When We're All Used Up

Chapter 4: Morning Vietnam

[WARNING: FOR THE SAKE OF HISTORICAL ACCURACY, THE STORY AFTER THIS POINT IS NOT, AND I MEAN, NOT. FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. THE STORY AFTER THIS POINT WILL CONTAIN: Swearing, Drinking, Smoking, Excessive, Slight, and Extreme Violence, and many more. DO. NOT. READ. IF YOU ARE NOT READY FOR THESE THINGS. - S.C. ]

I'm now officially in-country. I walk down from the C-47 plane. I walk out of the base. I'm currently at Da Nang and am waiting for a bus to come by and take me to my new home for the next two years. After waiting for some time I see my bus come by and stop "Y'all the new boys?" The driver says. "Yes, sir", we all say in unison. "Oh shut up, keep those 'Yes sirs' for when you're actually in front of an officer or anyone who's a rank higher than you" the driver says, mocking us. "Okay", we all say again. We hop in and wait in the uncomfortable silence and seats of the bus. I decide to get some sleep before I'm on the field.

"WAKE UP GRUNTS" the driver says, I wake up, grab my bag and walk down the aisle. I jump off the bus and get down. A Sargent greets us in front of our base. "AT ATTENTION GRUNTS" the Sargent says. "SIR, YES, SIR" we all yell. "At ease." He says. We all stand at ease now and just wait. "FUCK YOU, GO KILL YOURSELF" a solder comes out, it's another Sargent. The Sargent that greeted us starts running away towards the bus yelling "CATCH ME IF YOU CAN FUCK FACE". The new Sargent comes out and says "Men, hello. This will be your new home now whether you like it or not. And you WILL do whatever your Commanding Officer says you will. Okay?" The Sargent says.

We walk into the base and see the barracks, a command center, and a field hospital. That's when I realize, "We're in the shit now..." a Marine behind me says. "That we are..." I respond. We're in the jungle of Vietnam, it's hot, humid, and dense at all directions. Except for one road outside.

I walk over to my barracks, "HEY, GUYS, WHO'S THAT ANCHOR BABY NEXT TO THAT NIGGER OVER THERE", a, white, man says. "WHAT THE FUCK MAN, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, HUH?" I yell. "Come on ladies, settle down, look, Mr. Border Bandit, it's not personal. It's just the way we call each other.", he says that like it helps at all. "Anyway, border jumper and big lips, catch.", he says while throwing us both an M-14, a bandolier of magazines, and a bayonet/knife. I'm still angry as hell. But what can I do. I slide a magazine into the rifle but then a soldier snags the gun out of my hand and says, "YOU IDIOT". He smacks the backside of the magazine against his helmeted head and then puts the magazine back in. "If you don't do that, the firing pin won't hit the primer and then, Mr. M14 won't fire.", he teaches me, in my opinion, that was flawed, but whatever. I take my rifle back and pull the charging handle. I make sure that the safety is on "DON'T EVEN BOTHER" the soldier who taught me how to smack a magazine against my head says as I get down to lay down. I switch off the safety and then lay on the bunk right next to me. The black soldier behind me does the same, but on the other side. "HEY DARKIE, THAT SIDE'S FOR WHITES ONLY. GO SLEEP WITH GRASSHOPPER OVER THERE" one of the soldiers all the way in the back yells. The soldier shamefully walks over to my bunk and lays down on the bunk above me. This is my life now. Thanks, Lyndon B.

[CHAPTER 4, END]

[I am sorry to whoever this chapter angered, I hope you all understand that I am doing this for the sake of historical accuracy. I hope you wish to follow this series. Thanks again, and I love you all]