The Steamboat Pilot & Today

His tour of duty is coming to a much needed end. There are not words to express the relief he feels when he thinks about leaving the war-torn jungles of Vietnam. He can almost reach out and grasp his return home, yet at the same time, it seems more distant than the faintest star. Shortie can be identified by his well-worn helmet, which is adorned with the nickname from his buddies, as well as the months he has valiantly spent in ostensibly endless fighting. Part of me envies him, already coming to the end of his service in this God-forsaken place. But as this brave soldier sits outside, looking around the desolate terrain he has called home for the past eleven months, I can't help but stare at his face. He appears to be completely lost in his own thoughts, and as young as he was, I notice soft wrinkles starting to pull at the corners of his smiling eyes: lines that were the result of his eleven months at war. His face seems so full of wisdom, secrets, but underneath it all, pain. He thinks he can hide his pain, but I see past his wide smile. His expression shows signs of being worn out, but surpringly, through everything he has experienced, he no longer seems scared. Every part of me is screaming to know what he is thinking. Is he longing for family and friends back home? Is he pondering his experiences over the past year? Does he have any regrets? Was there any part of him that was still scared? If he is afraid, I can see no evidence of it. Me on the other hand, I am terrified of this war. I don't even know if I can get through it on my own. It is crutial that I take the time to unlock the secrets of this soldier, so that I will have a fighting chance of staying alive.

-Matthia Duryea