Vietnam
Ruminations, Part lll
Robert
Wilson
US/Philippines
4.
in the elephant
grass,
spent shells
made of skin
Many of us in America
know of someone who died in the Vietnam War. Some
of my schoolmates and friends perished in combat. What almost never
comes to mind, however, are the untold thousands of civilians who died
during the war, including women and children. Missiles, mortar shells,
napalm, booby-traps, and automatic weapon fire killed all who came across
their path of fire. What I saw in South
Vietnam will haunt me forever.
tunnels everywhere --
not a seasonal worker,
the dragon
For a thousand years, Vietnam was at war. The
Vietnam War was one of many wars. For
centuries, outsiders have trampled on her soil, raping her of her natural
resources. Originally, Vietnam was a single nation. Later, it was partitioned
by the French into two nations. At the end of the Vietnam War, the two
nations became one again.
Exploited and poor economically, the Vietnamese
people didn’t have the wherewithal to
fight conventionally, nor did they have the resources their conquerors
had. The one thing they did have, however, was patience and vision.
They knew they couldn’t rid themselves of their conqueror’s yokes overnight.
It would take time and sacrifice. Decades turned into centuries. Thousands
of lives were lost.
Throughout the years, Vietnamese guerilla army
units dug an elaborate system of tunnels
under the earth, many of them interconnected. They used the
tunnels to house hospitals, armories, soldiers, supplies, and other necessities.
Some of the tunnels were multi-layered, burrowing
deep into the ground. The Chinese,
Japanese, French, and American armed forces knew of their existence
but had no idea how many there were nor the vastness of its reach.
During the Vietnam War, we were unable to pluck
the enemy from its lair, no matter how many
bombs were dropped and villages raided. After every attack,
the Viet Cong would reemerge, seemingly invincible. The enemy refused
to be conquered. Because they were born there, the Viet Cong knew the
land better than their attackers. They dug, they hibernated, and they waited.
Their patience paid off. The little dragon defeated its enemies in 1975.
Unfortunately, the little dragon today has become the domesticated pet of
a political system heavily influenced by a former conqueror, The Peoples'
Republic of China. I remember the old South
Vietnamese farmer who told me that he
didn't want the U.S. in Vietnam nor the Chinese influenced Communists. He
wanted to be left alone to farm and govern his own destiny. The cycle
continues.
smileless people
riding on bicycles
made somewhere else.
The streets of old Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh
City, were filled with thousands of people
riding to and from their existence on bicycles, tricycles, and motorbikes.
Almost everyone, male and female, wore a white
shirt or blouse. Cars were rare; saved for
use by local military personnel and high ranking officials. Vietnam is one
of the poorest nations on earth. The people were used and exploited by those
in power when I was there. They are today, as
well. They hold on to their memories, their
faith, and their sense of family. It is what keeps them going.
