Dog Tag

what 's an dog tag...

its a chain worn by soldiers which identify their name, number and Battalion name... would be carved on it.

this story deals with ma imaginations thoughts and observations kept in ma brain for couple of days..

" Only the dead see the end of war".. this is the sentence which haunted ma mind, heart and brain for developing this story.

if the dead see the end of a war then dog tag which hanging around their neck would also be seen the war and end of his master too.

(Here 'Me' means ma conscious mind and 'Me*' means ma unconscious mind)



Assam May 30,1990 Wednesday 04.00 AM
**************************************

Actually I don't love this job... I said my self.. Collecting the dead's belongings.. climbed a large mountain searching for dead bodies... hmmm.. Nothing found now... Most fking job I have ever done..

I can smell the dead bodies surrounding me.. some are deformed.. some are partially burned and some don't have eyes, faces... hmm i cant describe more now

I took gulp of Rum in ma hand to sedate ma mind and brain... This job is Killing me, I said to my self



I walked along the grass... The fog is getting closer to ground.. cant see anything

Suddenly something hooked on ma Boot... Its a Dog tag... Pride of an Soldier...

I just took it...

Me: Hmmm got another National Hero...

Me*: Hmm, is he died? yah may be... cant see any sign of him..

I carefully examined it

Me: There is some blood drops on it...

Me*: may be he died by shot on his chest.. But i can see some burnt part on it's sides..

Me: May be he died by some sort of grenade or some kind of explosion

Me*:Yah,, i just flipped the tag.. then i found something carved behind it..

Me. It's written as " June".. May be his date of Birth...

Me*: May be he is still alive... May be i can meet him after some search...

Then I moved through the dense forest.. cant see anything.. But i found a gun and some shells on the ground..

what's it mean?

Me*: may be the enemy fired at him.. he may be wounded and they attacked with their grenade...

Hmmm...

any way it's none of ma business to find him.. they only said to me to collect the belongings of soldiers..

and I don't want this tag too. since its valueless to me...

So I threw it away..

I can still smell the partially burnt dead bodies... for what sake these people doing this...to get some land... To get Pride... For Jihad...hmm I thought

after some walk I saw a partially burnt hand and Bayonet(knife).

It was quite odd to me.. hmmm

Me*:How did he lose his hand.. why Bayonet was here... I thought

Me: After sometime I got some flash lights in ma mind like someone whispering near to ma ears.. May be he was attacked by the enemy with fire gas and Ak47... May be he want to discover his body by the army... may be he wants to inform someone he care most that he was died...

so he didn't want to burnt his body completely... He took his Bayonet and cut his right hand with dog tag while he was burning..

god i did a big sin, I regret myself.

I run along the mountain again.. Searched here and there.. after a long search I found the tag, the pride of and honor of a soldier, who sacrificed his life and dreams for the mother country.

I just took it and put it in ma pocket .. Close to ma heart...

Still i can smell him, Feel him.. Touch Him...may be its still beating like living heart. it wont stop until it reached the proper hands.
his soul may be happy now... On ma way i took every tag from every body...

I felt Proud to be a part of it.. A part of their sufferings part of their sacrifices and more over abt ma job.

now I can hear more voices in ma ears.. i can still feel the breath and beats in ma hands.. may be they are all waiting for the time in which they felt proud
to be a part of the victory in war, and became war hero's in their mother country.



Army Base @ Night
*****************

I want to see the person who changed ma mind.... and i want to know abt him... and the one he cared most...
So I took the tag to the information database and typed his number and got the result

" Naik Vijay".. hmmm
Me: So what is June..

Me*: I searched a lot of his file and talked with his friends.... Then i called to his Home..

Me: Is it Naik Vijay's home, am from Army
Other (Person): yes.. wait a minute. June Someone is calling from Army...

I cut the phone...

Me*:June May be his wife, mother or daughter. He might be carved her name on his tag when he missed her most.

Vijay I know what you are thinking now, I will do that now..
He wants to send his tag to his family...

June 1 Assam
************
June, I can feel You now... I can see you there, like these clouds, would be rain at any moment.. God will help you... The rain just started...
again I started ma journey to the mountains to find the national hero's... to find their dreams... to find their dog tags...