A Writing on a Helmet

"I miss you..."

Three simple words. Who wrote them? Where were they written? Why were they written?

Indeed, these words were written by a fallen soldier of the SAC. He had written such a sentence on his helmet with a correction pen, presumably as a form of expressing the emotions he had been experiencing.

Now that the author has passed, I do not know what he was referring to, what it was that he missed. All I know is that these words are telltale signs that the soldiers fighting for the SAC with their lives can no longer contain the natural human feelings of yearning for one’s home, family, and friends.

Soldiers are humans too. Attachments and human connections are a natural part of our being. We know that many of the soldiers who have been stationed on the front lines, even before the coup, have not been able to return home. According to some reports, there are troops who have been stationed in combat areas for as long as five years.

There are two reasons for this:

The first is that due to the breakout of fighting all over the country, SAC is not able to send enough troops to fight on all fronts. This shortage of troops prevents SAC from making troop replacements or injecting fresh fighting forces. The soldiers who are stationed on the front line for long periods of time also start to feel frustrated, misdirecting this anger onto the local population that they are tasked to suppress. This has a tendency to work in favor of the military dictatorship.

Another reason is the blocking of information and news. Some soldiers on the front line are not aware of the news and information on how to surrender and join the side of the people. We have heard news that some soldiers are not even aware that there has been a military coup. Some of them seem to also be deeply entrenched in ideology such as "defend till death" or "DSA never surrender." It is not entirely true that war is only full of evil. The pawns of dictators are also human beings. They can also feel love; they also have the natural human capacity to feel or miss the ones they love. Hasn’t there been a few soldier-poets in history?

Sadly, this soldier who wrote his emotions on his helmet will never be able to fulfill his yearning for his family or his parents, all because of a group of power-mad people. There is no doubt the blame falls on the madness for power.

Currently, the revolutionary forces are still welcoming the surrender and defections of junta troops. Additionally, we also help them to reunite with their families and to start a new life. The number of soldiers who have joined the side of the people and who are now living a fulfilling and free life is in the tens of thousands.

All that is needed is a plain white cloth so that SAC soldiers do not have to wait for their wishes to come true only in death. Through its propaganda machine, SAC will continue to instill ideas into its soldiers that to surrender is a shameful act punishable by harsh prison sentences or even death.

One more thing to understand is that this war is also a war in which the dictatorship will try to pit people against people. What is important to win this war is for everyone to participate and endeavor in this revolution. It is customary in war that the side with the most support from the people wins. The victory of the people in this revolution is inevitable.

I would like to end with sincere advice to those soldiers who are being used as cannon fodder by the military dictatorship: utilize the plain white cloth (white flag) to live a fulfilling life.

Written by Tayza (CDM)