THE YOUNG MARINE SAT IN THE DARK,RIFLE POISED AT THE MOVING SHADOWS .BLACK GREASE SMEARED ACROSS HIS FACE AND HANDS MIXED WITH BLOOD FROM THE DAYS EARLIER FIRE FIGHT.THE SOUNDS IN THE COLD SILENT NIGHT WERE SO DIFFERANT THAN THOSE OF HOME YET SOMEHOW THEY TOOK HIS MIND BACK JUST A FEW SHORT MONTHS AGO.
AFTER SAVING ALL THE MONEY HE COULD AND GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL AS WELL HE HAD JUST BOUGHT HIS FIRST BRAND NEW CAR,A 68 R/T HEMI CHARGER.HE HAD A GIRL HE HAD BEEN WITH SINCE GRADE SCHOOL,A GOOD JOB AND PLENTY OF FRIENDS,OF WHICH HE WAS THE YOUNGEST.YES LIFE WAS FINALLY SEEMING TO BE GOOD TO HIM.
THE YOUNG SOLDIER SAW SOMETHING MOVE AND HE STEADDIED HIS AR 15.YEARS SEEMED TO PASS BUT WAS ONLY SECONDS IN TIME.HE BRACED HIMSELF AS A SHADOWE FIGURE EMERGED AND STOPPED BY AN OLD TREE TRUNK.BORN TO BE WILD,HE SHADOW SAID.THE YOUNG MARINE TIGHTENED HIS FINGER ON THE TRIGGER.THEN'HEY JUDE,THE FIGURE SAID.THE MARINE RELEASED HIS FINGER FROM THE TRIGGER.THE FIGURE APPROACHED AND TOSSED A BUNDLED PACK OF LETTERS TO HIM.MAIL CALL SON,HE SAID.'LOOKS LIKE YA GOT A FEW'.THE FIGURE THEN AGAIN DISAPPEAREDTHE MARINE LOOKED AT THE MAIL THEN TOSSED IT INTO THE MUDDY HOLE.
A FEW WEEKS LATER THE YOUNG MARINE WAS AT A CAMP AFTER FINISHING HIS RECON,EERYONE WAS GATHERED IN THE YARD A THE SARGE CALLED OUT NAMES.WHEN A NAME WAS CALLED WITH NO ANSWER THE BUNDLE OF LETTERS WAS TOSSED INTO A DUFFLE BAG.SOON ALL THE NAMES HAD BEEN CALLED.THE MARINE WENT AN SAT NEXT TO A FIELD CAR AND OPENED HIS LETTERS AND THEN TOSSED IT ASIDE,NEVER READING THEM BUT WATCHING HIS COMRADS AS THEY READ THEIR MAIL.AGAIN HIS MIND WENT BACK INTO TIME.
THE YOUNG BOY SAT NEXT TO A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADY,KISSING AND HOLDING HER CLOSE AS OTHER COUPLES LISTENED TO MUSIC,DANCED AND DRANK BY THE BONFIRE.IT WAS HIS GOING AWAY PARTY.HED JUST GOT THRU BASIC AND HAD HIS ORDERS.VIET NAM.HE WAS GOING TO GO TO UPSTATE NEW YORK WITH SOME FRIENDS TO AN OUTDOOR CONCERT.IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BIGGEST EVER,SOMETHING CALLED WOODSTOCK.
THE MARINE SUDDENLY GOT UP AND DROPPED HIS LETTERS INTO A COOK FIRE AND WALKED AWAY.ONE OF HIS BUDDIES,SEEKING TO TEASE HIM GRABBED THEM OUT OF THE FIRE AND BEGAN TO READ THEM ALOUD,SUDDENLY HE WAS QUIET AS THE OTHER SOLDIERS LOOKED ON.TEARS CAME TO HIS EYES AND HE RAN AFTER HIS FRIEND,LETTERS IN HAND.
HE CAUGHT UP TO HIM BY THE EDGE OF THE DRIED RICE FIELD.HEY DESPERADO,HE CALLED TO HIS FRIEND.THE YOUNG MARINE STOPPED.WHEN HIS FRIEND CAUGHT UP TO HIM HE LOOKED HIM IN THE EYES,THEY STOOD THAT WAY FOR MOMENTS,EACH LOOKING INSIDE THE OTHERS MINDS.
THEN HE FRIEND RAISED THE LETTERS UP AND SAID,'WHY'.THE YOUNG MARINE THEN TOLD HIS STORY,HE HAD GOTTEN ONE LETTER IN THE 8 MONTHS HED BEEN IN NAM.IT WAS FROM HIS GIRLFRIEND,SHE WAS MARRYING HER X BOY FRIEND BECOUSE HE WAS NOT A DOPE HEAD BABY KILLER LIKE THE YOUNG MARINE.HE RECIEVED THAT HIS FIRST WEEK .NO OTHER LETTERS HAD HE GOTTEN.THE OTHER SOLDIERS WOULD MAKE FUN OF THOSE WHO GOT NO MAIL,SURE IT WAS ALL IN FUN,BUT TO THOSE WHO HAD NO MAIL,IT WAS AN AGONIZING HELL. ,HE COULD FEEL THE HURT HIS COMRAD .
THE FRIEND WALKED BACK TO THE CAMP,CARRYING HIS FRIENDS SECRET WITH A HEAVY HEART.SEVERAL MONTHS LATER THE FRIEND WAS GETTING HIS ORDERS,HE WAS HOMEWARD BOUND.HE WALKED UP TO THE YOUNG MARINE,NOW A FIELD COMMISSIONED LIEUTENANT.AGAIN,AS THEY HAD DONE MONTHS BEFORE,THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER.FINALLY THE FRIEND SPOKE,ENDING HIS LONG KEPT SILENCE OF THE YOUNG MARINES SECRET.
DESPERADO,HE SAID.I SWEAR TO YOU,NEVER AGAIN SHALL YOU HAVE TO WRITE LETTERS TO YOURSELF SO YOULL HAVE MAIL.ILL WRITE YOU AND MY FRIENDS WILL WRITE YOU.NO SOLDIER SHOULD EVER GO WITH OUT GETTING LETTERS FROM HOME.THEY SHOOK HANDS AND THE FRIEND WALKED TO THE CHOPPER.THEN HE TURNED TO THE MARINE AND SALUTED.
THE FRIEND KEPT THAT PROMISE TO THAT MARINE AND EVERY MAIL CALL HE GOT LETTERS FROM HOME.THE YOUNG MARINE DID 3 FULL STINTS AND HALF OF ANOTHER AND THE LETTERS WERE ALWAYS THERE.WHEN THE YOUNG MARINE FINALLY ENDED HIS TOUR OF DUTY
HE WENT BACK TO FIND HIS FRIEND.
AS THE YOUNG MARINE STOOD PROUDLY AT THE DOOR OF HIS FRIEND,WITH ALL HIS DECORATIONS ON HIS DRESS BLUES,A COLD CHILL RAN THROUGH HIS BODY.HE KNOCKED AND A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN ANSWERED THE DOOR.HE ASKED FOR HIS FRIEND BY NAME AND THE WOMAN SMILED AT HIM AND SAID,;DESPERADO?'THE YOUNG MARINE PROUDLY ANSWERED ,'YES MAM.'SHE BECKONED HI IN AND SAT NEXT TO HIM ON THE COUCH,IN FRONT WAS BOXES OF LETTERS.ON TOP WAS A LETTER THAT SOMEONE HAD APPARENTLY SILT WATER ON FOR IT WAS WET.
THE WOMAN LOOKED AT HIM AND SPOKE,'MY SON WROTE TO US ABOUT YOU ALOT,HE SAID HOW YOUNEVER GOT LETTERS AND HOW YOU WROTE LETTERS TO YOUR SELF JUST TO GET MAIL.''THE YOUNG MARINE NOTICED THE WOMANS VOICE CRACKING AND A CHILL ONCE AGAIN TOOK OVER HIS BODY.
'THESE ARE ALL THE LETTERS MY SON WROTE TO ME,HE MENTIONS YOU IN EVERY ONE'SHE SMILED'I WANT YOU TO HAVE THEM'THE MARINE PICKED UP THE BOX AND REMOVED THE TOP LETTER.THE WOMAN BEGAN SOBBING AS HE READ'DEAR MRS.---------WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR SONS HELICOPTER WAS SHOT DOWN ON ITS WAY TO BRING YOUR SON----------ECT.THE YOUNG MARINE FELT TEARS IN HIS EYES AND LOOKED AT THE WOMAN.SHE THEN SAID 'HIS LAST LETTER HOME HE ASKED US TO WRITE TO YOU EVERY WEEK AND HE TOLD US YOUR STORY.IT WAS HIS LAST WISH .
NOW I STAND HERE LOOKING AT MY OLD UNIFORM.I REMEMBER MY FRIEND AND HIS LAST WISH.THEN AS I LOOK AT THE PICTURE ON MY DESK OF THE TWO OF US TOGATHER,I MAKE A SOLOM VOW.I TO WILL WRITE AND ASK MY FRIENDS TO WRITE AND ASK THERE FRIENDS TO WRITE,JUST ONE LETTER A WEEK TO A SOLDIER,YOU MAY BE HIS ONLY FRIEND.
DEDICATED TO MY FRIEND,CORP.B.I.FOLSOM KIA VIETNAM
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.
