Not for Sale

I was serving as an infantry soldier with the 4th Infantry Division in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1969. My platoon had just finished searching a Montagnard village and after determining that it was secure, we settled down to eat.

Walking around the mud, I sat on the porch of one of the hooches in the village. It was a relief to have the weight of the rucksack off my back and I began to rummage through it for some C-rations. As I was eating, something caused me to turn around and peer into the darkness of the thatched hut. Huddled there was a Montagnard woman and two small children.

Sensing their fear, I took my rifle off the porch and put it by my side. I pulled some more C-rations from my pack and gently slid them toward the figures in the darkness and turned back around.

I felt the presence of the woman before I actually heard her (a trait that no doubt contributed to my survival) and turned around as she approached. As she gathered the food I had left for her, she took two bracelets off her arm and offered them to me. I smiled and nodded my thanks as I took them. We did not speak each others language, but knew exactly what we each meant. She backed away from me bowing and smiling and returned to the darkness of the hooch.

After eating, I rejoined some of the guys in my platoon. Someone asked about the bracelets on my wrist and I recounted how I got them. Two of the guys asked which hooch it was because they wanted to get some bracelets for themselves.

I led them back to the woman who gave me the braclets and by pointing to the bracelets on her arm and offering C-rations they tried to barter. I don't know what the Montagnard woman actually said, but it certainly seemed to translate as "not for sale".

The other soldiers left empty handed in frustration and as I walked away, it dawned on me just how special the bracelets really were. I turned and looked at the woman and she nodded her head toward me and smiled.

I still have those bracelets and that one sweet memory amoung so many sad ones.

About the Author:
Mike Green served two years in the US Army where he received a Bronze Star and two Army Commendation Medals. He used the GI Bill to continue his education upon returning to the United States and obtained a Masters Degree in Journalism from the University of Arizon in Tucson, Arizona.

He currently lives in Tucson and is a freelance writer, among other things.