A soft, cold dry wind blew through the jungle, rustling the branches above. Thunder rumbled in the dark skies above, echoing off the mountains as dark clouds reached up from the south. Dead leaves cracked underfoot as I slowly walked around the perimeter. Looking down into the valley, I saw the city of An Lao, sleeping in the dark, oblivious to my presence. Crawling into my hideout in the jungle, I thought of the quiet valley below. In a few hours’ time, I would be flying down that valley deep in the midst of battle, but right now, I am here, in this hideout waiting.
Lightning flashed overhead, striking a tree lower in the valley, deadly sparks exploding into the air. Sitting here, in the hideout, the loneliness was oppressive. The air was suddenly heavy and smelled faintly electric. This night, as I sat here, all thoughts of war gone and I felt a yearning for my family back north in Hoa Binh. I wanted to take care of them; I wanted to be there to make sure the young were having a good childhood, but I had to be here to help free my country so that everyone could have a better life, free of oppressive landlords.
We had suffered long and hard, first with the Chinese, then the French and Japanese. Now, finally, with Ho Chi Minh in the lead, we stood united against our oppressors and I stood here, scanning the valley, protecting my regiment by watching for enemy movement. When we win this war, we can finally be free.
Hearing a rustle of footsteps behind me, I turned quickly, pointing my gun, with my heart pounding away in my chest. I called out, “Who’s there!”
“Don’t worry, it’s me, Vinh!”
Hearing a familiar voice, I smiled and lowered my gun, my heart still pounding as I felt myself shaking a little. Cheerfully, I joked:
“If you were any slower, I might have shot you for being an ARVN soldier.”
With that, we joked into the night, our minds pushing the thought of the coming battle deeper into our consciousness until we were not aware of it.
