We watched Platoon in US History class. Watching Elias's death scene was very powerful especially when my teacher commented that Elias dying with his hands in the air and his head looking up alludes to Jesus dying on the cross because Elias was in a way innocent as in that he never killed or injured Viatnamese civilians even though other members of his platoon did. Barnes who wasn't so innocent killed Elias like the romans persecuting Jesus. Well, that death scene and my teacher's explantion stuck with me so I wrote this. I hope it it's well-written enough and that you enjoy it. Disclaimer: I don't own Platoon
He opened his eyes.
At first he wasn't sure why he was lying on the jungle floor or why there were two bullet wounds in his chest or how did he get into this predicament. Then it dawned on Elias that Sergeant Barnes had shot him, trying to kill him, and Barnes knew it was Elias not some Vietcong or NVA. Now the question was why?
He and Barnes always had a few scuffles here and there over Barnes's ethics on the battlefield. Their last fight was the worst. He never knew Barnes was capable, even willing, to kill innocent civilians, but when he saw his gun pointed at that young girl and the girl's mother dead. Well, Elias just lost it with Barnes and threatened to report him for illegal killing. Which he did, and Barnes would've been court marshaled if it weren't for the lack of personnel on the battlefield.
But Elias didn't even think it could lead to this. It was as if a hawk and a dove were raised in the same nest, growing up and bonding as siblings but growing apart through adulthood. And then when the dove is least aware, the hawk strikes, killing the dove because Nature's laws require that the hawk be the predator and the dove be its prey. And the dove never knew about this law.
However, Elias wasn't content to be the fallen dove. He tried to get up, but agony shot up through his body making Elias collapse. He tried again but the results were the same. The agony was so great that Elias didn't think he could even move an inch without writhing in pain. So Elias took a little break and listened to the birds sing and look at the beautiful tropical flowers. And for awhile, he became in tuned with nature and witnessed a different side of Vietnam. Not the war-torn, foreign and mysterious Vietnam he and his comrades knew but an exotic landscape teeming with jungle life. He would allow this Vietnam to take him as a prisoner of war not war torn Vietnam.
The pain slowly subsided and for the moment Elias felt content, but it was unusual because this contentment wasn't influenced by marijuana or any other psychoactive drug. It was contentment from nature, but it made Elias happy all the same. He was a man of compassion and peace. He refused to let this war and its gruesome sights take away his humanity and scar his mind. He refused to succumb to the blood thirsty hellhound inside and kill innocent civilians. He will be merciful and compassionate towards them. They were not the enemy. Actually who is the enemy in this war? Elias could never figure out what evil deed had been committed against America for L.B. Johnson to send his boys to Vietnam. Surely communism wasn't evil enough for America to go to war. However, Elias could care less about America's politics. All he knew was that this war should have never existed, and Elias refuses to let this cursed war take away his humanity like it had already took Barnes's humanity and many other countless soldiers.
Infantry training, Sergeant Barnes, and many others he has served under have taught him that in order to survive the gruesome of war and seize victory; you must kill all your emotions and put away your morals. Every person dressed in the enemy's clothing and skin is the enemy regardless of age, gender, or where they stand as civilian or solider. Every tactic –regardless of whatever it is moral or not – that can be used to achieving victory must be employed. Every assault – regardless of who done it – must be assumed it was the enemy's doing. War's laws required every soldier to be the hawk like Nature's laws required the hawk to be the predator. Total war was the unofficial rule on the battlefield especially when soldiers couldn't tell the difference between civilian and Vietcong. And the civilians weren't talking.
However, Elias refused to listen to these so-called soldiers. He disobeyed War's laws and became the dove, and he was criticized for it, especially by Barnes. And now he was fragged for it. However, if Elias were to survive, he wouldn't change his ways nor would he take vengeance upon Barnes. He would do the honorable thing by reporting him to Captain Harris where Barnes would be court marshaled. Surely, Captain Harris wouldn't be so reluctant to remove Barnes this time. Elias was sure of it.
Elias couldn't lie on the ground forever as much as he wanted to. He wasn't about to be beaten by Barnes. The injured dove will fight the hawk for survival. He managed to get up with collapsing although it took all his strength to do so, but somewhere in the distance he heard a helicopter and that gave him hope. That helicopter is American and not too far away. That helicopter will take him to a hospital. Also, the sound of the American helicopter nearby meant that Bravo Company hasn't left yet. He hasn't been left to die alone!
However, his hopes were turned into full blown panic when he heard the screams of hundreds of NVA soldiers coming his way. He needed to get going now! He began to run the best he could. He could feel the NVA chasing after him like a pride of lions chasing after a wounded zebra. Elias focused on the sound of the helicopter to keep him calm. Some soldiers fired bullets at him, but he narrowly dodged them.
Adrenaline took hold of his body chasing away the fiery pain and urging his legs to run faster and take longer strides. Elias thanked the Lord for his adrenaline rush and prayed to Him to make it out alive. Although Elias wasn't very religious, he was raised to be Catholic. He just wanted to get back to his troops and live to see his parents again.
In the distance between the shadows of the forest, Elias could make out an opening. He smiled. The helicopter would be in that field. Elias kept pushing himself, climbing the mountain of his limits, trying to get to the top. However, he stumbled on a log and fell down, tumbling on his metaphorical mountain. The pain was unbelievable, and Elias swore his heart was about to fly out of his chest, but Elias couldn't stay fallen forever. The NVA were catching up. They will capture him and/or kill him. He could not let that happen.
Elias struggled against the fire burning in his veins as he made it back on his own two feet. The adrenalin kicked in, and he sprinted to the opening. He was getting closer. He could tell. The trees and shrubbery were beginning to thin, letting the sky be seen among the forest canopy, but when he was halfway to the opening, he heard the helicopter begin to take off. No! No! No! Elias thought in panic. He ran faster. He heard the battle cries and screams for American blood from what now seemed like thousands of NVAs behind him. Elias wouldn't have stood of chance if he fought them – with or without his rifle.
He finally made it to the clearing but he stumbled and fell. Elias didn't waste any time pushing himself back up. Overhead, he could see the helicopter circulating in to rescue him. Elias stumbled closer to where the helicopter had originally landed.
But somehow in that moment, the helicopter would have never been able to safely land or lower enough or rescue him when NVA were pouring out of the forest. Elias knew, and gradual acceptance sunk in but the fight for his life will never succumb to acceptance. Elias persisted forward although it was useless until he reached to where the helicopter was originally parked at. Elias fell again, but he kept going as he somewhat managed to get up and continued on until finally it was useless. He remembered his days as a soldier, and despite of past warnings that his mercy on the battlefield will get him killed, Elias whole heartedly regret nothing. He broken War's law, and he did it gladly. Now he must be executed for it. He will die today, but what made Elias who he is will never die. He held onto his humanity even in the darkest of times. He refused to kill the innocent. He refused to kill prisoners of war despite being ordered to on countless missions before being promoted to Sergeant. He fulfilled his duty to himself and to God. He chose to become the dove.
And so like Jesus on the cross, in one last desperate attempt to survive, he raised his arms high and looked up at the sky as if to wave the helicopter over to him. Or maybe it was to wave an angel over to him to deliver his soul from living hell. Either way, he was done for. His life force slowly faded away as a now dead Elias collapsed to the ground. The hawk has persecuted the dove.
Now the dove can fly free.
Fragging means to kill someone of higher military rank than you. Also, the reason why I made Elias Catholic was that he was based off real-life Sergant Juan Angel Elias whom Oliver Stone served under in the Vietnam War. Becaue Elias is Spanish, I made him Catholic since most Spanish people or people from or descended from Spanish speaking countries tend to be Catholic.
Well, what do you think?