Skip Nichols walked to the podium, breathed deeply and shared one of his most agonizing life experiences.
Nichols, a Vietnam veteran and retired managing editor of the East Oregonian, had cobbled together the words during a Red Badge Project writing workshop and later agreed to share them with an audience at the Gesa Power House Theatre in Walla Walla. On Friday night, he joined five other workshop participants, two Red Badge instructors and actor Tom Skerritt, who served in the Air Force. The Emmy-winning actor co-founded the Red Badge Project as a way to help veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder find their voice and reboot their sense of purpose.
At the podium, Nichols morphed back into the 19-year-old Marine he once had been, standing guard with two other soldiers near the perimeter of Camp Carroll, just south of the demilitarized zone. They noticed a boy on a water buffalo heading toward the concertina wire encircling the camp. The sight put the soldiers on edge. The boy, who appeared to be about 12, carried a bamboo cane to prod the water buffalo and had arms and legs that were “little more than sticks.” A brown cloth bag hung from his neck.
“Did it contain rice balls, a satchel charge or hand grenades?” Nichols remembered wondering. “Were we looking into the eyes of the enemy or an innocent boy?”
Nichols, a radio operator and interpreter, radioed his captain for instructions. Hold fire until the water buffalo reaches the wire, the officer said, then shoot. Boy
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