Francis Thurmond Hockenbury

Francis Thurmond Hockenbury is a conscientious objector
and he is a medic.
When he arrives for the first time at the camp,
he is not well-received by his fellow soldiers.
Francis doesn’t use weapons and
he doesn’t approve in any way of violence.

During his first mission,
he understands what it means to be in the front line;
he sees the horrors that these young soldiers face.
Between bullets and mines, he risks his life to save human beings.

Francis is nicknamed "Doc Hock"
and every day that passes,
he earns more trust from his fellow soldiers.

Francis always keeps an optimistic vein,
even in the most difficult situations.
Walking in the swamp, to ease the tension,
he recalls the words of a telefilm...

“Final frontier-those are the voyages
of Team Viking,
its five-year mission
to explore strange new countries
to snuff out new life
and ancient civilizations to boldly go where
no round eye has gone before”.

He tries to make Taylor smile,
who has luckily not been bitten
by a scorpion.

Sergeant Anderson watches with astonishment
the peace symbol drawn on the ground;
his gaze goes to Francis, who looks down with a pleased smile.



Seldom, there are simple assignments to carry out.
The go-go bar’s girls laugh seeing
this young medic with his kind and embarrassed manner,
who gives penicillin injections.

With care and love, he cures the orphanage’s children.


With time passing, the losses increase,
the horrors and the sorrow
become always stronger.



The first time that Francis meets Tien Ly,
he is touched by the beauty and
sweetness of this young girl,
but destiny won’t let them meet anymore.




During a mission Francis finds himself with a gun in his hands,
they’re the longest seconds of his life.
He doesn’t squeeze the trigger and
it causes the death of his fellow soldier...
and a part of him too.




The anguish destroys him, more and more every day,
and his fellow soldiers become more distant from him.






Finally they see Francis’s pain
and before leaving Vietnam,
they greet their friend,
who has done a lot for them,
and realize this place was not right for him.




Francis continues to nurse the camp’s wounded.
A glimmer of hope appears in his eyes
when he sees a soldier nearing death, who can be saved.
But his faith is roughly broken by the doctor
who orders him to administer more morphine.




The despair has become too strong for Francis,
his mind and soul is destroyed.
Drunk and in sweet company, he goes looking for trouble,
when he approaches some Vietnamese soldiers,
he is cut off by sudden explosions...
The town becomes day, every one runs away, just Francis stays.
He walks shakily, keeping a bottle in his hands;
a bitter smile on his face.
Now he feels nothing, his emotions are as dead as his heart.




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