Twice-told-tale

Twice-Told-Tale

Gustavo Maglioni

Jim and Tom

Jim: Oh what a beautiful island. Is this really the place Tom?

Tom: Yeap buddy, this is the place.

Jim: My God I think I'm not prepared for this. I wish I were not here. I want to be with my girlfriend and to finish the university.

Tom: Cut that shit! We're here and this is what we do: Kill bastards and terrorists, give these people Democracy.

Jim: Do you think they are there? In that dense and dark jungle?

Tom: Yes, I do and I want to kill them.

Jim: This shit scares me Tom I don't want to be here, is to dark in here.

Tom: Don't cry pussy. Let's kill'em all.

Jim: What the hell! Oh Jesus Christ! They’re here!

Tom: Ok people get back!! Take cover and shoot to kill!

Jim: Noooooo! Tooooooooom! You bastard, I told you!

Me and Tom

1965, the trip in the airplane and the boat was too long and uncomfortable. My eyes were exhausted of seeing that great quantity of water. I hate the ocean. I saw the crew and they all were about 19 or 21 years old, they looked as scared as me. I thought I was fucked up because I was going to die in a war that wasn’t mine, but I was there, scared and thinking about my lovely girlfriend, my old parents that were proud of me for fighting for democracy and my classmates. Just for a moment I forgot all those things and observed that beautiful island. Those golden beaches, that green and blue water, the beautiful birds flying over the sea and the big green palms. It was awesome, for a moment I thought about living in that place. However, it was a hostile place full of those bastards who killed my friend, the Major General Tom H. Thomson, also known as Mr. T Thomson.

When we got there my mind couldn’t believe I was going to die with a rifle in my right hand and dressed in a camouflaged suit. I wanted to get back into the boat and run away like a coward. But I kept walking towards the dense and dark jungle expressing my feelings of fear and cowardice to Tom. He, a tall, blond and handsome 31-years-old-man, gave me the confidence to fight for my country and to kill all the Sappers. But I don’t know why I was still saying that I wanted to go back to my town and forget all this absurd war.

Everything occurred in a second. Tom was in front of me, I could see the sweat on his neck. He said something and suddenly a great wall of fire was covering all the setting. He was dead.

The News

Yesterday, the first contingent of marines, led by Major General Tom H. Thomson, landed on the beach of Da Nang at 12:00 hours of America. After a long trip, the contingent established a great air base on that area and fought against the troops of the Vietcong. Lamentably, General Thomson lost his life fighting for our country, leaving a wife and three kids all alone. Our condolences to the Thomson family.