a talk with old man from battle of Guadalcanal

Old Man : I’ve been travelling to the pacific.. i am with the Navy back there in second world war… i fought the battle of Guadalcanal, been to Phillipines, Polynessia,Hawaii, Bora - Bora… kicking japs asses all over the Pacific.. 

one thing i remember about Indonesia,is when my battle ship is face to face with Japs somewhere at Celebes sea and we won that battle. Celebes is near Indonesia right? Japs is screwing Indonesia that time huh?

And you guys speak your own language right? not english, not tagalog, not japanese…

Me: Yes, we have our own language, it’s Bahasa Indonesia

Old Man : that’s perfect, it’s great to have your own langugage… you have genuine identity…

Me : i read on book and watch it on History channel, Battle of Gualdalcanal is devastating sooo many casualities.. it’s very lucky for me that i can met you here, one of the brave who fought on that battle…

Old Man : yes it is, i lost so many friends there…  it’s bad decision to fought the japs there, we can just sink their ships on their way to that hell of a place… and another bad decision is to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki… that’s  a bad baad idea…

Me : But sir, when you guys, United States obiliterate that two cities… we.. Indonesian successfully pushed the japs out of Indonesia, and  with a long process finally we gain our Independence.. on August, 17th 1945. so i think… Indonesia’s leaders at that time taking a very big advantage from the bombing …

Old Man : *chuckles So indirectly… US creating a vantage point beyond that horrible bombing…. i never thought of that… so.. thank you, it’s nice able to speak to you here… it’s 1944 - 1946.. its very long time ago ,more than sixty years? so i bet, Indonesia has it’s own finest brave warriors who fought for it’s Independence on those years…

Me : Sir yes sir… they shed their blood for Indonesia…

Old Man : they are heroes son… you should never forget them…. promise me you will never forget them as a heroes ..

Me : I will never forget them sir…

Old Man : ok, good bye son… good luck! *slowly turn arround.. walking away with cane on his right hand..

after that, i just silent and watch him slowly walk away form my booth and i trying to figure out how old is he..  maybe as old as my Mbah kakung… lets assume that he is twenty yeas old on 1944 then he is 88 years old this year. And i dont know somehow this talk with this Old Man… made my day…