Times Change and so do People

Times change, and so do People

“I want to be an airborne ranger, honey, honey. I want to be an airborne ranger, babe, babe. I want to be an airborne ranger, I want to kill the charlie cong honey oh baby mine. Go to your left, your right, your left. Go to you left your right, your left.” The platoon sergeant’s boisterous voice rang in Mark Christopher’s head. He knew without asking that he was going to Vietnam, away from his family and his girl, Michelle Markham. An entire year or more away from everyone he loved. He shook himself and concentrated on marching like the other recruits in his platoon, here at Fort Hood. He thought that was convenient since he lived in Galveston, Texas. He received orders to ship to Fort Polk for Advanced Infantry Training. Mark could not wait to see Michelle again; he hated being here in Fort Polk, the humidity in Louisiana was even worse than in Texas.

January, 1968

Mark sat quietly, listening to the stillness of the night. The stars were bright, and the moon glowed. He thought the night was too still; the platoon he knew was ready for almost anything. Two of his men were on guard duty, charlie was in the area; he always was. The problem was, Mark knew, who was charlie? He could be the kid with a hand grenade asking for a chocolate bar or the old woman seeking help. He hated Vietnam; he had been in the country for a week. His first day in the field, his platoon was ambushed by charlie. Two members of his squad were killed that morning. He thought to himself: ‘I don’t know how long I can do this, I want to go home, away from all this killing and hate. Mark began a letter to Michelle, but he was reluctant to send, everything smelled like mold, including the writing paper. He owed her a letter, so he began once again to write:

Dear Michelle,

I miss you so very much. This is the monsoon weather; my feet have not been dry in weeks. Could you send me extra socks in your next package? The chocolate chip bars were a huge hit with the guys in my squad. They tasted great. I hate it here. I am out in the field for weeks, and C-rations are not overly edible. I would give anything to come home to Galveston, to you, and a life that is ours, not the army’s. I am sending you a bible that will be our family bible. I have a question to ask you: “Will you marry me? Please write to me every day. It is a very lonely life here in Vietnam. Love Mark

Just as he was addressing the envelope, he heard a loud whistle, his eyes open wide: charlie was almost there. Then he heard a Huey chopper almost on top of his squad; help was on the way. He knew that was a close one, but there was no choice. He lay on his stomach, the M16 at his shoulder, ready to fire when the first wave of charlie cong came toward the squad. That night, he had a dream about Galveston, his home. He saw his mom fixing dinner, Michelle helping her, while he and his dad watched a football game. Those thoughts cheered him for a short while. The following morning, the squad prepared to move seven clicks north; his only thought was, ‘what if we are heading further into charlie country? Then what? He never finished that thought, a small child of five approached, holding out a live hand grenade. His corporal seized the hand grenade and threw it with all his might in the direction the child had come. Mark understood these children were victims, as were most of the population caught in this hell on earth. Once the danger cleared, the squad moved on; Mark put the corporal in for a Purple Heart, as he had earned it. Later in the night, the squad had a firefight with NVRA, which scared the entire company. Tracers began to go off; the NVRA fired at anything that moved. Mark called in three Hueys and a Chinook to transport the company out of the area. The company was transported to the Citadel at Hue, where a battle was taking place. They were being sent to reinforce the Marines holding an area close to the Citadel. Mark was so tired he fell asleep, as did the rest of the company; it was what charlie had been waiting for. They attempted to overrun the Marines to no avail. M16’s fired rapidly into whatever moved. The sun rose in a huge red ball as the company began to move out, once again. Mark thought he would never dry out, but the monsoon weather cleared, and the leeches began to attach themselves to the bodies of the American soldiers. Mark knew from experience that the only way to get off a leech was to burn it off. With a lighter, he found himself doing that more than once here in Vietnam. Mark became more focused as time went on; he received two promotions, and he was now a Second Lieutenant in charge of Company D. That night, he wrote Michelle:

Dear Michelle,

I miss you! I received my second promotion today. I am now a Second Lieutenant! It means more money. I am starting my countdown to days left in the country: sixty-eight days to be exact. I will be coming home to you. Do you have your wedding dress picked out? Oh, I guess I'd better ask what the date is. I can’t wait to make you my wife. Did the bible get there safely? I hope you received the red roses I sent you. I am in Da Nang now, on a short R & R for six days, then back to the field. At least my feet are drying out at last. I received your package. The socks are terrific, but are no longer white. Mold grows on everything here, including socks. Love, Mark

Mark went to sleep on his last night in Da Nang; he was leaving Vietnam in the morning. Once again that night, he dreamed about Galveston; he saw himself and Michelle running on the beach. He looked up toward the sky, seeing sea birds flying overhead...he was going home.