When I was in the army I came face to face with hate from another soldier. [View all]

[shockey80]

In the military the number one question you will hear is, where are you from?

One day a new soldier showed up for duty. He was from South Carolina, I'm from New York. When he found out I was from New York he told me, I do not like yankees, stay away from me. His eyes were full of hate. I never had anybody say that to me before, for a couple of seconds I didn't get it. I said I don't like the yankees either, I'm a met fan. What in the hell are you talking about?

I reminded him the civil war ended over one hundred years ago. He said, I don't care, I don't like yankees. I thanked him for letting me know he hated me. I told him I would stay away from him.

Time passed by and my enlistment was coming to an end. I was packing up my belongings, I had collected a lot of stuff over the years. I decided I wanted to travel lite, I decided to give a lot stuff away. I laid the stuff I wanted to give away on my bed and opened the door to my room. As people walked by I would ask them, Do want any of this, I'm giving it away. The guy from South Carolina walked by.

I called him over, On my bed was a nice Buck folding knife. I handed it to him and said, You want it? He said in an angry voice, How much?

I said, nothing, take it. At that moment I saw all the hate melt away from his eyes. He said to me, I never knew there were cool yankees.

That happened forty years ago. I never saw him again. I wonder if I made a mark. Did I teach him something? That man was taught hate. He was taught to hate yankees. He was taught lies. I wonder?