Forrest Gump 08
(In Vietnam)
Song: Some guys were born to wave to the flag
Ooh, they’re red, white, and blue.
And when the band plays “Hail To The Chiep”
Ooh, they’ll point the cannon at you
It ain’t me.It ain’t me
I ain’t no senaton’s son
Forrest: Now they told us that Vietnam was going to be very different from the Untied States of America. Except for all the beer cans and the barbecue*, it was.
Bubba:
I bet there’s shrimp all in these waters. They tell me these Vietnams is good shrimp. After we win this war, and we take over something, we can get American shrimpers to come out and shrimp these waters. Just shrimp all the time, man. So much shrimp...
Dan: You must be my FNGs*.
Gump and Bubba: Morning, Sir! (saluting Dan)
Dan: Get your hands down. Do not salute me. There are goddam snipers* all around this area who would love to grease* an officer. I’m Lieutenant Dan Tayler. Welcome to 4th Platoon.* What’s wrong with your lip?
Bubba: I was born with big gums, sir.
Dan: Yeah, well you better tuck that in*. You’re going to get that caught on a tripwire*. Where are you boys from in the world?
Gump and Bubba: Alabama, sir!
Dan: You twins?
Gump: No, we are not relations, sir.
Dan:
Look, it’s pretty basic here. Stick with me, and you learn from the guys who have been in country for a while. You’ll be all right. There is one item of GI* gear* that can be the difference between a live grunt* and dead grunt, socks. Cushion sole, OD green*. Try and keep your feet dry. When we’re out humpin’ I want you boys to remember to change your socks whenever we stop. The Mekong* will eat a grunt’s feet right off his legs.
Supply officer: Seargent Sams.
Dan: Goddamnit! Where is that sling rope I told you to order?
Supply officer: I put in the requisition at batallion
Dan: Yeah, yeah well you call those sons-of-bitches*.
Gump:
Lieutenant Dan sure knew his stuff. I felt real lucky he was my lieutenant. He was from a long, great, military tradition. Somebody in his family had fought, and died, in every single American war.
Dan: Goddamit, kick some ass!
Gump: I guess you could say he had a lot to live up to.
Dan:
So, you boys from Arkansas, huh? Well, I’ve been through there. Little Rock is a fine town. Now, go shake down your gear. See a platoon Seargent. Draw what you need for the field. If you boys are hungry, we’ve got steaks burning right over here. Two standing orders in this platoon, one: take good care of your feet, two: try not to do anything stupid like getting yourself killed.
Gump: I sure hope I don’t let him down.
Forrest:
I got to see a lot of the countryside. We would take these real long walks and we were always looking for this guy named Charlie It wasn’t always fun. Lieutenant Dan was always getting these funny feelings about a rock or a trail or the road. So he’d tell us to “Get down!” “Shut up!” So we did. Now I don’t know much about anything, but I think some of America’s best young men served in this war. There was Dallas. Form Phoenix. Cleveland, he was from Detroit. And Tex... well, I don’t remember where Tex comes from.
Dan: Ah, it was nothin’. 4th Platoon on your feet. You’ve got 10 klicks* to go ‘til that river. Move out.
Forrest: The good thing about Vietnam is there was always some place to go.
Dan: Fire in the hole! Now, check out that hole.
Forrest:
And there was always something to do. One day, it started raining. And it didn’t quit for four months. We’ve been through every kind of rain there is. A little bit of stinging* rain. And big old fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot*! It even rained at night.
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* barbecue: 烧烤
* FNG:Fucking New Guy （军俚）新兵
* snipers: 狙击手
* grease: (军俚)射击,击毙
* Platoon: 排
* tuck in: 收进去，掖进去
* tripwire: 地雷的引线
* GI: general infantry，美国兵，尤指步兵
* gear: 装备
* grunt: 大兵，尤指越战时的步兵
* OD green: olive drab green 橄榄绿
* Mekong: 湄公河
* Sons-of-bitches: 亦作SOB，（粗口）狗崽子
* klicks: （俚）公里
* stinging: 带刺的
* shoot: 此处同shit
