Most of the time when we get sent on patrols, we sandbag it in a safe place in the jungle and wait till it’s time to go back. You hear about guys fragging their hard-ass COs and NCOs. You believe it, Loogs? GIs KILLING THEIR COMPANY COMMANDERS SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO FOLLOW THEIR STUPID ORDERS. They call it fragging ’cause they use frag grenades to do the job. Don’t have to worry about the guy getting away wounded.

There’s a story going around about a company that raised $500 for anyone who would kill a CO who was ordering useless attacks. I believe it.

I’m counting the months weeks days hours minutes till I can get out of here. If I knew then what I know now I would have listened to you and NEVER EVER SIGNED UP. All I can say is you better keep your act together, man. DON’T BE THE NEXT SUCKER THAT GETS SENT OVER HERE.

Peace, brother

Chris

Obviously, the line Don’t be the next sucker that gets sent over here has taken on a new urgency in my life. I fold Chris’s thin white air-mail envelope with a red dragon printed on it and the word FREE scrawled where a stamp usually goes. (One of the rewards for needlessly facing death every day for your country is that the army doesn’t make you pay for postage.) Each letter from him brings mixed feelings of outrage and relief. He’s going through hell, but at least he’s still alive — or he was three weeks ago when he sent it.

Anyway, it’s time I penned a reply:

Dear Chris,

Great to get your letter. I’m blown away by the part about the military saying a kill ratio of ten to one is a success. Let me get this straight. They’re completely fine with letting 10,000 American soldiers die if it means 100,000 Vietcong die as well? That’s considered success? How could all that death ever be considered success? Would any of the military strategists who came up with that ratio ever volunteer to be one of the 10,000 soldiers they’ve agreed to let die?

I mean, seriously, this completely blows my mind. What altered state of reality are they living in? I thought I was the one living in an altered state (let’s roll another one, my friend), but even wasted I know that life is sacred. You don’t make deals with human lives as payment. I’ll give you one of mine for ten of yours? There’s one thing for sure about that level of insanity: whoever thinks it’s acceptable for soldiers to die is making certain that no one they love and care about is part of that deal.