3
Voice Of Mars: “I Am A Soldier”
Astrology in real life
The soldier pulled out some unmarked tape from a pile of them - his archives…
“This is a war tape, I think. I wonder what’s on it.”
“I don’t want to see some girlfriend of yours,” I said even though I know (as unbelievable as it may seem) that he did not cheat on his wife.
“I never had a girlfriend, P,” he said. “There is no girlfriend.”
“Okay then, let’s look at it.”
He popped the tape in and I thought of how simple life is when you aren’t a liar. I am also not a liar so I’d know. But I just liked it. There are not skeletons every time you turn around.
The tape played… soldiers walking around, they are apparently living in a house made of sandbags and it is a elaborate. Lots of rooms and holes to shoot from.
“That’s a big house,” I said. “Not bad, who built that thing?”
“I did.’
“Hmm.”
On the tape he walked over to a makeshift hammock and climbed in. I noticed the shine of his boots.
“Your boots are shined,” I said. “Look at them, they’re shiny as hell and there is no around. You shined them anyway.”
“P, I’m a soldier.”
I stared at the screen mesmerized. Your life is, jump from a plane behind enemy lines, build a house of sand, shine your boots before you go to bed and then wait…
I am pretty sure this is the bunker where he went to go do something on morning, came back and found all his people dead. There were 3 of them; each man was dead and displayed lying on his back with a bamboo shunt sticking out from his chest.
Can you imagine? Now what do you do?
11 Responses to “Voice Of Mars: “I Am A Soldier””
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while I can’t imagine with true detail, having plenty of fear and anxiety, I can relate on some level. I’m all too aware that life turns on a dime. I’m not sure what you do in that case, no training, but I guess you do whatever needs done.
I try to imagine…but I can’t.
What an exotic way to go. I would try to imagine what had happened. Almost sureal to me like a movie or somthing. Gasp.
Yeah, except there you are and whoever did it is obviously nearby. He was only gone an hour or so as I recall..
That made my hair stand on end.
I think that shining your boots must be one of those coping things. Your world is fucked but if you have time to shine your boots you must be relatively safe.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to find yourself in a situation like that but I can imagine that once you’re safe again it would be a relief if the most important thing you had to do for a few minutes was get those boots shiny again.
I knew a soldier. He died this morning battling his demons… He was my house mates kid brother. He was my age, 33. I remember when he signed up for the Marines back in 93. He was so excited and ready kick some ASS! He guarded president Clinton on airforce one back in th 90’s. He spent 10 years in the L. A. Police department, then after 911 he signed back up and went to Iraq to serve his country. He was in Faluja, and whatever happened their has haunted him since he came back. He started hating everything about his life, he hated guns and having to wear one to work every day.. He became addicted to pills trying to keep his demons in check, and this morning, on his birthday, his drank himself to death.
I can’t imagine what the men and women of are armed services face every day. I have great respect for the women and men in our armed services doing what they are asked to do(I don’t agree with what they are asked to do, but that’s me).
I am most discussed by the lack of mental health support available to veterans. These men and women risk there lives for their country, and our government does not compensate them justly for the service and sacrifice they provide……
I can’t imagine….I remember watching Gone with the Wind with my dad when I was a kid and commenting on the amount of extras they needed for the train station scene and my dad said imagine those being wounded and dead soldiers…I’ve never looked at a war film the same since.
On a different note, i think this is a very sad story. I would like to give my respects for the people of war. All of the people of war. It touches all of us one way or another, that the repercussions of what happened over there effected her family… In highschool my bff dad was a vetran of Vietnam. He was sort of in recovery. I don’t remember much of that war as i was probably just a babe. Anyway, he died(shot hiself), and it is so trajic, i could cry…
Can you imagine?
Very very well.
Now what do you do?
Soldier on; there’s no choice.
max
[’That’s the job.’]
Pure sadness and the world at it’s most effed … This is some heavy shit, E. It makes my soul weep.
Max, right on.
If I could give you solidarity hugs, I so would.