Vietnam_Narrative

Vietnam Narrative Rifleman Ed Blanco is, at the time, a young man not yet old enough to buy a beer at a bar. He is however old enough to fight for the freedom of a country. He is old enough to kill or be killed. He is a soldier in the Vietnam War, part of Tet Offensive in 1968. He has lived through it and returned home to the United States. He will tell his story in a book titled Pieces, soon to be released. This is one of his stories, titled "A Messy Business". His story recalls his first experience fighting in a populated village rather than in open land. Blanco's platoon is point, in the middle of the action. They are in the villages on the fringes of Phan Thiet just southwest of the city cemetery. They find that fighting in populated areas is different than in the mountains. This is their first time fighting in a populated area. There are civilian casualties here. They all know and understand this chilling fact. As a hardcore grunt put it, "If you went in there worrying about women and children, you couldn't do your job" (Edward Blanco, 2000). They approach an inconspicuous section of huts and the enemy open fire. Blanco's platoon retaliates and moves forward into the village. They see a peasant get wounded by their M79 grenade and Blanco and his friend Gunner bandage his most severe wound and move on with the platoon. Blanco's friend, Schultz, moves into a hut and when he hears movement he instinctively fires, killing a monk hiding behind a table. Schultz has no time for remorse as they advance further into the village passing two more wounded civilians. As they move, Blanco hears crying coming from inside a hut. He goes over to investigate and inside he finds a dead old woman with a bullet hole in her head surrounded by hysterical children. Blanco describes his reaction by saying, "The dark anger welling up inside me became suppressed rage" (Edward Blanco, 2000). As they proceed onward they pass two dead VC. Seeing their lifeless bodies makes him feel better because they are killing the enemy. They pass by a captured enemy soldier wounded in the thigh. They have heard he is a political officer. Next to the prisoner, the medic is tending a member of Blanco's platoon, Aguero, because he was shot in the arm. Blanco is now on the skirmish line surrounded by explosions and gunfire. A VC emerges from the bushes with his hands raised. He holds a pistol in his one hand pointed to the sky. They all scream in English for him to drop it. The VC is frantic and begins to wave the pistol and they open fire on him, tearing his body apart. "He crumpled back, holding one arm straight out, palm out, as if trying to stop the withering fire" (Blanco, 2000). As Blanco walks through the bushes from where the enemy emerged, he comes upon a wounded enemy soldier. He looks into the man's eyes. Blanco knows that this man is aware he is about to die. The last thing this dying man will see is his enemy. To Blanco, this is not a man. This is an object. He tells himself that by shooting the enemy soldier, he is putting him "out of his misery" (Blanco, 2000). He justifies his actions by saying it is a mercy killing. He is avoiding the truth. "What I really wanted was to kill him before he died" (Blanco, 2000). He knew he would die anyway but Blanco wanted to be the reason for it. Blanco figures that by killing this man, he can justify the death of the old lady; he can even the score. "He was just an object to me that day, he only became human years later" (Blanco, 2000). I find it difficult to empathize with this story. It is so foreign to me to think about death being a normal part of life, an everyday occurrence even. I have no similar experiences to relate to this man's, nor do I want to. I cannot even grasp the severity of that way of life. What this story does for me is make me wonder. I wonder two basic things: how and why' How could these things happen' Why do they happen' Is it necessary' I do not believe that such brutality is needed on such a personal level to defeat an enemy. I think such actions are futile and senseless. I don't think much of anything can be gained by murdering old women and monks. It is traumatic for the civilians and soldiers alike. I think that wars should be fought politically or with more machines and technology rather then using great numbers of the county's men. That way, there are more precise targets and the lives of many of our soldiers are out of immediate danger. War has had so many negative effects on those who serve, and rarely any benefits other then notability. War hardens people's minds. It causes mistrust, a feeling of being in constant danger and fear. War has even caused people to become insane. It is confusing, deceptive, and extremely hazardous. This is where those men who serve our country are sent when we have technology that can serve the same purpose. I have a great respect for men like Edward Blanco. He is a brave man by serving our country and returning home. It is a shame that so many lives were lost in this war. I now wonder how many lives could have been saved, by using alternative methods to guerrilla warfare. At that time it may have been thought to be the most efficient way but this has proved otherwise. Edward Blanco's story is a testament to the insanity, senselessness, raw nature, and passion of this type of combat. Bibliography: Blanco, Edward (2000, December) http://www. vietnamdiary.com/TetDayOne.htm