In the jungle, even sleep is not a refuge from the horror of war. A radio operator tries to find something to hold onto while surrounded by nightmares, both real and imagined, and the line between the two is all too often blurred. One day, he knows, he'll go home and try to move on. Until then, he keeps the radio on.
CONTENT WARNING: This story contains potential triggers for veterans suffering from PTSD. It is based on the recollections of a dozen veterans I've spoken to over the years, in particular several Vietnam War veterans. The content is disturbing, but necessary to paint an accurate picture of one facet of war. Link to veteran helpline here.
This story is not intended to be a commentary on the Vietnam War. Rather, it is about a soldier finding something to cling to when surrounded by madness. This describes perhaps a majority of the men who served in that war: good people caught in an impossible situation and just trying to survive and keep their comrades alive. Whatever your opinions on the nature of the conflict are, please be respectful of the veterans in the comment section.
My Little Pony and its contents are the property of Hasbro, Inc. and its affiliates. Please support the official release. Cover art is a public domain picture from Free Images.
You made this story sooner than expected.
8557994
I punched this out in a five hour stream of consciousness. When the muse takes me it takes me hard.
If it could counts as a praise, you should know that reading this makes me HATE RATS. Otherwise I'd say the narration stole me away in it.
Another good job.
8558292
I will take that as praise. Yeah...I didn't like writing that part, but literally every Vietnam vet I've ever talked to has talked about them.
8559155
And here I thought that it only happens rarely.
This is good insight into the Vietnam war... You have, again, proven yourself as an excellent writer. You have my applause. You seem to have a talent for opening Windows into what war is truly like.
8560318
Much appreciated. I do my best.
I liked this story. I've talked a lot to Chechen and Afghan war veterans, they told me a lot of stories about their living at the frontline. And, though this is an obvious flashback to the Vietnam war, this is an excellent picture of any war syndromes. Especially the PTSD. Now, I am a tank driver myself, and oh boy, I think that if I'd ever have to take part in any war of a sort, I'll have pretty similar nightmares. Especially if you can get nightmares even just when you serve, save for real conflicts. I feel you, man.
8649118
Thank you. Always good to hear from a veteran about stories like this. I'm physically unable to serve, but I've absorbed everything I can about war and soldiers over the years. Writing pieces like this is one of the little ways that I try to make the reality of war, both good and bad, more real to other civilians; sacrifices that we can't fully comprehend are made, and it's important to me to spread that. Thank you for your service.
Reminds me of a scene from Platoon which I can’t remember. Anyway good story
8734025
Much appreciated
This story is a great inspiration to us all.
9105529
Thank you. This was an emotional one to write, so it's good to know it was worth it.
Another winner. Still chewing through your stories, and haven't found a stinker yet.
9944457
You've made me feel all warm inside.
A nice punch of dark, gritty atmosphere.
10005470
Kinda rare for me to see a comment on this old story. Thanks!
10005810
You're welcome! Age really won't drive me away from a story.
10294624
Thank you!
Thx you for the Warning
This story really grips my heart. I can almost feel what they are going through.
I know I can't come close to how I believe this kind of trauma would feel, but I feel for those in our current climate.
This is a good story, Wordsmith.
Fluttershy isn't the only one who can speak to animals in your fanon is she?
If not, I wonder where Ponies who can (should they wish) threaten or even barter with rodents get assigned. Keeping faces unchewed is a huge benefit, but depending on the abilities of the enemy there might be an entire "hearts and minds" war going on for the loyalties of the local wildlife... Or it could be one-sided as long as their is a Pony with those working skills in the area, but the enemy considers them higher priority targets than mid-level command (don't know ranks well enough to pick a specific one).
I realize you are probably writing about Ponies here to approximately the same degree that the author of "Maus"* was writing about Mice, but I have a bit of a penchant for world-building details like that.
*Graphic novel spanning several installments about concentration camps with the non-prisoners as Cats(Germans) and Pigs (Poles) with the prisoners as Mice.... based on the experiences of the artist's father in one of those camps...
This is when I finally twigged to the fact that the "call for help" the radio is for is for fire-support.
Dragons as fire
bombersstrafers in Pony Vietnam... that is an image. Also, I once read an "Abridged Series" style Where-I-Watch of the show had a Diamond Dog in "Dog and Pony Show" taunt the Ponies with the line "Welcome to Vietnam!" during the attempts to get into the tunnels when the would-be rescue party arrived. For anyone not in the know, it is fitting because the Viet Cong made very effective use of tunnels as places to base up/"camp" (if that is an applicable term?).Took me a reread or two of this paragraph to realize his wife is Carrot-Top and the 'nice mare' is Fluttershy. I wonder if this is a front in the Sombra-War splinter timeline? (If so it must have been decided that Fluttershy couldn't survive mentally at the front trying to handle "relations with the locals that very few Ponies can talk to", so they left her on sheep-shearing duty... Or her talent never achieved it full potential... or she ended up with a different one.