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Searcher's Voice
Even some who have never seen the classic Vietnam War film, Apocalypse Now, quote the iconic lines spoken by actor Robert Duvall, crouched down on his haunches with his cowboy hat pushed back on his head. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like ... victory." I asked a Vietnam vet if he could recall what napalm actually smelled like. He responded instantly, "Gasoline and laundry detergent. It smells like what it is. Maybe fuel oil more than gasoline." He explained that the detergent served as an emulsifier that made the fire from the gasoline gel stick to whatever or whomever it was burning. He also recommended the addition of detergent to anyone making Molotov cocktails. Well, not exactly recommended.
But why has this movie quote lived longer in memory for many than the movie or even the war? It seems to express the sentiment of a true warrior, someone who enjoys the battle as much as, or sometimes more than, the victory. Strange creatures to relish war, but they do exist. Come to think of it, we all know people who, while they would never enjoy combat, do have an appetite or at least no apparent reluctance for conflict.
And thank goodness they do exist. Some battles have to be fought, and it's always easier to do something if you enjoy doing it. Process and outcome, process and outcome. If you want a successful outcome - victory - find someone who enjoys, or at least has no innate resistance to, the process needed to achieve that...