How he became a worshipper of chance, how he survived insurmountable odds, how he kept incognito the ubiquitous truth and how he became Major Henry Abercrombie, a recipient of the Medal of Honour.
Henry's was no ordinary story but rather the legend of a man born and bred in the pristine wilderness of Alaska. A legend which saw the rise and rise of a man, until his confrontation with the inescapable truth.
His paternal grandfather, Solomon Abercrombie, had served in the U.S Army. He was a master raconteur who thrilled Henry with war stories, in his childhood days.
Barely into his teens, Henry hoped to join the army and emulate the bravura of "The Basilisks", the "Guardian of the United States of America" in most of Solomon's narratives.
As the years progressed, his well sculpted arms, tall height and a face chiselled to perfection not only won him female admirers but also made his intent to join the army stronger by the day.
24th September 2000
Finally, the time had come. Graduating from college Henry enrolled himself in the U.S Marines. In the gruelling training, often considered the toughest in the world, Henry still found time for something else, something passed on from his grandfather's genes to that of his. Though, he had a handful of Solomon‟s attributes, a primary one he had was his ability to win friends.
Henry and his uniform friends, six of them, called themselves the "The Mighty Lucifer", and they believed that the enemy would feel that too. They bonded like blood brothers who could unconditionally lay down their lives for each other. The "Mighty Lucifer" would be the modern day "Basilisks". And then the enemy struck.
11th September 2001
The twin-towers that symbolized the prowess of a nation had been reduced to a pile of dust and a superpower had been brought down on her knees. The Wright Brothers who taught Man to defy gravity would never have imagined that their invention could be used to such brutal effects, with precision greater than laser guided missiles. The Holy Grail of Superman's words, proclaiming that flying is still the safest way to travel, had been profanely desecrated.
13th September, 2001
America would strike back. Not just to avenge the thousands killed, nor just to uplift her blood smattered image, but to tame the Frankenstein that she had unleashed on the world herself. Henry was to be a part of the contingent to Afghanistan, "to root out terror", as Bush proclaimed.
7th October, 2001
America launched "Operation Enduring Freedom" as the Lockheed Martin F-16s' started pounding the dreary barrenness of Afghanistan. The Marines would land shortly and so would Captain Henry Abercrombie and his "Mighty Lucifer" team.
17th November, 2001
The U.S Marines had landed on Afghanistan soil and they were to consolidate the advantages the military fleet had won in the Tora Bora Mountains. Initial difficulties in acclimatizing to a highly unfamiliar terrain were compounded by guerrilla tactics employed by the Taliban.
Henry remembered the trials and tribulations faced by the four "Basilisks" during the Vietnam War as narrated to him by his grandfather. The U.S forces unaccustomed to guerrilla warfare had lost heavily in Vietnam. But this was a different time and a different place. "The Mighty Lucifer" would win, whatever be the costs.
23rd November, 2001
This was the first time that Henry was engaged in a real battle. There would be no second chance out here. The blood was for real and so would be death. Their military truck had been ambushed by the Taliban and Henry was lucky that a bullet aimed at him was taken by another Marine. Surprising, but yes, he had got a second chance. A second chance for survival.
6th December, 2001
The "Mighty Lucifer" count was down to four. Two of them had valiantly laid down their lives and Henry was lucky to have survived on at least four occasions. He ought to become a worshipper of chance, a chance to survive. There are not too many who get so many of them in a battlefield.
8th December, 2001
The U.S Marines were to launch a ground assault on the Tora Bora Mountains. Armed with M-16 assault rifles, M-249 Squad Automatic Weapons and grenade launchers, they would be combating against around a hundred Taliban fighters holed in a cave. "The Mighty Lucifer" would be a part of that assault team.
12th December, 2001
Four days into the combat, there were heavy casualties on both sides. Around a score Taliban fighters had been killed but the U.S army had lost eleven of their best soldiers too. "The Mighty Lucifer" were down to three. Henry waged on the war along with the remaining Marines. The Taliban fighters teetered on the brink of losing their last bastion.
14th December, 2001
The combat finally came to an end. The Tora Bora Mountains had been freed from the reins of Taliban. Miraculously, the only survivor from the Marines was Henry Abercrombie. Was it fortuitous chance or unbridled valour or something else…
21st December, 2001
"Operation Enduring Freedom" was a success. The Taliban had been routed. America was proud of her brave-heart soldiers. Back in Alaska, Henry earned the nickname of the "Guardian".
Solomon, who recently celebrated his seventy-third birthday, was immensely proud of his grandson's heroic exploits.
16th July, 2002
"The Guardian" came back to America to a hero's welcome. The American Government wanted to commemorate him on his success and they awarded him their highest gallantry award.
11th September, 2002
Solomon had organized a grand party for Henry. A rousing reception for a hero, who was the guardian of his country. He introduced his grandson to three of his best friends who had all served in the U.S Army. And then Solomon told Henry, a story he had never told him before.
A story that had a "Basilisk" locked in a dogfight with the nonpareil Red Baron, who had already shot down a couple of F-16s'. A story where the "Basilisk" stared down the Germans and defended the army base till reinforcements came. And that the "Basilisk", was none other than Solomon Abercromie himself, the first Alaskan to have won the Medal of Honour.
Solomon and his three friends, "The Basilisks", were proud of Henry as he had rivalled their heroics. A grandfather blushed when his friends mentioned how he risked his life to save theirs. But someone in that room appeared pale, very pale in what confronted him now…
He stood there in his bejeweled uniform
As the medals glistened in the incandescent light;
He was greeted with aplenty handshakes warm,
But decked up in green, he appeared all white.
For the mirror that now confronted him
Spoke not of a man of unmatched valour;
But of a coward, of a spurious being
Who deserted his friends at a time of disaster.
Not one of them lived to tell the fact
That the dastardly soul ran for his life;
Nowhere to be seen when the enemy attacked
While his friends boldly continued their strife.
And while they weathered the unholy storm
He fled, apprehensive of his own well being;
And now, facing the mirror in his full uniform
It seemed to him as if he wore nothing.
24th September, 2002
Major Henry shot himself at point blank range with his grandfather's Smith and Wesson .38 Long Colt. A bewildered nation mourned the death of a hero, but will rest in peace, Henry Abercrombie ever…
