The Discarded by the State (2)

"Huh? W-what did you say?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected request, Reagan straightened his posture, shifting from his relaxed position to a rigid, upright stance. It was a request so shocking that the warm, friendly atmosphere they had shared until just moments ago vanished in an instant.

"I said that I would like you to permit the granting of Soviet citizenship to retired American veterans."

"You... do you truly think that makes any sense?"

Reagan’s brow furrowed, but Yoon-gi responded with a look of genuine bewilderment.

"Yes...? I only brought it up because I believed it would be beneficial for the United States..."

"Beneficial to the United States? That?"

Reagan glared, flustered by Yoon-gi’s apparent confusion. But then, Guster stepped in.

"My grandson-in-law is still young, so it seems he doesn't quite know how to convey his thoughts properly. He gave me a perfectly logical explanation, but I suppose he’s nervous because he’s in front of you, Mr. President."

"He explained it properly to you?"

Reagan turned his head toward Guster, his tone softening slightly.

"Yes. I shall explain it in more detail."

At Guster’s words, Reagan nodded and focused his attention on him.

"Mr. President, retired veterans are currently one of the major problems in American society, are they not?"

"Hmm... so that was the intention."

Reagan ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finally realized what Yoon-gi was driving at.

"Precisely. Veterans, especially those who served on the front lines, all suffer from various mental illnesses, including PTSD. This has become a significant issue in American society."

"Sigh, that is certainly true."

"And they find it difficult to adjust to ordinary workplace life. Therefore, entrusting them to private capitalists is also a difficult task."

"That is also true."

In reality, it was common to see former soldiers who couldn't find work living as homeless people in the United States. While the country might seem to respect its soldiers on the surface, that only applied to heroic anecdotes. In practice, the treatment awaiting the average veteran was harsher than one could imagine. In particular, figures like MacArthur, hailed as heroes in Korea, had a history of sending tanks to crush protests by veterans who were simply begging for a way to make a living. If even an active-duty general would use tanks against veterans, how could others be expected to treat them?

Even after World War I and World War II, veterans struggled to make ends meet, and the Vietnam War was even worse. The Vietnam War, which lacked any national support, turned its veterans into "human trash," and after returning home, they were subjected to countless verbal abuses and, in severe cases, physical beatings by the public. The U.S. government had failed to take proper responsibility for them.

"That is why my grandson-in-law wishes to embrace them. If YK takes these veterans in, wouldn't it be beneficial for the United States as well? The crimes committed by veterans will decrease, which will indirectly improve the economy. Furthermore, the veterans themselves will have stable jobs."

"Hmm... indeed..."

As Reagan nodded, Guster continued.

"Of course, there are many PMCs in the United States already. However, most of them only want former special forces personnel. YK, however, does not mind taking in ordinary soldiers. And if YK comes to possess a PMC of sufficient scale..."

"If you come to possess it?"

"Depending on the circumstances, the United States might be able to further expand its arms sales. My grandson-in-law is married to my granddaughter. There is no way he would ever point those weapons at the United States, is there?"

"Indeed... indeed...!"

That was the extent of the trust commanded by a man like Guster. Because of this, Reagan began to reasonably weigh the pros and cons of granting permission for the establishment of the PMC—specifically, allowing the change of nationality for the veterans. And eventually, the scale tipped toward "permission."

In a way, it was a common story. Even the South Korean Ministry of National Defense would boast to parents, "We will take responsibility," when forcibly dragging young men into the military. But the moment that young man gets hurt in the service, they immediately change their stance to, "Well~ that's your son~." This behavior is a common stance for almost every nation. While it is impossible for state leaders to openly call their citizens "useless," it is a reality that they think of them that way in practice. Thus, Reagan reached his final conclusion.

"If that is the meaning, there is no reason not to allow it. Why didn't you say so sooner?"

At Reagan’s words, Yoon-gi bowed his head with an embarrassed expression.

"I apologize. I am still young, so..."

Reagan took a greater liking to Yoon-gi because of his intentionally awkward demeanor. If Yoon-gi had appeared too perfect, Reagan might have felt a sense of unease. An overly superior being can bring anxiety to those around them. But because Yoon-gi acted slightly clumsy and deferred the important matters to Guster, Reagan looked at him with the eyes of a grandfather watching a favorite grandchild.

"Hahahaha! Yes, being young is something that can't be helped. Still, you have real guts for such a young age. It’s a pity, a real pity. I should have had you marry my granddaughter."

"Mr. President! If my granddaughter hears that, there will be trouble!"

At Guster’s horrified reaction, Reagan threw his head back and laughed even louder.

'Phew, success.'

Establishing a PMC in the Soviet Union, recruiting former U.S. soldiers into that Soviet PMC, and eventually importing American weapons. Through his meeting with Reagan, Yoon-gi had achieved everything he set out to do.

* * *

Although he had secured full permission for the PMC through Reagan, there was a prerequisite that had to be met first: the meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev. No matter how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much Reagan wanted to allow the change of nationality for the veterans, if the timing was wrong, his approval ratings could plummet in an instant. Therefore, the CIA had proposed a suitable plan: the meeting with Gorbachev had to come first.

They would plaster photos of Gorbachev bowing his head across the United States to boost Reagan’s approval ratings. Then, they would allow the veterans' change of nationality under a suitable pretext. The analysis that this would prevent any problems perfectly aligned with Reagan’s own intentions. Thus, the U.S.-Soviet summit was held in West Berlin. Of course, because the leaders of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠U.S. and the Soviet Union had held summits several times before, public interest had been waning. Or rather, it had been.

But after the summit, the released photos shook the United States to its core.

For Americans, who were already suffering from a sense of depression due to the defeat in the Vietnam War, Reagan’s hegemony was gaining tremendous popularity. In such a situation, Reagan had forced the head of the Soviet Union, America’s greatest enemy, to bow. How moved the public must have been! Whenever Reagan held a ceremonial event, his popularity skyrocketed to the point where the entire nation would shout the word "Reagan" from the bottom of their hearts. It was a level of popularity that far surpassed his previous prime.

Thus, the second stage of establishing the PMC in the Soviet Union began.

The advertisement featuring Reagan himself was about allowing the change of nationality to the Soviet Union. However, the American public did not protest. Because Gorbachev, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union, had bowed to the United States, the nuance was not that going to the Soviet Union meant becoming a dog of the Soviets, but rather showing the power of American soldiers to the Soviet Union. Therefore, the PMC managed by YK did not receive any criticism in the U.S., and any conspiracy theories were dismantled by the overwhelming national consensus. Once the public opinion that "How could anyone doubt President Reagan’s decision!" was formed so extremely, YK’s PMC became a sanctuary.

And the third step. The advertisement featuring Guster provided the grand finale.

This slogan, a slight modification of the one the U.S. used during World War II, "I Want You," ignited the hearts of the retired veterans.

"Guster wants us!"

The veterans who had been living sorrowful lives as homeless people stepped onto the streets with their own two legs, not their thighs, holding onto their last hope for the first time in a long while. Veterans who had been loners at home, labeled as "always angry" and "emotionally volatile" fathers, left their front doors with the relieved send-offs of their families.

Thus began the competition. YK clearly announced that this was the "first round of selection." The number of recruits for the first round was 1,000. Since a significant portion of the nearly 700,000 U.S. veterans applied for this selection, the competition rate was nearly 200 to 1. Because of this, YK’s examiners were able to select relatively superior personnel.

'Mr. Chairman, who should we select as the screening examiners? Selecting excellent individuals from among retired veterans is a truly difficult task...'

That was the advice full of worry from Kang Seok-ho a while ago. But Yoon-gi answered nonchalantly. Because the YK Group even had Vietnam War veterans, there was no problem in selecting excellent personnel. And so, the selection was completed successfully.

YK’s PMC thoroughly selected personnel based on "actual combat experience." Since most of the personnel would be deployed to Africa in the future, those without combat experience would be of little help. Instead, the average age became somewhat higher. If they had participated in the final stages of the Vietnam War in their youth, they were now in their mid-30s. Therefore, the personnel selected by YK were mostly in their early 30s to mid-40s.

But it didn't matter.

'For a soldier, the decline in physical strength due to age is not as big a problem as you might think. I don't know about special operations, but modern warfare fought with high-tech weapons is determined by the performance of the weapons and combat experience, not physical strength and grit.'

Having seen a very fat administrative sergeant fly around during a futsal game during his own military service, Yoon-gi chose experienced soldiers over young ones, and this pleased Reagan. Because it was much more helpful to have a slightly older population leave the U.S. than a younger one. Furthermore, even if they had combat experience, they were people with almost no connection to classified weapons. In short, this choice of Yoon-gi’s brought yet another benefit.

Finally, in December 1986, the 1,000 soldiers selected by YK arrived at a U.S. military base in Korea via transport planes thanks to the U.S.'s consideration, and shortly thereafter, they arrived in Vladivostok. The 1,000 veterans who had instantly become Yoon-gi’s division. No, they were now people who could be called members of the PMC. Yoon-gi stood on the podium in the auditorium where they were gathered. Today was their first day as PMC employees and the day of their welcoming ceremony.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sound of Yoon-gi’s footsteps echoed on the podium, and the 1,000 people looked at him with expressions that were slightly unconvinced. They were dissatisfied that a young, green ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kid, not Guster, was standing on the podium. But Yoon-gi struck the hearts of those 1,000 people with a single line.

"No matter who in the world may condemn you, I believe you are heroes."