The American Dream: A Modern Officer Sent to the Revolutionary War

When First Lieutenant Samuel Kim came to, he was no longer in his rather comfortable room in Camp Pendleton. Instead, he was tied to a chair inside a small and plain tent. That was not the only fact that surprised him, as he realized that he was dressed in his dress uniform for the Marine Corps instead of his sleepwear. Shaking off his surprise caused by the sudden changes, the US Marine looked at his surroundings to analyze the situation. The interior of the tent was bare, with only a small table with a lantern and a stool beside his own chair. Outside, the lieutenant could hear the sounds of shouting and pounding, though he could also make out several voices that were speaking directly outside of the tent he was in. Struggling against the bindings futilely, Lieutenant Kim yelled loudly enough for his captors to hear, "Who's out there and what do you want?"

The voices outside the tent suddenly ceased and two figures walked through the tent flaps to greet the Marine Corps officer. The first one that entered was a man that was fairly short in stature but had an air of authority surrounding him. He looked like he was in his late-40's, with streaks of grey hair that stood out from his auburn hair. The man wore an old-fashioned colonial hat with an outfit that consisted mainly of the colors brown and white. The second man that entered was taller and his face looked more weathered. The taller gentleman looked a decade older than his counterpart and strode into the tent with confidence. His outfit was a more sophisticated; he wore a wig, and a colonial officers uniform that Lieutenant Kim had seen in textbooks. Both men looked tense as they approached their captive cautiously.

"How did you manage to get past all of my men and come to the top of this hill with all your luggage with you?" The younger man asked accusingly.

The uptimer stared at the man, having no answers to the man's question. "I do not how I ended up here either. I was thinking that this was a prank made by some of my subordinates, but I don't think they would go this far for a mere prank."

The senior stepped up towards the bound officer to question him. "You said "subordinates," does that mean you are part of a militia? Or perhaps, a member of the redcoats? Judging by your way of dress, I would assume you are a soldier employed under an elite British unit."

"Redcoats? Do you mean the British?" Lieutenant Kim inspected the two people in front of him once more and shook his head. "Then I'm guessing you are colonials fighting against them? I assure you, I am not a loyalist or a member of the British military. My name is Samuel Kim. I am a First Lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps."

"United States Marine Corps. May I ask where this "United States" is? Is it an Asian nation that has lent mercenaries to the British to assist them in the colonies? After all, your features suggest that you come from the Asian continent."

The US officer shook his head, "No, the United States is something far greater than some nation in Asia that is employed by the British. If my hunch is correct, it is the nation that you are trying to create. The United States of America, with the first thirteen states being the thirteen colonies in North America."

That caught the attention of both of the colonials as the younger one nearly grabbed the bound officer by the collar, "What do you mean by that? You claim to be an officer of a nation that does not yet exist?"

"Yes, because I'm an officer of the United States in 2018. Which would be around 240 years ahead of your time. May I ask the current date and where I am exactly?"

"It is the 17th of June, in the year of our Lord 1775. You are currently sitting on Breed's Hill, overseeing the city of Boston." The older man coolly answered before his younger compatriot could answer. "If you are from the year 2018 as you claim, then you are 243 years ahead of our time. That is quite a bold claim, Lieutenant Kim."

The words of the older gentleman did not hold any malicious intent, but he and his partner both looked dubious of his bold claims. Lieutenant Kim closed his eyes and hoped that whatever brought him to this place would have at least brought him some items of use to verify his identity. "You told me before that I arrived with some luggage. May I request you bring them to this tent? The luggage may contain some items that may verify that I am from the future."

"Colonel Prescott, have someone fetch this man's luggage from the other tent and bring it here with due haste." As the younger man left, the older man turned back to his captive with a different look in his eyes. Before, he looked professional and indifferent to the lieutenant's words, but with the colonel gone, the colonial looked eager and even hungry. "You said that this "United States" would consist of the thirteen colonies of North America. Does that mean we achieve victory? Do we win the war against the redcoats?"

Lieutenant Kim blinked at the sudden change of atmosphere but welcomed it. "We do. We will declare our independence next year, in the year 1776. Afterward, we will win a string of victories against the British that will bring the French to our aid. After receiving French aid, we will begin to push the British back further and further, and the war will end with the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. The British will formally recognize our independence in 1783 and from there, we will expand to the west and the United States will span from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In the year 2018, the United States is the world's sole superpower. We do not have an empire, but we are a democratic republic that stands for equality and justice with a military that kings and conquerors of the past would envy."

The colonial soaked in every word the officer said and looked celebratory when his small speech ended. "And many told me that we would only suffer defeat if we challenge the might of the British military! If what you say is true, good sir, then we should gladly fight for our nation's future! Excuse me for being a bit rude earlier, but I am Major General Israel Putnam of the Continental Army."

"I have read about you in our history books, general. And since today is June 17th of 1775, I would assume that you are about to fight the British in one of the most famous battles in American history: Battle of Bunker Hill."

General Putnam looked confused at the remark. "Are we forced to retreat from our current position early on? Our plan is to defend Breed Hill and to withdraw to Bunker Hill if we are breached."

"No general. The majority of the battle does take part in Breed Hill, but the name "Battle of Bunker Hill" sounded more appealing to historians I suppose." Lieutenant Kim replied. "However, if it is not too late, I do have some suggestions to inflict more casualties on the British and to secure a complete American victory…"

As he was speaking, Colonel Prescott and another colonial walked into the tent with a large travel bag with wheels, a military backpack, a rifle, and a pistol. They were all placed onto the table in the tent and the colonial that assisted the colonel left the tent. General Putnam went over to the table and inspected the rifle with great interest. "Is this weapon also from the future then? This looked remarkably well crafted and seems to fire projectiles other than balls."

"That weapon is considered outdated from the year I come from, but was widely used in the early 1900's. However, that weapon is still years ahead of anything your militia or the British army has. The rifle is called the M1 Garand, a rifle that is able to fire repeatedly without needing to inject the "bullet" directly into the gun. The end of the rifle has a small opening where you can place a clip of bullets into the rifle directly, allowing a continuous stream of fire. Each clip holds eight bullets, so in a span of a minute I can most likely shoot around 40 to 50 accurate shots towards the enemy."

General Putnam picked up the Garand and weighed the rifle in his hands. "The rifle seems to weigh about the same as our muskets, but it is it seems considerably shorter. But you say that this can fire 40 to 50 shots per minute?"

"Yes, general. And the range for the Garand is several hundred yards and also has a sight to assist in aiming. If used correctly, I would assume that rifle could change the tide of an entire battle." Lieutenant Kim answered. "But before I get into any more specifics, may I ask that you open the small pouch at the very front of the bag and pull out the small booklet that is in it? It will help clear up any doubts about my claims."

While the general was still looking over the rifle, Colonel Prescott opened up the front pouch and pulled out a small black booklet. The very top of the booklet had the word "PASSPORT" emboldened onto it. The center of the cover featured an eagle that held arrows in its left claw with an olive branch on its right claw. The very bottom line of the booklet cover adorned the words "United States of America."

Curious, the colonel opened up the booklet and was greeted with a large picture eagle, with a somewhat familiar flag flying in the background. He read out the words that were written next to the eagle to his superior, who had also taken notice of the booklet. "We the People of the United States, in Order to create a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America."

"General Putnam, Colonel Prescott, I know it is hard to believe what I am telling you. Even in my times, the thought of someone going back in time and changing history is only in works of fiction. However, I have somehow traveled back 243 years into the past. I do not know how, but what matters more is that I am here with knowledge about the future. You may not trust me because I am a stranger, but my presence may change the course of this battle, war, and our future nation. So please, I ask you to trust me and let me help you win against the British. I can save dozens, if not hundreds of lives today if you do." The Marine Corps officer pleaded. Even though he was far away from home, his mind was racing with improvements he could bring upon the United States now and beyond.

Surprisingly, it was Colonel Prescott that spoke first. "While I still have my doubts, I believe that we should allow this man to assist us, general. His speech makes it clear that he is not British and he seems fiercely loyal to the United States, which is the cause we are fighting for if this man is correct. We will need to speak to him in greater detail, but for now, I believe he can be trusted."

The older colonial adjusted his wig and looked at the rifle and then the booklet. "I spoke with him briefly while you fetched his luggage and I am inclined to agree. If he does have knowledge that can assist us in the upcoming battle, then I see no reason to keep him bound and useless while the British overwhelm us. Unbind him."

In a few seconds, Colonel Prescott untied the rope and Lieutenant Kim rose from his chair unsteadily. He held out his hand to the general for him to shake. "Then let us fight for the future of our nation."

General Putnam took his hand and shook it, "We must. If shots are fired today, then there will be no peace until the end of this war."