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Show Vietnamese officer who had been wounded and taken p r i s o n e r . He had been educated i n France and spoke p e r f e c t English. He said, •We'll win t h i s war because we're w i l l i n g to do whatever we have to do to win. This i s our land and our people. The survival of our race depends on our winning. And we have our ways - the things you Americans are a f r a i d or too naive to use. You Americans don't understand t h a t you cannot s p l i t a whole body of land into two p a r t s . Vietnam i s a country, an e n i t i t y . The north depends on the south for a g r i c u l t u r a l bounty. The south despends on the north for c i v i l i z a t i o n , exporting, and industry. M cannot divide a whole i n t o two p a r t s without k i l l i n g i t . And we will not l e t you do i t ." "Did you believe him?" I f e l t threatened by t h i s t e r r i b ly logical assessment of the war. It was the same reasoning I had heard at student r a l l y s . And yet I believed I could not subscribe to it without l e t t i n g Brian down. Brian shrugged. "How could I argue with him? He was r i g h t. He is right. We have no business in Vietnam." "Then you must get out!" I said, h o r r i f i e d . "Even if it means playing sick or homosexual or something. You must get out. Couldn't you have another a t t a c k of b u r s i t i s ~ t e l l them you c a n 't endure the climate?" How would he ever survive the war, I wondered, if he believed i t was wrong? What would he have to fight for? " I ' l l do whatever I can. But I'm a f r a i d I ' l l have to see it through to the b i t t e r end. I guess t h e r e ' s something to be learned there - l i k e how t o avoid war." He gazed at the c e i l i n g . "I wish I could have accepted your need to work things out w i t h . .. the other I'm j u s t reaping the rewards of my d e s i r e for revenge. I ' v e had a b e l l y - f u l of revenge. You d o n ' t know how .IBany times I ' v e k i l l e d him nicer t h e r e . I sometimes think my |
