THE WORLD WAR THREE

It was on March 2012 when the world war three entered our land Java. Jakarta and Bandung had been bombed by the alliance of China. My mother, my sister and my little brother were forced to move out from Java. I wasn’t sure of where they’re going but it would be likely for them to be placed in Borneo or Celebes.



Me and my father had no choice but to join the army. Both of us were brought to Magelang for preparation camp. We had to stay there for two weeks before the army send us on war.

The camp was far from comfort. We didn’t have enough beds to sleep on and the food were awful. Some desperate guys who had tried ways to escape found dead end. They were either being captured back or shot dead outside the camp. The saddest were those who committed suicide in the camp.

I had spent the first week practicing war. I was making a good progress in shooting and parachuting simulation. Sergent Ahmad gave me a silver pin for having been the best troop for three days in a row. The reward gave a little relief. It somehow decreased my fear towards my fate in the coming week.

I hadn’t seen my father since the day we arrive at camp. We were split according to ages. I was in a group with those aged seventeen to twenty five. I really missed my father and really wished to see him before I go to war.

Two weeks had past and all the soldiers were marched at an open field. It was the farewell ceremony. General Prabowo delivered his speech with such an extraordinary mood. His words burnt many spirit. The crowd shouted replying General’s words. He reminded us of the hard times seventy years ago during our nation’s fight for independence. He declared that we had better be dead than living in slavery.

For that moment I questioned myself. Am I really ready for war? Am I really ready to face death? I took my riffle which was lying on my right leg and raised it. The others took theirs and lifted them as I just did. Then I could hear the thunderous sound of a jet plane flying low above our head. It marked the end of the camp and the beginning of our duty as soldiers.

With a whisper I asked “Who are we actually fighting for? Are we really fighting for Indonesia? Or are we not?” Doubtful for i had always thought of bad things on the government.

So there I was inside a truck with fifty other soldiers. I haven’t yet seen my father since the ceremony ended. I started thinking things. I was scared of not meeting him anymore. It was not only my father that i missed but also the rest of the family. The last time I met them was two weeks ago and never I saw or even hear them again ever since.

The truck was closed and we had no window to see the surroundings. I had no idea of where we were going to be placed. None of the Sergent spoke to us of any city. The journey was long and tiring, we hadn’t stop for six hours. There was only a bottle of mineral water for each of us. There was neither food nor toilet. We had to pee with either our bottle or through the holes of the truck. It smelled disgusting and I had really wished to arrive in our destination as soon as possible.


I ran to the entrance way when the truck suddenly stopped. The door was opened. Sergent Marman who led our troop told us we had arrived at our place. I was shock for seeing a building that I had really recognized. The Monas stood high to the sky. Jakarta was not the city that I had always known. I hardly saw any car or crowd. Nobody was on the streets, not even the beggars.

Just minutes from our arrival, a bomb was dropped on a building twenty meters from our position. We were panicked, two of us were hit by debris of the building next to our truck. They were badly injured. The medics took them to protection and ran to a building nearby.

The others took position to guard the medics. I was one of them. I still couldn’t believed of what just happened. I prayed to God and stood on my riffle. For that moment i realized that all of us were sent to death. We were fighting for an empty city. The General must have planned this before. They were building up army in Magelang and by that time they needed some soldiers fighting as a bait in Jakarta.

.............. to be continued