Animosity

Chapter 4 - Six of Us

        Photo: A heavily armed group of GIs wade through water gathered in fields as a helicopter flies by.

—

        "Up! Get up! Good morning! Let's get a move on!"

        My eyelids snapped open with a start, and I lurched forward in bed, surprised at the loud outburst from outside. The yelling was matter-of-fact, booming through the camp, and all around me men sat up groggily in their cots, stretching and yawning in the bright morning sunshine.

        I had forgotten when I fell asleep last night, my muscles taut and aching from paranoia, but I was shocked I had managed to get any rest at all. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I willed my eyes to stay open as I blinked exhaustedly, running a hand over my tired face.

        Grumbling and sighs of "Holy shit," were rising into the air as the GIs stumbled out of the tent, pulling white tee shirts on over their heads or lighting cigarettes, lining up outside as if following a sort of routine. I scrambled to keep up with them, tugging my pants on and rushing out of the interior of the tent, falling into line and glancing around, unsure. Major Cortez was apparently the one who had yelled at us to wake up, and he was now marching down to each unit, raking a commanding stare over the men standing unmoving on the dirt.

        He stepped closer towards us, and I instantly noticed that the man from before, Lieutenant Hiroulin, was behind him, following him and nodding curtly at the troops who murmured a hello. Sucking in a breath, I straightened my arm into a salute, matching those of the GIs around me, and waited until Major Cortez passed by to relax my shoulders stiffly.

        "Jesus," a dark haired man next to me spat under his breath. "Lookin' at us like we're fuckin' livestock."

        Suppressing a short sigh, I moved back into the tent, shielding my eyes from the harsh sunlight, and grabbed my boots with a quick swipe. Propping my feet up on a nearby upturned crate, I slipped them on and knotted the laces tightly. The camp was now bustling with energy, half dressed men scrambling around, walking quickly and yelling across the open expanse with zeal. I stood back for a second, moving courteously to the side to let the soldiers that knew what they were doing dart past me and hurry to catch up with their buddies.

        To my right, a rustling sounded through the bushes, and a platoon of South Vietnamese soldiers emerged, greeted warmly with handshakes and grins by a team of medics. Hanging back, I gave them a quick stare. I had never seen the infantry we were supposed to be allied with, and I observed their tired faces as they spoke back and forth to each other in loud Vietnamese. It was... different than English, very tonal, and I marveled as a man in the lead, a tall, skinny officer with a white bandage wrapped around his arm, addressed the medics without trouble.

        "We make it back up with no casualties," he seemed to be saying, but his thick accent made it hard to understand. The doctors, however, smiled and congratulated him, calling over a part of the squadron that seemed to have minor injuries. Hands full of disinfectant and white cloth strips, they sat down on ground and mimed putting their arms out for inspection. The men in the group followed suit.

        "Cuts and scratches, nothing much," another South Vietnamese soldier stated in broken English, then calling out a friend in his native language. They both laughed together, the latter drawing patterns in the dirt with one finger as a distraction. The disinfectant hit their skin and they winced slightly before resuming their usual foreign banter.

        I felt a slight twinge of guilt as I witnessed their exchange, noticed the heavy uniforms draped over their lanky bodies. They had taken the time to learn English just to communicate with the American militiamen, and I had flown over never knowing a single thing about Vietnam or the language of the country I was going to be spending years in. Crossing my arms determinedly over my chest, looking onwards at the medics quietly conversing between each other, I made a silent vow to myself to pick up as much Vietnamese as I could.