War Opinion Letter | Teen Ink

War Opinion Letter

April 18, 2011
By PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."


My Dearest Darling Evelyn,

I love you so much. More than you can ever even begin to fathom. The day we said our vows was the happiest day of my life. Second only to the day your letter came telling me about the birth of our beautiful daughter Isabella. Seven pounds, eight ounces. I remember. Aren’t you proud of me for remembering? Please be proud, darling. No one is proud of me here. No one is proud of anyone fighting this pointless, pointless war.

Today I saw my first death. It was Adam. Yes, Adam from down the street. Adam from church. Amelia’s husband, Adam. He’s gone, Evelyn. He’s never coming back. God, he was so full of confidence. He thought he was going to be the last one standing. We all believed him too. Why wouldn’t we? He was always so strong. Even on the worst of days, he could find a reason to smile. I’m gonna miss him so much. How will the rest of the platoon get by without him? Why should I even bother going on, Evelyn? If Adam couldn’t make it through this war, none of us will. It’s over for me, baby. I’d rather die on my own terms than be brutally murdered by an enemy who doesn’t even understand why we’re here.

You see sweetheart, they told us at home that if we went into this war, we would come out heroes. They didn’t tell us that we would watch our friends and neighbors be blown to bits by hateful, wicked weapons of unimaginable force. They didn’t tell us that we wouldn’t be able to go home for our mothers’ funerals. No one said that we would be killing innocent people just because they lived in the same barely-habitable village as someone who might be Vietcong. No one told me that mothers would hand me their children strapped with bombs. Think about the look on a child’s face in that instant before the bomb goes off. Think of the desperation of the civilians. It makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t do it anymore, Evelyn. I’m not fighting for America anymore. I’m fighting for my sanity. Darling I haven’t slept in weeks and weeks. The dreams I have aren’t nightmares. They’re night terrors. I wake up screaming, sometimes sobbing, drenched in sweat that I can’t wash away because there’s no lake to bathe in nearby. All of my terrors are soaked in my skin. Even if I could wash them off, where would they go?

And after all that, no one is proud of us. I got a letter from a friend who went on R&R for a few days. He said he got spit on at the airport. Someone threw food at him and yelled obscenities at him. What kind of country do we live in? What kind of world is this, honey? I’ve killed people. There are people who have died; there are families who are in mourning because of a gun that I fired. I went through that mental torture for my ignorant, selfish country. I hope they’re happy. This is the end for me. Tell Isabella that I love her, and I wish I could’ve gotten to meet her. Don’t tell her about the horrors of war. Don’t let her ever find out. Protect my little princess no matter what.

Most importantly, Evelyn, please don’t ever doubt that you are and always were the love of my life. I don’t want to put you through the mental anguish that I’ve gone through when I get home. There’s a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that would keep me from living a normal life after I got home. You have a brand new baby to take care of. You can’t be responsible for me too. I’ll be there looking down on you every single night. I’ll keep you and Bella out of harm’s way. But by the time you get this letter, it’ll be too late. The gun that my dad gave me on our first hunting trip is sitting right on my left. Remember? I had you send it to me because the ones that they gave us were so unreliable. America is also unreliable. But my dad’s gun was always there when I needed it. I love you darling, and I hope you and Isabella live a very happy and fulfilling life. I can’t wait to watch it from heaven.
All my love,
Michael


The author's comments:
This was a piece for English. The assignment was to convey our opinions about war through a form of creative writing. I chose to write a letter from the point of view of a soldier in the Vietnam War.

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This article has 175 comments.


on Aug. 20 2011 at 6:52 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."

yaay thank you so muchh! really glad you liked it :)

on Aug. 20 2011 at 6:51 pm
rage_against_the_machine BRONZE, St. Augustine, Florida
4 articles 7 photos 106 comments

Favorite Quote:
Difficult takes a day. Impossible takes.. oh, about a week?

This was amazing. I really enjoy it, as I am very against war, and this really displays the emotional tearing it creates. Unique idea too, that he is committing suicide. Well-written.

on Aug. 19 2011 at 7:00 pm
JoPepper PLATINUM, Annandale, Virginia
35 articles 0 photos 782 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Freedom is the ability to not care what the other person thinks."

"Not all those who wander are lost" --JRR Tolkien

"When you are listening to music it is better to cover your eyes than your ears." --Jose' Bergamin

No problem and keep writing!!!! :D

on Aug. 16 2011 at 1:42 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."

thank you sooo muchh! :)

on Aug. 15 2011 at 8:32 pm
AllCaughtUp BRONZE, Shelton, Connecticut
2 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
-JK Rowling (as Albus Dumbledore, of course)

This is stunning and so emotional! You're a great writer.

on Aug. 14 2011 at 6:18 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."

glad you enjoyed itt! thank you for readiing :)

on Aug. 14 2011 at 3:15 pm
JoPepper PLATINUM, Annandale, Virginia
35 articles 0 photos 782 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Freedom is the ability to not care what the other person thinks."

"Not all those who wander are lost" --JRR Tolkien

"When you are listening to music it is better to cover your eyes than your ears." --Jose' Bergamin

That was so touching I loved it, I loved how you described the pain it felt so real!!!!!! :O

on Aug. 14 2011 at 9:14 am
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."

thank you so much, you made my dayy :)

on Aug. 14 2011 at 8:16 am
Ayushi_austen BRONZE, Kolkata, Other
3 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
I love my past. I love my present. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve had, and I’m not sad because I have it no longer...

This really touched a chord...sitting so far away from wherever you might be..i could actually feel what you were feeling...this is awesome..god has given you this talent..harness it..god bless you..take care..

on Aug. 13 2011 at 10:43 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."

thank you so muchh! glad it gave you some insightt and I'm glad you enjoyed itt :D

on Aug. 13 2011 at 12:50 pm
Eno_Bladez GOLD, Williamsport, Pennsylvania
16 articles 1 photo 81 comments

Favorite Quote:
it'll be okay, if it's not okay it's not over.

wow okay this almost made me cy it was really really good. it made me understand more of what a soldier sees.

on Aug. 9 2011 at 2:49 pm
baaaaaaaaaab BRONZE, Clemmons, North Carolina
1 article 0 photos 15 comments
This is so touching! And crudely realistic. I love how you didn't try to soften anything, yet did so without exaggeration Keep up the writing! I can see that you definitely have a talent for it :)

on Aug. 8 2011 at 9:08 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."

thank you sososo muchh! i really appreciate itt :)

on Aug. 8 2011 at 8:21 pm
renthead96 BRONZE, City, Ohio
3 articles 0 photos 35 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."

While reading this, it brought tears to my eyes. Honestly. I've personally never had anyone close to me fight in a war, thank goodness, but the mere thought of all these brave people risking their lives for a country that barely recognizes their sacrifices and service really upsets me. The bits in the story describing the awful things the soldier witnessed each day were horrifying, and quite disturbing, yet I think including them in this piece was crucial to provide an understanding of what these people go through to fight for our country. Amazingly written, and I'm adding this to my favorites.

Livvy97 GOLD said...
on Aug. 8 2011 at 7:36 pm
Livvy97 GOLD, Warren, New Jersey
17 articles 1 photo 26 comments
Yea, could you check out my pieces for me? (Maybe comment on a few.. if you get the chance)

on Aug. 8 2011 at 7:34 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."

thank you so muchh! :)

Livvy97 GOLD said...
on Aug. 8 2011 at 7:14 pm
Livvy97 GOLD, Warren, New Jersey
17 articles 1 photo 26 comments
Please look at my piece, Power of Pasta

Livvy97 GOLD said...
on Aug. 8 2011 at 7:13 pm
Livvy97 GOLD, Warren, New Jersey
17 articles 1 photo 26 comments
Hey, that was really good!!!! I love the story and it was a good historical fiction!!!

on Aug. 2 2011 at 9:04 pm
PaRaNoRmAl627 GOLD, Mountainside, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 296 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you want. If it's something you'll regret in the morning, sleep late."

thanks so much for readingg! glad you enjoyed itt :D

on Aug. 2 2011 at 1:23 am
white_chocolate97 BRONZE, Singapore, Other
1 article 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

This was such a great story. Very realistic. Good luck in getting it published!