AMBUSH : Page Pour
certain that these particular 14, regardless of their politics and beliefs
would no longer be available to terrorize the area. I believe 100% in the
words of General George S. Patton, who in one of his famous speeches to
his troops had said, "The way to win the God Damned War is not to die for
your country, but to make the other Son of a Bitch die for his." War, outside
the Pentagon, the war college and the various "think tanks' is not a game
of pretty arrows and colorful lines on a map, attended to by persons in
clean uniforms in air conditioned comfort. It is rather a dirty, thirsty,
miserable experience that can and often does reduce a human being to a
mindless killing machine or a pile of torn bleeding flash, rotting in the
jungle heat, devoured by insects and animals, At the troop level, rifleman,
it is as General W. T. Sherman said so clearly, "Hell" pure and simple.
Still for those raised on the movie and TV version of war, viewed from
afar, it can seem like a romantic, heroic game. It is not. Nor is it fair
or honorable or just. Once while speaking to a group from the State Department,
the Sergeant was questioned about this incident by a young lawyer slated
for Embassy duty in Saigon. In a pompous tone, he asked "What about due
process, Sergeant, all you had was circumstantial evidence, what about
rights to a fair trial?" Before the Sergeant could speak, the Moderator,
Colonel Sam Wilson, stood up a replied "Young man, it's clear you refer
to the U. S. Constitution, but I would remind you that while we all obey
and uphold the constitution, its provision stops at the Border of South
Viet Nam and since we are in support of the South Vietnamese Constitution
and subject to their law as well as our own, you might brush up on their
Constitution and remember that in combat, due process is often a bullet.
"If the world had the U. S. Constitution there would be no need for wars
or even Armies - think about it." One sure way to end war would be to require
all Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Rich and Powerful business men
to serve 7 days in close combat as riflemen. If they survived, there would
be no more wars.