Leroy Randleman - Loner

General History:

       They say war changes a man. For Leroy Randleman this was definitely the case. After serving in the Pacific Campaign as a Marine Raider for years, Leroy Randleman was convinced he was no longer the same man he as before he entered the war. Instead of going home to his family and old friends as they expected, he simply went to an entirely different community explaining nothing to the people he used to know. He thought this was a odd but justified act on his part. He found a small place off the maps named Stow, New Hampshire. His time of peace was short lived when the infection spread like the black plague 10 fold. As new factions emerged he decided that moment he wasn't going to fight in another conflict that was side against side, those days for him were over. [I'll expand when we get further in]


Professional Military Career:

Leroy Randleman was down on his luck before the war. He couldn't find much work because of the depression and what work he did find he soon lost. This seemed to be his life until one day he was offered a factory job that would have lasted him at least 20 years. On the same week he was offered this job, though, Pearl Harbor was attacked. This was a national tragedy for sure and he felt compelled to fight the men responsible. He decided to refuse the job and made his way to the nearest recruiting station, a Marine recruiting station, the recruiter said it was "The best damn outfit there is" and to Leroy, this was right.

In the marines Leroy saw little to no action. Despite this fact, he was still always first to volunteer and among the strongest men and sharpest shooters of his unit. Then in 1942 when the American Military was drastically increased in the wake of the war, a new unit known as the Marine Raiders were being formed as a commando force to attack lightly defended Japanese islands behind enemy lines. Leroy's CO informed him of this unit and after consideration and thinking, Leroy joined up with "Carlson's" Raiders of 2nd Marine Raiders Battalion.

Leroy saw his first action in the Makin Island raid, he was aboard the submarine Nautilus of the two submarines. They emerged and the japs didn't see them coming. It was an allies victory with the casualties being 19 on the allied side to 80-130 on the axis side. Leroy killed 4 men on that day, they were the first men he killed in his entire life, the first effects of change were now taking affect on him. He went on to fight in numerous raids on Japanese islands up until the invasion of Bougainville the last combat he saw before the Marine Raiders were disbanded.

When the war was over, Randleman had killed 21 men and lost 3 friends. He knew he had served his country well and was proud. He had gotten used to being called by his last name, Randleman instead of his first name and all this together made him think he was an entirely different man. And to the U.S. he returned a changed man.

Leroy Randleman, Pre-apocalypse 1942