The Story Of White Man Leading Viet Cong Patrol

The Story of White Man Leading Viet Cong Patrol
-AP Dispatch, Des Moines Register, August 4, 1968

The slain enemy resembled
an American Marine
who was 18 years old
when he disappeared.

The violent episode
was one of the strangest
in this strange war.

*

For a moment
the two young men–
the American Marine
and the white man
in the uniform of the enemy–
stared at each other.

“He had an AK 47
automatic rifle
but he just looked at me.”

Gordon fired
after a moment’s hesitation.

*

Several of the Marines suspect
that the unknown white man
whom they call “the Caucasian”
could have shot first
but deliberately held fire.

At the debriefing
everyone was afraid
to say what they had seen.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Eric Torgersen's poem The Story Of White Man Leading Viet Cong Patrol

1 Comment

  1. N Dot says:

    This poem is a subtle portrayel of the current war. It has an effortless bid at making the reader feel a sense of contentment and vulnerability. A good poem…though most of them seem to be about war nowadays…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by Eric Torgersen better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.