I, Soldier - part 20

 "Where do I go from here?"

"Only you can answer that question. You have many choices and most of them are good. Just pick the one you like the most."

"Good advice. What do you recommend?"

"That's a hard question. It all boils down to: do you want to be back in the Army in some way or do something else?"

"I think something else. I want to make Alexandra happy. I'm sure she has ideas."

"You should talk to her more about it. Married couples need to coordinate. To strategize."

"For me, it's like a different kind of war. I like war; that is, outsmarting people and winning."

"Have you ever thought about going into politics or business?"

"It's not my passion, but I'd probably be good at it. It pays well, and Alexandra would like it."

"Besides Alexandra, what is your passion?"

"There's a Bible verse I like a lot: blessed are those who hunger and thirst to see right prevail; they will be satisfied."

"Based on that, you should go into politics, law, or law enforcement. Being a cop is like being a soldier."

"The last bunch of cops I met didn't impress me."

"They never had the experiences you did, not even close. Don't judge them too harshly."

"Fair point. If I could get elected to some high office, maybe I could stop the sort of stupidity I saw in the Army."

"That's positive thinking. Excellent."

"But what would be even better would be to help Alexandra succeed in politics. That's her passion."

"Another great idea. Our time is almost up. Any last thoughts?"

"Not now, no. But I'm looking forward to our next session."

"Wonderful. Have a nice day."

"And you as well."

Alexandra was waiting outside to drive me home. To her place that is, but it felt like home to me. We talked a bit on the drive back. 

"Some guys from the government came to my apartment today. They were looking for you. I don't think you're in trouble."

"What did they say?"

"They asked about you and how you're doing. And also some questions about your foreign language knowledge."

"If I had to guess, they probably with the alphabet soup."

"The what?"

"CIA, NSA, those guys."

"I've heard of the CIA. They seem really shady. What does NSA do?"

"The CIA is kind of shady, if you ask me, but I don't know them too well. They are a spy agency after all. NSA makes and breaks codes. They do a lot of translation."

"Seems like a good fit for you, if you got your shit together, that is."

"Yeah, I saw one of their gizmos in Vietnam. Interesting design, but unfortunately not very practical for soldiers."

"Well, if you worked there, you could tell them how to make things practical for soldiers."

"True. And I do need a job. I remember fellow soldiers not having much interest in my ideas."

"Few people are soldiers. Why not give a chance to new people?"

"I am something of a risk taker..."

"That's like saying Mt Everest is above sea level."

"You should write down these zingers. They might come in handy later. Ever thought about running for office?"

"Yeah, but how could I win?"

"Asking questions like that is your first mistake. You should ask instead 'how do I win'? That was my thinking in combat."

"OK, how do I win?"

"The short answer is to get a lot of people to like you. You need a message that speaks to them powerfully."

"And how do I do that?"

"Read newspapers, talk to people you wouldn't associate with normally. Get a feel for what people care about."

"And then?"

"You craft a message that explains how you can do something good about what they care about."

"Can you give me an example?"

"Take the war. Many people strongly oppose it now. Nixon is exploiting that. That's why he'll get elected despite his flaws."

"Tell me more."

"Politics is just slow-motion, bloodless warfare. To win, you find weaknesses and exploit them in ways the enemy doesn't expect."

"The element of surprise."

"Exactly. Don't charge into the teeth of their defenses, unless that's the last thing they expect."

"You should have been a general."

"In a way, I was. General Sherman famously said that war is hell and all the talk of glory in it is moonshine. I feel the same way about politics."

"It leads to good results sometimes. FDR got Prohibition repealed."

"Good point."

When we got back home, I decided to use the typewriter for a while. I've never used one before, so I had to hunt and peck for keys. It was fun the way the ting! of the carriage return became more frequent as I typed. Plus the sound of the keys was like and M60 when I typed fast. Later, I would drink coffee before typing. The sound was like a squad of guys firing M1 Garands rapidly. I learned to love the sound of typewriters. And that's a good thing because it led to the book you, dear reader, are now reading.

I won't dwell too much on the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. I didn't like them very much except for meeting the veterans from Vietnam and other wars. There was meeting that was particularly interesting. I met a former soldier who served with Ernest Kouma during the Korean War. Kouma got the Medal of Honor for actions during the battle of the Naktong river. His citation reads:

***

M/Sgt. Kouma, a tank commander in Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. His unit was engaged in supporting infantry elements on the Naktong River front. Near midnight on August 31, a hostile force estimated at 500 crossed the river and launched a fierce attack against the infantry positions, inflicting heavy casualties. A withdrawal was ordered and his armored unit was given the mission of covering the movement until a secondary position could be established. The enemy assault overran 2 tanks, destroyed 1 and forced another to withdraw. Suddenly M/Sgt. Kouma discovered that his tank was the only obstacle in the path of the hostile onslaught. Holding his ground, he gave fire orders to his crew and remained in position throughout the night, fighting off repeated enemy attacks. During 1 fierce assault, the enemy surrounded his tank and he leaped from the armored turret, exposing himself to a hail of hostile fire, manned the .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the rear deck, and delivered pointblank fire into the fanatical foe. His machine gun emptied, he fired his pistol and threw grenades to keep the enemy from his tank. After more than 9 hours of constant combat and close-in fighting, he withdrew his vehicle to friendly lines. During the withdrawal through 8 miles of hostile territory, M/Sgt. Kouma continued to inflict casualties upon the enemy and exhausted his ammunition in destroying 3 hostile machine gun positions. During this action, M/Sgt. Kouma killed an estimated 250 enemy soldiers. His magnificent stand allowed the infantry sufficient time to reestablish defensive positions. Rejoining his company, although suffering intensely from his wounds, he attempted to resupply his tank and return to the battle area. While being evacuated for medical treatment, his courage was again displayed when he requested to return to the front. M/Sgt. Kouma's superb leadership, heroism, and intense devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.

***