7 years.
I was in a Vietnamese POW camp and things were looking up, the war was over, the birds were singing and people I assumed were just starting to begin living again. Of course I didn't know this, they wouldn't allow newspapers, for some unknown reason for all we knew the Russians had invaded or the Chinese. But I had a feeling everything was alright. Well, as alright as it could have gotten at the time. Yes the guards ******** us constantly. But it was an all male affair and at the time I really felt one with myself and with nature.
Lying there face down in one of the guards rancid turds, I would often look out at the trees and the sky and even the grass and think to myself, "is there anywhere else at this moment I would rather be?". The answer to that question was always a resounding no - one has to keep his spirits high some how, right? Yes, the un-lubed pieces of wood inserted into various orifices weren't pleasant and nor were the laughs at our screams. But have you ever looked out at the sunrise? It's beautiful - in Vietnam especially. Something about the air and the environment just makes that big old star light up and shine like I've never seen before. It almost brought a tear to your eye.
This was all before you were dunked head first into buckets full of parasitic water and beaten around the head with metal poles. But still it was a sight to see......
