The New Market Wizards: Conversations with America's Top Traders by Jack D. Schwager Page B
Authors: Jack D. Schwager
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them along. Here I was, a new guy, a college kid, doing things better and faster than they were. I also got three promotions in my first four months, which was unheard of in the marines. All of this didn’t go over too well. It took me a while, but I finally realized that being a college hotshot was doing me a lot more harm than good. I made an effort to blend in better, with modest success.
Were you in situations in which your unit was in direct line of fire?
Oh sure. We were bombarded by mortars and rockets nearly every other day, and there were about a dozen times when we were in face-to-face combat with troops trying to overrun our position. However, for the most part, the greatest danger was that artillery pieces were primary targets for the North Vietnamese troops and Vietcong.
What was the emotional response to going from civilization into a situation where your life was being threatened almost daily?
There are two responses one has. The first is fear. I remember getting off the plane in Da Nang, with gunfire all around, and being rushed into the back of a jeep. There were repeated bursts of gunfire throughout our ride to the base camp. We had our weapons with us, but we had no experience in shooting at people. I was absolutely terrified.
After a few months, the primary feeling changed from fear to boredom. Once you get used to the idea that you might die, you’re faced with a sixteen-hour workday in absolutely horrible conditions. Either it was 110 degrees with dust blowing in your face, or during the monsoon season you were knee-deep in mud and freezing, even though the temperature was about 50 or 60 degrees.
Did the fear dissipate after a while?
There is always fear, but you get used to it. There were even times when an attack was almost welcome because it helped break up the boredom. I don’t mean that to sound flip—some of my friends were killed or lost their arms and legs in these attacks—but after a few months, the boredom became a bigger problem than the fear.
Did you have any experiences in hand-to-hand combat in which you know that you killed somebody?
Yes and no. I know that I personally killed people, but there were no specific instances in which I fired and saw someone drop. Firefights are different in reality than they are on TV. You don’t fire single shots at specific targets. Instead, you put your rifle on automatic and put out as much lead as you can. I know that I killed people with my rifle and certainly with the artillery shells that I was directing, but fortunately I never had the experience of seeing a person bleed to death by my bullet. I’m very thankful for that. I have nightmares to this day, but I’m sure my nightmares would be much worse if I had that experience.
Nightmares because you were the instrument of death? Or because you were exposed to death?
Nightmares from being exposed to death. The one nightmare I still have to this day is being chased by people with rifles. My feet get bogged down; I can’t run fast enough; and they’re gaining on me.
While you were in Vietnam, did you feel that you were going to come out of it alive?
I guess you’re always an optimist in that type of situation. I thought I would, but I certainly had plenty of friends who didn’t. I knew that was a possibility. But you can’t have an anxiety attack every thirty seconds for a year. Eventually, your mind forces you to get used to the idea that you might die or lose a leg, and you go on.
How did the Vietnam experience change you?
The major change was that I went from being a rule follower to thinking for myself. When I realized that the leaders in the country didn’t necessarily know what they were doing, I became much more independent.
Given that you came out of Vietnam in one piece, in retrospect do you consider it a beneficial experience?
The discipline of boot camp and learning that war is insanity were beneficial
Were you in situations in which your unit was in direct line of fire?
Oh sure. We were bombarded by mortars and rockets nearly every other day, and there were about a dozen times when we were in face-to-face combat with troops trying to overrun our position. However, for the most part, the greatest danger was that artillery pieces were primary targets for the North Vietnamese troops and Vietcong.
What was the emotional response to going from civilization into a situation where your life was being threatened almost daily?
There are two responses one has. The first is fear. I remember getting off the plane in Da Nang, with gunfire all around, and being rushed into the back of a jeep. There were repeated bursts of gunfire throughout our ride to the base camp. We had our weapons with us, but we had no experience in shooting at people. I was absolutely terrified.
After a few months, the primary feeling changed from fear to boredom. Once you get used to the idea that you might die, you’re faced with a sixteen-hour workday in absolutely horrible conditions. Either it was 110 degrees with dust blowing in your face, or during the monsoon season you were knee-deep in mud and freezing, even though the temperature was about 50 or 60 degrees.
Did the fear dissipate after a while?
There is always fear, but you get used to it. There were even times when an attack was almost welcome because it helped break up the boredom. I don’t mean that to sound flip—some of my friends were killed or lost their arms and legs in these attacks—but after a few months, the boredom became a bigger problem than the fear.
Did you have any experiences in hand-to-hand combat in which you know that you killed somebody?
Yes and no. I know that I personally killed people, but there were no specific instances in which I fired and saw someone drop. Firefights are different in reality than they are on TV. You don’t fire single shots at specific targets. Instead, you put your rifle on automatic and put out as much lead as you can. I know that I killed people with my rifle and certainly with the artillery shells that I was directing, but fortunately I never had the experience of seeing a person bleed to death by my bullet. I’m very thankful for that. I have nightmares to this day, but I’m sure my nightmares would be much worse if I had that experience.
Nightmares because you were the instrument of death? Or because you were exposed to death?
Nightmares from being exposed to death. The one nightmare I still have to this day is being chased by people with rifles. My feet get bogged down; I can’t run fast enough; and they’re gaining on me.
While you were in Vietnam, did you feel that you were going to come out of it alive?
I guess you’re always an optimist in that type of situation. I thought I would, but I certainly had plenty of friends who didn’t. I knew that was a possibility. But you can’t have an anxiety attack every thirty seconds for a year. Eventually, your mind forces you to get used to the idea that you might die or lose a leg, and you go on.
How did the Vietnam experience change you?
The major change was that I went from being a rule follower to thinking for myself. When I realized that the leaders in the country didn’t necessarily know what they were doing, I became much more independent.
Given that you came out of Vietnam in one piece, in retrospect do you consider it a beneficial experience?
The discipline of boot camp and learning that war is insanity were beneficial
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