The Story of a Vietnamese Soldier

It's kind of a short film, and it was written in a rush because it was a history assignment, it's very philosophical and kind of anti-war, and there's some comedy in it too.

Scene 1- Battle Grounds

 

(Open with the sound of guns firing and war screams echoing across the field.  Vietnamese and American soldiers are battling.  The camera focuses on our main Vietnamese soldier Hùng. Overlays from Hùngs journal and all spoken words in jibberish with English subtibles.  Paper airplanes fly across the sky dropping “bombs”)

 

Hùng: (Overlay) It all started on September 2, 1945.  I had grown upand worked in the rice fields my entire life, the same as any other man in this dang country trying to support a family; and then we were called to fight.  None of us knew much about why we were fighting, only that we were fighting for freedom.  Isn’t that what all wars are fought for?  Don’t they all start in a pursuit of freedom?

                        Well, when I think about it, maybe we did know what we were fighting for. We were tired of France and Japan repressing us.  That was the beginning of it all.  Then when we beat France, the U.S. stepped in and did everything they could do to stop our elections, to make us like them.  We didn’t want to be like them.  We wanted to be like us.

 

(Battle winds down, Hùng and fellow soldiers search for survivors and extra supplies among the bodies, speaking gibberish)

 

V Soldier 1:     Hey Hùng, you found anything yet?

 

Hùng:              A few cigarettes and some water, but no survivors.  You?

 

V Soldier 1:     Same.  (Both go back to searching)

 

V Soldier 2:     You know what I’ve always thought was rediculous?

 

V Soldier 1:     What’s that?

 

V Soldier 2:     We fight war to gain peace.  It’s the biggest oxymoron ever.  Why can’t everybody just get along?

 

            (They all laugh)

 

Hùng:              Now that’s rediculous.  It goes against human nature!

 

V Soldier 3:     Look over here guys, I found someone!  (All run to the soldier who spoke, he prods a motionless body)  He’s still warm and he’s still breathing.  We need a doctor!

 

V Soldier 1:     Wait! He’s an American!  Can’t you tell by the uniform! He’s a baby killer! He doesn’t deserve a doctor.  (Soldier shoots American in the chest.  American screams, his eyes flashing open in pain, then fades.  All stare at the soldier, then move on.)

 

Hùng:              How nice of you to put that man out of his misery.

V Soldier 1:     (Shocked and a little angry) I didn’t.  I sent him back to where he came from.  He’ll burn in the fiery depths for what he’s done!

Hùng:              And how do you know what he’s done?  How do you know for sure that he isn’t as innocent in those attacks as you were?

V Soldier 2:     Who knew you had such sympathy for the enemy?

Hùng:              I don’t.  (Shoots dead American in the chest to prove it.) I just don’t think you should say a man belongs in Hell if you never knew him.

            (All look up as a war cry sounds and a new wave of Americans starts to come onto the field)

A Soldier 1:     ‘MERICA!!!

All A Soldiers:  ‘MERICA!!!

Hùng:              Retreat!  Retreat!  There are too many of them!

(V Soldiers run backwards out of the field, shooting to cover their backs.  A soldiers shout in victory when they clear out.)

Scene 2- Marching

 

Hùng:  (Overlay) Reinforcements came to cover that post.  We marched along the seventeenth parallel for what seemed like forever, only stopping to set up camp for a night or to fight.  We fought often and we fought hard.  They say the Americans never lost a battle.  But then, if they never lost, how were we still here?  How did we survive?  I think the Americans lost a lot of battles.  No matter how hard they fought, we perservered.  And so did the ideas we fought for

                        As we marched, we met up with other regimentsand other commanders, all of whom had stories that would chill a grownh man to the bone.  The Americans were rutheless.  They burned our rice filds, bombed our women and children, sdtole from out dead, and they never gave in.  Was it any wonder that soldier had killed that American in cold blood while he was down?

 

(Fade into all sitting round a campfire at dark telling stories and eating what little dinner they have.)

 

Scene 3- Camp

 

V Soldier 4:     So we were sitting in this womans house, shooting at these Americans through the open windows.  The woman and her daughter�"just a poor toddler�"were in the back trying to stay out of the line of fire.  My buddy was shot down not long before the Americans retreated.  I dragged him outside so the woman wouldn’t have to see him and took his tag.  Then we moved out.  We were a few dozen miles away when the bombs hit.  The explosions rocked through the ground and it shook beleath our feet.  We hid and waited until the next day, and then we went back to the city.  Everything was burned and crumbled to the grond.  We searched for survivors, but it was pointless.  Nobody could have survived that blast.  I’ll never forget going back to that womans hous and finding her charred corpse curled around her daughter.  It was horrible…  (Trails off, staring into the distance, shudders.  V Soldier 2 starts telling a funny story from before the war Hùng gets up to start his watch shift.)

 

Hùng:  (Overlay) It was hard for me to understand how anyone could be so cold.  My mind was spinning.  All of this, just to stop the North’s idea of communism?  What was so wrong with communism?  It’s ultimate equality for all.  Then again, maybe that was the problem.  So many countries have said that “All men are created equal.”  So many countries wrote those words in their declarations of independence and their constitutions.  But when one looked at those countries, was every man ever really equal?  The answer is no.  Some men just aren’t willing to give up their power over others.  It’s dangerous and addictive.  Would we not be better off without it?  Would we not be better off being truly equal?  Whats so wrong with trying to find out?

 

(Fade out into another march)

 

Scene 4- Marching into Battle

 

V Soldier 2:     I don’t know but I’ve been told

 

All:                   I don’t know but I’ve been told

 

V Soldier 2:     ‘Merican women are mighty cold

 

All:                   ‘Merican women are mighty cold

 

V Soldier 2:     I don’t know but it’s been said

 

All:                   I don’t know but…

(Chant interrupted by gunfire)

 

Hùng:              Take cover!

(All dive for tree line as rapid fire takes place.  Exchange lasts for a while with various grunts, shouts, and gasps of pain as soldiers fall on both sides.)

 

V Soldier 3:     Hùng look out!

(V Soldier 3 tackles Hùng out of the way as an American soldier shoots from closer up.  V Soldier 3 is hit in the head and falls.)

 

Hùng:              NO!  Dangit, no!  (Shoots American in the chest, American falls dead.  Checks V Soldier 3’s vitals as quickly as possible with gunfire roaring overhead.) (Screaming angrily)  No!  Why does it have to be like this?  Why? (Takes V Soldier 3’s tag and reads the name)  Ming Ho.  I won’t forget you or what you did for me.  (Closes eyes of Ming Ho.  Then begins to fight again with more purpose.)

 

V Soldier 2:     Retreat!  Retreat!

 

(All retreat and run for cover.  Fade to marching home, Hùng running to his family’s welcoming arms.)

Scene 5- Marching Home

 

Hùng:  (Overlay)  I will never forget that day.  It was April 29^th of 1975, the day befor the war ended.  When we finally got the news, we were almost too exhausted to be exited.  Mostly we were relieved.  We didn’t have to fight anymore.  The Americans and the French were leaving and we could go home.  I could see my family again.  And we were free to be who we wanted to be.  Communism reigned supreme.  We had a chance at true equality now.

Author's Note

What do you think?

Reviews

[joshua deathdealer]

This is actually really good. The story is clearly shown and it keep me reading. Nice work.

[Elizabeth Porterfield]

Thank you Joshua:) I'm glad to know it was liked by someone other than my AP History teacher:) The film kind of got botched, and it was way more comedy than I had originally written, but that was because everybody either goofed off or wasn't there... Anyway, thank you:)