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By tat_2man
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03 July 2006 |
A story I had actually forgotten I had written. Foind it in one of my old notebooks. I hope you like it.
I was born and raised Catholic and was once considering priesthood. That was before Nam of course. I was sent there in 1967.
I began to wonder if there really was a God. Three months into my tour our point man had run into a land mine, a Bouncing Betty to be exact. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him crawling torwards us until I realized he had left his legs and most of his stomach behind him. He died without knowing what happened. He had only been with us for 3 weeks. You know I don’t even remember his name anymore.
The doubts built upon guilt. Once while on patrol Lt. Walters and I were on point while walking through a small village. I noticed a small girl running torwards us and she had a grenade in her small hands. I froze and just stared at her. I remember her hair shining in the sunlight and her eyes, small and scared. LT drew his .45 and told her to stop. She didn’t. A shot rang out. I couldn’t look at her small crumpled body as we passed.
The doubts built upon guilt and fear. I had only 7 and a wakeup to go and was on my last patrol when my squad was attacked. It had been raining for weeks. I hadn’t had any dry clothes in so long I had forgotten how it felt. Mortar and gunfire lit up the rice paddy. I pressed myself into the water smelling feces, mud and blood. I was the only one that walked out of that godforsaken rice paddy. Everyone else was carried out.
I know with all my heart there was no God in Nam. Was there a God before that? I do not know. Is there a God now? I think about that as I watch my Grandkids play in the yard. Maybe there is a God after all, just maybe. |
Written by Bottleblondesurfer (3434 comments posted) 3rd July 2006 | That was short but it packed a hell of a punch. A really powerful and vivid insight into the hell of war and you pose a difficult question. I know what my answer would be but I'll keep it to myself for fear of offending
You have very graphic style of writing
cheers
BBS | wow!
Written by Leo (573 comments posted) 4th July 2006 | a whole lot of writing squeezed in a small tin!
really powerful stuff.
look forward to more |
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