that you have flown in the sky, attacked the enemy from the heavens like a vengeful sky god? Can you say that you have been wounded for doing a mission no one else would take? No, you can't."
Shin threw the metal down in the mud and rose "So why do you get all the praise? Why do you get all the praise while I am treated like a coward?!?"
Tears raced down Shin's face. His hands were clenched do hard his nails were drawing blood from his palms. Jung picked Shin's metal up carefully and looked up at his enraged brother. Shock, pride and sorrow filled his eyes as he sat up.
"Shin....I....I never~" he started, but was silenced when Shin kicked him in the face
"SILENCE!" Shin screamed "You have no right to speak to me! I have been spoken down upon ever since I was born, I will not stand for it! Never again, do you hear me? Never again!" Shin turned towards the forest "Show that metal to Mother and Father. They will praise you for winning it, for you are their perfect son. Get the credit for a deed you never did and be the perfect son...the only son they ever had!"
Shin raced off into the forest as fast as he could, ignoring Jung's pleas for him to stop. Shin ran on, his eyes blurred with tears and his lungs begging for air. He kept running and didn't stop until he tumbled down an embankment and passed out. *
Shin swallowed hard as he noted the bombed out school house, the first of his six land marks, and turned left above it. The wind ripped at his flight jacket and tore away the tears the ran down his face out of his broken goggles. That was the last time he had seen his brother. After that event he did not read his mother's letters, nor did he accept packages from home. He was enraged at them....and at himself.
It was to Jin-Ho that Shin's mother wrote to tell of Jung's death, and she begged Jin-Ho to have Shin come home where he would be safe. The letter made Jin-Ho cry as he read it to Shin....but Shin remained emotionless. When Jin-Ho was finished with the letter, and finished drying his eyes, Shin stood and started for the plane. He had a job to do, tears did not change that.
Shin sighed and adjusted his goggles. Maybe he should have written his mother before he took off, maybe he should not have flown today but told his commander his family need him. Shin rubbed the back of his neck with one hand....and his eyes caught site of the bomb.....No...he would not go home until his mission was complete.
And what of that mission? How did he get choosen to destroy this American ammo dump? It all happened the day after Shin punched his brother...it all happened when he found the M*A*S*H.
* When Shin woke up he found that he was lost, suffering from a bad hangover, and cold. He had dropped his shirt while he ran and was covered in morning dew. Shin shivered and started to wonder the woods carefully. After a while the woods, as well as his hangover, faded away and Shin found himself wondering along a dirt road. Shin jammed his fists in his pockets and started walking. He didn't care where he was or if he was killed or captured. He was too mad to care.
The road took him to a little make-shift bar, not far from which was....Shin stopped and gasped, amazed by his luck. An American Mobile Hospital! Shin swallowed hard and thanked the gods that he was wearing civilian clothes. He entered the bar cautiously, not sure what to expect.
He was greeted by a barrage of whistles from the waitresses. Shin blushed.
"Hello, good-looking." one of the waitresses said "You want a table...or something else?"
Shin cringed and took a step back.
"Hey!" an older woman from behind the bar shouted "Leave that kid alone and get back to work!"
The waitress frowned a pretty little frown and went back to her rounds, which included serving two very rowdy Americans. One had a head of curly blond hair, the other short black hair. Both were unshaven and looked as tired as Shin felt, but they were laughing and smiling. Neither were in uniforms, but rather Japanese kimonos, sneakers and cow-boy hats.
Shin took a seat at a table near the Americans and shivered, a part of him wishing he was home. The older woman came over to his table and placed a bowl of pretzels on his table. She had a wise look to her and eyes that burned with pride.
"You got money?" she asked in English
Shin frowned.
"Do you have money?" she asked in Korean
"Yes." Shin said
"Then go buy yourself some clothes, not beer."
"I have clothes. I was in a hurry and forgot them."
"Eh-he." the woman snorted
"Do you have something warm to eat?"
"I've got cold, warm and hot, depending on what kind of money you have with you."
Shin pulled out a wad of money from his pocket, money he was going to give his parents, and laid it on the table. The woman blinked and whispered "Put that away."
Shin did as he was told.
"You're in South Korean now." The woman warned "That kind of cash will get you what you want here and a room at a POW camp if the MP's catch you."
"I don't care." Shin sighed
"Hey, Rosie, who's your friend?" the blond hair American asked
"Oh, just a local kid looking for a free meal." Rosie laughed in English, then whispered harshly in Korean "Get out of here."
Shin didn't move.
"Rosie," the black haired American said with a smile "it is pay day at the old 4077 Mobile Army Surgical Hellhole of a Hospital, and I am feeling generous." He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out some army-issue money "Please give your young friend one house special and a beer, compliments of Hawkeye Pierce. And if he wants anything else Trapper will pay for it."
"Oh, sure, make me pay for desert while you pay for the main course." Trapper chuckled
"What, you want to pay for the meal?"
"I lost most of my cash last night at the poker game, remember?"
"Oh, yes, how could I forget. You lost it to me."
"One house special and a beer." Rosie said, taking Hawkeye's money and going into the kitchen. The two Americans rose their bottles in Shin's direction and smiled, then took a sip and returned to their conversation.
Shin watched the Americans until he got his meal, then focused all his attention on it. Noodles cooked with cabbage, rice, and meat. Steam rose from the bowl and the smell made Shin's mouth water. He ate greedily, savoring each bite.
When he was done, Shin looked up to find the Americans were gone and the sound of helicopters echoing through the sky. The bar was all but empty now and Rosie came to clear the table.
"Where did the Americans go?" Shin asked
"Back to the hospital. Casualties are coming."
"Which side?"
"They don't care. The only thing they care about is saving those boys' lives." Rosie looked Shin in the eyes "I hope you will never have to learn that first hand. How old are you?"
"I am 23, why do you ask?"
"You look very young to be a soldier."
Shin smirked and drew imaginary circles on the table with his index finger. "I have always looked younger than I really am...it is a curse." After a moment he said "I need a ride back to my unit."
Rosie started to leave.
"I can pay."
"I know."
"You will not help me because I am Nor~"
"I never said that." Rosie dumped the dished in a giant sink filled with water then returned to Shin "Can you be here at sunset?"
Shin nodded.
"I will have to pull some strings, but I can get you out by then. The ride will wait for only five minutes, then leave with or without you."
"I will be here."
Rosie threw Shin a shirt and went back to the sink to clean dishes. Shin quickly pulled the shirt over his head and left the bar. Out side the afternoon sun was bright and warm. With a full stomach and a warming torso, Shin decided to check out this 4077 Mobile Army whatever. He had never seen one before, and maybe he could get some information useful to his people.
The compound was all but empty. Shin wandered around, peaking into tent windows and walking into those tends that were empty. The one called "The Swamp" was the most fascinating. There he found a device that produced alcohol as well as several magazine featuring naked American females.
Shin sat down on the cleanest of the three beds and carefully 'read' one of the magazines from cover to cover....twice, before an angry voice snapped him back into reality.
"HEY!" a skinny, pale man snapped "What are you doing in my tent!"
Shin dropped the magazine and ran to the other side of the tent. The skinny man made a dart for him, but was forced back onto his bed by a pair of strong hands. Shin stopped made a dash for the door only to collide with the American who was entering the tent. Shin collapsed on the best nearest the door and alcohol machine.
"Ease off the kid, will ya Frank?" Trapper said
"He's lost, that's all." Hawkeye said "Lost and scared."
"And has good taste, if I might add." Trapper picked up the nudist magazine and waved it at Hawkeye
"Ahh, the July issues." Hawkeye grinned down at Shin "My favorite as well."
"He's a thief!" Frank hollered
"Did you see him take anything?" Trapper asked
"No, but I won't put it passed him!"
"Frank, why don't you curl up with the Good Book and find the passage 'Love thy neighbor'." Hawkeye snapped
"And apply it to someone other than HotLips." Trapper added
"Oh, you Ninnies!" Frank fumed as he stormed out of the Swamp
"Don't mind him." Trapper waved after Frank and smiled at Shin "He still can't accept the fact that he's human and has faults."
"But loves the fact that we are human and have faults." Hawkeye said, motionin to Trapper, himself and Shin.
Shin swallowed hards and pulled his knees up to his chest. What was he going to do? Had he been captured? Shin took a good look at the Americans...and noticed they were covered with blood. They both wore white outfits stained with human blooded, their faces were tired and filled with pain...but they smiled at Shin and spoke to him as a person.
"What's your name, kiddo?" Trapper asked, gently tapping Shin's foot
Shin pulled back a little farther.
"Trap, go see if you can find Ho-Jon, maybe he can get our young friend here to give us a name and forwarding address." Hawkeye said
"Sure thing." Trapper disappeared out of the Swamp and towards another large, long tent.
Shin watched Hawkeye with wide eyes, as the surgeon turned a tap on the alcohol machine and filled a triangle shaped glass. Hawkeye then settled down into a chair next to the bed and lifted his glass.
"To the end of the war." he said "Something that I hope will happen before you have kids."
Shin didn't even blink. He just watched Hawkeye sip his drink and sigh, clearly exhausted.
"Do you speak English?" Hawkeye asked, holding out his hand "I can fake a little Korean, but not much. I know 'Where is the bathroom' and 'Please don't shoot me', but that's it."
Shin narrowed his eyes. How was he supposed to know where the bathroom was? And it was clear that he didn't have a gun, so why did this man ask Shin not to him? Maybe he was making note of the Korean phrases he knew. Maybe.
Hawkeye finished his drink and poured himself another one. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, handing Shin the glass. Shin pushed the glass away and turned his head, not because it was offered by an American, but because he remembered his hang over.
"I know it smells like dirty socks, but it tastes a lot worse, trust me."
The door to the tent banged open and Trapper entered with a Korean boy several years younger than Shin.
"What's up, Hawkeye?" the boy asked in English
"Ahh, Ho-Jon, I was hoping you could help us ID this young man." Hawkeye said, getting up and offering the chair to Ho-Jon.
Ho-Jon took the seat. "Where did he come from?"
"That's what we're hoping you'll find out." Hawkeye said, filling another glass and handing it to Trapper
"We saw him in Rosie's a while ago." Trapper said "He was looking for a free meal."
"And a shirt." Hawkeye added
"Hello." Ho-Jon said in Korean "I'm Ho-Jon. What's your name?"
Shin didn't answer. He was trying to come up with a story.
"They're okay." Ho-Jon said, motioning towards the two Americans "Very nice and very funny. They're not your regular GI Joes."
Shin snorted and turned away. As he gazed out of the window he saw a young American with thick glasses rushing over to the tent....followed closely by a man dressed in a blue dress and high-heels.
"What the hell?" Shin couldn't help himself, he HAD to make a remark
Ho-Jon turned and followed Shin's gaze as the two Americans entered the tent.
"Hawkeye! Trapper!" The boy with the glasses shouted
"What is it, Radar?" Hawkeye asked
"You two sirs better come quick, something bad's about to happen!"
"If something bad is going to happen why do we want to be there?" Trapper asked
"Cuz if your not there the something bad is gonna stay bad." Radar said
"But," the man in the dress added "if you two are there, maybe Colonel Blake will have the backbone to stay 'no'."
"Say 'no' to what?" Hawkeye asked
"Klinger, will two stop speaking in code and tell us what's happening?" Trapper asked
"THAT'S what's happening." Klinger pointed out the back of the tent....towards several large, covered trucks that were rolling through the compound towards the southern field.
Trapper downed the last of his drink and raced out of the tent with Hawkeye, Radar and Klinger by his side. Ho-Jon rose and told Shin to stay where he was...but as soon as the young boy was gone, Shin got up and followed the crowd of Americans towards the rolling trucks.
The trucks rolled out into the field and stopped as a man with a long rope was measuring out a distance from the camp. The man with the rope was being followed by a tall, lanky American with blonde hair and a cap filled with hooks on his head. The tall American was trying to get the man with the rope to talk to him, to tell him what was going on, but the man with the rope ignored him.
"Now, look here, Buddy." the tall man said "I'm the Commanding Officer around here, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, and if your going to do something I don't know about I would like you to tell me what your going to do that I don't know about so I'll know about it."
The man with the rope stopped and looked Blake over with narrowed, confused eyes. "What?"
"Henry, what's going on?" Trapper shouted as he and the others raced up their commander
"I'm trying to find that out, McIntyre?" Blake sighed
"Yes, Sir." Radar said
"RADAR!" Henry called...and frowned when he realized the boy had beaten him again "Must you?"
"Must I what, Sir?"
"Predict what I'm/your going to say./?" the two said at the same time. Hawkeye grinned from ear to ear and Klinger whistled in amazement.
"It's a gift." Hawkeye explained to Henry
"It's weird if ya ask me." Klinger said, shaking his head
"Klinger, will you please take that dress off!" Henry demanded
Klinger's eyes widened in shock and motioned to the man with the rope "In front of a stranger?"
"Uh, excuse me, pal?" Hawkeye grabbed the man with the rope's arm and turned him around to face the group "Will you please tells us what you and your trucks are doing here before I have Radar here read your mind."
"Aww, come on, you guys!" Radar said
"I'm here on military business." the man with the rope said
"If you haven't noticed....uh...." Trapper looked the man over and found his bars "Captain, we're all on the same side."
"What ever side that is." Hawkeye snipped
"You can tell us what you're doing." Trapper ignored Hawkeye's remark
"Unless you don't know." Hawkeye added
"He's measuring the distance between the camp and the new ammo dump." the man named Frank snapped, walking over to the group followed by a blond haired woman. Shin won't have called her pretty, but she wasn't ugly either. She was...well.... plain....compared to those nudes. Shin grinned from ear to ear as he remembered the magazine.
"AMMO DUMP!" Henry shouted.
The crowd gasped and the group began to protest all at once.
"You can't store ammunitions near a hospital!" Hawkeye shouted
"Are you crazy, Frank!" Trapper demanded
"If they put that stuff here it'll draw fire!" Klinger pointed out
"Sir, that's crazy. Storing guns and stuff near a hospital!" Radar shouted "What if somebody gets it and hurts themselves?"
"Then we'll never be out of business." Hawkeye said
"We're a medical unit, Frank, we're supposed to be neutral ground, white flag territory." Henry snarled "If they put this dump here every North Korean wanting to be a hero is going to try and take us out!"
"Using our own stuff." Trapper added
"Fellows, fellows!" a gentle looking man said motioning everyone to be still "Please, let us not turn on each other now. We must approach this with level heads and clear minds."
"If we don't get ride of that thing, Father Mulcahy, those 'landmines' are going to clear and level us right to heaven!" Hawkeye said, motioning to the dump
"General Barker's orders~" the woman started
"General Barker!?" Henry said "What in the name of Saint Peter's toenails did we ever do to him to get stuck with an ammo dump in our backyard?....Sorry, Father."
Father Mulcahy smiled and nodded.
"Maybe it's not us, Henry." Hawkeye said "Maybe the General is hoping in the impending attack Frank will bite the dust so he can have HotLips all to himself."
The woman gasped, her eyes widening in rage as she turned to Frank.
"That's MAJOR HOULIHAN you to you, you, you~" Frank stuttered
"Frank, how would like for us to give your mouth an enima," Trapper offered "with embalming fluid!"
As the Americans bickered and fought among themselves, Shin watched the men with the trucks pitch a big tent and filled it with boxes and barrels marked "Ammo". There were a few English words the Korean soldiers were taught...and 'ammo' was one of them. It meant shells, landmines, bullets, bombs...American weaponry.
Shin swallowed hard and crept away from the group of Americans then ran as fast as he could to Rosie's' Bar. There he hid in the back room until sunset, when a mysterious Korean appeared in a wagon drawn by a donkey and took Shin back to his unit.
Upon arriving back at his unit, Shin told his commander everything he had seen. At first the older man refused to believe him, saying Shin's 'leave' had played tricks on his mind, but when their spies confirmed the ammo dump's existence, Shin was given a beat up old plan and told to destroy the dump. *
The fourth of Shin's six landmarks, a refuge village, raced passed him. Shin cracked his knuckles in anticipation. There was a feeling in his gut that today he was going to hit that dump, blow it to heaven. For six long weeks he had been trying to hit that dump and today...today would be the day he would get it.
It was strange...but after the first week of his attacks, the Americans at the hospital began to come to the edge of the field and cheer him on. Could it be they hated the war as much as he did? Could it be that they didn't want to be there and to see the dump destroyed would mean peace was one step closer? The black haired American had seemed very kind, as did the blonde haired man....and Rosie said they only cared about saving lives, no matter whose it was.
Shin shock his head. He didn't know the answers, and now was not the time to question his mission....but....in all honesty....Shin liked having the Americans cheer him on. He liked hearing them applaud and yell for joy when he raised the bomb high over his head and let it fall. His third week of attacking the dumb, they greeted him with music blasting over their PA system. There were times Shin wondered if he purposely missed the dump so he could keep coming back to the music and the cheers. He felt welcomed at the 4077th M*A*S*H....and it was that feeling that made his job hard.
As Shin rounded the last marker, a tall mountain, the clock in the plane hit 5 o'clock and from the ground below him he could hear the cheers of the Americans at the 4077th M*A*S*H. The PA announced Shin's arrival and the music began to play.
"And now!" Goldman said over the PA system "For your wartime pleasure, direct from North Korea; Five o'Clock Charlie, his airplane, and his astigmatism!"
Shin took a deep breath and smiled as the music floated up from the ground to his ears, along with the cheers and happy yells of the 4077th's medical staff. Shin circled the compound, eyeing the dump like a falcon...and decided that today was NOT going to be the day he destroyed it.
