“…..Hunt down the traitors, and bring them back to me alive,” the general hissed in a dangerously low voice. He looked at each of us in turn, boring holes with his razor sharp eyes to ensure his message had reached its destination. Finally, after a few uncomfortably quiet moments, he turned to the direction of his tent and left us there, shell-shocked from the highly crucial information we were now attempting to stomach. I stole a glance around at the rest of my young unit. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one having trouble digesting this time-bomb of an order. No, make that an ultimatum. Not only for the enemy, but us too. As in, fail or be remembered on shame by the country for the rest of your life.

Gradually, we recovered from our silent state and began moving numbly down toward our tents situated in the depths of the jungle. Night birds were out hunting now based on the noises issuing from the south. One cackled as it dove at an unsuspecting frog. If only we could be as lucky as that bird! I kicked a rock, and red ants scattered to safety.

I went over his words in my head, trying to remember them verbatim: “….there could be more of you like these trash cans of soldiers, that are traitors.” Yup. That would make for some peaceful rest tonight. “If you can catch these….these….” The general searched for the right noun for the deserters. “….Rats,” he finally said, “I will personally make sure each of you gets your dues for it. And trust me-“ at this he looked around at each of us, his favorite way to emphasize, “I can make that happen. More and better than what you can imagine.” Well, that was definitely true. He was the general, after all. It was becoming increasingly clear that he wanted these men. Badly. And who wouldn’t? Deserting the army was like ditching your best friend ina never-ending nightmare of violence. But to General, they were his soldiers that he could take pride in, his sacred way to protect his beloved country. This went on a much more personal note for him, in addition to his fierce protection and affection for his soldiers, as hidden as it may seem.