Page 7 (1/2)

Chapter Seven

I was at the hospital at Danang for most of two months So far as a hospital went, it were not much, but we slep on cots with mosquito nets, an they ooden plank floors that ep clean twice a day, which was ot used to

They was some people hurt far worst than I was in that hospital, let s an feet an hans an who knohat else missin Boys what had been shot in they stoht the place sound like a torture chamber - them fellers be howlin and cryin an callin for they uy nex to my cot name of Dan, who had been blowed up inside a tank He was all burnt an had tubes goin in an out of him everplace, but I never heard him holler He talk real low an quiet, an after a day or so, hiot to be friends Dan come from the state of Connecticut, an he were a teacher of history when they grapped him up an thowed him into the Army But cause he was smart, they sent him to officer school an made him a lieutenant Most of the lieutenants I knoas bout as simple-minded as me, but Dan were different He have his own philosophy bout as there, which was that as doin ht reasons, or visa-versa, but whatever it is, we ain’t doin it right Him bein a tank officer an all, he say it rediculous for us to be wagin a war in a place where we can’t hardly use our tanks on account of the land is mostly swamp or mountains I tole him bout Bubba an all, an he nod his head very sadly an say they will be a lotis over

After bout a week or so, they move me to another part of the hospital where everbody be put so’s they can get well, but ever day I gone back to the tensive care ward an set for a ith Dan Sometimes I played him a tune on my hare of Hershey bars which finally catch up to me at the hospital an I wanted to share theoin into him thru the tubes

I think that settin there talkin to Dan was a thing that had a great impression on my life I know that bein a idiot an all, I ain’t sposed to have no philosophy of my own, but maybe it’s just because nobody never took the time to talk to me bout it It were Dan’s philosophy that everythin that happen to us, or for that matter, to anythin anywhere, is controlled by natural laws that govern the universe His views on the subject was extree s

All oin on A thing jus happen, then somethin else happen, then somethin else, an so on, an haf the time nothin makin any sense But Dan say it is all part of a scheer out hoe fits into the scheme, an then try to stick to our place Soood bit clearer for ettin much better in the next weeks, an ot a hide like a "rhinoceros" or soot a rec room at the hospital an since they wadn’t much else to do, I wandered over there one day an they was a couple of guys playin ping-pong After a wile, I axed if I could play, an they let me I lost the first couple of points, but after a wile, I beat both theuy," one of theood, believe it or not

In the afternoons I’d go see Dan, but in the mornins I was on my own They let me leave the hospital if I wanted, an they was a bus what took fellers like me into the town so’s we could walk aroun an buy so But I don’t need any of that, so I jus walk aroun, taking in the sights

They is a little market down by the waterfront where folks sells fish an sriht me some srimp an one of the cooks at the hospital boil eood I wished ole Dan could of ate some He say maybe if I squash eonna axe the nurse about it, but I know he jus kiddin

That night I be lyin on ht of liked them srimp too, an about our srimp boat an all Po ole Bubba So the next day I axed Dan how is it that Bubba can get kilt, an what kind of haf-assed nature laould allow that He think bout it for a wile, an say, "Well, I’ll tell you, Forrest, all of these laws are not specially pleasing to us But they is laws nonetheless Like when a tiger pounce on a ood for the tiger That is jus the way it is"

Couple of days later I gone on back to the fishof sriot them srimp, an he start jabberin away at lish Anyway, I e like a Indian or somethin, an after a wile he catch on, an motion for me to follow him I be kind of leary at first, but he smilin an all, an so’s I do

We must of walked a mile or so, past all the boats on the beach an everthin, but he don’t take me to a boat It is a little place in a swaot wire nets laid dohere the water frorowin srimp in there! He took a little net an scoop up soive ive him a Hershey bar He so happy he could shit

That night they is a o on over there, cep’n soht over soh the screen an that be the end of the movie So afterwards, I be layin on otta do when they let oin home an find me a little pond near the Gulf an raise et o up in one of theet me some wire nets an that’s what I’ll do Bubba would of like that

Ever day for the next feeeks I go down in the rowin his srimp Mister Chi is his name I jus set there an watched him an after a wile he showed me hoas doin it He’d catched some baby srimps aroun the marshes in a little han net, an dump them in his pond Then when the tide come in he thowed all sorts of shit in there - scraps and stuff, which cause little teensey sli an fat It was so simple even a imbecile could do it

A few days later some muckity-mucks from Field Force Headquarters come over to the hospital all excited an say, "Private Guressional Medal of Honor for extreme heroism, an is bein flown back to the USA day after tomorrow to be decorated by the President of the United States" Now that was early in theto the bathroouess, an I’m bout to busts

Anyhow, after they is gone, I go on over to the tensive care ward to see Dan, but when I git there, his cot is eone I am so scant somethin has happen to him, an I run to fine the orderly, but he ain’t there either I seen a nurse down the hall an I axed her, "What happen to Dan," an she say he "gone" An I say, "Gone where?" an she say, "I don’t know, it didn’t happen on my shif" I foun the head nurse an axe her, an she say Dan been flown back to America on account of they can take better care of him there I axed her if he is okay, an she say, "Yeah, if you can call two punctured lungs, a severed intestin, spinal separation, a ree burns over haf the body okay, then he is jus fine" I thanked her, an went onthat afternoon, cause I was so worried bout Dan It come to me that maybe he went an died, an nobody want to say so, cause of that bidness bout notifying nex of kin first, or soo wanderin aroun by mysef, kickin rocks an tin cans an shit

When I finally get back to my ward, there is some mail lef on my bed for me that finally catch up with me here My ht on fire, an is totally burnt up, an there is no insurance or nothin an she is gonna have to go to the po house She say the fire begun when Miss French had washed her cat an was dryin it with a hair dryer, an either the cat or the hair dryer caught afire, an that was that From now on, she say, I am to send my letters to her in care of the "Little Sisters of the Po" I figger there will be many tears in the years to come