His country. Leaving behind a proud father, Elijah departed for his adventure.

Charlie Company's sole enlistee, John Young was born on March 13, 1945 to Wilbur and Myrl Young, who eventually settled down in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where Wilbur worked at International Harvester. At first life in Saint Paul was rather claustrophobic, with the family, which now included John and two younger sisters, living in a small inner-city duplex. But Wilbur's salary continued to grow during the boom years of the 1950s, while Myrl brought in additional money through her own job as a waitress in a local restaurant. By 1957 the couple had saved enough money to buy a four-bedroom home in the suburbs. It was almost the perfect American middle-class existence.

As a high school sophomore, John, like so many of his generation, turned for inspiration to America's dashing new president, John F. Kennedy. Quite taken by JFK's charm, on January 20, 1961, Young sat spellbound while watching the pomp and circumstance of the presidential inauguration on television. One specific phrase from the speech immediately seized the youngster's imagination and became a centerpiece of his life - “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." Kennedy had challenged the young generation in America to service and sacrifice in the name of a greater good. To John Young the words of the handsome young president were like a magnet. He would serve; the only question was how.

After graduation from high school in 1963, John enrolled at the University of Minnesota, commuting to campus in a brand-new VW Beetle that his father bought for $1,865. On a cold November day he and his friends were sitting in the crowded common room of the Newman Center chatting while the radio played in the background. Amid the daily din of college life, in the corner of his consciousness John picked up on some stray words that seemed unthinkable. He sprinted to the main counter and asked the receptionist to turn up the radio's volume.