The Phantom Blooper
Encyclopedia
The Phantom Blooper is a 1990 novel written by Gustav Hasford
, and the sequel to The Short-Timers
. It continues to follow James T. "Joker" Davis through his Vietnam
odyssey. The book was supposed to be the second of a "Vietnam Trilogy", but the author died soon after completing it.
The book is now out of print, but Hasford's website contains the entire text.
base, which is about to be abandoned by American Marines after withstanding a two-month siege. He believes most of his previous squad-mates to be dead, even the seemingly indestructible Animal Mother. Joker blames their deaths on "The Phantom Blooper," supposedly an American, armed with an M79 grenade launcher
, who fights alongside the Viet Cong against his countrymen.
Joker is still haunted by the memory of his friend Cowboy, whom he killed in order to keep his squad from being cut down by a sniper; as a result, his behavior has become increasingly erratic and violent. He sets up one of his squad-mates to be killed in an attempt to draw the Phantom Blooper out of hiding, then forces an inattentive soldier on guard duty to hold a live hand grenade
with the pin out. Later, as the Viet Cong attempt to overrun the base, he splits his platoon sergeant's tongue with a straight razor
. The Marines turn back the attack, suffering heavy losses in the process. The next night, Joker ventures out in search of the Phantom Blooper, but is wounded and captured by the enemy.
"Travels With Charlie" begins over a year later. Joker has been living and working in a small Viet Cong village, waiting for a chance to escape. He has not been tortured or sent to a POW camp, and his captors have begun to trust him to some degree. In Joker's mind, his best chance is to fool them into believing that he has converted to their cause, accompany them on an attack against an American position, then make his escape when the shooting starts. As time passes, however, he genuinely begins to side more and more with the Viet Cong, seeing them - the people he has been trained to kill - as ordinary human beings just like himself. When a team of Army soldiers arrives to rescue him, he is wounded in the ensuing firefight but manages to shoot down one of their choppers with a discarded M79 before passing out.
In "The Proud Flesh," Joker spends time convalescing and undergoing psychiatric therapy at Yokosuka Naval Hospital
in Japan
. He quickly makes it clear that he does not regret any of his actions as a Viet Cong captive, and he expresses his disgust and outrage at having been sent by his country to fight in a futile war. Despite threats of a court-martial
for treason
, he is given a Section 8
discharge and sent home to the United States.
Upon arriving in California
, Joker finds that his old radioman is alive and well and has become an antiwar protester. (Animal Mother, he also learns, was captured by the Viet Cong but escaped from a POW camp; he is still an active Marine.) They attend a demonstration that is quickly and forcefully broken up by the police, but Joker manages to slip away with the help of a cop who served with him at Khe Sanh. Next Joker travels to Kansas
, Cowboy's home, and has a brief and uneasy meeting with Cowboy's parents. Their son's body was never recovered from the jungle, and Joker does not tell them that he fired the shot that killed Cowboy. Finally he reaches the family farm in Alabama
, his disillusionment with the war and America growing all the time. Realizing at last that there is nothing left for him here, he sets out to return to Vietnam and his life among the Viet Cong villagers.
. This novel made less of an impact, although it was highly regarded by reviewers. Before Hasford died in 1993, he had planned to continue Joker's story in a third novel.
Some contemporary reviews:
Gustav Hasford
Gustav Hasford was an American writer. His semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers was the basis of the film Full Metal Jacket.-Biography:...
, and the sequel to The Short-Timers
The Short-Timers
The Short-Timers is a 1979 semi-autobiographical novel by American former Marine Gustav Hasford,about his experience in the Vietnam War. It was later adapted into the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket by Hasford, Michael Herr, and Stanley Kubrick....
. It continues to follow James T. "Joker" Davis through his Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
odyssey. The book was supposed to be the second of a "Vietnam Trilogy", but the author died soon after completing it.
The book is now out of print, but Hasford's website contains the entire text.
Plot
The novel begins sometime after The Short-Timers left off and is divided into three parts. In "The Winter Soldiers," Joker (having been demoted from Sergeant to Private) is still at the Khe SanhBattle of Khe Sanh
The Battle of Khe Sanh was conducted in northwestern Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam , between 21 January and 9 July 1968 during the Vietnam War...
base, which is about to be abandoned by American Marines after withstanding a two-month siege. He believes most of his previous squad-mates to be dead, even the seemingly indestructible Animal Mother. Joker blames their deaths on "The Phantom Blooper," supposedly an American, armed with an M79 grenade launcher
M79 grenade launcher
The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40x46mm grenade which used what the US Army called the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the Vietnam War...
, who fights alongside the Viet Cong against his countrymen.
Joker is still haunted by the memory of his friend Cowboy, whom he killed in order to keep his squad from being cut down by a sniper; as a result, his behavior has become increasingly erratic and violent. He sets up one of his squad-mates to be killed in an attempt to draw the Phantom Blooper out of hiding, then forces an inattentive soldier on guard duty to hold a live hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
with the pin out. Later, as the Viet Cong attempt to overrun the base, he splits his platoon sergeant's tongue with a straight razor
Straight razor
A straight razor is a razor with a blade that can fold into its handle. They are also called open razors and cut-throat razors.Although straight razors were once the principal method of manual shaving, they have been largely overshadowed by the safety razor, incorporating a disposable blade...
. The Marines turn back the attack, suffering heavy losses in the process. The next night, Joker ventures out in search of the Phantom Blooper, but is wounded and captured by the enemy.
"Travels With Charlie" begins over a year later. Joker has been living and working in a small Viet Cong village, waiting for a chance to escape. He has not been tortured or sent to a POW camp, and his captors have begun to trust him to some degree. In Joker's mind, his best chance is to fool them into believing that he has converted to their cause, accompany them on an attack against an American position, then make his escape when the shooting starts. As time passes, however, he genuinely begins to side more and more with the Viet Cong, seeing them - the people he has been trained to kill - as ordinary human beings just like himself. When a team of Army soldiers arrives to rescue him, he is wounded in the ensuing firefight but manages to shoot down one of their choppers with a discarded M79 before passing out.
In "The Proud Flesh," Joker spends time convalescing and undergoing psychiatric therapy at Yokosuka Naval Hospital
Naval Hospital Yokosuka Japan
United States Naval Hospital Yokosuka Japan with its eight branch clinics are US Navy medical treatment facilities catering to the medical needs of eligible Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, family members, U.S. government employees, retired military service members and other eligible...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He quickly makes it clear that he does not regret any of his actions as a Viet Cong captive, and he expresses his disgust and outrage at having been sent by his country to fight in a futile war. Despite threats of a court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
, he is given a Section 8
Section 8 (military)
The term Section 8 refers to a category of discharge from the United States military for reason of being mentally unfit for service. It also came to mean any serviceperson given such a discharge or behaving as if deserving such a discharge...
discharge and sent home to the United States.
Upon arriving in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Joker finds that his old radioman is alive and well and has become an antiwar protester. (Animal Mother, he also learns, was captured by the Viet Cong but escaped from a POW camp; he is still an active Marine.) They attend a demonstration that is quickly and forcefully broken up by the police, but Joker manages to slip away with the help of a cop who served with him at Khe Sanh. Next Joker travels to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Cowboy's home, and has a brief and uneasy meeting with Cowboy's parents. Their son's body was never recovered from the jungle, and Joker does not tell them that he fired the shot that killed Cowboy. Finally he reaches the family farm in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, his disillusionment with the war and America growing all the time. Realizing at last that there is nothing left for him here, he sets out to return to Vietnam and his life among the Viet Cong villagers.
Literary significance and criticism
This was the sequel to The Short-Timers, renowned for being the basis for the film the Full Metal JacketFull Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is an adaptation of the 1979 novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford and stars Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Arliss Howard and Adam Baldwin. The film follows a platoon of U.S...
. This novel made less of an impact, although it was highly regarded by reviewers. Before Hasford died in 1993, he had planned to continue Joker's story in a third novel.
Some contemporary reviews:
- "A brilliant novel of war, guilt, savagery." Spokane Chronicle
- "Hasford's vision leaves no room for healing...A furious yet compassionate book...Hasford keeps faith with the truth, however ugly, as a means of salvation." Newsweek
- "Hasford has a compelling genius for getting his point across...in prose that deserves to be celebrated...Hasford has truly outdone himself here. The Phantom Blooper is a visionary's work of impressive literary art." St. Petersburg Times
- "Well crafted...Hasford's strength in vividly portraying the day-to-day life of the Viet Cong villagers...gives us something we've rarely seen before: an empathetic view of a heretofore faceless enemy." The New York Times Book Review
- "An extraordinary book, a descent into hell in more ways than one." Associated Press