This went on. That same instilled "pride" was now given a new form in my mother. She was the only child in my Grandfather's life. She, too, joined the Marine Corps during WWII. She served in the motorcade as a driver, and wound up driving in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the deadly atomic bombs were dropped. She received no injuries, except the scars received from the sights of a people that were mutilated and destroyed in body, heart, mind, and all aspects of their environment and life.
These sights will long be remembered and are kept within the hearts of the people of every country that decides to enter into war. No one wants to recognize the fact that there was some unjustifiable terror in the dropping of Hiroshima's uranium bomb, "little boy", and Nagasaki's plutonium bomb, "fatman", but what they did to the Japanese nation will never be forgotten. Yes, this stopped a war short in its path. Yes, this was a necessary defense to stop another Nazi regime from perpetrating massive killings and destruction. But, it was the war of an idiot, a meaningless starving artist, a puppet turned madman, Adolf Hitler, who had the charisma that hypnotized his countrymen.
Time went on and, in 1969, I graduated from an all boys Catholic high school. I had a baseball scholarship to attend college that I did not take immediate advantage of. I did attend a Junior College for 6 months for mapping. I watched the war of VietNam rage on for the past 5 years. I became a hippie, and protesting the war seemed to have a most true meaning in my life, until I received a letter, "Greetings". My number on the draft was 27, and my birthday was of err. I was only 17, not 18. But I was raised by my Grandfather, who had little time left in life. He believed that any "American" war was of necessity. I still, even after having been abandoned by my mother, respected her and the "BERNIE, USMC" tattoo she had across her thigh. So I knew I would respect their wishes, but not without recourse.
Basic training, Fort Lewis, Washington: We kids were told to repeat the words, "To kill, without mercy," and "Kill a Gook for God,” over and over again before each breakfast lunch, and dinner and multiple times during and after our "P.T." {Physical Training}. I couldn't bring myself to chant these adversarial lines that mocked everything I stood for!
One time they chose the two biggest men from each platoon to have a "weapons fight". Pugil sticks were chosen and given to the two "combatants". The Pugil stick was a plastic, rifle stock shaped "training tool" that trainees were to use to learn to fight using their gunstock. It had foam wrapped on each end. Well, my opponent was a big, warm loving man, Packard, of about 6'7" and 320 lbs. {I, 6'5", 225 lbs}. We faced off and he took a slow and sensitive swing. I moved quick and returned with 3 quick shots that brought him down. Believe me, he wasn't hurt as bad as I was.
I helped him up, and the drill sergeant told us to start fighting again. I looked at "Packard" and the big man’s eyes melted my heart. I threw my pugil stick down to our drill sergeant. The the drill sergeant watched as I took Packard’s pugil stick in my hands. The drill sergeants wanted nothing to do with me. It let me down to see that it was obvious. It was a big game to turn us into something we were not, but they didn't want no part of getting hurt either. Basic training became a joke but a rude awakening to, obviously, more brain washing!
From there I found myself going to an intelligence HQ, following up in my knowledge of land surveying, topography, and land mapping. They found I would be very useful in a recon squad. So I was back to where I started in basic training. Left there, 1-14 cavalry, reconnaissance. Gee thanks, 6'5", and trying to sneak up on the enemy. I was their "Warhorse", lol not! I was in a position only to help others survive. I was still a strong opponent against the war. I had displayed bitter resentment towards the war machine, my hair quickly not "regulation", my mustache was not "regulation" and the hair below my lower lip was not, lol, "regulation".
In the military, they say you are "owned". Yes, "owned" by the military during your term of enlistment. Well, I was not enlisted, I was drafted. You are not to be tattooed in any way, this is against "Military Regulations". But, sorry, I had a Zig-Zag man tattooed on my right forearm that was as big as the muscle around it. When saluting, it was plain to see how unhappy my "superior officers" were to see the insult of the salute, especially with my size and my grin. All done and said, I followed orders with the slightest of respect.
VietNam: I saw what was going on from the standpoint of the infantry. I had these men to protect, and that was the only reason I was there. I was in charge of a squad, only due to my knowledge and study of surveillance, but it was time to end as much as I could of the stupid arrogance that applies in war. My squad became more about helping the native people that did not want any of the war practices brought into their life. They were starving, injured and scared. We devised a way to get them multitudes of rations {food}. We also got them medical supplies. The troops that we had to pinpoint were actually sometimes led away from our troops without battle, by understanding the "signaling" {communication protocols} that were given by "command" and fed to me by the signal corps. This went unnoticed, and the "group understanding" was usually that the enemy retreated. These acts went on four times very smoothly!
I then returned to my command post that was soon to be penetrated by Viet Cong troops. We had told the command of their approach, and we almost felt sorry we did. The more or less 200 approaching Viet Cong were quickly shut down within five miles of their approach by 2- F5 fighter jets packing bucket-loads of napalm. It seemed unfair. At least 150 were totally burned or entirely incapacitated. Approximately 50 of the Cong troop were scattering. Some of them now believed that they would further their attack to spite the attack of the napalm. We had 40 men in a front line. This was 32 miles west of the Phu Cat air base, which was supposed to be their obvious target. 50 mm machine guns cut down many of the remaining Cong.
One hour later, there were small singular attacks that broke through our defenses and attacked whatever they could within our command’s perimeter. One in particular had come into my path. Wielding an empty AK-47 with only its unfolding bayonet for his assault, he ran at me and I sidestepped him. As he came by, I threw his body into the ground and stepped upon his back and took his weapon. As I did so, I noticed that smell of barbecued meat that lay dormant in all the fields of any napalm assault. This man had more than 25% of 1st degree burns. I stood there keeping him down and called for a medic.
The captain in charge stepped in. Seeing me holding the prisoners rifle, he told me to "finish him". 3 of my recon squad witnessed this event as I threw the weapon to the captain and told him to do it. I had now disobeyed a direct command. They said he was still "combative". This was bullshit! He was down and injured, and my prisoner. The captain made approached this man with the AK47 I had thrown at him. He was stopped by two of his men and two of my recon men. I was taken by the military police two days later. This all happened in just 58 days.
I was facing time in Leavenworth {Military prison in the US}, but was temporarily put into a CC {Correctional Custody} camp near Washington. They wouldn't even tell me the exact location. My arrogance proved worthy, and my belligerence towards war was at a peak. My manner of speech and my love for my fellow man and nature was at the top of all my thoughts. I continued with all diligence to argue my point with every officer, 1st sergeant, top sergeant, sergeant major, and every 'military psychiatric doctor' that they sent in my direction.
War was a bunch of bullshit that was used to create external revenue for internal use by the "powers that be," taking lives to prove "crap!" All the countries lead any type of assaults without considering the general welfare of the people within that country that do not want war are no more than outright killers. The brainwashing of the 18 year old kids was all in the "order of war", and placed them in a position to "Kill Without mercy," without any freedom of thought left within their spirit. The unjustified infliction of pain is unnecessary!
Who was really the enemy of these young "trainees"? Who, but the ones who had already been brainwashed and had killed, would force these kids into the same unnatural thought pattern? They were one and the same. They had been brainwashed as well. They thought that a “man” was a "fighting machine" when truly man has always played a key role in shaping nature in a positive way. If injured, a soldier has an ample supply of morphine in 3 - 4oz. strong, liquid dosages, that make him feel nothing and think nothing but the unthinkable. We have now created an addicted monster that no longer cares, even for his own life.
Stand up and be a man! Then open your eyes and see the true way to love everything around you. The greater your love, the more the true nature instilled in you will rise. Let no one take this from you, ever! What if they started a war and nobody came? What if they started a war and all the people opposed actually did something about it together, peacefully? That would take love and a ton of courage too.
They let me go. I was given a general discharge under honorable conditions. They said I was apathetic as I would no longer provide any of my skills for the benefit of any "death organization". Many things changed after I left. I only hope that all of you will be brave enough to step in and take hold of your natural freedoms and your neighbors’ too, and to protect each other’s lives. I am now an expat. I gave the United States 45 years of work. I have paid in taxes since I have been 14. Now they are trying to tell me it is all gone. What, wasted on wars?
Couldn't we accomplish more by working together and having a world of love, honesty and security? Probably, but this nonsense has been going on since the beginning of mankind’s existence. And their "fearless leaders" have always obtained some type of "tangible goods" by destroying others’ lives. Believe me, the USA is not broke nor does it have to be in any recession. The "money" is still there, but in these "fearless leaders’" hands. They are getting paid for fighting these wars! Then they turn to the people and say they have nothing as they stockpile blood money in their own pockets. And what is money actually worth? Paper BS!
Happiness is lost. Land is lost. Lives are lost. And we believe it is all for paper money, or even rocks of gold. What is your happiness worth? Your security? Your family’s lives? Stop these wars! When will there be true civilization? When will we see and truly understand that our minds have really advanced beyond the total annihilation of each other? All these battles over race, creed and political standards are pointless and man has made rules that break every one of the "Golden Rules!"
Imagine all our minds united in a common effort towards our truly natural goal! Change this world of mass evil and destruction, please! I am here with you as much as I can possibly be. I would indeed, immediately render my life to put an end to man's stupid misled behavior and war. That it should take bloodshed to end bloodshed: how insane! Please, make every thought count, quickly, and pull us all out of this contaminated cyclone of mass murders. War is nothing but legalized mass murder! Learn to love now. Every minute, bring all other lives, one by one, into your inner sense of love.
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