John Rambo

John Rambo

John Rambo

In August of 1964, a young man named John J. Rambo joined the United States Army, a legend in the making. Though he was barely 18 years old at the time, Rambo demonstrated a unique temperament and an aptitude for unconventional warfare skills, which led to his acceptance into the Special Forces. He received training as a light weapons specialist and medic, as well as qualifications in airborne operations and linguistics. The young Rambo was sent to Vietnam, where as a part of a close-knit, highly skilled guerilla warfare team, he was credited with 59 confirmed kills and was awarded two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, four Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Service Cross and the Congressional Medal of Honor. But amid these successes, Rambo experienced soul-searing pain, privation and loss. His friends and comrades were being blown to pieces in front of his eyes, and his young psyche was tormented by the death and horror that surrounded him. Of his combat team, only Rambo and one other survived to return to the United States, and once on U.S. soil, this decorated war hero found himself in nation that did not seem to care about the sacrifices made by its soldiers. When his sole returning comrade died of cancer from his exposure to Agent Orange, Rambo became a rootless wanderer without hope or purpose often in trouble with law enforcement. Eventually, Rambo came back into contact with Col. Samuel Trautman, his former commander in Vietnam. The Colonel helped Rambo find his way, involving him in special covert operations that utilized his diverse combat skills and astonishing resilience. Through his work as an unconventional warfare operative and his time in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, Rambo seemed to exorcise many of his personal demons. Over time, the name Rambo has become synonymous with a warrior persona characterized by fierce loyalty, merciless determination, self-sacrifice, and brutal enthusiasm for destroying the enemy.