Stan Ridgway: The Story of Camouflage Quiz

Answer: The Vietnam War

"I was a P.F.C. on a search patrol, huntin' Charlie down
It was in the jungle wars of '65"

'Charlie' refers to the Viet Cong, abbreviated to VC or Victor Charlie, using the NATO phonetic alphabet. They fought the USA and the South Vietnamese army during the Vietnam war. P.F.C. is an abbreviation for 'Private First Class'.

Answer: He doesn't say

"When he came in close beside me, he said "Don't worry, son,
I'm here
If Charlie wants to tangle now, he'll have two to dodge"
I said, "Well, thanks a lot", I told him my name and
asked him his
And he said "The boys just call me Camouflage".

Apparently Camouflage is his nickname. We're not told what his real name is.

Lt. Dan Taylor is a fictional character from the movie 'Forrest Gump', played by Gary Sinise. Stan Ridgway is the singer of this song. Cam U. Flage is made up.

Answer: Near the river bank

"Well, we fought all night, side by side, we took our battle stance
And I wondered how the bullets missed this man
'Cause they seemed to go right through him - just as if he
wasn't there
And in the mornin' we both took a chance and ran
And it was near the riverbank when the ambush came on top of us
And I thought it was the end, and we were had"

One of the major problems of the Vietnam War was the terrain the war was fought on. To deprive the enemy of cover and food the US military sprayed 80 million litres (20 million US gallons) of chemical herbicides over Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. This was called 'Operation Ranch Hand' and lasted from 1961 to 1971.

Answer: True

"Then a bullet with my name on it came buzzin' through a bush
And that big Marine, he just swat it with his hand
Just like it was a fly..."

This is not the only unusual thing Camouflage can do, as we will find out.

Answer: He can pull a palm tree out of the ground

"And I knew there was somethin' weird about him,
'Cause when I turned around,
He was pullin' a big palm tree right up outta the ground
And swattin' those Charlies with it from here to kingdom come"

Is he real? Is he a ghost? Is it a dream? I suppose it's up to the listener to decide.

Answer: He goes back to his H.Q.

"When he led me outta danger I saw my camp and waved goodbye
He just waved at me from the jungle and then was gone
When I got back to my H.Q., I told 'em about my night
And the battle I'd spent with a big Marine named Camouflage"

536,100 US soldiers were deployed by the US military during the Vietnam War.

Answer: He dies

"When I said his name, the soldier gulped, and a medic took my arm
"And led me to a green tent on the right
He said "You may be tellin' true, boy, but this here is Camouflage
And he's been right here since he passed away last night
In fact, he's been here all week long..."

A sad ending ...

58,220 US soldiers were killed in the Vietnam War.

Answer: Semper fi

"But before he went, he said Semper Fi, and said his only wish
Was to save a young Marine caught in a barrage"

Semper fi is short for 'semper fidelis' and means 'always faithful' or 'always loyal'. It is the motto of the United States Marine Corps.

'Carpe diem' is a phrase from a poem by Horace and means 'seize the day'.

'Alea iacta est' means 'the die is cast'. According to Suetonius it was said by Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon with his army in 49 BCE.

'(Ave Caesar), morituri te salutant' means '(hail emperor), those who are about to die salute you'. Again according to Suetonius this was said by a group of naumachiarii (criminals convicted to fight each other to the death in mock sea-battles) to Emperor Claudius in 52 CE.

Answer: His dog tag

"So here, take his dog tag, son, I know he'd want you to have it
now"

A dog tag is an identification tag that also contains medical information, worn by military personnel to be used in case of death or injury.

Answer: Say a prayer

"And we both said a prayer for a big Marine named Camouflage"

And here ends the story of Camouflage.