Well, he came home from his time in Vietnam, the time that changes everything about America. He had a life before the Punisher, and I've been thinking about this ever since my book... I... the way I see it, all I did was write the ending. I never wrote the story. 
Appearing in "1: Crack the Sky and Shake the Earth"
Featured Characters:
- U.S. Marine Corps (Only in flashback)
- Molland (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- Corpsman Capa (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- Sergeant Dryden (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- Fish (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- Staff Sergeant Donald (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Second Lieutenant Frank Castle (Only in flashback)
- Chief Warrant Officer Gleed (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Corporal Bago (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Numerous unnamed soldiers (Only in flashback)
Supporting Characters:
- Michael Goodwin (First full appearance)
- U.S. Air Force (Only in flashback)
Antagonists:
- Việt Cộng (Only in flashback)
- Commander Ly Quang (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Unnamed soldiers (Death) (Only in flashback)
- People's Army of Vietnam (Only in flashback)
- Colonel Letrong Giap (Only in flashback)
- Captain Nguyen Van Cuong (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Unnamed soldiers (Only in flashback)
Other Characters:
- Top (First appearance)
- Michael Herr (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
- Maria Castle (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Lisa Castle (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Frank Castle, Jr. (Mentioned) (Deceased)
- Lieutenant Dolan (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- U.S. Army (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- U.S. Navy (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
Locations:
- Earth-200111 (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- United States of America
- Iowa (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Philippines (Mentioned)
- Vietnam (Only in flashback)
- Firebase Valley Forge (Mentioned)
- South Vietnam (Only in flashback)
- Quang Tri Province (Only in flashback)
- Khe Sanh Combat Base (Mentioned) (Main story and flashback)
- Hill 861 (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Hill 861A (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Camp Carroll (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Chu Bai (Only appearance; destruction) (Only in flashback)
- Quang Tri Province (Only in flashback)
- Thailand (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- United States of America
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Hell (Invoked) (Only in flashback)
Items:
- M16 rifles (Only in flashback)
- M60 machine gun (Only in flashback)
- AN/PRC-25 (Only in flashback)
- Type 56 assault rifle (Only in flashback)
Vehicles:
- Bell UH-1 Iroquois (Only in flashback)
- Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs (Only in flashback)
Events:
- Vietnam War (Only in flashback)
Synopsis for "1: Crack the Sky and Shake the Earth"
Michael Goodwin, the renown author of the Vietnam War book, Valley Forge, Valley Forge, interviews four veterans of Fourth Platoon, Kilo Company, Third Battalion of the 26th Marine Regiment who served under Frank Castle's first command. While Goodwin wrote on how Castle became The Punisher after the end of the Vietnam War, he wants to write a book on how Castle started out on his first tour of duty in 1968.
Then Second Lieutenant Frank Castle is transferred to Hill 861 near Khe Sanh Combat Base to lead the Fourth Platoon. Initially the soldiers see Castle as no different from the other commanding officers, but were very surprise to realize that he doesn't care about protocols and he is relying on them to "show [him] the ropes." After learning that the 26th were deployed after enemy scouts were sighted and destroyed outside of the main base perimeter, Castle lead Kilo Five to scout the area.
When given orders to move at a abandoned ville at Chu Bai, where they would make a extraction by air, Castle then learn that Chu Bai was rife with enemy snipers; however, the outfit tasked with patrolling that sector had made a "deal" with their officer to never go to near Chu Bai and give intelligence unverified information that the area was safe. Rather then sending his men into a potential ambush, Castle requests an airstrike on the ville.
Sometime later, North Vietnamese Colonel Letrong Giap talks with Viet Cong Commander Ly Quang, a survivor from Chu Bai. Giap hears from her of what happened at Chu Bai before telling her that she and their fellow comrades of the Viet Cong must wait for their battles as the upcoming Tet Offensive will happen soon.
Solicit Synopsis
By the time the Punisher was born in Vietnam, Frank Castle had already become a dark legend of the battlefield. Stories about him were told in whispers, if at all. Now the legendary Punisher team of Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov (PUNISHER MAX, FURY MAX) brings the first of those stories to light: the tale of Frank Castle’s first command, and his first kill. Don’t miss this epic new series!
