After a recommendation from a friend, I went on a journey to find the novel, Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh. Traveling through the many passages of war with a young protagonist, Kien, I couldn’t help but sympathized and empathized with the many struggles and hardships a young Vietnamese soldier had to face during the conflict. Bao Ninh proses were simple like the life of a farmer wanted nothing more than a good harvest to provide for his family: a simple dream many Vietnamese still carry until this day; and yet it were full of sophistication and philosophies about life, like the hope and dream of seeing Phuong, his lover, provided warmth, comfort, and encouragement to live on during the many life threatening battles.
Many nights while the cold October rains beat against my windows, under the dimly lit bedroom lamb, wrapped around a blanket, I traveled into the battlefield with Kien and many of his comrades. Together we smoked cigarettes, played cards, and fought bloody, senseless war, then only to be realized in the end, no one left to share those hope of winning anymore, because sacrifices were made for others to live on.
How a few words on a white sheet moved me and how I learned and respected many people in uniform so much after reading this novel. I’ve the luxury of living in a peaceful state, in a time that doesn’t required of me to carry arms to defend my beloved country, or my ideas. I live in such comfort all thanks of all the men and women, who had sacrificed on both side of the war, in order me to flourish.
I, Thank you.
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