skip to main |
skip to sidebar
War
A living entity
that leaves destruction
in its wake
Sprawled dead bodies
face down on the ground
begging to be buried
Like the relentless crashing of waves on the shore
I will never give up
fighting for my country
wether I'm a soldier
or a teacher
If a gun represents terrible memories
I am the soldier that is holding it
two things that are inseperable
I have been witness
to the terrible truths
of war
The 43rd war
Image from: http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/86/67/23276786.jpg
You don’t have to fight to become a soldier. It doesn’t matter what occupation
you have; doctor, teacher, vendor, anything. To be a soldier, you have to have
a specific goal in mind, and you can’t let anything in the way stop you from
accomplishing that goal. Also, you have to recover from setbacks quickly.
You just have to keep on going. You have to serve.
From my brief experience of war, I learned that it is a terrible thing. It is a
monster that ravages the land, and affects all of the populace in the area
that is being contested for. Pain and suffering is a result of war. But,
even taking into account the above text, war is a necessary action
in some cases. War is inevitable in this country; the poorer classes
are being oppressed. They must be freed of this oppression and tyranny.
Hate is a powerful tool. Wherever it is directed, you can do amazing
things that you wouldn’t have dreamed of. I have discovered this
through my experiences. I would not have been able to shoot
loyalists in the invasion of San IlDefonso if I hadn’t seen the
murdered villagers, and the miserable children.
Seeing the battered church also had an affect on me. All the
beautiful stained glass was broken. It showed how war can
scar existing good memories (the trip with my family on
Easter), let alone create terrible ones. I have learned from
these memories, and my experience in the army, and I will
soon leave the army to serve my country.
Image from: http://69.42.73.76/netfu/tmp10020/coollogo_com_247343538.gif
A big battle: I can’t even imagine being a part of it. It’s only been seven days since I
was forced into this army, and most of those days, I wasn’t even being trained; I
was marching through the jungle. I’m so inexperienced, that sometimes I wonder
if I hurt the Revolutionary Army by fighting for them, because I waste bullets,
and I take in food. But according to the officers, that can’t be helped now. They
need all the men they can get… or all the children they can get.
I’ve had my second experience in a battle today. And this time, like I said I
would before, I pulled the trigger. I probably missed the shady figures in
the boats, but I proved to myself today that I can kill people. I am one
step closer to becoming a real soldier, like Lolo or Juan. However, I still
feel bad for what I have just done.
I must admit that firing a gun is an exhilarating experience. Even when
you are just holding it, you feel powerful. This feeling increases when
you squeeze the trigger with your sweaty finger, and there is an
explosion of noise. You feel the gun’s kickback as he butt slams
down on your shoulder. Afterwards, I feel that it was scary how
I felt. It is strange how such a brutal instrument of killing can
create a sense of power. A lot of new and different feelings
have been surfacing since I’ve been fighting in the 43rd war.
Until now, I hadn’t thought about how revolutions were financed. It’s been six
days since I was “recruited.” Truths have now been revealed. Although I
still support the revolution, I am worried about some of the ways it is
being supported.
What happened to the people whose money was in the bank that Captain
Mendoza robbed? Did they starve? Did they get killed by loyalists?
Basically, this revolution is being financed by stolen goods, whether
it is money or guns taken from loyalist troops. So far, I haven’t heard
of any or seen any “honest” money being used to finance this army.
I also noticed something very illogical about how this army, or at
least the part that Captain Mendoza controls, transports its freight.
During the meeting between the captain and Choya, the captain paid
Choya with guns. That’s understandable, but the problem is who he
sells the guns to. According to Juan, he either sells them back to us,
or to the loyalists. Our enemy, the loyalists! It’s absurd. To
maximize efficiency, the captain should get rid of Choya, the
middle man. I feel frustrated that we have to use him, that
we have no other choice. We must not have another choice,
or else Captain Mendoza would have already gotten rid of him.
This revolution is fought using mostly guerrilla warfare. I have
yet to be in a major, full frontal assault. Taking into account
how many men we have in this army (which can’t be much,
from what I’ve witnessed) this tactic makes sense. There are
some smart, experienced people in this army.
Image from: http://www.controlarms.org/images/piledofguns1.jpg
I will never forget that empty village. It has burned an imprint in my memory
forever. The bleeding, sprawled bodies on the ground.
They had done nothing, they were innocent; but they
were dead. But even more nerve-rattling then
this was the two people I found in the jungle, scarred by violence.
Or should I say children... scarred by violence.
The Revolutionary Army now looks much better in my eyes.
Before, I thought villager's lives would not change wether the loyalists
or the revolutionaries were in power. Now though, my outlook on this has
changed. I saw Captain Mendoza's grief, though hidden, when he saw
the murdered villagers and the mortally wounded
children. There are some good people in this army.
Even though this army doesn't have as much money
as the loyalists, if it comes in power, at least these
thoughtless killings will cease.
When I stumbled upon the two children in the forest, the first feeling I felt
was sorrow. Sorrow at how this 43rd war could effect even this girl and
newborn. Sorrow at how pitiful they looked, how desperate. But later on,
after hearing about the American mission, I had hope. If the
revolutionaries win this war, then maybe there can be even more
American missions here, more people like Magdelena and Manolete
being treated. If only we win this war.
I now have a complete and unbridled hate for loyalists. They are the scum
of the Universe. After seeing what they do to innocent people, I cannot see
how God has put them on this Earth. All of them should rot in the
deepest bowels of hell. And, most importantly, next time I see a
Loyalist, I will pull the trigger.
Image from: http://www.odi.org.uk/hpg/images/child_soldier_congo.jpg
