THE SECOND SHOT

A former Green Beret reflects on how engineering an unsanctioned rescue mission in the Philippines helped him come to terms with a fractured, complex past.

Born to Taiwanese parents in Boston, Yu spent his childhood trying to be “the perfect American boy,” only to get treated like a foreigner in return. Later the family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Yu suddenly found himself surrounded by other Asian Americans. Feeling alienated and rebellious, he grew his hair long, wore a black coat, and shoplifted books. In an ironic twist, one of the novels he stole, which centered on an Asian American graduate of West Point, gave him the direction he lacked. He set his sights on attending West Point, but by the end of the year, the academy had ranked him lowest in his class. Despite obstacles throughout college and later, during his distinguished service as a Green Beret, Yu always managed to get “second shots” that pushed him to excel and succeed. Questions about his ties to an uncle he barely knew but who happened to be the president of Taiwan eventually forced Yu to leave the military for a civilian career in Asia. A series of setbacks not long afterward sent his life into a tailspin, until a family friend named Angela Chang asked Yu to help find her kidnapped sister, Evelyn. Yu made a near-fatal error in judgment during the intrigue-filled rescue operation that followed, nearly costing Evelyn her life. Forced once again to confront failure—this time as a soldier and a good Chinese son—Yu not only succeeded in freeing the hostage from her terrorist captors but also himself from the lifelong internal “war” that raged between both sides of his identity.

Inspiring, provocative reading.