I have been all over the world, fighting the "enemy". I have killed more of
the enemy than all my comrades, and saved most of my comrades' lives more
than once. But now the war is over, and I am out of work.
And I wonder: Was it courageous to kill so many?
I walk the streets on this bitter, cold, night, looking for a place
to speep. Only part of my mind is paying attention to the street unfolding
beneath my feet.
The other part is asking: Was it courageous to try to save others who
were as guilty as I?
Others scurry past me, faces half-hidden inside long, warm coats. I
envy the warmth they must be feeling, buried beneath layers of clothes. I
am walking in my threadbare army fatigues, with no coat or change of
clothes. But my mind is only half on my frostbitten fingers and toes.
The other half is pondering: Do I deserve any warmth after I gave put
so many people into eternal cold?
And I walk through the city, thinking all the night long.