It is often said that war veterans never tell tales or stories of their experiences. They remain quiet about their triumphs and worse their tragedies. However, in their minds they are screaming. Their heads full of nightmares. But no one will hear them, and they remain silent. Their sacrifice unworthy. Their medals underserving. Such is the case of those who served in the Vietnam Conflict. However, Lt. G.M. Davis in his book, My War in the Jungle, has broken that stigma. Lt. Davis provides the reader with valuable insight into the war; a war that should have never been fought.
He begins the story as anyone in the Vietnam Conflict should. He was “young” and “green.” His first episode begins with meeting his commander. A mechanical salute to his commander provides Lt. Davis his first lesson, “don’t ever salute in a combat zone.” He just told the enemy the position of his commander. “They like killing officers,” he tells Lt. Davis.
Marines stand out by the uniforms they wear. Their uniforms are razor cut sharp. It took Lt. Davis a short time to adjust to the cloths worn by the Marines at the front. Almost everyone was out of uniform or wore some semblance of a Marine uniform. It was only those in the rear or who never saw combat that wore a full Marine uniform. When he arrived on base, he was the “fucking new guy,” the FNG. They were able to tell by his clean boots. “Yeah, he must be the new Lt. Look at his boots.”
Lt. Davis then takes us into the combat zone. He is graphic but not gory. This is the part of the book I will let readers delve into and experience for themselves. During his combat experience, Lt. Davis explains how he was lucky at times and tactical at other times.
His graphic description of the jungle takes us right into the pages of the book; the heat, the rain, the animals, and the absence of noise. Lt. Davis subtle reference to Vietnam as a “rain forest” further adds to the reader’s curiosity.
One question he asks throughout the book and deserves an answer and explanation, “why can’t we pursue the enemy?” He comes to the right conclusion that the war was political. No politician wanted to be responsible for losing a war; yet in the end, they all were responsible. The politicians could not, and did not, even call it a war. They called it a “Conflict” instead.
In the end it all became a numbers game. “How many NVA did we kill? How many of our boys did we lose? We killed 22 NVA and lost only 10. Therefore we are winning the war.” Davis notes the strategy did not take into account the North Vietnamese were fighting for independence and had unlimited resources available to them; by way of China.
When Davis returned to Vietnam in 1999, he was surprised by what he encountered. The people he once fought were pleasant. The jungle that was once quiet could now be heard.
If you don’t know me, I am a Navy brat. My father served 22 years in the U.S. Navy encompassing three wars: World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Growing up I wanted to follow in those steps. However, fate had written a different story for me. Nevertheless, I wanted to hear about his war “stories,” his “wartime experiences.” When I would ask, he just remained silent. He put on this smiling grin and say, “it was all bad.” So, I never learned what he went through and I never learned what he truly felt serving his nation; for that I am sad. There is no doubt, like Lt. Davis, he was proud to have done so.
So, I am grateful that Lt. Davis shared his story. It was a story that had to be told. No matter what Lt. Davis went through, there is no doubt he is proud to have served his country and serve in the U.S. Marines. As Lt. Davis notes, “once a Marine, always a Marine.” His honor written in the U.S. Marine’s Hymn:
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean; We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marines.
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