Summary
A Veteran's Return
Highlights
The Disorienting Return
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, John struggles with a profound sense of alienation. The domestic environment feels jarringly bright, clean, and fast-paced, leaving him feeling raw and unwelcome, a sentiment solidified by a stranger's act of hostility at the airport.
Memories of Jackal
John reflects on his deep bond with his best friend in Vietnam, a soldier named Melvin, known as Jackal. Jackal served as a mentor, teaching John essential survival skills and providing a necessary sense of levity amidst the chaos of war.
The Cost of Conflict
The narrative details Jackal's tragic death, caused by an explosive trap disguised as a child. John remains burdened by the weight of Jackal's personal belongings, which he never managed to return to the soldier's family.
The Meaningless Medals
John views his military decorations, including the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Expert Rifle Badge, with deep cynicism. He views these awards as symbols of trauma and loss rather than honor, representing friends who died or the grim reality of taking another person's life.
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Original text
Coming back to the world is worse than leaving it had been. John steps off the plane in Los Angeles. The air feels cool to him even though he knows it isn't really. He'd only had one drink on the flight but he feels hungover anyway. He feels like an animal. The US is too bright and fast, too clean, too restless. He isn't ready for it.
In the airport a hippie girl sneers at him and spits on his boot. John thinks welcome home.
John's best friend in Vietnam was a skinny black kid from Alabama. His real name was Melvin but all the guys called him Jackal because of the crazy high pitched way he laughed. On John's first night with the squad Jackal asked him if it was true that white guys liked taking it up the ass and then shrieked with laughter at John's wide eyes.
I take it that's why they call you Jackal, John said, realizing he'd been had.
Damn right it is! Jackal hollered.
Jackal taught John how to cheat at poker without looking like he was cheating, how to strike a match one handed and how to get leeches off with bug spray. Years later John remained convinced that he wouldn't have made it through that first month if Jackal hadn't been there to steal all his cigarettes and laugh at every dumb mistake he made.
Two weeks before he went back to the world, Jackal was killed in Cang Tay, near Que Son. He had two baby sisters at home so when the little girl came running up to him, he knelt down and opened his arms to catch her up in a hug. Sarge barely had time to yell Jackal's name before the grenade exploded.
John kept Jackal's gold cross necklace and his beat up pack of cards. He always meant to return them to Jackal's mama when he got back to the States but somehow he never got around to it.
The Bronze Star was for the A Shau Valley. It was a load of steaming bullshit, John hadn't done anything other than pull Sarge out of the line of fire. He almost refused the medal but Sarge made him take it. They lost Nancy Drew in the A Shau and Picker and Cottonmouth.
The Purple Heart was because he got shot in the thigh by some scared VC kid.
The Expert Rifle Badge was for hiding in the undergrowth and shooting some other scared VC kid. Sarge made him take that one too.