Originally set years after the ending of Cymil20's Medal of Honor: Setting Sun where an elderly Joe and Dnnie Griffin return to Leyte to help the Filipinos after the effect of Typhoon Yolanda.
This is a special story released to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan (Filipino: Yolanda).
Dedicated to those thousands affected by Typhoon Yolanda. We will never forget you.
Newark, New Jersey, USA
November 8, 2013
Typhoon Haiyan makes landfall in the Philippines today. The provinces of Leyte, Samar, and northern Cebu are going to be affected. President Aquino has mobilized the Armed Forces to help in the relief and recovery of Tacloban.
Meanwhile, the United States Pacific Command has pledged to deploy its forces in the region to assist the Philippines in this time of need.
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After the initial landfall of Haiyan, majority of Leyte and Samar have been destroyed. Trees have been uprooted like matchsticks while dead bodies litter the streets. There is no electricity and water while basic commodities remain scarce. The situation is grimm here in Tacloban while residents await for help coming from the government and the military.
99 year old Joe Griffin sat in his home watching the CNN broadcast showing the footage of the destruction of Haiyan. It deeply pained him how the country he had liberated roughly 70 years ago was devastated by a typhoon. Leyte had a special place in his heart as it was the place where General Douglas MacArthur landed in his promise to liberate the Philippines from the yoke of the Japanese. Now, even the Leyte landing memorial was destroyed by the storm. His wife Carol stayed by his side, comforting him.
Joe's children were separate. His eldest son, named Raymond, 60 years old, live in New York City. He was veteran of the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey took part in the recovery of the World Trade Center following the September 11th attacks. Raymond lived with his wife. The two had children named Matthew and Thomas, born in 1991 and 1996 respectively.
Meanwhile, the other child, a daughter named Caroline after his wife, 55 years old, lived with them since she wanted to take care of her parents. They had three children born in 1989, 1992, and 1997. Currently, everyone was busy with their lives. The storm affecting the Philippines was broadcasted throughout all major news networks and social media platforms, something his millennial grandchildren knew so much.
Somehow, the elderly Joe felt that he needed to help the Filipino people in this time of need. He wanted to donate to local charity drives. However, something inside him told him he needed to return to Leyte and help in the relief operations. Joe and his brother Donnie still had a portion of the Yamashita treasure they had obtain from Shima 70 years back. The OSS then the CIA and the Veteran's Affairs allowed them to keep 30% of the wealth. It had provided them stability throughout their entire life. During the Cold War to the War on Terror, the brothers used their wealth to support wounded troops coming from Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Lebanon, the Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.
Despite his old age, Joe was surprisingly healthy. He then called his family to gather in the kitchen, where he told his plan of going to the Philippines in a few days. This shocked his wife Carol and his daughter and his grandchildren. They were concerned his old age would be very difficult. However, he insisted and wanted to be an inspiration of people who give back to others in times of help. They then agreed that Joe and Carol would return to Leyte. Joe prepared to spend a portion of the Yamashita treasure for relief goods and for the stay in the Philippines. They contacted the U.S. Embassy in Manila of their arrival to the Philippines in a few days.
He then phoned Donnie, 95 years old, who was living in Connecticut with his African-American wife Lucy. Donnie was more than willing to go back to the Philippines since Leyte was the place he was wounded-in-action with some Japanese holdouts.
The elderly brothers then booked to go to the Philippines on November 13, 2013. With them were some representatives of FEMA, Veteran's Affairs officials, and some military personnel. The news of two almost centenarian World War II veterans returning to Leyte would soon take the media like a wave.