People always ask me “do you ever hear the story of a wounded soldier who are still alive until today?”, but unfortunately, I never hear the story of it until today I meet the soldier directly for my interview. I going to his home by using public transportation, it takes 3 hours from my office to reach his home, once I arrived, he opens the door, he is very simple and kind man.
Strangely he don’t have any single wound at all in his body, he ask to me “did you already eat and are you want to eat something first or rest first before we begin the interview” I reply “no, maybe after interview” because for me I cant wait to hear this story directly from the source, then he answer he show a room for interview and place for me to prepare the interview. while I prepared, he is making a coffee and tea for us to during interview.
After 20 minutes we already for interview he asks me to reference him as “the soldier” and hide his real name for privacy purpose, and his tell to ask everything I want just let’s say it friend between friend interviews. My first question is “why people named your story “the wounded soldier”, while you don’t have any wound, and how this story begins”.
He started his answer by said “well mate”, and continues by said “it’s actually not all about physical wound, but it’s..., then his stooped and watched the window and a tree outside with two bird on it, then he continue “it will hard explain it, I will just tell the story” while grabbing a book which have his photo in army “ I was a Sergeant of a recon unit, I have 4 people under my command the are A,B,C,D, I can’t give you their real name due to keep their identity safe and in top of me there is my lieutenant there are like my only family, my brother in arms, my best friend in my live”, while opening 4 page which his units photo “ at first we meet in the academy and some of use meet when we became one unit, then after short time we became like family or brother in arms, after 2 years we were send to conflict zone in east” he said with moving the book page to page number 10 with a photo of a burned city, the he continue “he served there for around more than 2 years, we feel everything together starving, getting shoot, and exhausted, but we going pass everything together, helping and no man left behind or forgotten no matter what”, while moving to another page “it’s all begin to this city” showing to me a picture of a city that already burned to the ground, “ at first our job was to going to behind enemy line and watch any presence of enemy heavy armor, at the time we have lack of food, water, medicine, ammo, and other equipment.
But, because its high command orders we are doing it anyway, at night we only have one a pack of meal and a bottle of water, the lieutenant give the food and the bottles, because I the one who going to watch the road where the enemy armor usually use and I haven’t eat or drink all day, while my other squad mate was ordered to watch my rear while rest” he said.
Then, he grabs another book which that contain a bullet and a photo “I knew all my friend including the lieutenant haven’t eat or drink anything in that night, so I prepare five can and empty bottle, the I fill each of it with food in can and water in bottle, then I give it to everyone in my unit.
My action actually my make lieutenant worries that I not eating enough, but I convince him that I eat and drink enough, while actually I haven’t eaten the food and drink the water at all, but I love them like my family that I don’t have before.”. the he stopped and grabbing the bullet which in the second book and move both books to last page “After conversation with my lieutenant, I move to my post and my friend stay in the our camp providing security in my rear, I watch the road for around 4 to 6 hours without a sleep, after 6 hours the lieutenant and my friend in radio tell me to leave the post and my friend will replace me while I rest, at first I refuse because I the one who understand about enemy vehicle code, but after their persistence I agree and make my way back to camp, I left my rifles in the fox hole that I use to watch the road, so my friend know that I use the this fox hole to watch the road.
On my way back I see my friend in distance, I wave my hand to my friend to give him a sign that I am friendly, but suddenly I hear a gunshot, after that I look to my torso and see the gun shot, at the time it’s not long for me to see the shooter who actually my own friend that should replace me, not long after that I feel to the ground and I soon use both my hand to slowdown the bleeding, I hear in the radio that they argue that they actually confused are they shot a friendly or enemy because of a thick fog, but I tried to reach them in the radio to tell them that incapacitated because the gunshot and tell them that they actually they shoot me” he said.
with showing the bullet he continue “It been a procedure when a soldier get incapacitated by friendly fire to save him no matter what and it also procedure for recon units like us to move a camp when we fire our rifle even only a single shoot”, the he started showing me a picture in last page of first book with said “I hear them argue with lieutenant who want to check me, but most of my friend persist that they have to move and they already check that I am already gone, when I hear that I just can’t …. I just can’t, I don’t know what I am going to do next, it only 2 minuets but, it feels like 1 years, in my deepest heart it very unfortunately for me that I do not die when I get hit by the bullet in the chest, although for some people I very lucky, but for me it’s a bad luck to still alive and know that my comrade who I treated like my own family betrayed me and left me behind.
At that time, I just crawling to my backpack that fell not far after I get shoot and hope that god allow me to die in process, but it’s very unfortunately for me it’s not happen. After I reach my backpack, I quickly grab a bandage and alcohol to stop the bleeding, although I manage to stop the bleeding, I can’t stop bleeding in my heart, I just can’t, I just don’t know what to do next, what the point to continue my life, at the time I may going to live, but my hearts if full of disappointment to my comrade”.
With see his unit picture he said “After I stopped the bleeding I trying to back up, and I manage to make my way back to friendly line, but short story after I quit from the military, most of the soldier know my story and think know why I quit, but actually I quit because, although they apologize and they get sanction from what they did, I just cannot see them anymore, I just don’t want to see them anymore, and I want to stay away from them not because I hate them, but because I am trying to forget anything, but at the end of story there is nothing I can do, I am still live here suffered from this wound or this bleeding until the end of my life.”
