Poem
Prose
Prose
Sketch
Prose
Prose
The Mickey Mouse Watch
By Arthur Wiknik, Army
Writing Type: Prose
By Arthur Wiknik, Jr.
In the spring of 1968, I was 19 years old and living the ultimate teenage
life. I had a good job, a new car and a steady girlfriend whom I was crazy
about. However, that was all put on hold when I received my draft notice
ordering me to report for induction into the US Army.
Upon completion of infantry training, I was sent to Vietnam for one year, where
I served as a combat squad leader. Life in the steamy jungle was
miserable. In addition to being far from home, soldiers also contended
with the enemy, snakes, voracious insects and oppressive weather conditions.
However, the one thing that keeps soldiers going is support from home,
primarily in the form of mail. During the first half of my tour, I
received letters from my girlfriend nearly every day. Her devotion
sustained me and kept me focused. As a result, hardly a moment went by
when I did not dream of the day when I would return home so we could get
married.
As I entered the second half of my tour, her letter writing dwindled to the
point where several weeks would pass without a word. When an occasional
letter did arrive, it read like a high school homework assignment. The
passion was gone, and some of the topics were of places and events that I had never
heard of. It was obvious that my girlfriend had found someone else.
I was devastated at the realization that I no longer had someone waiting for
me. My morale quickly fell to an all-time low. I had trouble concentrating
and often took unnecessary risks because I no longer cared if I would survive
the war.
Then one night, a fellow soldier handed me his luminous Mickey Mouse pocket
watch so I could keep track of my guard shift in the dark. I stared
intently at the timepiece as Mickey smiled back at me. I began to think about
when I was a kid and how much I loved sitting in front of the television after
school to be entertained by the Mickey Mouse Club. I thought about sitting in
my parents’ home where I was warm, safe, well fed and carefree. I thought
about the neighborhood kids and all the fun we had playing baseball, ice
skating and camping in each other’s backyards. I even missed my father yelling
at me.
Suddenly, something magical happened. All my anxieties vanished. I looked again
at Mickey’s silly grin. It was a grin that seemed to tell me not to worry
because everything was going to be okay. I smiled back with a nod, as if I
was actually communicating with Mickey. I still had to complete a danger-filled
tour, but that pocket watch made me care again and gave me the confidence to
survive the war unharmed.
Shortly after returning home from Vietnam, I purchased a Mickey Mouse
wristwatch, and I have worn one ever since. I wanted to have a constant
reminder that no matter how many obstacles life sends my way, no matter how
bleak the situation, things could be worse, so I am thankful to be alive.
A luminous Mickey Mouse pocket watch on a dark lonely night did that for me.