Sean McBride had survived his war in Vietnam. At the age of nineteen, he was about to be decorated with the Silver Star medal, the third highest military award for gallantry in action.
A voice came over the loudspeaker saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States takes pride in presenting the Silver Star to Corp. Sean McBride.”
The young marine stood straight and tall in his dress blue uniform, the gold buttons on his chest and the blood red stripe running down the sides of his trousers reflecting the late afternoon sunlight. As he waited on the parade deck at the sprawling marine base in North Carolina, McBride remembered his friends Jimmy and Bleachman. There were several hundred people assembled to watch the ceremony, including Sean’s family.
The announcer continued, “Corporal McBride’s platoon was operating near Cu Lap Village in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam, when the marines came under intense small-arms, automatic-weapon, and mortar fire from a numerically superior enemy force occupying positions on three sides of the friendly unit. Rapidly assessing the situation, Corporal McBride obtained a machine gun from a wounded marine and directed a heavy volume of suppressive fire at the enemy soldiers while his men maneuvered to a more tenable position. Continuing his determined efforts, Corporal McBride advanced across the fire-swept terrain, encountering and killing several enemy soldiers. His heroic actions and selfless devotion to duty at great personal risk inspired his beleaguered platoon and were instrumental in recovering all of its casualties while accounting for fifteen enemy dead.”
McBride took a few steps forward and stopped, standing at attention. The general walked over to him, pinned the medal on his chest, and shook his hand. Sean glanced over at his family. He thought about the events that had brought him to this moment.