The Story In The Song - Stan Ridgeway - Camouflage

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1986 A war story combined with a ghost story made up this clever little number that conveys heroism, death with a great sense of atmosphere. Set in Vietnam in 1965, where the narrator describes being pinned down in the jungle with a jammed rifle, convinced death is imminent. He is rescued by a mysterious huge Marine called Camouflage who guides him to safety. Bullets seem to go right through Camouflage who also seems to swat aside bullets aimed at the man he is rescuing. He then rips a palm tree from the ground and uses it batter aside more of the enemy. The narrator reaches the safety of his camp alone and describes his experiences to the medics checking him over. The medics point to the body of Camouflage who died in the field hospital the night before. Camouflage had heard of the missing Marine and vowed to rescue him right before he died. Though popular in Europe the song was never a hit in the US, possibly as it runs counter to the post-Vietnam recognition by many of the injustices of the America-Vietnam conflict. The song on Youtube Arthur Chappell