Disclaimer: Neither Hetalia nor its characters belong to me.
Disclaimer 2: This story doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Mygale, I just translated it.
Enjoy it!
.: ~ Damsel in distress ~ :.
The lessons learned from mistakes are invaluable. But the taste is less bitter when they come not from your own mistakes, but from others.
The United States had the idea that at some point France had spoken to him about her. But even up to that minute, he was unable to recall exactly what his claims and warnings had been after witnessing the shameful performance of his forces against the peasants in Indochina [1].
The first time he saw her attend one of the country conferences, the United States felt that he could not take France seriously. As weak as the man was, how could such a small girl be able to defeat him?
She presented herself as Vietnam. 'Kim Ly' for the most informal.
She was the faithful representation of the comical stereotype of South Asians: Tanned skin with a yellowish tint; small, slanted eyes. She was wearing a cone hat. She wasn't ugly. But her features seemed androgynous. In addition, she was very lacking in meat –'flat', in other words- and the thick of her arms, perhaps the product of her labours in the rice fields, conferred a rather rough presence on her.
Vietnam had been, along with Laos and Cambodia, one of the French colonies in Southeast Asia. Since the conquest, the colonial power had made frequent complaints about her rebellious and aggressive character. But to tell the truth, the United States saw her as a calm and defenceless girl, even shy. When 'Kim Ly' first entered the conference room, she didn't utter a word. She just looked around suspiciously ...
The 1954 Geneva Conference [2] were held a year after the Korean Armistice was signed. East Asia, in recent times, represented a region of constant political conflicts that involved the sustained advance of Soviet communism: the clashes between China and Japan, the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, the First Taiwan Strait Crisis ...
Not to mention the growing tensions on the eastern side of Europe, including also in certain regions of Africa and isolated cases in Latin America.
The entire world order was subject to the unstable debate between what was his capitalist influence, and the harmful ideas coming from the first socialist state that was formed in the world ...
The Soviet Union was a growing headache for the United States and his NATO allies.
—I have lost everything in Indochina! That demoiselle is a disgrace ...! — France demanded when Vietnam passed next to him in the boardroom. She didn't get that. She continued towards the back of the room, where some countries were grouping with whom she had surely already liked.
"Damsel''. "Miss''. Vietnam seemed more like a peasant to him...
There she was. The unfortunate 'damsel'. Between the claws of the dragons:
—Congratulations for your independence, Kim Ly—said one of her Asian peers. North Korea. The boy was still wearing several bandages covering wounds that had been left as a memory of the recent conflict with his twin.
—I am proud to accept a woman among my comrades — Russia shook Vietnam's hand and shook it vigorously, forgetting that he was dealing with a female. She was uncomfortable.
—Independent country life is not easy. But don't worry! We will be with you when you need it. —
— I speak for myself and for my comrade Yao that we will be excellent sponsors until you manage to support your nation with more stability. Da?
Which meant that Vietnam - the unfortunate 'demoiselle'- would be one "commie" more. If he had anticipated that France's conflicts in the East had anything to do with the ambitions of the USSR, the United States would have done something about it. Whatever it was to stop the Domino Effect [3]! He would have taken the time it took to prevent her - the 'damsel' - from falling into the clutches of the hungry communists who would poison her naive colonial mentality until she became one more puppet of the protests of the resentful Soviet proletarians, as they had done with China, North Korea, Eastern Germany, Hungary, Poland and all the unfortunate nations that together with Russia, made up the Soviet Union.
In his mind, he caught a glimpse of her. Fearful. Alone. Confused in the claws of the Soviet monster, crying out for her salvation ...
—It is not too late — the United States said to himself —I can rescue the damsel in distress.
.:II:.
"Vietnam does not Reunify"
The agreement left several dissatisfied. Vietnam, of course, was the most outraged. Her house had been divided and her independent government reduced to a fraction in the North with capital in Hanoi. In the South, intruders had established an independent state whose capital was Saigon.
— Are you challenging me?
—Uh? Ah, Kim Ly! With you I wanted to talk!
—What do these troops mean in the south of my house? — She asked furiously. The United States noted that the woman's small, amber eyes burned with anger.
—A small intervention on my part, I assure you that you will not even notice it.
—The government of South Vietnam carried a coup! And the Central Intelligence Agency was in there!
—Does it affect you in something?
—When my brothers and I fought against the French, we did it with the idea that after taking them out of our house we would finally be independent nations—the Asian woman explained, returning her voice to the same serious and mature tone as always — I cannot assure the unification of my entire country under the same government if YOU and YOUR allies are there hindering me, carrying out anti-communist propaganda and sowing discord among the inhabitants.
—What do you want me to do?
—Get them out of here! —She demanded in a furious shriek.
—And let my enemy hurt you? No, Kim Ly! — The man adjusted his glasses with an air of greatness —As a good hero, I cannot allow that monster to devour my damsel in distress ...!
—Dams ...? — Vietnam snorted heavily — You're crazy! I want you to get your troops out of MY house as soon as possible, and let me attend to my affairs by myself! If I want to be a communist or not, that is not your problem!
— Of course it is! — the American refuted, facing the girl, displaying his imposing stature — The influence of the Soviets in your house is a threat to the balance of the world. Think about it: What will your neighbours do when they see that for some reason you have become an ally of Ivan? Surely, they will think "Oh, it sure is a great idea!". Then, communism will get adherents. And those will attract more sympathizers. They'll give Ivan enough power to destroy what I've worked so hard for. I can't let him do that! Do you know how chaotic the world would be if we were all "reds"?!
—And who has appointed you Guardian of World Security?! — Vietnam hissed disdainfully — You have no right to intervene in my country because of your dispute with Ngai Braginsky! You hinder my plans!
—What plans?! Conspire against me ...?!
—NO! BE FREE ONCE FOR ALL…!
On the verge of crying helplessly, the woman walked away, turning and retreating from the United States office in the conference building.
He knew that Vietnam was not going to give up. And he feared that he would take action against her sooner than he imagined.
— Don't force me to have to hurt you ...
.:III:.
"Vietminh [4] & Vietcong [5]"
The power of his influence in southern Indochina was dangerously shaken by the constant offensives of the Vietnamese Communists. They accused the Republic of (South) Vietnam of corruption, coups were a frequent reality. South Vietnam was losing the civil war! And they did not seem wanting to react energetically against their enemies in the North ...
Enemies in the North ... infiltrated among them ... hidden in the jungle ... buried underground ...
— I have to do something…
Vietnam ... a growing threat in Southeast Asia ...
— I have to do something!
In 1962, the United States carried out a massive military occupation in South Vietnam. He had fully entered the war, ready not to lose. He didn't know the details. Reports spoke of political dissidents attacking the southern republic, communists and non-communists mingled in a guerrilla front that refused to cease the entry of capitalism into Indochina.
And they were getting it!
— A lot of peasants are conspiring against us— one of his infiltrated soldiers in the South had said. — They come from where we least imagine them. The partisans are even in our ranks. When you are not seeing them, they turn and shoot their companions. We need help. It is urgent.
And on February 9, 1965, the United States himself had reached the shores of South Vietnam ...two days after his country's aviation had first bombarded civilian villages in the North with napalm [6] …
.:IV:.
"Campaign plus Flags"
Faced with the threat that communism constituted in Indochina, one day, the head of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, appealed to the entire world: Free nations that wanted to fight against the communists of Vietnam, had to enlist at that precise moment in the United States of America lists ...!
It didn't take long for the first interested parties to pronounce ...
— Seonsaeng Jones! What are our goals?
— Yong Soo! — The United States was surprised to find South Korea on his side. Furthermore ... Why turn against his own blood again?
The Asian could read the expression on his ally's face. With a nervous smile, he knowingly admitted:
— This ... is my way of paying you for protecting me from my brother at the beginning of the last decade — the boy shrugged — I promise to be very useful! After all, ... I learned from the hero himself ...
— I would do anything to save my sister from the dirty hands of Russia! — Thailand supported.
— Old man, you know that you can always count on us for anything! — Australia seconded — After all you had to go through with Japan so that my house was not another battle scene ...!
— I am also in debt to you, Alfred— the Philippines objected.
— And if Kyle has come, then so do I ... just to stop this communist madness sooner— New Zealand nervously interrupted.
— I also came to help you save Kim Ly from her dementia! — Taiwan said forcefully.
— Jo, but you could get hurt in the attempt, man! — Spain also made an appearance — I'm not in a position to send you soldiers ... But some doctors for you to service!
Other countries had also sent aid in a more indirect way: Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Iran and Morocco ...
— This is the plan: We must demonstrate to Hanoi and the Vietcong that despite the casualties they have caused in South Vietnam and the times they have won over our troops, they will NOT win this war — the United States explained — We must cut the maritime aid coming from the North. Second: strengthen our bases with more troops! The Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam have been unable to do it all this time, and if the Vietcong attacks continue, South Vietnam will disappear, and all our effort will go to waste!
— Understood!
— And finally... patrol the jungle — the American continued — locate the North Vietnamese ... and destroy them.
In the base camp of the North Vietnamese army, gathered around a table with a huge topographic map displayed, had gathered those who, on the other hand, supported the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ...
— Mustard gas?! Napalm…?! That guy wants to destroy you, Kim Ly! We can't allow him!
— Hyung, calm down, chico! — Cuba turned to the main leader of the contest, who with her eyes fixed on the plans, meditated on her next move — Do you intend to go back into the jungle, chica? With how dangerous it gets with the gringo and his accomplices spread throughout your house ...!
— Don't underestimate her! Kim Ly is a genius with traps! And if something should go wrong, we will be there backing her up, right?
— Indeed, Comrade Yao! — Russia solemnly replied — Why don't you explain your plan to us, Comrade Kim Ly? I am sure I speak for everyone when I say I am eager to hear how you will tear Alfred's army to pieces.
The woman looked up. She looked tired and emaciated. She had bruises on her face and arms, and who knows how many more under the loose, mud-covered combat uniform.
— Get out of here.
No one wanted to give credit for what they had heard.
— Didn't you hear me? I need to be alone! I have to concentrate!
— But Kim Ly ...!
— This is MY war! I HAVE TO FIGHT IT ALONE! I do not need you! I don't need your pity! Go away ...! — His voice seemed to break. She was scared, and the company of her 'comrades' didn't relieve her — … I need to be alone!
Those present respected Vietnam's wishes. One by one, and in silence, they left the tent. China, the last to leave, heard that she started screaming and kicking the real estate.
He understood why Vietnam felt so desperate. She was fighting for her ultimate freedom, and she felt that even the support of her own was a threat. He himself had oppressed her in her first centuries of life. Then France had done it, along with Japan ... and now the United States, the largest military and economic power of the moment ...!
China understood Vietnam's fear. And also, the longing for the war to end soon ...
.:V:.
"It's fun to do that to the Gooks"
The first confrontations the United States carried out on large scales gave a fantastic result. Although the North Vietnamese still had some advantage in terms of familiarization with the terrain and the hostilities it presented - the lush jungle, disease, hot and humid weather - the US military had managed to get the South to regain some of their lost territories, and to the detriment of the Communists, various supply routes by sea and land had been cut off.
The Vietnam War had reached a desperate stage of stagnation where military actions were less frequent, and the patrol work did not report anything new.
Several acres of jungle had disappeared under the burning napalm, and the Vietcong's had retreated. They were afraid to carry out a risky offensive, in the same way that their men were afraid to enter the jungle, because they did not know what they might find.
Several had previously perished thanks to spike traps encased in stools and poisons, which they had carelessly activated. Others had not resisted the biological inclemencies of the place, and had fallen to the infirmaries without predicting a speedy recovery.
And what surprised the United States the most ...
... It was that he had not yet directly faced Vietnam ...
But the important thing is that he was getting it ... He wouldn't lose the war! I would not lose to the Vietcong! He would not lose against communism ...!
— ... I liked it better in 65' and 66'. So it was you against them. Now you sit down and wait for them to jump through the air or you do it ...
A voice from the adjoining tent brought him out of his proud musings ... What had he heard? Perhaps a hint of defeated morality? Was one of your soldiers terrified?
— What…?
The United States went out to investigate.
Most of the troops who were in the base camp were sheltered from the tropical rains, inside their tents. They cleaned their weapons, healed their wounds and wrote letters to their relatives in their country.
For the first time in years, the United States noticed the sadness and emptiness in the eyes of every soldier who had enlisted for war. Some were unable to even hold their pencils firmly while writing. They trembled. They wept. They were terrified ...
They wanted to return ...
A feeling of overwhelm began to invade him that he had not experienced years ago. Painfully pressed against his chest and stomach. He accelerated his pulse and his breathing ... his eyes began to cloud, a mixture of frustration, importance and uncertainty that his battle companions just infected him when they saw him ...
— ... it was not necessary to shoot the gun ... and I ... — South Korea sobbed, lying on the lap of the Philippines — ... I killed that man ... I broke his neck ... w-with ... my own hands ...
— Oh, Yong Soo ...
— I'm inhuman ...! I will never be able to forgive myself ... NEVER!
The United States turned to the largest structure in base camp. The infirmary. Crowded with wounded at different levels of severity. There were no free stretchers, no unemployed official, even at the heights that the war had reached its maximum stage of splendour for the Republic of the South ...
— Hey look! This newspaper arrived among the provisions ... it says here that protests against the war have increased ...
— The filthy hippies again ...? Oh, I wish that those bastards were in our place!
— We are defending them. Is this how we get paid ...?
On the other side of the infirmary, a soldier wrote furiously on a paper resting on the hardcover of a notebook. A crooked and macabre smile deformed his manly features, at the same time that he re-read the lines he dedicated to his family:
— "In the Marine Corps training begins from the first day and does not end until discharge. When they say something to you, either 'Go to the bathroom' or 'Smoke a cigarette', or when you go to bed or you have free time to write a letter, it all starts or ends with Vietcong or gook [7] or slope [8], kill, kill, kill. It is the only thing they communicate to you. Everything is done with threats; if one you don't do something the right way, this or that will happen to you. If you go to Vietnam and don't kill gooks, this or that will happen to you. If you don't defend freedom in Vietnam, the gooks will come here. They are going to California. They are going to Detroit. They are going to infest us. We have to go to Vietnam. We have to kill them. They are evil. I was in the hospital, even in the hospitals they distribute photos of mutilated corpses to demonstrate what to do with the gooks. It's fun to do that to gooks. "[9]
— They are ... losing their minds ...
The sensitivity of his men was gradually being affected by the horrors they were experiencing and witnessing. The press had become sensational, and at home they were spreading the most overwhelming atrocities in order to generate aversion to their heroic campaign in Asia. They were degrading him along with the villain of Russia. Who by the way! He hadn't moved a finger to put him there! Surely, he wasn't even in the war ...!
And he had not yet faced Vietnam head-on ... the distressed 'damsel' who had dragged him across the Pacific Ocean, into the inhospitable tropical jungle, where little by little he and his men were losing their sanity ...
— Details of the situation ...?
— Deplorable ... the whole village was razed ...
Vietnam was standing next to a group of uniformed men in a sort of trench near Trang Bang. A town in the north recently attacked by the US military. American soldiers were running after the terrified Vietnamese group that fled their homes as soon as the napalm bomb fell on them.
The cries of a little girl broke with all the sounds of the environment, and tortuously reached the ears of Vietnam:
— Burn, burn! — She screamed as she stripped her clothes on fire.
—What do we do?
— Keep calm ... — the woman replied, barely peeking out of the hole — We have to go back to Hanoi for more supplies. My AK-47 is already out of charge, and I only have one grenade left ...
— They shouldn't see us.
— They won't see us.
— Shall we go through the tunnel?
— As fast as we can.
Above, the sound of gunshots and bombs could be heard much closer to them. Every second the Vietnamese lost the advantage that previously knowledge of their own terrain had given them. The Americans continued to advance.
A new bomb exploded near Trang Bang.
— Burning ...! BURN ...!
— Let's go from here! — - ordered Vietnam, at the same time removing the safety of her grenade and throwing it out of the trench. Several of her fighting companions did the same, and followed her on her retreat back to Hanoi.
The noise of the outburst added to those already fired by the gunfire and the shouts of the military and civilians on the surface, and they were left behind as more and more the troops moved away from the small town. Suddenly, an explosion in the trench threatened to hit them. The flames quickly advanced through the tunnel, threatening to reach them. The furious noise failed to make Vietnam's voice fade into the dark depth of her conduit to base camp.
— I'm going to kill you for this, Alfred F. Jones! — She screamed furiously — You will regret challenging Kim Ly Nguyen ...! I'LL KILL YOU…!
.:VI:.
"No Man is Just a Soldier"
"It will be a fight between an elephant and a tiger. If the tiger stands still, the elephant will crush it hopelessly; but the tiger will never stand still. It will jump on the elephant's back, ripping off large chunks of meat to hide later in the jungle. Thus, the elephant will bleed to death. "
- War metaphor used by the Vietcong.
It was too late when, after years, the United States finally realized the type of war and the type of people he was fighting against.
Although the events in which the North Vietnamese achieved a certain victory over his men were isolated, the physical and mental wear of his soldiers ended up causing the morale of his army to decline to a point where it was impossible to incite them to brandish their weapons. with the same energy as before.
The support in his home was almost gone. Mothers mourned for their fallen and missing children, the media broadcast not only the good news and progress of their troops in Indochina, but also the atrocities committed by both sides against enemy soldiers and village civilians. The protests had put the US government in check, and the first rumours of a shameful withdrawal were already sounding ...
— No…NO! I can't give up yet ...
— Assume it, Alfred ... the Vietcong has almost reached Saigon.
— But my men can still push them back ...! I will need a new shipment of ammunition for the machine guns, and more napalm bombs! I cannot let South Vietnam disappear under the influence of communism ...!
— Alfred, stop it!
— I have to save her!
— Who are you supposed to be trying to save ...?!
— Kim Ly!
— From who?!
— I do not know…! From the Soviet Union! From China ...! — Shouted the United States — From ... herself ...
— Alfred ... LOOK — Australia had said, taking him by the shoulders to shake him — Don't you realize what this war has done to your sanity and that of your army?
— Most of them only obey you out of inertia ... they don't even know why they are fighting in this remote country ... — New Zealand added — They want to return to their homes, and forget once and for all about this hell.
— My ... My soldiers can still fight!
— Alfred, react! —reproached Australia — You have here thousands of children from families separated by their absence! Parents who would give anything to take their children back! Men who would die to be able to kiss their girlfriends again ... and thousands of other citizens hopeless to reunite with their families ... How will you explain to them that their bodies have disappeared, and they won't even be able to say a final goodbye to them properly ...? What happened to your humanity? What happened to the humanity of your men? Of those parents ... those children and husbands ... no man is "just a soldier".
The United States turned abruptly, pulling his hands away from his English-speaking peer.
— Perhaps none of them is willing to finish this mission, but I do. And I'm going to do it ... With or without my army!
— Alfred ...!
Before Australia could make a move to stop him, the United States had run out of his tent heading north. The rain was raging, and in a matter of seconds the American nation already had his war uniform, his face and hair wet.
It reeked of napalm everywhere.
It reeked of doom. It reeked of desolation.
It reeked of death ...
He had to run many kilometres until he finally found her. He completely lost track of time and space, until he finally found her. All his limbs weighed like lead. He was exhausted. He was hurt.
Vietnam was also exhausted and injured. And finally, he had found her. Standing in the rain, all uniforms soaked, muddy, and ripped. She held her AK-47 pointed at Alfred's chest, slipping from the pain caused by the napalm burns. Her amber gaze was piercing and sharp as a dagger.
If it wasn't a shotgun ammunition that would pierce the United States' chest, that viper gaze would. The hatred contained by years of struggle would take care of tearing him apart and sending him back to home into pieces ...
— Kim Ly ...
— Don't move— Vietnam warned in a ghastly roar, tightening the hold on her weapon. — Or I'm going to blow you up.
A shiver ran down the blonde's spine like a cold electric current. The woman's right forefinger tightened around the trigger, not squeezing it. The United States took another step forward. There were five meters that separated him from the Asian girl. Five long meters that were not enough to make him feel the sharp hatred threatening to cut his throat, although that was far from being a reality ...
The first time he saw her attend one of the country conferences, the United States felt that he could not take France seriously. As weak as the man was, how could such a small girl be able to defeat him?
But that petite, stereotypical, comical-looking girl had mocked him for more than a decade of war. It had made him become the thing he had most despised in his entire life as an independent nation.
An oppressor. A tyrant. An abusive ...
She had forced him to hurt her. And the press in his country had made it clear that not only the gooks, the North Vietnamese reds behaved like beasts ...
He…
He was also behaving like a monster ...
Vietnam had struck him as a naive young nation, confused and desperate. And Russia had seduced her under the promise that communism would set her free once and for all, as she had longed for so much… he had her in his clutches… communism would destroy her at any moment, and without her even being able to foresee it…
— I ... just wanted to save you, Kim Ly ...
— Save me? Of what? — The brunette lowered the barrel of her gun, waiting for a response that took time to arrive. Nervously, she reiterated: — Save me from what ...?!
— From Ivan! From Yao ...! From communism ...!
— THERE IS NO ONE TO SAVE HERE! — Vietnam bellowed on the brink of hysteria — NEVER ASKED FOR HELP! I NEVER ASKED ANYONE TO COME TO RESCUE ME! I DON'T NEED YOU, NOR IVAN, NOR YAO ...! WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME IN PEACE…?!
In an unexpected turn of events, the South Asian nation threw away her AK-47. She was unarmed. Threatened to melt into a helpless cry ...
— I JUST WANTED TO BE FREE! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND IT…?!
— K-Kim ...
— All of you are a threat ...— she growled — All this time all I wanted to do was get rid of them ... Francis ... Kiku ... all of you ... ambitious imperialist pigs ... you were ... you were threatening my long-awaited freedom ...!
— I wanted to save you from yourself ...! — Interrupted Alfred, trembling with frustration. He had been so blinded that his goal of rescuing the distressed 'damsel' would be accomplished if he made the Communists disappear from the face of the earth, that he had overlooked the true motivations for which Vietnam was truly fighting and the entire damage he was doing to her cause ...
He was the one who had finally put the 'damsel' into trouble…
— There is no one to save ... Alfred ...
The Asian approached him, limping. She looked even worse on the move than simply standing in front of him. Her exhaustion was evident. But that sparkle of hatred and determination in her eyes ...
It did not disappear ...
— Go away…
— But ... Kim Ly ...
— We have both lost more than enough in this absurd war ... go ... — she repeated venomously — Go, and don't come back.
— But…!
— GET OUT OF HERE!
It happened in the blink of an eye. Vietnam had thrown herself at him after launching a horrible war cry that seemed to the United States to have torn her throat. They had both rolled in the mud, exchanging blows and struggles.
"All or nothing ... The time has come to decide!"
Vietnam was a really naive girl. Hadn't she realized the risk she was taking directly attacking her enemy like that? As long as he had nothing to lose, and if he was badly hurt, he could best return home to recover; instead, she could lose everything. And if the United States decided to hurt her, the aftermath would be eternal. Possibly destroy her ...
But he…
— GO AWAY! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, PIG! I WANT ALL OF YOU TO LEAVE ME IN PEACE! I WANT TO BE FREE!
…he didn't want to hurt her ...
He chose not to attack her to death. He just defended himself. He tried to hold her wrists and hold her under his weight - much higher than hers - until she calmed down. He felt her writhe beneath him, quickly and energetically, like a snake beneath the body of a surprising predator.
Vietnam's fingers twitched like claws, and as if trying to overcome the strength of the American's arms, she launched repeated attacks towards his face without being able to touch him. She also tried to bite him ... The woman was like possessed!
— Vietnam ... Vietnam ...!
— GET OFF! GET OFF, BASTARD ...!
A powerful knee to the side of the United States ended up tipping the balance in favour of the Asian girl. For a few seconds, the blonde gasped for breath. His forces declined enough that in a fit of fury, Vietnam could defeat him. With difficulty, the woman stood up, moved a safe distance from her enemy, and as he inhaled deeply to recover, she kicked him three times in a row.
One on the genitals.
Another in the stomach.
And the last one on the face ...
The glasses of the United States projected away from his face, and ended up somewhere in the muddy valley where the two contenders fought their battle.
The pain in his groin further hindered his recovery. He had doubled over at the waist, both arms pressing hard on the blow area, and a lot of blood was dripping from his nose.
— GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE ...!
This time, the blows that rained down on him were not from her feet in rough combat boots. But from her grasped hands. He sensed the girl's despair, translated into the clumsiness of her attacks, each less effective than the last. They were not a serious threat. Just a firm test of hatred.
— TAKE YOUR SOLDIERS AWAY FROM HERE, AND LEAVE ME IN PEACE OF A DAMNED TIME…! NEVER COME BACK! NEVER…!
The United States tried to stand up. He did it for a brief fraction of a second, before the Asian woman's surprising elongation manifested itself with a certain kick to the head that stunned him. The blonde fell to his knees, and with his hands, prevented his fall from continuing to project. Brilliant. He was on all fours, like a dog, in front of a woman who had just hit him ...
Fantastic…
The next hit was slow to come. And it was neither the woman's hands nor the feet. It was her weapon ...
Vietnam had taken her AK-47 out of the mud again, and with the butt, hit him five times on the back until he managed to weaken his balance and make him face his face in the mud. The United States thought that the woman would end up hitting his neck. Even if it wasn't going to kill him, the consequences of the blow would be dire.
Contrary to what he believed; Vietnam did not continue to hit him. She just stood there, looking at him, with the machine gun hanging like dead weight from his left hand, while the rain fell on both of them ...
— I… I don't want any more…— she gasped weakly. She was exhausted. Was sated. She had the same desire to end the war as he ... but before any suspicious manoeuvre, she would react again.
Alfred preferred to stay there, lying on his stomach, his whole body burning with pain.
— No more ... go, Alfred ... please ... do not force me to continue hurting you ...
In 1973, the United States withdrew its troops from Indochina.
.:VII :.
"Vietnam Syndrome" [10]
After the traumatic event in Indochina, it was a long time before the United States saw Vietnam face to face again. Not because they did not coincide in the meetings. They were just avoiding each other.
For a long time, a bitter feeling of guilt invaded him just thinking about how many skin graft operations those affected by Napalm burns should do. In the number of families - Vietnamese and Americans - who had lost a member. And of course, in the serious aftermath that had transpired from the conflict, projecting itself as a tortuous challenge for those who had experienced the horror of the war in their own flesh.
Vietnam had got what she wanted. The independent Socialist Republic, initially reduced only to the northern region of the country, had successfully extended its influence to the rest of the peninsula, causing Laos and Cambodia to adopt socialism as well. Vietnam had been reunited under a single government of a socialist nature, but to his surprise, far from the Soviet and Chinese political influence.
As she said, she didn't need anyone ...
— How about that recovery, chica?
— Progressing, comrade. Thanks for asking…
It took a long time for Vietnam to regain her natural appearance and qualities. So that her sun-browned face did not show any more bruises and scars, and the smell of napalm disappeared to give way to an essence that she later identified as characteristic of her. A fresh, light and acidic perfume. Like lemons.
— You look better and better.
— It was very good for you to be a free country, right, Kim Ly?
— Indeed, Hyung — for the first time, the United States heard her laugh. It was a nervous, accommodating laugh that really had little to do with it. She wanted to fit in well with the group, and her shyness didn't help at all.
— If you have time after the meeting, wouldn't you like to go have a drink with your comrades, da?
— Sorry, Ngai Braginsky. I have plans ... an entire country needs me now more than ever.
One very effective way for Alfred to get rid of the bitter guilt was to spend entire evenings watching his favourite movies. That afternoon, after the meeting, he found in his collection a tape that at least in his country had received a very high valuation, and had even helped inspire thousands of those desperate for the traumatic experience in Asia to re-enchant themselves with life, or at least, take the misfortune with a sweeter drink accompanying it.
More personally, and as a connoisseur of the truth after the conflict, absolutely the entire "Rambo" saga left him with a terrible taste in his mouth that not even dozens of Coca-Cola cans or a large can of popcorn could take away.
Just turning off the television.
— If Rambo was so cool, how come we lost in Vietnam? — he reluctantly laughed in front of his television, deciding that he had seen enough of that string of nonsense. He wasn't even three-quarters from the film when he simply took the control of the device and turned it off.
He stood for a long time in front of the black screen of the appliance, looking critically at his reflection. A cluster of tragic musings was interrupted by a new burst of laughter, this time more forced. There was still a great guilt squeezing his chest.
— What 'Damsel in Distress' my foot...! There ... there was no one to save ...
Notes:
[1] First Indochina War: Colonial conflict carried out from the end of the 19th century to the mid-20th century. France against the Vietminh of Ho Chi Minh. The independence of French Indochina (current Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) was under debate. It ends in 1954 with the French defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
[2] The 1954 Geneva Conference: Negotiations between France and the Vietminh (Democratic Republic of Vietnam or North Vietnam). They were held in 1954 to decide the future of the nations that made up French Indochina after the "First Indochina War", opposing the interests of France to continue dominating its colonies in Southeast Asia, and the aspirations of those territories to become free and sovereign states. As a direct consequence of these agreements, Laos, Cambodia, North and South Vietnam achieved their independence, and France - although militarily weakened - was forced to decolonize Tunisia and Morocco, to focus more attention on the rebellions in Madagascar and Algeria, which had been inspired after the defeat of the European army at the hands of armed peasants.
[3] Domino Theory: Applied to international politics, it postulates that if a certain country enters a political system, it could drag others from its area towards that same ideology. In the United States, it was predicted that if the spiral was not stopped, communism could spread throughout the world. To stop the domino effect of the Soviet Union, the United States created organizations on the various continents where, together with its allies in the region, they dissuaded any manifestation of the "red" advance by intervening in countries with a tendency to ally themselves with the communists (NATO in Europe, TIAR in America, ASEAN in Asia and some interventions on the African stage).
[4] Vietminh: "League for the Independence of Vietnam", an armed group that was created in 1941 to achieve independence from France. It also fought against Japan (when the Vichy regime yielded his military bases in 1941 during World War II, under pressure from Nazi Germany), being backed by the Soviet Union and the United States. After managing to get the Japanese out of Indochina (and its subsequent capitulation in 1945), and with the return of France, the Vietminh focused its attacks again on the French garrisons, triggering a new stage in the Indochina War. It was dissolved in 1960.
[5] Vietcong: "National Liberation Front of Vietnam". Guerrilla organization formed in 1960 by Vietminh veterans in opposition to the dictatorship imposed by the United States in South Vietnam. They received the support of North Vietnam, since their incidence in South Vietnam was of great importance, especially in the most rural regions.
[6] Napalm: Also known as "Gelatinous Gasoline". A flammable product that produces a longer-lasting combustion than plain gasoline (burns indefinitely at temperatures ranging from 800 ° to 1200 ° Celsius, as long as it is not deprived of oxygen or completely submerged in water). It has been used in various wars for its ability to incinerate any form of life and for the difficulty of extinguishing it (the United States used them in Germany and Japan during World War II, and later in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and Iraq during the 2003 invasions, also provided to the Dominican Army by Rafael Trujillo and the Cuban Army by Fulgencio Batista. The UN Forces used it in the Korean War; Mexico used it against the guerrillas in Guerrero; Morocco in the Rif and Sahara Occidental, Colombia against subversive groups in Marquetalia (Iran, Israel, Brazil, Nigeria, Egypt, Cyprus, Iraq, Serbia, Turkey, El Salvador, Angola and Eritrea have also used it).
[7] Gook: Derogatory term used in English to refer to Asians.
[8] Slope: Literally means "slope" or "inclination". Used as a derogatory word to refer to the shape of the eyes of Asians.
[9] REAL letter from a soldier in Vietnam, in 1971.
[10] Vietnam Syndrome: Feeling of defeat and helplessness suffered by American society in the 70s and 80s after the traumatic event in Indochina. The undeclared war that the United States waged against Vietnam was not only one of the longest and most costly, but it also left serious consequences for its veterans (dead, wounded, disappeared, disabled and thousands of those affected psychologically) and to top it all, not even they achieved their goal of preventing communism from succeeding in Southeast Asia.
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