The Poems And Confessions Of A Mad Man Page 10
I think Lieutenant Henderson was relieved to a certain degree, to know that I was ready and willing to open fire if the time came. He then asked me if I wanted to go on patrol with him whenever he went out. I told him I would as long as he didn’t get us lost like the other officers did the night before. He assured me we wouldn’t get lost. I went on patrol with him for the next 27 nights. We had the same incident happen 4 more times on that border. In all, we watched 5 people lose their lives trying to become free from that Communist country. I never realized how valuable freedom was until I saw these people die to be free, rather then live over there.
On the 29th day of patrolling the border, everything had become quite routine. We didn’t know how this night would go but I never thought what happened, would take place. Before I ever came up here, I hated most of the stuff we did in the military. I had been hurt real bad in an accident while in Germany and was stuck doing tedious work for a while. I’d earned a black belt in Tae Kwan Do and learned some cool things but this was the real deal. This is as close to combat as I thought I would ever get without ever being in a war. I was even considering reenlisting if I could go back to a Ranger battalion for a while and then be guaranteed to be stationed here for the rest of my tour. My reenlistment sergeant said he could make that happen and give me a $21,000 bonus if I just signed on the dotted line. When I came to my senses, I told him to stick it. I told him that after this last night of patrolling, I had only 6 months left and I’m done with this bullshit.
We had everything ready to go but I had a funny feeling in my gut. I thought I was just excited to get going. I was driving us to a place we had been a number of times before. It was kind of a lookout area that gave us a good field of view of the border. About 3 miles before we got there, Lieutenant Henderson told me to pull over to the opposite side of the road real quick and turn the jeep off. I thought he had forgotten something and we’d have to go back. When I asked him what was wrong, he said he saw something back there. We were about 350 yards from the border now, but something was different. Usually we would hear sounds from the East Germans doing work or machines running or something. On this night it was dead silent. The only thing we could hear was the breeze blowing in our ears.
I grabbed my M16 and laid on the ground behind the jeeps rear wheel. Behind me was a forest. Lieutenant Henderson stood in front of the jeep looking around. Suddenly, to my right I saw someone walking out from the forest behind us. They were only about 80 yards from us and they didn’t know we were there. More and more were emptying out and crossing the road. They were heading toward the border and we noticed they all had AK47’s. They were Smellum soldiers doing patrols on the West German side. I put my rifle selector switch on semi auto and waited, hoping they would not see us. There were far too many of them for me to kill, without both of us getting shot. We counted 27 soldiers.
I heard the Lieutenant whisper, “Easy Green, don’t do anything.” When they were about 100 yards from us, the 3 communications radios that were in the jeep sounded off. Someone was talking and the volume was set too high. It sounded like there were a whole bunch of us in the jeep yelling at the soldiers that were moving away from us. When this happened, I rolled away from the jeep, and got behind a group of 4 inch trees that were in a cluster near by. One of the soldiers must have panicked and fired his rifle at us. The next thing we knew, the whole group was shooting at the jeep. Lieutenant Henderson jumped behind the jeeps front wheel. The metal from the front end of the jeep would stop the bullets from reaching him. The jeep was beginning to look like Swiss cheese and the Lieutenant was yelling for me to shoot, and do what I was trained for.
Most of the men were running away as they shot at us. I picked out the soldier that was the furthest away and put the night scope reticule on the back of his head. When I squeezed off the first shot he was about 300 yards away but still on our side of the border. His head exploded like a watermelon after being hit with the 53 grain hollow pointed bullet. I found another man lying down in the grass, shooting the jeep. I fired at him and hit him in the face, blowing the back of his head off and sending his brains all over the back of his corpse. Again and again I fired, killing 8 soldiers until I felt the wood splinters from the trees in front of me. The trees splintered apart and some splinters went into my left eye as the bullets showered the trees. I instinctively lifted my head up and put the palm of my hand to my eye. Just then I felt something like a punch in the chest. A bullet had plowed through the grove of trees I was using as cover, and had hit my flack jacket, nearly penetrating the vest and killing me.
When I thought I was shot, all bets were off. I was afraid we would die there and they would take our bodies and that would have been the end of us. I put my M16 on full auto and started to Rock and Roll. I was just coming close to those bastards. I didn’t care if I hit them in the foot or the head. All I knew was that my eye hurt, I was hit, and someone was going to pay. I saw the men fall and roll around on the ground after being hit. One by one, I sprayed a burst of bullets until they fell. When it was over, I had fired 208 bullets and killed 8 while wounding most of the others. I still had 2 rounds that I kept in my pants pocket. Those were for me and the Lieutenant. I wasn’t going to be taken alive, even if I had to make sure of it by myself.
When it was over, miraculously one of the radios still worked. The other radios in the jeep took most of the rounds and this one was behind them. Lieutenant Henderson called for help and in a few minutes a Cobra attack helicopter was hovering over us. About 20 minutes later, it seemed like every high ranking officer in Colberg showed up. Everything was cleaned up and I was told by my friends that everything was hushed up. We all wondered how often this happened in the past and no one was ever told about it. I wondered how many American soldiers were shot or killed over there. I wondered if the parents of these boys were told their sons were hurt or killed in a training accident.
When I was in the hospital having my ribs looked at because they were bruised from the bullets impact, the general ahead of this whole thing came in and made a deal with me. He told me that I could be court-martialed for having live ammo on the border. He said that Lieutenant Henderson told him he knew nothing about the ammo until I started shooting. The general then said that if I never say a word to anybody about this border incident, then he would make it all go away. I asked him how much this happens up there. He said that information is classified. He said to tell my friends that I was bullshitting them about the whole thing. I said that they will say I’m a liar and a Rambo want to be. He said to tell them I lied and be a free man, or tell them the truth and go to jail.
I decided freedom was the best choice so I made them feel like idiots for believing me. Later on, some of the guys told me they knew the truth because they had seen what was left of the jeep after it all happened. I told them to shut their mouths or I would break their jaws. I told them that I’m sticking to the story about falling down and bruising my ribs.
When we went back to our base in Kitzingen Germany, I was given a medal for completing the most border patrols without incident. I wanted a medal saying I killed 8 people and kicked ass. My captain said this was as good as it gets. I was the only soldier to get a medal. Lieutenant Henderson was made a Captain and given his own Infantry Company in the United States. I got out of the military and never told anyone what happened on that cold night in Colberg Germany.
Running With The Wicked
Dealing With The King
By: Andrew J. Green
I was made a captain in the army of the dragon, who is the enemy of my soul. I have the scars on my heart and on my body to prove that I speak the truth. I was first lured away by him when I was in a school that wasn’t kind to children. The teachers told us of a King who would send us to Hell if we didn’t bow down and worship Him. I grew to hate this King of whom they spoke because of the beatings that were freely given to me by the teachers. I blamed Him for the abuse that my classmates and I were subjected to. I was told of the dragon w
ho would destroy my soul and who was a very hard taskmaster. I didn’t think there could be a taskmaster more vicious than the King because of how I was treated at that school.
When I grew older I began to pray to the dragon and asked him to make me one of the fastest and deadliest fighters in his kingdom. I told him I would kill for him if he told me to, only if he could make sure I would never be caught or prosecuted. He kept his part of the deal and I have never spent a day in jail when I served him. I was once told how the dragon was a liar and a cheat. He would give me anything I asked for and in return, I would only give him my soul. I decided that he could have my soul if he would give me what I wanted. I learned the hard way, that the wage of sin is death and I watched my world be crushed by what I thought was the Kings work. Little did I know that it was the dragon’s doing, as he tried to hurry my demise.
The dragon loved it when I prayed to him and asked him for power to crush my adversaries. I became a feared man amongst my friends. They didn’t really love me, they feared me. I would rather have someone fear me than love me because people may fall out of love with me, but they would never fall out of fear with me. The dragon put me in fellowship with other lost souls. Everyone of us were either dying inside or already damned. We had no hope and didn’t think there was a chance we could ever be brought back to life. We lived like animals, by instinct and ran as a pack of wolves.
I remember a time when we were all at a night club and a fight broke out because my pack was hated by many and we were attacked by everyone in the club. I wounded 5 men before I was knocked to the ground by one of my pack who was thrown through the air and landed on me. I was grabbed and 4 men held my arms and legs as a 5th man began kicking me in the stomach and punching me in the face. Just then, I looked up and saw my best friend coming through the crowd and when he kicked someone, they fell and didn’t get up. He was like a cyclone with his legs and arms. Within a few seconds, he had wasted everyone that had hold of me and he picked me up and dragged me out of that place. I remember watching one of my pack members kick a man who was on the ground and as he kicked, the man wasn’t moving. The following day, I was told that the man was beaten to death and that’s why he wasn’t moving. I pissed blood for 3 days after that incident.
While my associates were content to dwell in the belly of the dragon, I wanted to live in the heart of the dragon. I wanted the dragon to show me things that the ordinary follower would never know. I wanted to be a leader of an army and I wanted to be feared. I hated it when a man I had met, told me of his King and how His power was far greater than the dragons. I would humiliate this man and make fun of him in front of everyone. I remember when I was telling this man, whom we all referred to as Kings Child, that if I wanted to, I could take his wife and there was nothing he could do about it. Kings Child looked at me one day and I saw someone within him that wasn’t him. I saw the King that lived within him and His power melted my spirit like fire melts wax. I knew He could destroy me by His look and I was very afraid of Him.
Kings Child told me that he was just a messenger from the King, and that the King wanted to talk to me. I was paralyzed at the words of this messenger and amazed that the King would ever waste His time on a damned soul who had no chance of ever being redeemed. Kings Child told me that the King was going to bring me into His kingdom when the time was right and when I was ready. I told Kings Child that I didn’t want anything to do with the King and that I was happy where I was.
At work I was constantly being paired up with Kings Child and would work entire shifts with him. He told me about the King and that the King that I was told about as a child, was not the true representation of Him. He told me things that I somehow, knew were the truth, and I wanted to hear more. A brutal war was being waged for my soul and I could see it unfold. I saw the things that are invisible to the naked eye and only could be seen through the gift that only the dragon could give. I saw a great beast with many under his command and I saw myself as I was tied and bound by the dragon and his army. They were taking me closer and closer to a great chasm and were going to throw me into it. When I looked up, I saw a King on a white horse and He had a robe that looked like it was dipped in blood and on His robe was written, “King of kings and Lord of lords.” He had a sword in His hand and His sword was dripping with the blood of the dragon’s army. The King came with an army that far exceeded the numbers of the dragon’s army and the dragon screamed as the King stabbed him with His sword.
Many of the dragon’s army fled, only to be overtaken by the army of the King and slaughtered mercilessly. The King’s army was powerful and I watched as the King climbed off of His horse and He spoke to the giant chains that were binding me. The chains dissolved with a word that the King spoke. I watched in horror as my army was crushed by the Kings army and I felt that I was surely going to be destroyed. I felt the evil within me squirm like a snake on a hot griddle and the evil wanted to kill the King. As the King looked me in the eyes, the evil within me climbed deep within my heart and was caged in there. I don’t know why it didn’t leave me, probably because I didn’t want it to. I would be naked and vulnerable without it and I knew I would need the dragon within me to help me if I was ever in a tough spot.
When the vision was over, some of my associates were asking me what had happened to me. I told them that I wasn’t sure and that I would be alright. I would never tell them the truth because they would have probably attacked me and would say that the dragon was the most powerful creature alive. I later told Kings Child what I had seen and what happened. He said that at that exact time, many of the Kings servants had been warring in the realm of the spirit for me. He told me that I had just watched a battle in the spirit world and that the King was victorious.
I noticed my attitude begin to change and I was spending more time with Kings Child. He was showing me the King’s book and the things that the King had said in the past. The King was a great warrior who had beaten the dragon long ago and now the dragon lures the King’s children away to serve him. I was serving the dragon and he had shown me things that were never meant to be used against him. The information I had learned about the dragon would surely be important to know in the future. I would be able to know what the dragon would do, 5 steps before he even moved. I was a captain in his army.
As I drifted away from the dragon’s army, I noticed that bad things started to happen and I was accused of a crime that I didn’t commit but was probably going to serve prison time for it. I told Kings Child that I would kill myself and there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it. I had told a number of my associates that I wouldn’t stand trial for this crime and that I was going to commit suicide. I was going to go out to the highway and get hit by a tractor trailer truck and be dead. As I walked out the door, my associates that I had run with, just watched me and didn’t try to stop me. As a matter of fact one said, “If he is going to kill himself and someone tries to stop him, what makes anybody think that he won’t kill you and then kill himself anyway? Let him go.”
I knew I was truly alone. I walked out the door and began the 1000 yard walk to my death. As I walked, I was crying and it seemed like I was in a river that was leading me to my death. It was so surreal and I no longer had control of myself. It was as though I was reliving the vision I had a few weeks ago and I was being carried to the great chasm by Death. As I walked, I said, “Well King, if I’m to be damned, then you will be judging me very soon.” Just then I felt a hand on my right shoulder from behind. I didn’t know who it was but I stopped and slowly turned around. As I looked up, I looked into the eyes of the King Himself, as He starred at me through the eyes of Kings Child. He said,” I will get you out of this trouble if you will only give me a chance.” He then said, “You have given every thing a chance. Just give me one chance. If I can’t change this for you, then you can always kill yourself.” I told the King that if He could get me out of this trouble, then I would serve Him for the rest of my life. I then went back with Kings Child and waite
d to see what would happen to me.
The next day, I was called before the entire group of 100 men, by the officer in charge. As I walked forward, I was expecting to hear the worst news from the officer. If I was going to be arrested, then I was going to run to the highway and throw myself in front of the first truck that came along. Something happened that I believed was a miracle. The officer in charge said that I had been falsely accused of a crime and that I was an excellent soldier for handling the pressure that was put on me. He also gave me a medal for being an excellent soldier under such conditions.
I was in shock and couldn’t believe that the King had saved me in every way possible. Even though I did become a better person as time went on, I still have the dragon that lives within me that I can’t get rid of. He is the man that I once was. He was the captain in the army of the dragon who still bears the scars on his heart, who ran with the wicked until he had to deal with the King.
Betrayed
By: Andrew J. Green
When I was in the military, I came to a breaking point that almost took my life. A young soldier named Tom had seen the road of destruction that I was on and introduced me to his faith. He said that the Lord would help me out of this place that I was in. I was grabbing at any strings that I thought could help me. I took Tom’s advice and my life became better. I felt I had gained control of my life again.
I was discharged from the military one year earlier than Tom. He still had to complete the time he had promised the Army. He went into the military for the $5000. bonus and a steady pay check because he had knocked up his girlfriend and needed the money. To make everything right, he married her and was stuck with the decisions he had made. He told me that he wanted me to move out to Wisconsin when he was done with the military. He had purchased some stock a few years ago and the stock was now worth about $3,000,000. or so he said. He told me that his father owned a good part of a major airline and that his family was well off. Tom said I should moved to Wisconsin with him and his family when he was finished with the Army, because he was going to take the money he made on the stock and purchase a small tourist vacation spot at Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota. He told me he would make me the manager and if all went well, even a partner. I had agreed to move to Wisconsin and I went to college while he finished his time in the Army.