When we land at the airport at San Francisco, a big crowd is waiting for us to get off the
plane. They is carryin signs an banners and all. Colonel Gooch look out the winder of the plane
an say he is suprised not to see a brass band there to greet us. As it turn out, the people in the
crowd is quite enough.
First thing that happen when we come off the plane is the people in the crowd commence to
chantin at us, an then somebody thowed a big tomato that hit Colonel Gooch in the face. After
that, all hell break loose. They is some cops there, but the crowd busted thru an come runnin
towards us shoutin an hollerin all kinds of nasty things, an they is about two thousan of them,
wearing beards an shit, an it was the mos frightenin thing I have seen since we was back at the
rice paddy where Bubba was kilt.
Colonel Gooch is tryin to clean the tomato off his face an act dignified, but I figger, the hell
with that, cause we is outnumbered a thousan to one, an ain't got no weapons to boot. So I took
off runnin.
That crowd was sure as hell lookin for somethin to chase too, cause ever one of them start
chasin me jus like they used to do when I was little, hollerin and shoutin and wavin they signs. I
run damn near all over the airport runway, an back again an into the terminal, an it was even
scarier than when them Nebraska corn shucker jackoffs was chasin me aroun the Orange Bowl.
Finally, I done run into the toilet an hid up on the seat with the door shut until I figger they have
give up an gone on home. I must of been there an hour or so.
When I come out I walked down to the lobby an there is Colonel Gooch surrounded by a
platoon of M.P.'s an cops, an he is lookin very distressed till he seen me. "C'mon, Gump!" he say.
"They is holdin a plane for us to get to Washington."
When we get on the plane to Washington they is a bunch of civilians on it too, an Colonel
Gooch an me set in a seat up front. We has not even took off yet, before all the people aroun us
get up an go set somewhere else in the back of the plane. I axed Colonel Gooch why that was, an
he say it probly cause we smell funny or somethin. He say not to worry about it. He say things be
better in Washington. I hope so, cause even a moron like me can figger out that so far, it is not
like the colonel say it would be.
When the plane get to Washington I am so excited I can bust! We can see the Washington
Monument an the Capitol an all from out the winder an I have only saw picures of them things,
but there they are, real as rain. The Army have sent a car to pick us up an we is taken to a real
nice hotel, with elevators an stuff an people to lug your shit aroun for you. I have never been in a
elevator before.
After we get squared away in our rooms, Colonel Gooch come over an say we is goin out for
a drink to this little bar he remembers where they is a lot of pretty girls, an he say it is a lot
different here than in California on account of people in the East are civilized an shit. He is wrong
again.
We set down at a table an Colonel Gooch order me a beer an somethin for hissef an he begin
tellin me how I got to act at the ceremony tomorrow when the President pin the medal on me.
Bout halfway through his talk, a pretty girl come up to the table an Colonel Gooch look up
an axe her to git us two more drinks cause I guess he think she is the waitress. But she look
down an say, "I wouldn get you a glass of warm spit, you filthy cocksucker." Then she turn to me
an say, "How many babies have you kilt today, you big ape?"
Well, we gone on back to the hotel after that, an ordered some beer from room service, an
Colonel Gooch get to finish tellin me how to act tomorrow.
Nex morning we up bright an early an walk on over to the White House where the President
live. It is a real pretty house with a big lawn an all that look almost as big as city hall back in
Mobile. A lot of Army people be there pumpin my han an tellin me what a fine feller I am, an
then it is time to get the medal.
The President is a great big ole guy who talk like he is from Texas or somethin an they has
assembled a whole bunch of people some of which look like maids an cleanin men an such, but
they is all out in this nice rose garden in the bright sunshine.
An Army guy commence to readin some kind of bullshit an everbody be listenin up keen,
cept for me, on account of I is starvin since we has not had our breakfast yet. Finally the Army
guy is thru an then the President come up to me an take the medal out of a box an pin it on my
chest. Then he shake my han an all these people start takin pichers an clappin an such as that.
I figger it is over then, an we can get the hell out of there, but the President, he still standin
there, lookin at me kind of funny. Finally he say, "Boy, is that your stomach that is growlin like
that?"
I glance over at Colonel Gooch but he jus roll his eyes up, an so I nod, an say, "Uh, huh," an
the President say, "Well, c'mon boy, lets go an git us somethin to eat!"
I foller him inside an we go into a little roun room an the President tell a guy who is dressed
up like a waiter to bring me some breakfast. It jus the two of us in there, an wile we is waitin for
the breakfast he start axin me questions, such as do I know why we is fightin the gooks an all, an
is they treatin us right in the Army. I jus nod my head an after a wile he stop axin me questions an
they is this kind of silence an then he say, "Do you want to watch some television wile we is
waitin for your food?"
I nod my head again, an the President turn on a tv set behin his desk an we watch "The
Beverly Hillbillies." The President is most amused an say he watches it ever day an that I sort of
remin him of Jethro. After breakfast, the President axe me if I want him to show me aroun the
house, an I say, "Yeah," an off we go. When we get outside, all them photographer fellers are
followin us aroun an then the President decide to set down on a little bench an he say to me,
"Boy, you was wounded, wasn't you?" an I nod, an then he say, "Well, look at this," an he pull up
his shirt an show me a big ole scar on his stomach where he has had an operation of some kind,
an he axe, "Where was you wounded?" an so I pull down my pants an show him. Well, all them
photographer fellers rush up an start to take pichers, an several folks come runnin over an I am
hustled away to where Colonel Gooch is waitin.
That afternoon back at our hotel, Colonel Gooch suddenly come bustin into my room with a
hanful of newspapers an boy is he mad. He begun hollerin an cussin at me an flung the papers
down on my bed an there I am, on the front page, showin my big ass an the President is showin
his scar. One of the papers has drawn a little black mask over my eyes so they can't recognize me,
like they do with dirty pitchers.
The caption say, "President Johnson and War Hero Relaxing in the Rose Garden."
"Gump, you idiot!" Colonel Gooch say. "How could you do this to me? I am ruint. My
career is probly finished!"
"I dunno," I says, "but I am tryin to do the right thing."
Anyhow, after that I be in the doghouse again, but they has not give up on me yet. The Army
have decided that I will go on the recruitment tour to try to get fellers to sign up for the war, an
Colonel Gooch has gotten somebody to write up a speech that they expect me to make. It is a long
speech, an filled with such things as "In time of crisis, nothin is more honorable an patriotic than
to serve your country in the Armed Forces," an a whole bunch of shit like that. Trouble was, I
could not never get the speech learnt. Oh, I could see all the words in my head okay, but when it
come time to say it, everthin get all muddled up.
Colonel Gooch is beside hissef. He make me stay up till almost midnight ever day, tryin to
get the speech right, but finally he thowed up his hans an say, "I can see this is not gonna work."
Then he come up with a idea. "Gump," he say, "here's what we is gonna do. I am gonna cut
this speech shorter, an so all you will have to do is say a few things. Let us try that." Well, he cut
it shorter an shorter an shorter, till he is finally satisfied that I can remember the speech an not
look like a idiot. In the end, all I have got to say is "Join the Army an fight for your freedom."
Our first stop on the tour is a little college an they have got some reporters an photographers
there, an we is in a big auditorium up on the stage. Colonel Gooch get up an he begin givin the
speech I done sposed to have made. When he is thru, he say, "An now, we will have a few
remarks from the latest Congressional Medal of Honor winner, P.F.C. Forrest Gump," an he
motion for me to come forward. Some people are clappin, an when they stop, I lean forward an
say, "Join the Army an fight for your freedom."
I reckon they be expectin somethin more, but that's all I been tole to say, so I jus stand there,
everbody lookin at me, me lookin back at them. Then all of a sudden somebody in the front shout
out, "What do you think of the war?" an I say the first thing that come into my mind, which is, "It
is a bunch of shit."
Colonel Gooch come an grapped the microphone away from me an set me back down, but
all the reporters be scribblin in they notebooks an the photographers be takin pichers, an everbody
in the audience goin wild, jumpin up an down an cheerin. Colonel Gooch get me out of there
pronto, an we be in the car drivin fast out of town, an the colonel ain't sayin nothin to me, but he
is talkin to hissef an laughin this weird, nutty little laugh.
Next mornin we is in a hotel ready to give our second speech on the tour when the phone
ring. It is for Colonel Gooch. Whoever on the other end of the line seem to be doin all the talkin,
an the colonel is doin the listenin an sayin "Yessir" a whole lot, an ever so often he is glarin over
at me. When he finally put the phone down, he be starin at his shoes an he say, "Well, Gump,
now you has done it. The tour is canceled, I have been reassigned to a weather station in Iceland,
an I do not know or care what is to become of your sorry ass." I axed Colonel Gooch if we could
get ourselfs a Co'Cola now, an he jus look at me for a minute, then start that talkin to hissef again
an laughin that weird, nutty laugh.
They sent me to Fort Dix after that, an assign me to the Steam Heat Company. All day an haf
the night I be shovelin coal into the boilers that keep the barracks warm. The company
commander is a kind of ole guy who don't seem to give much of a damn bout nothin, an he say
when I get there I has just got two more years left in the Army before I am discharged, an to keep
my nose clean an everthin will be okay. An that is what I am tryin to do. I be thinkin a lot about
my mama an bout Bubba an the little srimp bidness an Jenny Curran up at Harvard, an I am
playin a little ping-pong on the side.
One day next spring there is a notice that they is gonna have a post ping-pong tournament an
the winner will get to go to Washington to play for the All Army championship. I signed mysef
up an it was pretty easy to win on account of the only other guy that was any good had got his
fingers blowed off in the war an kep droppin his paddle.
Next week I am sent to Washington an the tournament is bein helt at Walter Reed Hospital,
where all the wounded fellers can set an watch us play. I won pretty easy the first roun, an the
secont too, but in the third, I have drawn a little bitty feller who puts all sorts of spin on the ball
an I am havin a terrible time with him, an gettin my ass whipped. He is leadin me four games to
two an it look like I am gonna lose, when all of a sudden I look over in the crowd an who should
be settin there in a wheelchair but Lieutenant Dan from the hospital back at Danang!
We have a little break between games an I go over to Dan an look down at him an he ain't
got no legs no more.
"They had to take them off, Forrest," he say, "but other than that, I am jus fine."
They have also taken off the bandages from his face, an he is terrible scarred an burnt from
where his tank caught fire. Also, he still have a tube runnin into him from a bottle hooked onto a
pole on his wheelchair.
"They say they gonna leave that like it is," Dan say. "They think it looks good on me."
Anyhow, he lean forward an look me in the eye, an say, "Forrest, I believe that you can do
any damn thing you want to. I have been watchin you play, an you can beat this little guy because
you play a hell of a game of ping-pong an it is your destiny to be the best."
I nod an it is time to go on back out there, an after that, I did not lose a single point, an I go
on to the finals an win the whole tournament.
I was there for about three days, an Dan an me got to spend some time together. I would roll
him aroun in his wheelchair, sometimes out in the garden where he could get some sun, an at
night I would play my harmonica for him like I did for Bubba. Mostly, he liked to talk bout
things— all sorts of things— such as history and philosophy, an one day he is talkin bout Einstein's
theory of relativity, an what it mean in terms of the universe. Well, I got me a piece of paper an I
drawed it out for him, the whole formula, cause it was somethin we had to do in the Intermediate
Light class back at the University. He look at what I have done, an he say, "Forrest, you never
cease to amaze me."
One day when I was back at Fort Dix shovelin coal in the Steam Heat Company, a feller
from the Pentagon showed up with a chest full of medals an a big smile on his face, an he say,
"P.F.C. Gump, it is my pleasure to inform you that you is been chosen as a member of the United
States Ping-Pong Team to go to Red China an play the Chinese in ping-pong. This is a special
honor, because for the first time in nearly twenty-five years our country is having anything to do
with the Chinamen, an it is an event far more important than any damn ping-pong game. It is
diplomacy, and the future of the human race might be at stake. Do you understand what I am
saying?"
I shrug my shoulders an nod my head, but somethin down in me sinkin fast. I am jus a po ole
idiot, an now I have got the who