victories when the enemy , in reality, simply withdraws without you knowing it. It should eat at you even more when innocent villagers are napalmed. You see your one tiny segment and you think you know what’s happening.”
“Do you want to know what I did over there or do you want to hear yourself speak?” Wapinski charged back.
“You’re being provincial,” the professor retorted.
“And yer a fucking jerk,” Wapinski snapped. “If you don’t understand what’s going on over there, keep your mouth shut. You’re getting good people hurt.”
“I believe, in this country, we have a right to speak our opinions,” Tilden said smugly. “You’ve heard of the First Amendment?”
“You’ve got the right to your opinion,” Wapinski said, “but you don’t have the right to be wrong in your facts.”
Tilden switched tactics. “Would you like to attend an antiwar rally with us next weekend?”
Wapinski stared at him. There were about a dozen people listening. “I’m not against our efforts ov—”
“Hey,” a student called from behind Wapinski, “how was the dope over there?”
“I talked to one guy,” another student called in, “who says everybody’s stoned all the time. He wants to go back just for the grass.”
“What about them Viet Namese women?” A third student said.
Wapinski turned. The students were not looking at him. “We didn’t see very many—” he began but was cut off.
“This guy got the clap four times,” the second student called across the top of the crowd.
“What about them Viet Namese women?” The first student pressed.
“How many babies did you burn?” A coed shouted from the other end of the bar. “How many women did you leave pregnant? How many children don’t have parents because of you?”
Wapinski stammered. He knew at this point he should simply withdraw. He could not get a word in edgewise. He’d come for beer, not for debate. He turned toward Akins and was about to say, “Let’s go,” when an older coed yelled, “Hey, that’s my brother.” Wapinski turned. A smile hit his face, both because he had not yet seen Joanne and because she was relief, his tie, his legitimate ticket to the present. He was about to call to her when she said, “My brother the army captain.” She did not disguise her hostility. Her breasts held out a T-shirt epigram— I SAY YES TO MEN WHO SAY NO . Again he began to speak, was about to say, “Hello Kid. I tried to call but your phone’s disconnected.”
“He kills people for a living,” Joanne announced. “Mother didn’t tell me you were back. When did you return?”
His teeth clenched. “Do you give a shit?”
More students were now snickering at him. The big elf staggered up in front of him, smiled, asked Tayborn for three beers.
Joanne snorted, pronounced, “We spend billions of dollars on big bombs to drop on little people while you turn every decent girl in the country into a whore. Then we spend billions more for their politicians to stuff their pockets. Pigs!”
The big elfish student drew up tall and stepped up to Wapinski. He towered above him and everyone else in the room. “Pig.” Spit sprayed from his mouth.
“Tell em, Montgomery,” someone shouted. The room reached low-level hysteria. “Pig,” three or four students shouted. “Pig,” a dozen joined in. Wapinski looked from face to face. He saw they despised him, that he’d entered a foreign den, an alien camp, that he was the alien and he had not known it when he’d entered. He reared back. Akins was behind him.
“Pig.” Montgomery glared at him. The big boy put his beers down on the bar. He clenched his left hand. He balled his right, squared off to Wapinski.
“Throw im out,” someone screamed. Students closed in. Someone screamed, “Get him, Monty.” Montgomery shot his left hand hard at Wapinski. Wapinski blocked the arm, hit the big boy without thought. He hit him with such force the boy toppled. Wapinski hit him twice
“Do you want to know what I did over there or do you want to hear yourself speak?” Wapinski charged back.
“You’re being provincial,” the professor retorted.
“And yer a fucking jerk,” Wapinski snapped. “If you don’t understand what’s going on over there, keep your mouth shut. You’re getting good people hurt.”
“I believe, in this country, we have a right to speak our opinions,” Tilden said smugly. “You’ve heard of the First Amendment?”
“You’ve got the right to your opinion,” Wapinski said, “but you don’t have the right to be wrong in your facts.”
Tilden switched tactics. “Would you like to attend an antiwar rally with us next weekend?”
Wapinski stared at him. There were about a dozen people listening. “I’m not against our efforts ov—”
“Hey,” a student called from behind Wapinski, “how was the dope over there?”
“I talked to one guy,” another student called in, “who says everybody’s stoned all the time. He wants to go back just for the grass.”
“What about them Viet Namese women?” A third student said.
Wapinski turned. The students were not looking at him. “We didn’t see very many—” he began but was cut off.
“This guy got the clap four times,” the second student called across the top of the crowd.
“What about them Viet Namese women?” The first student pressed.
“How many babies did you burn?” A coed shouted from the other end of the bar. “How many women did you leave pregnant? How many children don’t have parents because of you?”
Wapinski stammered. He knew at this point he should simply withdraw. He could not get a word in edgewise. He’d come for beer, not for debate. He turned toward Akins and was about to say, “Let’s go,” when an older coed yelled, “Hey, that’s my brother.” Wapinski turned. A smile hit his face, both because he had not yet seen Joanne and because she was relief, his tie, his legitimate ticket to the present. He was about to call to her when she said, “My brother the army captain.” She did not disguise her hostility. Her breasts held out a T-shirt epigram— I SAY YES TO MEN WHO SAY NO . Again he began to speak, was about to say, “Hello Kid. I tried to call but your phone’s disconnected.”
“He kills people for a living,” Joanne announced. “Mother didn’t tell me you were back. When did you return?”
His teeth clenched. “Do you give a shit?”
More students were now snickering at him. The big elf staggered up in front of him, smiled, asked Tayborn for three beers.
Joanne snorted, pronounced, “We spend billions of dollars on big bombs to drop on little people while you turn every decent girl in the country into a whore. Then we spend billions more for their politicians to stuff their pockets. Pigs!”
The big elfish student drew up tall and stepped up to Wapinski. He towered above him and everyone else in the room. “Pig.” Spit sprayed from his mouth.
“Tell em, Montgomery,” someone shouted. The room reached low-level hysteria. “Pig,” three or four students shouted. “Pig,” a dozen joined in. Wapinski looked from face to face. He saw they despised him, that he’d entered a foreign den, an alien camp, that he was the alien and he had not known it when he’d entered. He reared back. Akins was behind him.
“Pig.” Montgomery glared at him. The big boy put his beers down on the bar. He clenched his left hand. He balled his right, squared off to Wapinski.
“Throw im out,” someone screamed. Students closed in. Someone screamed, “Get him, Monty.” Montgomery shot his left hand hard at Wapinski. Wapinski blocked the arm, hit the big boy without thought. He hit him with such force the boy toppled. Wapinski hit him twice
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