Status Updates From The Shadow of Arms

Times are changing

Winner of the next round of poker gets that woman for the night 🤮

Washington apples in Vietnam!!! As a delicacy no less

Didn’t realize this was going to be a cinnamon war

Telling off the woman of his dreams because he doesn’t think she’ll joint the communist party, knowing she will now be married off to someone she does not know or love. And then even his comrades think he he’s psycho for it

The Korean and Vietnamese all hate the war so much they don’t even care their American friend went AWOL; they’re helping him hide and escape.

This is next level. The Urban guerrillas return to their families and put up a front as returning to normal life. All the while planning and plotting revolution. And not just daydreaming about it, they’re entering important jobs, getting close to important military and government individuals. Full infiltration.

Got the Pig!

Brother will turn against brother

Saigon cinnamon!!!

“‘The Vietnamese people could not understand why the Americans, on one hand, were helping them by building roads and supplying food and medical supplies, and on the other hand at the same time trying to kill them by giving cannons and guns to the French.’”

I wondered if the Americanized safe haven towns would be more a blessing or more a curse. Here’s the perspective of a former Vietnamese soldier:
“‘It’s as if you’ve beaten someone to a pulp and call on the cripple with a bouquet of flowers to express your sympathy.’”

Spoiler alert:
The Americans committing war crimes with a massacre of civilians

This is such a mess

“Then he questioned her about the opium.
‘I don’t know anything about that. The stuff isn’t mine,’”
Doesn’t matter what part of the world or what period in history. That question is always answered in typical addict fashion.

Genuinely wanting to know how the US might have helped vs hurt

First Vietnamese sentence in the book and I can interpret it! Shout out to Duolingo and my faithful Vietnamese patients.
“Tôi muốn múa một cái thuốc lá.”
I want one pack of cigarettes.

“‘There’s a saying that a fighter who carries a photo of his lover with him will be killed without fail. It applies to our enemies as well. The grim reaper must snatching the lives of lovers.’”