HBL

                It was a beautiful sight, if not for the pieces of metal and debris floating on the Red River. I was approaching Hanoi, seated in the M151 MUTT we took from the US military. The jeep was moving at a relatively fast speed. I sat at the front while two lieutenants sat at the back. I constantly heard them chanting “Please no mines…Please no mines…” They were trembling madly and uncontrollably. In a few minutes, we arrived at Hanoi, which is situated north of Ho Chi Minh City.

                The moment of peace was short lived. “Incoming!” The general shouted. I looked up. There was an odd mix of awe and fear. There were 3 B-52s! “It’s them! They are here!”  The lieutenant behind me screamed. Within seconds, everyone, including me, disappeared. We hid and braced ourselves for the impact. Curiously I looked up. I have heard rumours of the B-52, and many stories depicting it as death itself, but I have never seen what it was capable of before. Many experienced its wrath before, but few live to tell its tale. A long, long line of bombs streamed down from the base of the massive bomber. It was a bomber like no other. The number of bombs dropped is unfathomable. There were at least a hundred airborne coming down for us, and there was probably another hundred waiting to be dispatched. I closed my eyes. Never before had I felt so helpless and powerless. I closed my eyes.

                A series of loud explosions followed. A huge surge of heat was felt as the ground shook. Pieces of debris flew into the air and countless buildings were flattened with ease. The explosions lasted 30 seconds. I cautiously peered over the wooden crate I hid behind. The entire landscape changed. Where buildings once stood, there is a mountain of debris. Amongst them are glass shards, which used to be windows. Most of our forces stationed here in Hanoi have been eliminated. Bodies laid sprawled on the ground, with blood splattered all over their faces, some disfigured. My heart was thumping madly as I saw the destruction. Death flew right past me.
                In the distance, I saw a civilian. He was struggling to breathe. I rushed to his aid and found that his entire lower body had been blasted away; in other words, he was legless. The rest of his body was red, covered in red spots and water bubbles. Seconds later, he departed on his journey to meet his maker. War, why war?