This story is real. Except it wasn't really a war story. It was more like a conflict between a couple over-theatrical college guys whose identities will not be revealed. And now, a far-fetched telling of a true tale.
I had been in battle for just a few days, but it seemed to be the longest period of my time. A long time ago, I had left my home far overseas. A long time ago, I had begun my training at boot camp. A long time ago, my training had finished and I was flown south, to the heart of this jungle. A long time ago, our front was weakened and I was sent in among the reinforcements.
I'm not going to bother you with the horrors of what I had seen in battle. That isn't why I'm writing. But what I had seen in battle had given me an extreme distaste for war. I didn't fight to kill...I fought to end this all. The sooner the war ended, the better. The military had given me good training, good discipline, good character...Everything about this worked for me; there was only one thing I feared: death outside of combat. If I was going to be a sacrifice for my country, I wasn't going down without a fight.
Which is why I was so disappointed when I was taken as a POW. Wounded in battle, they captured me after the fighting ended. I was imprisoned; my wound was treated. It wasn't long before the savages we were fighting determined that I wasn't worth keeping. I knew no information; I was insignificant in the ranks. The sentry said I had only until evening before facing the firing squad.
I can still remember standing against the wall. There were about twelve soldiers there, along with a colonel and a captain to witness the event. One thing about the enemy: at least two officers have to be there to witness their executions. Fortunately for me, the colonel was called away at the last minute to assert a problem in technology. With only one officer left, they couldn't shoot me; I was left standing at the wall. Quickly, I formulated an escape. I ducked into the deep grass around me and fled, disappearing into the forest.
I knew it would only be a matter of time before the colonel returned and the captain would have to explain the situation. Then, the search for me would begin. I tried to remember the map I had seen of this area. I was at the bottom of a hill; to the east was the enemy water mains. On top of the hill were native territories; the natives wouldn't mind me but I could still be easily found. Still, it was my best shot. I would cover my trail by sabotaging the water mains and then make it up the cliff.
The water mains were fairly easy to take care of. I loosened a few valves, letting water flow freely on the ground. This would distract them and think I might be hiding in the area, but that's not where I was. I navigated up the hill, finding a safe point where I could observe the enemy. the natives I ran across were quite friendly and agreed to not share my location. It took me forever before I could move, though. Enough time had passed that the enemy would be looking for me, and I would have to start moving. I began slinking around the area; I had a few close scrapes. At one point, I swear the colonel stared straight at me, but other things must have been on his mind. I was hiding next to a trail when the captain approached. Once he noticed me, things began turning blurry, like the world was melting away.
I found myself sitting on a table in a laboratory. Military officials were about, dressed in friendly uniform. A few scientists were assembled around me, gathering some sort of data and talking about their tests being a success. Immediately, I began asking what was happening. One scientist, bearing a strange resemblance to the captain, explained. I had been recommended as a subject for a new medical testing to be used on the healing of soldiers. The medication would remove a few hours of my memory, so everything from my wound in battle and that point on was all imagined. A noted side affect of the medication was a certain psychological affect exposing one's fears.
A test. All I had just gone through was just a test. None of it was real.
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