Dr. Dave BorkowskiIntro to LiteratureMarch 6, 2003 The Talk of the TownWhat makes a man a man, and a woman a woman? This is an easy questionto answer, but sometimes we draw lines that aren’t really there.
There arepeople in this world that are innocent and others who follow the sinfulways of true life. Now, when we think of men, we think of leaders, who arestrong people and they can protect the weak and the innocent, from thosewho are sinful. When we think of women, we tend to think of the nurturingthat helps raise children to love. Think about the awful things that happenduring war. Each person who is born in the world has to have a mother. Themother teaches her child to love and to cherish life and people.
Then whydo they let them go to war? The horrors of war and the meaningless behindit show up in the Vietnam War. United States Marines, Army, Navy, AirForce, and other forces as well, must keep this country alive and fight forits freedom. Without these fighters the world as these people know it,would end. There has to sacrifice right? Well, two Vietnam veterans andtheir mother will tell you their stories about how and what went throughtheir minds, then and now.
“Good Evening. My name is Ron Kovic, and I am, or I should say, was amarine in the United States Marine Corp. I served my country and I realizedthat I don’t know what to feel for it any more. I had lost faith in myreligion, my family, and myself. It has been rough times to think aboutwhat had happened over there, but it bothers me to this day. “”Oh Ron, please don’t lie to the people like this,” Ron’s mother said.
“Mom, why would I lie about the truth?””I don’t know what happened to you over there, but you have gone nuts. Areyou on drugs?””Am I on drugs? Mom I am your son, how can you say that I’m on drugs!””I wasn’t saying, I was asking you. You’ve changed a lot from my littleboy, I once knew. “”Did it ever occur to you that I’m not your little boy anymore? Forgoodness sake, I’m almost thirty now. I had one hell of a time out thereand all you can say to me is, ‘Are you on drugs?’ Maybe you should thinkabout what I did, what happened to me! You act as if you don’t care! I’m ina goddamn wheelchair! Why the hell don’t you come to your senses? War isreal.
It kills people. Innocent people, Mom! I killed innocent people!””I never raised you to do that. That’s your father’s doing, not mine. Don’tblame me for that!””Oh bull! You told me to go! You told me you had a dream. Now your dreamhas become a nightmare. You can’t face the facts mom.
Your little boy isdead! Not dead as in dead, but dead as in gone. I’m lost. What I did inVietnam made me see the real world! I killed someone’s sons and daughters. I killed them! They aren’t alive anymore! And for what reason, huh? Why? SoI could come home and you could boast about me being a hero.
I’m not a damnhero! I’m not your little boy! I shot one of my own men. I shot a freakingmarine! What for? Why’d he have to die? I’m a lost cause! I’m a failure!””You’re not a failure,” a small voice could be heard from the corner of theroom. Victor Marquez and his mother, Angelina, enter the room. Ron andVictor were war buddies in Vietnam. Ron recognizes Victor immediately.
“It’s not your fault you killed those people. “”It is my fault and it is my problem that I have to live with for the restof my life. Yea that’s right, lucky me! I have a life to live! Sure, whythe heck not. I live in pain and suffering of what I saw and did and my ownmother, my own freaking mother can’t see eye to eye with me! Why go on? Whydidn’t I die?””You killed innocent people. So did I.
I burned bodies and what’s worse, Iloved it! I loved what I did for my country and I’d go back in a heartbeat. Yea, it was tough. But get over yourself. What’s done is done. Moveon. You killed people so that we can have the freedoms we have today.
Without those freedoms, we can not fight, we can not stand up for ourbeliefs, and we can not live. “”You’re a sick man, you know that, Victor. You piece of crap. . .
” (Ronstarts to tear up and lose control. )Angelina Marquez stands up and says, “Mrs. Kovic, you have to understandwhat these boys went through. They killed and slaughtered innocent people. Yes they were fighting for us. That’s me and you, Mrs.
Kovic. Our boysfought for us and there is nothing that would make me happier than to havea boy grow up and save us from the evils of this world. If my boy had tokill millions of people just to eat, then so be it. Our boys are alive;can’t you be happy about that at least? Can’t you see that your son put hislife on the line for you? I have lost my faith in Jesus and in god. I haverealized that people live and die.
There are no reasons, they just happen. Wars are fought because people disagree, not because god told them to doit. You have to understand that people have minds, and that life is notgiven to us, or taken from us, life is death. To be alive is to die, and todie is to re-grow as grass for the world. There is nothing more than that,Mrs. Kovic.
“”There is a saying in the military, ‘There are no atheists in foxholes’,now that might be true before you die while at battle, because you want tobe somewhere else, but that fact is if you live, you lose all hope. Youcan’t think god will save you. Why would he? You killed people. Isn’t oneof the commandments, though shall not kill? So why have war? Why fight?”Ron said. “Ron, you are my son, but I can’t have you not believe in god, for thebetter of our family.
You show a bad influence to your brothers andsisters. I can’t think that I raised you to be this way. Ron, you have tounderstand why I feel this way. I feel this way for the better of ourfamily.
So they don’t see the realities of the world and how horrible itis. I look at you and see a disaster. I don’t want my family to think thatthat is what life is like. Not all lives have to be happy, some aren’t. What you have realize is that it’s better to be ignorant than unhappy.
“”Mom, I am your son. I’ve seen the real world. I’ve seen what can happento, even the best of people. I don’t believe in god, because I see too muchevil the life.
You must understand that I am alive and because I am alive,you have to believe that god saved me. That’s what you think, that godsaved me. Did he? I feel that god saves no one. No one can save anyone. IfI could save anyone in my life, I’d save myself.
Not you, not dad, not mybrothers or sisters, or my damn country! I’d get rid of the horrors I sawand the horrible things I did. Then maybe you’d be in your own dream worldand we can all be happy again, but life is a bitch and death is itsmother. “The group continued to talk and it seems that no one will ever getthe upper hand. It seems to me that what people see, hear, and do make aperson who they are.
If you are one way, the only way to change that viewis to see it, but sometimes you can’t prove it, you just have to believe.
