The Last Battle: Piercing Echoes, Perseverance, and Brotherhood

By Rick Marrah

The Last Battle – set after World War II and before the Vietnam War – is the bittersweet story of Col. William George and the men he leads.

Overcoming a scar from his past, the colonel has persevered to become a fierce and compassionate leader. He and his battalion are engaged with the enemy when they get word that the war has been won.

But when Col. George and his troops don’t get an acknowledgment of surrender, he must figure out what to do. Without having much choice, the colonel readies his troops to fight in the event the enemy advances or attacks

When scouts report that they see no signs of the enemy, it appears that all may be fine. However, enemy troops then mount a sudden attack, leaving Col. George and his troops fighting for their lives.

Throughout the ordeal, the colonel gets closer to his men as he learns more about them and himself in this story of redemption, courage, grief, and triumph.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973682363

Rick Marrah

Rick Marrah earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in pastoral and clinical counseling from Ashland Theological Seminary. He has worked with Young Life, acted for various production companies, and is now in corporate human resources. He and his wife, Denise, have six children in their blended family. They enjoy family time, their pets, the outdoors, physical fitness, and motorcycles.

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Copyright © 2020 Rick Marrah.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-8235-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8234-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8236-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019920904

WestBow Press rev. date: 1/14/2020

To Denise, my wife, love, life, and partner—the one I always want to be in the trenches with.

To my kids: Brittany, Michelle, Michael, Grant, Alexa, and Connor. May you persevere through life’s battles and trials. Let your light shine, fight the good fight, and remember there is always a second chance.

To Chris Crowe, my friend and a great inspiration for this story, who has been fighting the battle for many, many years.

To my friends Eric, Mike, Dustin, Leanne, and Sara. Your character has been inspirational for this work. You helped me discover the power of banding together in love.

To Mary, Brad, Ryan, Nick, and Pegi. Through you, I first felt the call to enter the battle against cancer.

To Chris, Grace, Abi, Bob, Jen, Jeff, Jurjen, Jenni, Penny, Molly, and everyone else who continues that fight. May God’s healing come through treatments, advances in science, and with prayer through the Word and the power of the Spirit.

To military personnel past and present, and especially to those and their families who have given all. Thank you! We don’t say it enough. We appreciate all you do. We would not be here if it weren’t for you! To Sergeant Ray Martin, US Marines, who was helpful with military authenticity. To my father, who served in the army, and my two uncles who were in WWII. Uncle James made the ultimate sacrifice flying over Ploesti, and Uncle Bill retired after a career in the navy. To all of you, your dedication and service to our country is inspiring.

To all those and their families who have lost their lives to or are battling any kind of terminal sickness. To all and their families who have lost their lives to hate or are battling any kind of social injustice, political unrest, or poverty.

To everyone reading this, let unity be our focus and love be our approach in all things. The battles will soon end. Our celebration is coming.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1     The War

Chapter 2     A Long Talk

Chapter 3     The Command Post

Chapter 4     Getting in Position

Chapter 5     The Last Battle

Chapter 6     Base Camp

Chapter 7     The Ship Arrives

Chapter 8     Later That Evening

Chapter 9     The Next Day

Chapter 10   The 0900 meeting

Chapter 11   Going Home

Chapter 12   A Sweet Reunion

Chapter 13   The Banquet

Chapter 14   Vacation Day

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Eric J, Mike, Ray, Dustin, Kevin, Eric M, Chuck, and Rob for your input.

A special thank you for the chapter illustrations to Mike O’Donnell of Polishing Copper Studios.

To view more of his inspiring artwork, or to find out about his mission to help others unlock their creative gifting while illuminating the Gospel, go to polishingcopperart.com.

INTRODUCTION

War and conflict have been a constant throughout history. Most historians believe that there has never been a time when all people of all places have been at peace.

Victory in war hinges on the outcomes of the individual battles. Military experts can often point to a single battle, or a tactic within it, that was the decisive event in a war’s outcome.

As a kid, I remember my dad telling me about a battle that occurred after the war it was associated with was declared over. I don’t recall much else about the conversation, but I remember wondering why soldiers would continue fighting after the war had ended. As I thought about this moment recently, I decided to do some research to find out more. What I learned was enlightening.

There have been many major wars where battles have been waged after the war was declared over, including WWI and WWII. Not surprisingly, I found that the reasons for most of these battles were either due to a lack of communication or a refusal to accept defeat by the losing side.

In the spiritual realm, there is a parallel with this phenomenon. Though that war was won at the cross and confirmed by the empty tomb, battles continue in the form of terminal disease, depression, broken relationships, anxiety, and lies like I’m not good enough. We are constantly fighting against an enemy that tries to kill, steal, and destroy (our peace and well-being) and who provokes us to tension, anger, and hatred (toward one another). It can feel like life is an uphill battle, but the reality is we can have a rich and satisfying life by (pressing into the way, the truth, and the life) doing the right thing, telling the truth, and loving others. In the end, love will win.

The inspiration for this story comes from all who fight this spiritual battle and from those who have fought military battles on our behalf. The celebration of final victory will one day come; until then, let us continue to shine the light of goodness, fight the good fight, love others, and never give up hope.

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CHAPTER 1

THE WAR

A ll signs were pointing to the probability that the war would soon be coming to an end. Our mission was to push the enemy back out of the valley, over the top of the northern hill, and take control of that hill and the northern shoreline behind it. This would all but ensure our victory and be our final contribution to winning the war.

We had choppered in from the base camp, located about thirty miles east of the valley on the eastern shoreline. Our MASH unit and helicopters were also stationed there. The shoreline extended north a few miles and then cut to the west behind the northern hill that the enemy currently occupied.

We had secured a portion of the southern hill, where our command post was located, and down about a mile into the valley that separated the two hills. The valley was sporadically knit with trees, which made our movement challenging. We were fully engaged with the enemy as we advanced farther north through the valley. Gunfire and heavy artillery rounds were being fired in both directions. The battle and our surge forward had been going on for a couple hours. The enemy’s response was beginning to slow, and it seemed like they were wearing down as we made more headway. I thought, This might be the time to take it up a notch and push hard to drive them back out of the valley. But I knew this would be taxing, and we were getting tired. I was analyzing the situation and considering if we should push forward or hunker down for a bit and then reengage after the troops had had time to rest a bit and get some grub.

I saw Doc coming toward me. Sergeant Kyle was the medic serving our squad and a couple of others, but everyone called him Doc. He was a year away from completing med school when the war intensified. His dad was a veteran, so he took time off to come to the field to be where he was most needed. I was sure Doc would have a long, distinctive career; the man was a magician and could do things with his hands that were amazing. He was always close by, taking care of those in need, and had a good sense of everything else that was going on by listening to the radio. He also stayed in contact with the other medics to make sure the best coverage was being provided.

Keeping his head low as he moved, Doc slid in beside me. Good timing, I thought. I’ll get his thoughts on how the rest of the battalion is holding up.

How are things looking? I asked.

Not too bad, sir. We’ve lost one or two and have lifted a handful back to the MASH unit.

What’s the overall morale like?

Upbeat, Colonel. I think they’re sensing victory. We’ve moved them back significantly in the last couple hours.

What about fatigue?

They’re in good shape there too, sir. They’ve been taking turns at the guns, the guard, and resting. They’ve been eating, and the water is holding out well.

Okay, great. Danny, radio.

Danny was a corporal and had been my radio man almost from his first day. He had always wanted to be a soldier and joined the military right after high school. I met him at a recruiting event in his senior year and was captured by his energy and enthusiasm to serve. Danny was a special young man—special in every sense of the word. I kept tabs on him when he took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the intelligence and competency tests required to enlist. This test is not too difficult for a person with an average or slightly below average IQ. Unfortunately, Danny didn’t pass the first time, but that didn’t deter him. He studied hard and got connected with a tutor, and he passed the second time. I was impressed with his dedication and commitment