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RECOLLECTIONS: I Sang All The Way Home

By VVAW

It was the later part of my tour, when I was sent to Danang. The South China Sea provided the proper diversion my buddies and I needed. The sun, surf and relatively safe conditions were gravy for us. I was a Canine Sentry Dog Handler and was responsible for walking POL points and ammo dumps in the area. Comparatively, the bush was sometimes more active though. In the camps there were always too many pigs looking for errors in your dress, hair and attitude. Article 15's kept us low in rank and pay, but we got through.

I was partying one day with some guys in a grunt unit, when the VVAW march on Washington came up in the conversation. The whole idea seemed so right, we all wanted in somehow. A hand-out that circulated asked vets to hang on; our brothers were demonstrating in Washington, and if we were unable to there, we could send our medals to be thrown on the Justice steps, in protest of this lousy war.

The whole idea seemed perfect. When I got back to my hooch, I packed them up and sent them off to Washington, with a warm feeling in my gut. It gave me strength somehow, to know I was making my feelings known.

About two weeks later, I was ordered to my Captain's office. I was laying on the beach, soaking up rays, when someone said my name. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was an M-16 pointing me in the face. Behind it was a young pig, ordering me to his master. "An armed guard", I thought, "Maybe they've planted drugs in my area again." I didn't make the connection until the Captain opened his fat face, and stated the charges and read me my rights. He informed me that I was under suspicion of "un-American activities". He spat on and on about possible misconduct and punishment that he had at his disposal. I vividly recall the looks on their faces. They detested me--it was written all over the OD physiques. Inside, I gloated; this was the only way to get back. I was causing a great deal of discomfort in that office. I had won -- I was short -- they knew it -- and it didn't matter what they did to me.

I was handcuffed and abused, busted down in rank again, and was forced to forfeit my freedom of movement to and from the company area. The Captain ordered me sign a form never allowing me to fight in the armed forces again. I laughed in his face and told him how absurd he and his army were.

He smiled too, but at something different. He knew he had time to fuck with me, and he did. But, when the day came to return to the world, I stole every Army Regulation booklet that I could find in that pig's office, and dumped them into the beautiful South China Sea!! I sang all the way home!