Sunday, March 13, 2011

The War Story

I just finished reading, The War Story, by Jim Morris.  It was published by Dell in 1979.  I picked it up at the Bookman in Chilliwack for $4.  Jim Morris got 4 purple hearts and 4 bronze stars.  I found myself skimming alot of the book and reading in detail the parts with action and movement.  It's said that War is 90% boredom and 10% hell. There's that in the book.
Jim Morris was special forces, tasked to supporting the Montagnard hill tribes fighting the Cong.  He was big on night ambushes.  The day to day camp events, planning and politics probably doesn't change from war to war.  There's a lot of snafus and screw ups and misinformation.  Many people are in a war for as many reasons.  He was a warrior who cared for Vietnam.  What caught my attention most, after he had his left nut shot off, was his saying that the Americans won the war on the ground but the media back home lost it.  "American Journalists. Pah!" he writes.He was there. Front line.  The American media lost the Vietnam War.
The Jim Morris war was rain and leeches and waiting days and nights without moving to ambush an enemy running along trails at night.  Then it was urban defence in Tet.   I'm thankful for my home and work in Canada.   Our  Canadian soldiers are there to ensure it's not taken. I picked up this book up after listening to my dad and the three WWII vets he has breakfast with each day.  I still believe in peace. Today I know that soldiers do too.

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